Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1506754
Top 10 cultural and art events COMPILED BY NORA JORGENSEN AND MACON MAGAZINE STAFF The Play that Goes Wrong Aug. 25 - Sep. 3 | Theatre Macon A hilarious, entertaining play, The Play that Goes Wrong follows a university's drama society which attempts (poorly) to put on a murder mystery play for their school. Labor Day Festival Sept. 4 | Fickling Hall, Mercer University Celebrate Labor Day in a perennial favorite festive concert that features McDuffie Center for Strings faculty and students. After three days of intense solo and chamber study with Center faculty, eight high school seniors have a chance to showcase their talents in this afternoon concert. Free and open to the public. Big "O" Homecoming Weekend Sep. 8 - 9 | Grand Opera House and Hargray Capitol Theatre This annual event hosted by the Otis Redding Foundation and featuring live music by multiple artists is held on Otis Redding's birthday to commemorate his life and legacy. Chicago Sep. 8 - 17 | Macon Little Theatre Come watch the satiric, dark-humored play, Chicago, which will kickstart MLT's 90th Anniversary Season, following the story of two women on death row and their failed relationships. The Bicentennial Art Show: "A Sense of Place" Sep. 15 - Dec. 29 | The Renewed Macon Mall Celebrating over 200 years of Macon history, this show will feature local visual artists with three main sections: "Blossoming," "Untold Stories," and "A Sense of Place." "A Sense of Place," the final category, will include a gallery, surrounding the idea of Macon's essence and what Macon can become in the future. 31st Ocmulgee Indigenous Celebration and Fire Starters Festival Downtown festival Sept. 14-16: Celebration Sep. 16 - 17, from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. | Ocmulgee Mounds National Historic Park, McEachern Art Center, The Grand Opera House The traditional, fun, family friendly annual event in the park celebrates the ancestral homeland of the Muscogee with performers, arts and crafts, music, and food in the park. This year, the first of its kind Fire Starters Festival takes the celebration across the river with film screenings, an art exhibition, and a rocking Indigo Girls Concert. GABBAFest 2023 -- Rolling Down Highway 41 Sep. 22 – 23 | The Grand Opera House With GABBAFest lasting four days, Sept. 21 – 24, hear Macon artists Lee Roy Parnell with Tony Tyler Band and Restless Native, who will host a tribute to Dickey Betts. Macon PRIDE Week Sept. 23 – Oct. 1 | Downtown Macon A weeklong calendar of events with a mission to improve visibility, acceptance, understanding and legal protection for LGBTQIA+ for people living in the Central Georgia area. Fabian Concert Series Opener Sep. 26 | Fickling Hall, Mercer University A powerful season opener features founder Robert McDuffie with his accomplished sister, Margery McDuffie Whatley. On the program is Phillip Glass "The American Four Seasons," which was written specifically for McDuffie to perform, and Mendelssohn Double Concerto. Missed Attendance Through Oct. 7 In response to the 2018 mass shooting in Parkland, Florida, artist Joseph Guay began creating public art installations to capture complex opinions about the epidemic that has forced a generation of students to grow up practicing active shooter drills. This powerful exhibit explores how gun violence has changed the American classroom, forcing us to consider: "What is the future of education?" For more information on these and many more, visit macon365.com. "Concert at the Auditorium" by Heidi Clinite from The Bicentennial Art Show: A Sense of Place 128 maconmagazine.com | AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2023