Dad’s Garage founding member George Faughnan still has fun at the theater he helped create – here, as Remington Demetrious in “Murder on Vavianna Island.” (Photo by Chelsea Patricia)
To celebrate its 30th birthday, Dad’s Garage Theatre — now an Atlanta comedy institution with many notable alumni and thousands of shows in its history — will host a weekend full of special events, including lots of improv shows and a massive party.
“Something that has allowed Dad’s Garage to be around for 30 years is that it does feel magic when you’re there,” said Associate Artistic Director Eve Krueger, also a veteran performer.
“There’s something really special about it. It is a very welcoming place, and it’s also a place where people give a damn. People are really passionate about what happens at Dad’s and want to spend their time there.”
The theater is also trying to raise $30,000 as part of its celebration to assure Dad’s continues to thrive.
“We’re holding it together with paperclips and snot right now,” Krueger said with a laugh. “But I’m really excited for the things that Dad’s Garage has done as an institution, how we’ve grown in Atlanta. We offer something really unique, not just to Atlanta but the rest of the United States. No other people do theater the way we do. It’s really wonderful and really special.”
Founding member Sean Daniels, whose play The White Chip was first performed at Dad’s and will be staged in London’s West End this year, said in a statement that the troupe changed his life.
“Co-founding Dad’s Garage was the best thing I ever did,” Daniels wrote. “Now taking the style and flavor of Dad’s around the world is the second best. I wouldn’t be the artist I am today without the influence and creativity of every Dad’s Garage artist I was lucky enough to work with.”
Though many scripted shows have been staged at Dad’s Garage since it opened its first space on Elizabeth Street in Inman Park in 1995, improvisation is its central comedy art form.
Founding member George Faughnan, who started the group with other performers and artists from Florida State University, is still a member of the ensemble, and he performed in this summer’s production Murder on Vavianna Island.
“My motivations have always been to have more fun than anybody in the room, and it pretty much continues to be,” he said.
Improv encourages performers to listen to each other and build stories together, he said. It also allows you the freedom to play and imagine, try daring things and fearlessly risk failure for the sake of a laugh.
“I think it’s unusual for people who aren’t accustomed to improv to not be afraid to speak their mind — to be open and honest with everybody in the room about who they are and what they stand for, what they believe,” he said. “I want everybody to have that kind of freedom in life, not just in a dark room on a beautiful evening in Atlanta.”
One way Faughnan marks the zany history of the theater is through the age of his son Alisdair. Now 25, Alisdair first appeared with his own dad as a part of Scandal!, the theater’s improvised soap, when he was a baby.
“It was summer 2000, and he was just a couple weeks old,” Faughnan recalled. “I played Mad Dog Maddox, the bartender at the Gregorio Hotel. I set the baby on the bar on stage, and everybody in the audience gasped. I was like, ‘He can”t even roll over yet! Relax!’ Good times, though.”
In addition to multiple weekly improv shows, the theater has also offered a multi-level education program for years to teach improv performance skills to newcomers. Many of Dad’s roster of performers began by taking classes and workshops there.
Even Co-artistic Director Jon Carr worked his way up through its ranks as a performer.
“Dad’s has given me a place to develop and find my artistic voice,” he said. “Thanks to the theater and my 20-plus years working there, I create impactful work with other artists and find it a supportive community.”
The festivities begin July 24 at 8 p.m. with a super-sized free student showcase. On July 25, a version of Dad’s signature improv competition, TheatreSports, will be staged, featuring performers from throughout the history of Dad’s Garage. After that will be the party. And an improv extravaganza will be held July 26, also featuring special guests. It all promises to be a great time.
“The art is always joyous at Dad’s Garage,” Krueger said. “And it’s really, really hard not to see the magic in that.”
Where & When
The “Dirty 30” birthday events at Dad’s Garage take place July 24 through July 26. Ticket prices for individual events are $30; the Monster Student Jam is free, but reservations are recommended.
569 Ezzard St.
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Benjamin Carr is an ArtsATL editor-at-large who has contributed to the publication since 2019 and is a member of the American Theatre Critics Association, the Dramatists Guild, the Atlanta Press Club and the Horror Writers Association. His writing has been featured in podcasts for iHeartMedia, onstage as part of the Samuel French Off-Off Broadway Short Play Festival and online in The Guardian. His debut novel, Impacted, was published by The Story Plant.
