Atlanta Pride announces first round of 2025 festival performers
Atlanta Pride has announced the first slate of entertainment for its 2025 Festival, set for Oct. 11-12 at Piedmont Park.
Headliners include Bob the Drag Queen, winner of season 8 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race”; 2AM Ricky, a chart-topping artist recognized as the first Black trans man to reach No. 3 on the iTunes Electronic Charts; indie pop performer Bentley Robles; and Adeem the Artist, known for blending folk, country and social commentary.
Chris McCain, executive director of Atlanta Pride, said the group is “thrilled to kick off our 2025 entertainment announcements with such a dynamic group of performers,” noting the lineup reflects this year’s theme, “Rooted in Resistance.”
Bob the Drag Queen has performed in television roles on HBO, Netflix and MTV, and co-hosts the award-winning “Sibling Rivalry Podcast.” 2AM Ricky has been recognized as a Forbes BLK History Maker and has performed at major festivals and national venues. Robles has earned more than 9 million career streams and coverage from outlets including Wonderland and LADYGUNN. Adeem the Artist is known for live shows that combine music with comedy and commentary.
The free festival will feature live music, Atlanta’s largest parade, and vendor and community activities. Additional performers will be announced.
— Derek Prall
Atlanta History Center unveils fall exhibitions and events
Atlanta History Center has announced its fall schedule, highlighted by the closing of one major exhibition and the debut of another, along with festivals, lectures and author talks.
The exhibition “More Than Brave: the Life of Henry Aaron” will close Sept. 7. It chronicles Aaron’s life from his childhood in Mobile, Ala., through his record-breaking baseball career and later leadership in business and philanthropy. A members-only closing event is planned for Sept. 4.
Opening Oct. 14, the center will debut “Our War Too: Women in Service,” organized by The National WWII Museum. The show recognizes the nearly 350,000 American women who served during World War II and will remain on view through August 2026.
Community events include History on the Rocks on Sept. 10, the Fall Festival with Georgia 4-H on Sept. 20, and the return of Party with the Past at Westview Cemetery on Oct. 9. Other programming includes a lecture on oyster aquaculture Oct. 22 at the Cherokee Garden Library.
The center also will host several author talks, featuring writers including John T. Edge, Madeline Martin, R. William Johnstone and Martin Padgett. Full event details are available here.
— Derek Prall
Emory nursing dean Linda McCauley to retire in 2025
Linda A. McCauley, dean of Emory University’s Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, will retire Dec. 31, 2025, after 16 years leading the nation’s top-ranked nursing school. She will remain on the faculty and continue her research.
Since her appointment in 2009, enrollment has tripled and the school has launched new programs including the Doctor of Nursing Practice, InEmory and the nation’s first PhD in Nursing Data Science and Analytics. Under her leadership, the school rose to No. 1 in U.S. News & World Report rankings for both undergraduate and graduate education.
Research funding also climbed from less than $2 million in 2010 to more than $18 million in 2024, placing the school among the top five in National Institutes of Health awards. A national search for her successor will begin later this year.
— Derek Prall
Dad’s Garage to premiere improvised musical “Understudied”
Dad’s Garage Theatre will debut “Understudied,” a fully improvised Broadway-style musical, beginning Sept. 12. Created by ensemble members Travis Sharp and Matt Hobbs, the show runs Friday evenings through Oct. 10.
Each performance transforms audience suggestions into an original musical, complete with live singing, choreography and storylines built on the spot by Dad’s Garage improvisers. Sharp, a longtime ensemble member and co-creator of 16 original productions, said the format focuses on creating entire songs in real time. “That includes verses, choruses, bridges, harmonies, key changes—the full Broadway experience,” he said.
Hobbs, known for musical projects like “Puppy Songs” and “Hot Jambalaya,” said the production merges improv with the craft of traditional musical theatre. “It’s got the showmanship of a classic musical, but it’s quick, fresh and totally new every night,” he said.
Artistic Director Jon Carr added that the show highlights a different side of the performers’ skills, blending humor, spontaneity and live music in a way unique to Dad’s Garage.
Performances of “Understudied” begin at 7 p.m. at Dad’s Garage Theatre, 569 Ezzard St., Atlanta. Tickets are $20 and available here.
— Derek Prall
Officials mark openings of new affordable housing in Atlanta, Decatur
Local and federal officials joined LDG Development this week to celebrate the openings of two new affordable housing communities in Georgia: Phoenix Station in Decatur and Bridges at Landrum in southwest Atlanta.
Together, the developments add 444 units to the region’s housing supply. Phoenix Station, a 244-unit community on Kensington Road, offers homes for families earning up to 60 percent of the area median income. The site also includes LDG’s new Georgia office, outdoor and rooftop gathering spaces, and business and fitness centers. The development, financed with support from US Bank and the Housing Authority of DeKalb County, welcomed its first residents in June and is now more than one-third leased.
Bridges at Landrum, with 200 units, is located on Landrum Drive and includes a community building dedicated to the late Michel “Marty” Turpeau, former chairman of the Fulton County Development Authority. Financing partners included Bank of America and Invest Atlanta. The community opened in late 2024 and is now more than 90 percent occupied.
Rents at the two properties range from about $1,160 to $1,520 per month. LDG said the openings bring its Georgia portfolio to more than 2,200 units across 10 communities.
— Derek Prall
What an inspiring mix of community progress! Dean McCauley’s leadership at Emory has clearly left a lasting legacy in nursing education, Dad’s Garage continues to show how creativity thrives in Atlanta, and the new affordable housing developments are a huge step toward stronger, more inclusive neighborhoods. Great to see so much positive momentum across education, the arts, and housing.