Today we’d like to introduce you to Matthew Terrell.
Matthew, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Our Mission: Dad’s Garage transforms people, communities, and perspectives through laughter.
History: Founded in 1995, Dad’s Garage is an award-winning non-profit theatre company that brings in over 30,000 people a year at our new Ezzard Street home in Atlanta’s historic Old Fourth Ward, as well as public events across the continent, and festivals around the globe. Today, we specialize in improv and scripted comedy, with the idea that joy and laughter makes for better communities.
Each season features original plays and world premieres created by our performers; this creates the backbone of our programming. Dad’s Garage serves a younger demographic not typically served by traditional arts organizations. We introduce them to other arts organizations—such as The Alliance Theatre, Atlanta Opera, and Atlanta Ballet—through strategic programming collaborations. We have established ourselves as a “Gateway Drug to the Arts” and are dedicated to building a new generation of arts consumers.
About BaconFest: What began as a small dorm-room party in the mid 90’s at Florida State University, BaconFest has become our flagship fundraiser for Dad’s Garage Theatre. (Backstory: Dad’s Garage was founded by FSU grads, and when they needed an event to raise some money, they brought back the dorm room BaconFest party of their college days). The event started as a small way for friends and family to raise money for Dad’s. Today, it is our largest event, bringing in approximately 1500 people every year.
BaconFest features all the bacon and beer you can imbibe, plus wild and wacky carnival games led by our improvisers. These include “Hobo Wine Tasting,” “Wheelchair Obstacle Course,” and “Flip Cup Tournament.” We change it up a bit every year to make sure folks always have a great experience. BaconFest kicks off the spring festival season for Atlanta, and we are proud to host it every year. All the money from BaconFest goes back to Dad’s Garage, and raises approximately 10% of our operating costs for the year.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Until 2013, Dad’s Garage were long-term residents in a rented building in Inman Park, helping to contribute to the energy of the community, but we lost our theatre to a mixed-use development. The following two years became the finest in our history; we overcame the challenges of rebuilding by leveraging relationships across the community and developing an achievable plan of action.
We partnered with another local theatre, 7 Stages, for temporary space. We ended up raising over a million dollars and procured a preferential bank loan. Then we secured our new “forever home,” a former church, in the Old Fourth Ward. We worked with experts who donated their time and services to develop a renovation design. We completed the project on time and on a budget, opening our doors in December 2015. Our new “forever home” will allow us to stay in our neighborhood as we help bring new energy to the area.
After just a few months in our new home, we’ve established Dad’s Garage as a go-to destination for a great, affordable night out. Enjoy a great meal at one of our local restaurant partners, come see a show in our snazzy theatre, and hang around afterward for a drink in our (totally legal) bar. We focus on bringing the best of Atlanta to our patrons—from our award-winning performers who try out new works in our space, to great new products from local breweries and distilleries. Dad’s Garage continues to provide a great entertainment experience for the entire Atlanta community.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Dad’s Garage Theatre — Creators of BaconFest, which is our annual fundraiser – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
Most of the shows we produce are created entirely in-house by our resident artistic ensemble, and the work incubated here goes on to other theatres. While just about everyone in the artistic group at Dad’s is an improviser, the artists also write, direct, design, and perform in our scripted shows and write, perform, direct, and edit pieces for DGTV, our very own YouTube channel.
We support the creation of new and experimental works that travel around the country and transform the careers of their creators. The individuals who make up our artistic rosters consistently work in film, television, and theatre on the national level. You may have seen them in such critically acclaimed works as Archer, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Too Many Cooks, and the film Selma. Our team even travels the film festival circuit, and have been a Grand Jury Prize Winner at SXSW.
Through our High School Outreach Program, we are able to kick-start a love for theatre and improv at an early age. The program is provided free of charge to high schools in Metro Atlanta each year and culminates in a performance on our Main Stage. We build the skills of confidence, failure resiliency, and teamwork in a positive and uplifting environment. We are proud of the program, and happy to give class clowns throughout the metro area a renewed sense of purpose, but also thrilled to bring shy students out of their shells.
We put on performances 52 weeks a year and host special event performances throughout our calendar. When you add it all up, we produce over 400 shows a year. Our facility has a large main stage with flexibility for an intimate 90 seat show or larger 210 seat performance. And we have our own bar and lobby for pre and post-parties as well as an intimate cabaret stage.
Through our dedication to nurturing artists in the beginnings of their careers, Dad’s Garage has become a launch pad for creative success. Our performers, designers, and other creative professionals go on to become leaders in their fields and work with other theaters across the world. By saying “Yes, and…” to emerging creative voices, we give them the support necessary to succeed in the arts.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Reach More Local Youth with Improv Training — We’ve continued to expand our high school outreach program and now reach hundreds of students every year in local high schools. We have aligned our program with Georgia curriculum standards, so now improv can be offered in class and not just as an extracurricular activity. We have created materials so all teachers in Georgia can use our training program. We plan on distributing these materials statewide so every student in Georgia can benefit from improv training.
Deepen Relationships within Old Fourth Ward — We’ve worked hard to establish ourselves as a go-to place for fun and friends in our neighborhood. To do this, we’ve partnered with local restaurants like Bell Street Burritos and Ammazza to create a “dinner and a show” culture in our neighborhood. Joystick, a bar with awesome video games, sponsors our monthly game night. We participate in neighborhood meetings, support local businesses, and help out at local schools. We are proud to call the Old Fourth Ward home and are committed to helping make this area even awesomer.
Pricing:
- BaconFest tickets start at $45
- Tickets to Dad’s Garage shows generally range from $5-25 depending on the night.
Contact Info:
- Address: 569 Ezzard Street SE
- Website: www.dadsgarage.com
- Phone: 4045233141
- Email: tickets@dadsgarage.com
- Instagram: dadsgarageATL
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DadsGarageTheatre/
- Twitter: dads_garage
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/dads-garage-theatre-atlanta-2
Getting in touch: VoyageATL is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
