We’ve had a lot of positive audience response, and then it’s showing in ticket sales for us, which is great. If you take a look at this season, we really have a lot that has to do with someone being “the other.” In a play like See Rock City, you have a young man who’s the “other” because in the time of war, he’s been deemed “not fit” to fight, and he also doesn’t have the money to be able to get an education, so in a world where everything’s changing around him and people have found a place, he’s just kind of on his own island, and trying to find that place in the world.ĪRTS ATL: What has the public response been so far? Walker: We’re looking for stories, whether it’s the book of the musical or the script for the play, that just have stories with heart, that challenge the human experience, and things we feel like our community can relate to.
#JUSTIN WALKER ACTOR PROFESSIONAL#
The city was right there with us, ready to invest the time and resources, ready to having a high-quality professional theater in their community that they can say, “This is our resident theater company we’re here to support the arts.” Justin Walker of Theatre BufordĪRTS ATL: What sort of plays is Theatre Buford most interested in doing? What do you look for when selecting shows for a season? Our desire is to make the best art possible, with the best artists possible in the best possible work environment that we can create. Our two big things that we’re excited about bringing professional, live theater to a community that wants it and providing more jobs for Atlanta artists. So we got to talking about it and what kind of things we’d want out of a company within that city. Then, we heard that the city of Buford was looking to have a professional theater company that they can call their own. Walker: Julie and I met while we were doing A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Shakespeare Tavern, and we ended up forming a fast friendship. Here he talks about starting a theater company in a city where one was badly wanted but absent.ĪRTS ATL: What inspired the creation of Theatre Buford? Why Buford?
They will end the season with the musical Footloose, performing April 12–28.ĪRTS ATL spoke with Walker, who’s originally from South Carolina and started his career as an actor, performing in regional theater companies across the country, including Atlanta’s Alliance, Aurora, Serenbe and Shakespeare Tavern (where he met Skrzypek). However, Buford’s residents hope to change that - and so do Julie Skrzypek and Justin Walker of the newly founded Theatre Buford.Īfter launching with a production of Damn Yankees, Theatre Buford kicked off its inaugural season, which includes Arlene Hutton’s See Rock City, A Christmas Carol and Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire.
Sure, Aurora Theatre and Georgia Ensemble Theatre have been operating successfully outside the perimeter (OTP) for years, but the lion’s share of curtain calls is taking place within city limits. It’s true that when most people think of theater in Atlanta, their minds go inside the perimeter.
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