Atlanta artistic directors try on new roles this summer

Kenny Leon will star opposite Phylicia Rashad in "Same Time Next Year" in a True Color Theatre Company production opening Tuesday night. CONTRIBUTED BY TRUE COLORS

Credit: hpousner

Credit: hpousner

Kenny Leon will star opposite Phylicia Rashad in "Same Time Next Year" in a True Color Theatre Company production opening Tuesday night. CONTRIBUTED BY TRUE COLORS

Artistic directors usually hang backstage or in the back of the theater on opening night, checking how the thousand details that have to come together to make a play work are dovetailing.

This week, however, three of Atlanta’s theater leaders will be moving under the spotlight as actors. We talked to Georgia Shakespeare’s Richard Garner, True Colors Theatre Company’s Kenny Leon (fresh off his Tony win for best director) and Stage Door Players’ Robert Egizio about kicking it out onstage and leaving the directing to someone else.

To read the complete report, go to our subscriber site, MyAJC.com.

ONSTAGE

Georgia Shakespeare: “One Man, Two Guvnors”

Opens Friday, through July 27. 8 p.m. Wednesdays-Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays (plus 7 p.m. July 13, 8 p.m. July 15 and 22, 2 p.m. July 19). $16-$40. Conant Performing Arts Center, 4484 Peachtree Road N.E., Atlanta. 404-504-1473, www.gashakespeare.org.

True Colors Theatre Company: “Same Time Next Year”

Opens Tuesday, through Aug. 3. 8 p.m. Wednesdays-Saturdays, 2:30 p.m. Saturdays-Sundays (also at 11 a.m. July 23 and 7 p.m. July 27). $15-$60. Southwest Arts Center, 915 New Hope Road, Atlanta. 1-877-725-8849, www.ticketalternative.com, www.truecolorstheatre.org.

Stage Door Players: “The Odd Couple”

Opens Friday, through Aug. 3. 8 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays, 2:30 p.m. Sundays (also 8 p.m. July 31). $27, $25 seniors, $22 students, $12 under 12. 5339 Chamblee Dunwoody Road, Dunwoody. 770-396-1726, www.stagedoorplayers.net.