This week on Theatre People we are proud to sit down with Atlanta costume designer and puppet builder, Nicole Clockel! Nicole has designed costumes for countless theatre productions in Atlanta including Actor's Express' Cabaret, Weird Sister Theatre's Pros & Cons of Killing Your Cult Leader, Synchronicity Theatre's A Year With Frog and Toad, and Alliance Theatre's Small Mouth Sounds.
Music is 'Wonderful' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au
This week on Theatre People we are proud to speak with accomplished Atlanta actor Terry Henry. Terry has performed in a number of celebrated Atlanta theatre productions including City Springs Theatre's Mama Mia, Actor's Express' cullud wattah, and most recently Synchronicity Theatre's In Spite of My Ambivalence. In addition to her career in theatre, Terry Henry also has a pronounced career in film and television having done projects with Warner Brothers Media, BET, Starz, and Lifetime.
Music is 'Wonderful' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au
This week on Theatre People we are proud to speak with Atlanta actor, director, and educator Lilliangina Quiñones. Lilliangina has performed in many fan favorite musicals in Atlanta including Aurora Theatre's "On Your Feet", "Mary Poppins", and both of Aurora's productions of "In the Heights". Most recently, Lilliangina directed Stagedoor Theatre's production of "Ripcord" by David Lindsay-Abaire. In addition to her accomplished career as a performer, Lilliangina also serves as the Theatre Department Chair at the School of the Arts.
Music is 'Wonderful' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au
This week on Theatre People, we are proud to speak with the co-writers of Like Father, Jacob Ryan Smith and Caroline Pernick, as well as dramaturg Amanda Watkins, about the conception, development, and production of the world-premiere musical Like Father, running October 8–November 15, 2026, at Alliance Theatre.
Like Father is a coming-of-age musical set against America's true-crime obsession. After her father's arrest, seventeen-year-old Chris moves in with her estranged mother, Michelle, and stepfather, Ben. When a hit true-crime podcast exposes their family's disturbing past to the world, they are forced to face the truth of what brought them together, or risk being undone by its consequences.
Driven by a bold, innovative folk-pop score, Like Father explores legacy, identity, and the cost of obsession, inspired by the loved ones left in the wake of infamous serial killers—and by the true-crime industry's meteoric rise to over 250 million listeners worldwide.
For more information about Like Father please visit: https://www.alliancetheatre.org/production/2026-27/like-father/
Intro and outro music is 'Wonderful' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au
This week on Theatre People we are proud to welcome accomplished scenic designer, educator and Actor's Express' former Director of Productions Seamus Bourne! Seamus has designed sets for theatres all throughout Atlanta including Actor's Express, Theatrical Outfit, Aurora Theatre and more. Seamus currently serves as a Professor of Theatre at Kennesaw State University.
Music is 'Wonderful' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au
This week on Theatre People we are proud to sit down with the creative and producing team behind MR.COOL: A Play in 5 Sets. In this episode, we will follow the life of the play from the beginning of its in conception, all the way through its second run at Theatrical Outfit.
Ray Masinloc is a fallen Filipino-American UFC champion who reinvents himself as the host of the hit podcast Ray of Fight, where he conducts live séances with legendary athletes. During the season finale, staged before a live audience at Arthur Ashe Stadium, Ray attempts to interview tennis icon Arthur Ashe. What begins as a spectacle becomes a deeply personal reckoning as Ashe challenges Ray to confront the stories he tells himself—and the cost of living up to the expectations of others. Through wit, vulnerability, and unexpected humor, MR. COOL asks what remains after fame fades and whether redemption is possible when we're finally forced to face the truth.
Music is 'Wonderful' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au
This week on Theatre People we are proud to speak with award-winning playwright, novelist, essayist and Atlanta's first Poet Laureate, Pearl Cleage! Pearl Cleage has made many notable contributions to American theatre including her critically acclaimed plays Flyin' West, Bourbon at the Border, Puppet Play and Blues for an Alabama Sky. The daughter of prominent civil rights leader and preacher Rev. Albert Cleage, Pearl Cleage has a long history of civil rights work in the city of Atlanta and beyond. She also served as a speechwriter for Mayor Maynard Jackson, Atlanta's first Black mayor. Pearl Cleage currently serves as Alliance Theatre's Distinguished Artist in Residence, and was appointed Atlanta's first Poet Laureate in 2021.
Music is 'Wonderful' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au
This week on Theatre People, we are proud to welcome beloved Atlanta theatre, film, and television actor Denise Arribas. Denise has had a long and accomplished career in the Atlanta theatre community, most recently starring in Aurora Theatre's 2026 production of In the Heights. Denise is also one of the founding performers of Unexpected Encores, an immersive performance that serves people with dementia and their caregivers.
Music is 'Wonderful' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au
This week on Theatre People we are proud to sit down with Actor's Express' artistic director Freddie Ashley! Freddie is an award-winning director and actor with an long and esteemed career in the Atlanta theatre community. Since stepping into the role of artistic director of Actor's Express in 2007 Freddie has directed over 50 productions, and has earned three Suzi Bass awards for best director, and earned the Suzi Bass award for best actor in a play for his performance as Charlie in The Whale.
Music is 'Wonderful' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au
This week on Theatre People we are proud to welcome award-winning Atlanta theatre veteran Cara Mantella. Cara has appeared in countless Atlanta theatre productions including Alliance Theatre's Doubt, A Parable, Stagedoor Theatre's Cry it Out, Actor's Express' Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train and most recently Theatrical Outfit's The Price. Cara also has a long and accomplished film and television career with some notable credits including I, Tonya and NBC's Grosse Pointe Garden Society. Cara Mantella is currently starring in Horizon Theatre's world premiere production of Holy Chicken Sandwich by Kira Rockwell running now through September 19, 2026.
Music is 'Wonderful' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au
This week on Theatre People we are proud to welcome Atlanta theatre, film and television actor Terrence Smith! Terrence has appeared in a number of critically-acclaimed theatre productions including Horizon Theatre's Natasha Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812, Actor's Express' Cabaret and Theatrical Outfit's world premiere production of Young John Lewis. Terrence Smith also appeared in the 2023 film production of The Color Purple alongside Taraji P. Henson, Colman Domingo and Fantasia Barrino.
Music is 'Wonderful' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au
This week on Theatre People we are proud to welcome the Managing Artistic Director of Working Title Playwrights, Amber Bradshaw! Amber is an Atlanta theatre practitioner with an extensive background in dramaturgy. Their passion for new play development has supported- and continues to support- countless Atlanta playwrights through their leadership at Working Title Playwrights. Amber also hosts their own podcast titled, TABLEWORK: How New Plays Get Made.
Music is 'Wonderful' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au
This week on Theatre People we are proud to welcome one of Atlanta's most celebrated actors, Andrew Benator. Andrew has performed in countless Atlanta theatre productions, as well as nationwide including several Off-Broadway appearances. Among his most notable Atlanta credits are Theatrical Outfit's The Lehman Trilogy, Alliance Theatre's August: Osage County, Actor's Express' Seminar and Theatrical Outfit's Remember: The Lessons of Jan Karski, for which he received the Suzi Bass Award for Best Performance in a Leading Role.
Music is 'Wonderful' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au
This week on Theatre People we are proud to sit down with multi-award-winning costume designer, Dr. L. Nyrobi Moss. L. Nyrobi Moss has costume designed countless productions in Atlanta including Horizon Theatre's Natasha Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812, Actor's Express' Doubt: A Parable and Aurora Theatre's The Color Purple. In addition to her work in Atlanta, L. Nyrobi Moss has designed theatre productions all across the country including shows in NYC, Dallas, Washington D.C., Orlando and internationally in Holland, West Africa, South Africa and Dubai.
Music is 'Wonderful' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au
This week on Theatre People, we are proud to welcome actor, director, playwright, and producer Tom Key. Tom is a highly celebrated actor, having performed in over 100 productions throughout his career in Birmingham, New York, Atlanta and beyond. Tom wrote and starred in the off-Broadway musical, Cotton Patch Gospel, which had subsequent productions throughout the United States. Tom Key also served as the Artistic Director of Theatrical Outfit for 25 years (1995-2020).
Music is 'Wonderful' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au
This week on Theatre People we are proud to welcome Atlanta actor and director, Candy McLellan! Candy has been working in the professional Atlanta theatre community for over a decade, and has appeared on countless Atlanta stages including Aurora Theatre, Theatrical Outfit, Alliance Theatre and Actor's Express. In 2025, Candy was awarded the Kenny Leon Directing Fellowship at Alliance Theatre, and then went on to direct the world premiere of Dad's Garage's hit musical, Hot Jambalaya. Candy McLellan is also a successful film actor, and has appeared on a number of major television shows including The Resident, Will Trent and Netflix's Sweet Magnolias.
Music is 'Wonderful' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au
This week on Theatre People we are proud to welcome award-winning playwright Kira Rockwell. Kira's play, Oh, To Be Pure Again received its world premiere at Actor's Express in 2023 and received endless praise from audiences and critics alike, and earning Kira the Suzi Bass Awards' Gene-Gabriel Moore Playwrighting Award. Kira's play, Holy Chicken Sandwich will have its world premiere at Horizon Theatre in August 2026. Kira Rockwell was named "People to Watch" by American Theatre Magazine.
Music is 'Wonderful' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au
This week on Theatre People we sat down with actor and playwright Jacob York. Jacob has had an extensive performing career in the Atlanta theatre community and has appeared on numerous Atlanta stages including the Shakespeare Tavern, Stagedoor Theatre, Aurora Theatre, and Actor's Express. Jacob is also an award-winning playwright whose play, Initiative, received its world premiere at Aurora Theatre in March 2026.
This week on Theatre People we are proud to sit down with the talented and hilarious Jon Carr. Jon is the Artistic Director of Dad's Garage, and an award-winning improviser and sketch comic that has worked in the Atlanta arts community for over 20 years. Jon also previously served as the Executive Director of The Second City in Chicago.
Music is 'Wonderful' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au
This week on Theatre People we are proud to welcome actor and director, Lauren Morris. Lauren has directed a number of productions in Atlanta including In Spite of My Ambivalence at Synchronicity Theatre, A Third Way at Actor's Express, The Cake at Horizon Theatre and Cry it Out at Stage Door Theatre. Lauren specializes in physical theatre, devised theatre and new play development.
Music is 'Wonderful' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0. www.scottbuckley.com.au
