Gloria Estefan, WigOut & The Atlanta Opera | The ATL Arts Collective

✦  Beth McKibben ✦ Basura ✦ WigOut ✦ The artistry of food plating ✦ Atlanta Opera’s new home ✦ Best Bets ✦   

(photo courtesy of Beth McKibben)

✦This Week On The Show ✦ 

Beth McKibben joins as co-host! She serves as both Editor-in-Chief and Dining Editor for Rough Draft Atlanta. She was previously the editor of Eater Atlanta and has covered food and drinks both locally and nationally for 15 years. Her work in local journalism truly makes her an Atlanta treasure.

 

Gloria Estefan, along with her daughter, Emily, wrote the songs for the world premiere musical "Basura," on stage at the Alliance starting May 30. (photo courtesy of Alliance Theatre) 

✦ Gloria Estefan’s Basura at Alliance Theatre ✦ 

The new musical Basura is having its world premiere run at the Alliance Theatre through July 12. Inspired by the true story of Paraguay’s Recycled Orchestra, the show features original songs by Grammy Award winner Gloria Estefan and her daughter, Emily Estefan. Basura is directed by Michael Greif, the creative behind the hit Broadway musical Rent, and, as ArtsATL editor at large Jim Farmer explains, this duo is just the start of the all-star creative team behind the new musical.

 

(photo courtesy of Lady Bunny and WigOut)

✦ WigOut Festival in East Atlanta ✦ 

How about a daytime drag festival in Georgia in June? That’s not just a party: it's an endurance test for glue and aerosol technology. This Saturday, the WigOut festival comes to the East Atlanta Community Garden. The community fundraiser celebrates pride, drag culture, and local Queer joy with special guests, including the legendary drag icon Lady Bunny, founder of New York's original WigStock. Atlanta drag superstar Ella Saurus Rex and Tony DiCaro, a driving force behind the party and a professional wig wrangler, sit down with Kim Drobes to preview the festivities.

 

(courtesy of Avize)

✦The Art of Culinary Plating ✦  

We really do eat first with our eyes. And nowadays, our phone cameras are next in line. Guest co-host Beth McKibben, speaks with Chef Demetrius Brown of Inman Park’s Bread & Butterfly and Chef Karl Gorline of Avize in West Midtown to find out how, and why top Atlanta chefs turn a simple dinner plate into an artistic canvas. 

 

Rendering of Rosemary Hall (photo courtesy of the Atlanta Opera)

✦ The Atlanta Opera’s New Multidisciplinary Home ✦  

We check in on the Atlanta Opera’s massive $43 million cultural expansion. ArtsATL reporter Doug DeLoach brings us a comprehensive update on the development of the Molly Blank Center for Opera and the Arts, the state-of-the-art facility being constructed adjacent to the Atlanta BeltLine.

 

John Crist (Photo courtesy of Crist and Shore Fire Media)

✦ ArtsATL Best Bets for the Week  ✦

ArtsATL Executive Editor Shane Harrison joins the show to share his top cultural recommendations for the week. His curated mix features a wave of new local theater productions, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s season-closing concert, and comedian John Crist’s return to Georgia.

 

Special thanks to today’s sponsors:

Motherlode

Mainline Magazine

 

Join us on social at @artsatlanta and @atlartscollective.

 

 

00:00:00 Support: Mainline Magazine (Festival Announcement)

00:00:31 Welcome to the ATL Arts Collective — Show Intro & Teasers

00:01:04 Introducing Beth McKibbin — Co‑host Bio

00:02:08 Basura — New Musical with Gloria & Creative Team (Jim Farmer)

00:13:42 Meet Beth McKibbin — Career, Mentoring & Rough Draft

00:19:58 Wig Out Preview — Ella Saurus Rex & Tony DeCaro

00:28:49 The Art of Plating — How Chefs Create on a Plate (Beth McKibbin)

00:41:47 Molly Blank Center for Opera & the Arts — Atlanta Opera Update

00:51:01 ArtsATL Best Bets — Weekend Picks (Shane Harrison)

00:55:21 Closing, Credits & Patreon Call — Final Remarks

00:56:47 Next Week Preview & Credits