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Pride: Amy Ray is home for Sunday show

Shannon Hames
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Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls

Hometown hero and Indigo Girl Amy Ray was chosen by Atlanta’s Pride committee to headline this year’s event. She will be finishing out the festival on Sunday, October 14. The GA Voice caught up with her to talk to her about her own coming out, being a gay musician and living in a conservative community.

GA Voice: Congratulations on headlining Atlanta Pride. How does it feel to be a part of this event in your own home town?

Amy: It’s awesome. It’s one of those things where I can’t express the level of love that I have for my city. I love that I can bring my band into my hometown and play a Pride show. It’s like having your best friend and you really want to share with them something that’s really important to you.

When did you realize that you were gay?

Fall Preview: ‘Wolves,’ ‘Divine Sister’ among fall theater debuts

The Georgia Voice Editors
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Theater preview

As memories of summer fade away, fall is now officially here, with some sparkling theater options, including several new shows.

In its 25th anniversary year, Actor’s Express is presenting one of its patented world premieres – gay playwright Steve Yockey’s “Wolves” (Nov. 8 – Dec. 2), directed by out lesbian Melissa Foulger. It’s very gay themed, starting as a gay man brings a wolf home as a one-night stand, to the dismay of his roommate. Hell breaks loose from there.

“It’s really about the conflation of sex and fear in modern society, the overlapping mix of what’s sexy and what’s dangerous — all wrapped up in a sort of modern fairy tale narration,” Yockey says.

‘Chorus Line, ‘Ugly Duckling’ offer local takes on well-known stories

The Georgia Voice Editors
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The Ugly Duckling

While it has played in Atlanta a few times over the last two years as a touring show, a local version of “A Chorus Line” is a rare thing indeed. That changes soon as the gay-themed musical opens at Aurora Theatre to begin the company’s 16th season.

The celebrated musical is known for its iconic images of a group of dancers auditioning and baring their souls all for the chance to be in the chorus line of a musical, as well as its standout musical numbers. Yet its inclusion of three-dimensional gay characters is still relevant, given that “A Chorus Line” debuted in an era — 1975 — where few gay characters were onstage.

Many of the actors in this cast are gay. Two of them are Anthony Owen, who plays Bobby Mills, and David Rossetti, who plays Paul San Marco. Both of the characters they portray are gay, too, although Bobby’s sexual orientation is never mentioned directly in the show.

‘Peachtree Battle,’ ‘Six Dance Lessons’ bring engaging gay characters back to ATL stages

The Georgia Voice Editors
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Peachtree Battle returns to the Atlanta stage

Two popular shows with gay actors portraying gay characters return to the ATL next week – “Peachtree Battle” at Ansley Park Playhouse and “Six Dance Lessons in Six Weeks” at Stage Door Players.

“Peachtree Battle,” the long running comedy from the hands of gay playwrights (and couple) John Gibson and Anthony Morris, is back for a summer run, as well as its 10th anniversary. The play opens July 16 and runs through the end of September. In the mix is openly gay actor Stan Gentry, who plays Holcomb Habersham.

“Peachtree Battle” spins around the chaos that happens when the son of a prominent family announces that he is going to marry a Hooter’s waitress. Holcomb is the oldest son of the Habersham clan with drama of his own — he is gay and his family’s reaction isn’t as accepting as he would like.

Lesbian play ‘Walk Like a Man’ in Atlanta on Saturday

The Georgia Voice Editors
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Laurinda Brown

Representations of lesbians tend to be rare onstage, much less African-American lesbians, but the play “Walk Like a Man” – returning to Atlanta Saturday for a one day gig —has a cast full of women and LGBTQ themes.

“Walk Like a Man” is adapted from Laurinda D. Brown’s book of the same name, a set of short stories which won a 2006 Lambda Literary Award. It deals, via dramatic monologues and vignettes, with issues such as same-sex domestic violence, gay parenting, rape, runaway youth, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” inter-office affairs, new love/romance and HIV/AIDS.

In all, the book featured more than 20 stories; nine of the characters Brown wrote about are featured in the stage version. Shortly after the book’s release, the play was adapted and performed at D.C. Pride. It later became the first African-American lesbian-produced play to be performed Off-Broadway.