Since our inception in 2016, Out Front Theatre Company has existed to serve artistic excellence to the LGBTQIA+ communities of Atlanta by producing outstanding theatrical experiences which focus on the voices of the LGBTQIA+ cannon. Though other companies in Atlanta have explored these themes in their respective programing, no theatre existed specifically to cater to the LGBTQIA+ audiences who regularly crave outstanding professional theatre that reflects their shared experiences. As Atlanta has the largest self-identified LGBTQIA+ population in the Southeast and with the prospective boom of the entertainment industry in our own backyard, it seemed disorienting that a theatre like ours wasn’t already thriving as was the case in many other major regional cities like San Francisco and Chicago. Bearing this in mind, our leadership set out to create a company that would successfully fill the void.
Out Front Theatre Company is first and foremost a theatrical entity focused on producing the best work possible for our audiences and it is our unique mission that sets us apart from other small and mid size theatres in the city. Our programing includes landmark queer pieces like The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told, to cult classics like Hairspray, award-winning musicals like Kinky Boots, and world premieres like Trick! The Musical. We are committed to inclusivity and have implemented internal policies of color-conscious casting (in which race is acknowledged and ideally deepens theatrical conversations), ensuring season programming includes female identified playwrights and playwrights of color without exception, employing minority identifying creative teams, and we continue to work on identifying and implementing strategies that further diversify our patron base as well as our artistic hires.
In addition to being the center for LGBTQIA+ theatre for the Southeast, we also opens our doors to numerous other organizations and groups that have similar missions to Out Front Theatre Company. It is a core value of ours to make our space available, when possible, to associations from around the metro Atlanta area to help them achieve their goals. We believe that in partnering with these organizations it will strengthen our place in the community and, as a whole, we will all prosper. We have hosted events for other arts non-profits like Voices of Note and Out on Film, welcomed meeting with civic groups like Atlanta Pride, Georgia Equality and OUT Georgia, and welcomed The Gathering Place church and the Cobb County Pride Alliance Pride Prom into our space.
In 2021, Out Front Theatre Company was selected as a Grand Marshal for the 2022 Atlanta Pride Parade. Nominated directly by the Atlanta Pride Committee and the members of the LGBTQIA+ community, this honor recognizes vital work done for the queer community, focusing on a variety of issues that currently impact them.
For more information, visit outfronttheatre.com
