ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION — By Rodney Ho

In 2017, Harold Young, events coordinator at the Tubman African American Museum in Macon, had a dream to create an exhibit celebrating the life of Tyler Perry.

He sent frequent emails, made calls, even drove 80 miles to Tyler Perry Studios on a whim to drop off a note to Perry, a note the security guard couldn’t even accept.

Finally, after his latest request, on Dec. 3, 2020, he received an e-mail. “We’re good to move forward with this,” wrote Perry’s publicist Chantal Artur. “Tyler has approved.”

“I’m sitting at my desk blown away,” said Young, who soon after became the first ever Black executive director of the Tubman Museum, which opened in 1981 to celebrate the rich art and history of African Americans.

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ARTS ATL — Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre today announced its spring 2023 season, which will include free performances in Piedmont Park, the first in-person performances of Ana Maria Lucaciu’s Long Ago and Only Once, the company premiere of James Kudelka’s The Man in Black and a reprise of Heath Gill’s Confronting Genius.

The free Piedmont Park performances March 23-26 will feature The Man in Black, Confronting Genius and Peter and the Wolf, an original Terminus production in collaboration with the Alliance Theatre. The Man in Black, set to music by Johnny Cash and performed in cowboy boots, was originally commissioned by BalletMet Columbus where it premiered in April 2010. It entered Atlanta Ballet’s repertoire in the 2011-12 season; Terminus co-founders Christian Clark and Gill both performed it as members of Atlanta Ballet that season.

Gill’s Confronting Genius has come full circle; it was first performed at Piedmont Park as part of the Atlanta Dogwood Festival in April 2018. The duet is based on author Elizabeth Gilbert’s whimsical take on a person’s ideas or “genius.” Gill, who recently left Terminus to join Orlando Ballet as guest ballet master and choreographer, is reworking the piece for two women. It was originally set on a man and a woman. The Man in Black and Confronting Genius will be presented on a double bill March 25 and 26 at 7:30 p.m. [MORE]

WFAE 90.7 NPR — George Gershwin’s jazz- tinged opera "Porgy and Bess" opens at Opera Carolina in Charlotte on Jan. 22.

It features a performer who is the only person ever to make his Metropolitan Opera debut, Broadway debut and Kennedy Center debut all in the span of one year.

We meet Victor Ryan Robinson, who appears as Sportin' Life in "Porgy and Bess," and talk to Opera Carolina’s Maestro James Meena about this production and the Opera Carolina upcoming season on “Charlotte Talks.”

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GUESTS:

Victor Ryan Robinson, portraying Sportin’ Life in "Porgy and Bess"
Maestro James Meena, conductor of Opera Carolina

ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION — It’s been a busy post-lockdown year in Atlanta’s dance world, with local and touring companies offering a wide variety of thrilling dance, but the pandemic didn’t completely bypass us.

Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre moved to a new space and continued to demonstrate its professionalism in every way — high caliber technique, innovative choreography that moves the heart, bubbles with humor and shapes new young dancers for the next generation of contemporary ballet in Atlanta. Company co-founder Heath Gill retired from dancing this year, but thankfully he is still choreographing for Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre, the company he co-founded in 2017.

Heath Gill retired from dancing this year, but thankfully he is still choreographing for Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre, the company he co-founded in 2017. His full-evening work “LORE,” first performed in 2019, emerged with a revamped cast at Serenbe’s Wildflower Meadow. The gorgeously structured work took audiences on a heartfelt journey of familial love, youthful joy, mature tenderness, grief, loss and the healing power of community — potent themes for today’s fractured world. The company dug deep technically and emotionally; Bret Coppa, formerly with Atlanta Ballet, gave an outstanding performance as the son. — GAR

WFAN, CBS ATLANTA — ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Atlanta has been something of an esports hotspot over the last decade. The city is home to the Overwatch team Atlanta Reign and Call of Duty League team Atlanta FaZe; State Farm Arena held the semifinals of this year’s League of Legends World Championships.

One of the biggest esports events the city hosts is DreamHack. The classic festival recently closed its first in-person edition in Atlanta since 2019. 27,000 people from all over the world came to the Georgia World Congress Center to watch some of the best players in the world compete in games such as Fortnite, Starcraft II and Magic: The Gathering. Well over $300,000 in total prize money was at stake. [MORE]

DEXERTO — Ludwig’s original Subathon on Twitch made him one of the largest live streamers in the world. Now he’s doing Subathon 2.0 in front of a live audience at DreamHack Atlanta.

Ludwig’s original Subathon has gone down in Twitch history, far beyond his tenure on the platform. After the switch to YouTube, he has remained one of the biggest figures in streaming. Through his YouTube exclusivity, Ludwig has remained an incredibly popular streamer, with tens of thousands of viewers in attendance every time he goes live.

Over a year and a half after his original, month-long live stream, he’s at it again with Subathon 2.0. His goal? 50 hours of continuous streaming.

While the number isn’t all that impressive compared to its predecessor, Subathon 2.0 has a twist: it’ll be taking place at Dreamhack Atlanta in front of a live audience. [MORE]

GAMBLING NEWS — HUDstats will be providing its Advanced Video Analysis (AVA) exclusive technology toSports Information Services (SIS), allowing the collection, standardization, and distribution of esports data on SIS’ virtual football and virtual basketball streams. This will enable detailed analysis of over 40 in-game basketball events, as well as north of 20 football ones.

Accessible data points will include information on different events, such as free throws, 2- and 3-pointers, ball possession, fouls, and more for ex-basketball matches. As for e-football, all information about ball location, free kicks, goal kicks, throw-ins, substitutions, added time, offsides, goals, and corners will be available for analysis. [MORE]

DALLAS MORNING NEWS — DreamHack went two and a half years without a live gaming festival. When the opportunity for a comeback finally came, picking a location was easy.

“When it comes to Dallas, there was no other option,” said Shahin Zarrabi, DreamHack VP of Strategy & Growth. “It’s a gaming hub in a lot of ways.”

DreamHack Dallas, a 24-hour a day gaming festival with top-tier esports, college competition and amateur opportunities, returns Friday through Sunday at Kay Bailey Convention Center. The last time DreamHack hosted an event was in Dallas in 2019.

The event was a boon, accumulating over 30,000 visitors and contributing nearly $3.6 million in direct spending to the Dallas economy, according to Dallas Sports Commission. Zarrabi said DreamHack thought it would return several times in the two and a half years of absence.

[MORE]

GEORGIA PUBLIC BROADCASTING — Early voting officially kicks off Monday for the 2022 midterm elections with sky-high stakes freighted with the never-ending relitigation of the 2020 presidential election.

Over the next several weeks Georgians will cast ballots for the May 24 primaries that will determine the Republican and Democratic nominees for governor, U.S. Senate, congressional districts, secretary of state and other tests of the state’s budding battleground status.

The primary is the first statewide election since the election overhaul implemented by Republican lawmakers in spring 2020 that reshaped absentee voting, set new deadlines when provisional ballots can be cast, added an extra Saturday of early voting, and gave the state power to take over local election boards deemed to be underperforming.

… “I think part of the problem with this law in particular is just how unnecessarily complex a rule that changes at five o’clock on Election Day is,” said Saira Amir Draper, a co-founder of Power the Vote and a Democratic candidate for state House District 90. [MORE]

DOT ESPORTS — The 2022 SXSW Gaming Awards provided a chance for several titles to take home notable accolades, such as Game of the Year, Tabletop Game of the Year, and Excellence in Multiplayer. Some games secured multiple titles, like Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker, which went home with the Video Game of the Year, Excellence in Original Score, and Excellence in Narrative awards.

Though FFXIV took the prize of Game of the Year, other critically acclaimed titles such as Resident Evil Village and It Takes Two were in the running for the category. The two titles also scored some awards of their own, with It Takes Two earning the prize of Excellence in Multiplayer and Village taking the Excellence in Audio Design award. [MORE]

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER — 'Before Your Eyes,' which tasks players to navigate an emotional story through blinking, is among the nominees for a cultural innovation award given to a game that challenges the "norm" of everyday gaming. The South by Southwest Gaming Awards unveiled the final nominations on Tuesday for its ninth annual celebration of technical, artistic and design achievements in video games. “In a year where the convergence of the gaming and entertainment industry continues to evolve at a rapid pace, SXSW is proud to showcase the most creative and innovative titles,” said Hugh Forrest, chief programming officer for SXSW. “For a second year, SXSW is excited to bring the awards digitally to a global audience with our new partners Peach Maria Productions.” [MORE]

FORBES.com — ESL has announced The Women's CS:GO Circuit, a $500,000 series of events across 2022 that will feature full leagues and LAN events throughout the year.

This commitment from ESL to the female CS:GO scene is the latest announcement in its #GGFORALL campaign where the company is trying to improve both its image and the esports scene. The first major announcement was that the company would be offsetting its carbon emission going forward, and not it is focusing on inclusion for females at the top level. [MORE}