The 2023 Fall Preview: Five ones to watch this season

Airi Igarashi

Since being named one of “25 to Watch” in 2020 by Dance Magazine, Atlanta Ballet’s Airi Igarashi has taken on more roles and shone in all of them. She has an exquisite presence on stage, sometimes saucy and fiery, sometimes revealing romantic tenderness or comic timing. The elegant softness in her head and arms, combined with crisp, assured technique and her obvious joy in dancing colored her performances in four of Yuri Possokhov’s ballets last season: The Nutcracker, Classical Symphony, The Firebird and Don Quixote.

ArtsATL dance critic Cynthia Bond Perry described her as a true virtuoso in the latter, writing that she “seemed to stretch her heart through every body line as she tackled some of the canon’s most difficult partnering sequences with fiery clarity.” Igarashi also danced the lead role of the sylph in La Sylphide in 2019, and she will reprise the role this September. She already has the leading roles, now we’ll see what she does with them as she develops as an artist. — Gillian Anne Renault

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Joshua Williams

It’s been a year to remember already for Joshua Williams. A product of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s Talent Development Program, the tuba musician graduated from The Julliard School and then spent the summer as one of the few at the prestigious Academy of the Verbier Festival in Switzerland.

Williams turned to the tuba because his school band had too many saxophone players, and eventually he began to study with Michael Moore, principal tuba with the ASO for 54 years. This fall, Williams starts a dream gig: playing tuba with the ASO. An ASO fellowship program will enable him to sit in for Moore for 25 paid weeks, in addition to studying with his mentor. Williams says he aspires to be the principal tuba for the ASO. “This has always been my dream job, the orchestra and section I grew up watching and learning from,” he says. (Photo by Thomas Brunot) — Scott Freeman

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Henry Kim

In his first year as director of the Michael C. Carlos Museum, Henry Kim has led the development of a new five-year strategic plan that plots out new strategies for the Emory University facility. Kim spoke with over 14 focus groups as part of the process, including Emory faculty, K-12 teachers, members of the community and local arts leaders. Kim is developing new initiatives that will expand the reach of the Carlos, collaborating with organizations that deal with addiction recovery and working with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Emory faculty and colleagues.

A key goal of the strategic plan is the development of long-term partnerships with community groups and organizations. Hints of his mission to re-imagine the Carlos this way emerged when he hosted an event last summer with Mike Murawski, consultant and author of Museums as Agents of Change, which challenges the status quo of museums and stresses the need for greater community involvement and participation. The upcoming exhibit, You Belong Here, which focuses on Latinx photography, shows Kim’s vision taking root. (Photo by CatMax Photography) — Gillian Anne Renault

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Eric Goins

The film and television industry is at a halt due to a strike by actors and writers. Eric Goins, president of the local SAG-AFTRA chapter and a member of the organization’s TV, Theatrical and Streaming Negotiations Committee, will be a key player as the strike continues into the fall. Goins has performed and taught improv for over 20 years, with numerous film and television credits. It gives him an intimate knowledge of the challenges faced by Georgia actors and writers.

“Often, our [Georgia] members are doing the same work for lesser terms because of our geography, so our employers are consistently using our local markets outside of Los Angeles and New York as a low-cost provider,” Goins recently told ArtsATL. “We would like to determine how we can stop this practice. There has been great support here in Atlanta, where people are used to fighting for the rights of others. I’m proud to be part of that tradition.” (Photo by Kurt Yue Photography) — Denise K. James

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Wynne Kelly

In 2021, Oglethorpe University collaborated with Actor’s Express, and 12 students performed in the company’s production of Heathers: The Musical. One of those students was then-freshman Wynne Kelly, who followed up the role of Heather Duke with a prominent role in Out Front Theatre’s 2022 production of Kinky Boots. Kelly caught the eye of Caty Bergmark, who directed her in that production. 

When Bergmark was casting for the lead role of Emma — a lesbian high school student who fights for the right to bring her girlfriend to the prom — in the upcoming production of The Prom at Out Front Theatre, she turned to Kelly. Not only did Bergmark think Kelly had the acting and vocal chops to make the role her own, she knew Kelly could bring depth to the role as a gay woman. “I’ve always felt compelled to tell queer stories, and this one hits home in a number of ways,” Kelly says. “I feel fortunate to have the opportunity to lead a professional show before I graduate college.” — Denise K. James

To read our full Fall Preview, go HERE.