It may be cold outside, but inside the LAC it is toasty-warm and full of engaging entertainment
Speakeysie News Desk – January 31, 2022
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – Aurora Theatre has exciting and fun programming lined up to take away any post-holiday doldrums. Families with children will be excited to experience P.Nokio: A Hip Hop Musical and the 2022 debut of Aurora Children’s Playhouse, welcoming Big Thinker’s Science Exploration and their fascinating look at all things cold in Freeze Frame. The man whose viral video in appreciation of educators got the #PayTeachersMoreMoney hashtag trending, Hank Denson, will headline Aurora Comedy Nights. Blackout: Open-Mic and Pop-up Market is a brand-new way Aurora will engage the community this Black History Month. Both the Metro Waterproofing Mainstage Theatre and the Clyde & Sandra Strickland Grand Stage Theatre will feature work from Black, female playwrights. Kirsten Greenidge’s spine-chilling thriller Feeding Beatrice is on the Grand Stage and the award-winning one-woman show Shirley Chisholm: Unbossed & Unbowed, written and performed by Ingrid Griffith takes to the Mainstage.
Black History Month
SHIRLEY CHISOLM: UNBOSSED & UNBOWED
Feb. 11-20, 2022
Friday & Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
Tickets from $18
Metro Waterproofing Mainstage Theatre
Aurora Theatre presents a special limited engagement of the award-winning, one-woman show Shirley Chisholm: Unbossed & Unbowed written and performed by Ingrid Griffith. The play chronicles the largely unheard story of Shirley St. Hill Chisholm, a Brooklyn-born politician of immigrant parents who was the first African-American woman to win a seat in the U.S. Congress and run for the Presidency of the United States. They called her the black Joan of Arc. She called herself Fighting Shirley as she faced off against the political machine in the name of justice. A Trailblazer. A Visionary. A Woman for Our Time – It’s time you meet this 20th century politician who SHOOK UP America!
Thursday, Feb. 18 at 7 p.m.
Admission Free
Bartow & Leslie Morgan Cabaret
Blackout: Open-Mic and Pop-up Market, is a FREE celebration of culture, creativity, and commerce. This brand-new event will engage the community with fantastic local performers/artists, Black-owned businesses, and delicious food samples. This event is a wonderful way to celebrate Black History Month. Those interested in sharing their talents can sign up for the open-mic here.
Family Fun
Book and Lyrics by Psalmayene 24
Music by Nick “tha 1Da” Hernandez
Directed by Nikki Toombs
Saturday, Feb. 12 at 11:30 a.m.
Tickets $12 per person
Bartow & Leslie Morgan Cabaret
This production is a part of Aurora Theatre’s Learning Library Series which features fully staged professional productions for elementary-aged field trips. This is the only public performance.
This modern twist on the classic story of Pinocchio engages students with the contemporary genres of video gaming and hip-hop music. Master video game designer G.Petto becomes a father when one of his designs, P.Nokio, magically comes to life. On his way to The Old School to master style, swagger, and originality, P.Nokio wanders astray to The Forrest of Fraudulent Fun. By the team that created our 2018 hit, Cinderella: The Remix, this fresh take makes the moral of the story of Pinocchio more relatable to kids today.
Saturday, Feb. 26 at 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.
Tickets $7 per person
Metro Waterproofing Mainstage Theatre
Part of the series Aurora Children’s Playhouse
Freeze Frame! is the Big Thinkers Science Exploration’s chilling look into the world of dry ice! Families can discover what dry ice is and how it behaves, create huge plumes of foggy carbon dioxide, explore effects of carbonation with Big Thinker Soda Pop and catch dry ice bubbles in their hands… or on their heads!
Comedy
AURORA COMEDY NIGHTS WITH HEADLINER HANK DENSON
Friday and Saturday, Jan. 28 and 29 at 8 p.m.
Tickets $7 per person
Bartow & Leslie Morgan Cabaret
Hank Denson, an Atlanta based comedian, has been making a name for himself on the comedy circuit for the past 10 years. He has opened for Jamie Foxx, Cedric the Entertainer, Amy Schumer and Rodney Perry. You may remember Hank from films like Barbershop 3 and the Tupac biopic, All Eyes on Me.
After volunteering as a chaperone during his son’s field trip, a mentally tortured Denson recorded an amusing commentary about his day at the Georgia Aquarium with a group of six-year-old kids. He received widespread support and 8 million views and counting for his #payteachersmoremoney movement.
Continuing in February
FEEDING BEATRICE: A GOTHIC TALE
By Kirsten Greenidge
Directed by David Koté
Jan. 27-Feb. 06, 2022
June and Lurie Walker, the proud new owners of a creaky old gothic house, have a haunting new houseguest – and she’s ravenously hungry. When Beatrice arrives, she burrows deep into their existence and unearths secrets with explosive consequences. Expertly crafted, this spine-chilling thriller evokes the terror of Get Out and the suspense of Hitchcock’s Psycho. A gothic tale that metaphorically and literally reveals the dark-side of America’s past and its lingering effects in the present. The media release can be found here.
Tickets are currently on sale and may be purchased online at tickets.auroratheatre.com or by calling the Box Office at 678.226.6222. At this time, Aurora Theatre will allow full capacity seating and all patrons are required to wear a mask. The specific protocols for each performance are subject to change. Please check auroratheatre.com for protocol and programming updates.
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Under the artistic leadership of Co-Founders and Artistic Directors Anthony Rodriguez and Ann-Carol Pence, now in its 26th Season, Aurora Theatre is resident company and manager of the Lawrenceville Arts Center. Theatrical productions are comprised of the biggest Broadway plays and musicals alongside exciting contemporary theatre. Additionally, Aurora produces concerts, stand-up comedy, children’s programs, metro Atlanta’s top haunted attraction Lawrenceville Ghost Tours, as well as Atlanta’s only professional Spanish language theatre, Teatro Aurora. Nestled on the historic downtown square, Lawrenceville Arts Center has FREE attached covered parking and is surrounded by restaurants and shops. Lawrenceville Arts Center is a world-class facility with five venues, with the ability to host performances and community events both indoors and outdoors. Aurora Theatre has garnered numerous accolades highlighted by recent achievements that include a 2016 Governor’s Award for the Arts & Humanities, winner of five 2019 Suzi Bass Awards, Creative Loafing’s “2010 Best Theatre Company,” Georgia Trend Magazine’s “2011 Best Places to Work in Georgia,” Atlanta Business Chronicle’s “2012 Best Places to Work,” Atlanta Magazine’s “Best of Atlanta 2018” for Best Inclusive Programming, Gwinnett Chamber’s 2018 Inaugural Moxie Award for Outstanding Organization, Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s 2014 President and CEO Award for Excellence in Arts, and Gwinnett Chamber’s 2015 IMPACT Regional Business Award for Hospitality. Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s 2014 President and CEO Award for Excellence in Arts, and Gwinnett Chamber’s 2015 IMPACT Regional Business Award for Hospitality.
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