Like Father

A true-crime podcast unearths a family’s past, forcing them to confront identity, legacy, and the consequences of obsession.

Approximately 150 minutes including intermission. Best enjoyed by audiences ages 13 and up.

Created by Jacob Ryan Smith
Book, Music, & Lyrics by Jacob Ryan Smith & Caroline Pernick
Choreography by Dell Howlett
Directed by Tinashe Kajese-Bolden
Produced by Special Arrangement with Westway Studios

Like Father is a coming-of-age musical set against America’s true-crime obsession. After her father’s arrest, seventeen-year-old Chris moves in with her estranged mother, Michelle, and stepfather, Ben. When a hit true-crime podcast exposes their family's disturbing past to the world, they are forced to face the truth of what brought them together, or risk being undone by its consequences.

Driven by a bold, innovative folk-pop score, Like Father explores legacy, identity, and the cost of obsession, inspired by the loved ones left in the wake of infamous serial killers—and by the true-crime industry’s meteoric rise to over 250 million listeners worldwide.

Like Father emerged as the winner of the inaugural Open Jar Musical Shark Tank and was a semi-finalist at the Eugene O’Neill New Music Theater Festival.

Contains explicit language and graphic descriptions of violence; depicts drinking and smoking; addresses sexual identity and true-crime topics, including violence, murder, trauma and grief.

Cast & Creative     Song List     Quotes     Media     Program     Events     Venue

World Premiere

Hertz Stage

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Group Tickets available now for 10+. Visit our Group Discounts page for more information.

A person stands next to a car at night, casting a long shadow in the beam of headlights against a red background, evoking a scene reminiscent of Like Father. A person wearing headphones stands facing a parked car, casting a long shadow on the ground, with a red background—a quiet moment that suggests a story of connection and reflection, almost as if it’s titled Like Father.
White text on a light gray background reads "LIKE FATHER" in bold, uppercase letters, highlighting the strong connection implied by the phrase Like Father.

A Coming-of-Age Musical by Jacob Ryan Smith and Caroline Pernick

OCT 8 – NOV 15, 2026

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A true-crime podcast unearths a family’s past, forcing them to confront identity, legacy, and the consequences of obsession.

Approximately 150 minutes including intermission. Best enjoyed by audiences ages 13 and up.

Created by Jacob Ryan Smith
Book, Music, & Lyrics by Jacob Ryan Smith & Caroline Pernick
Choreography by Dell Howlett
Directed by Tinashe Kajese-Bolden
Produced by Special Arrangement with Westway Studios

Like Father is a coming-of-age musical set against America’s true-crime obsession. After her father’s arrest, seventeen-year-old Chris moves in with her estranged mother, Michelle, and stepfather, Ben. When a hit true-crime podcast exposes their family’s disturbing past to the world, they are forced to face the truth of what brought them together, or risk being undone by its consequences.

Driven by a bold, innovative folk-pop score, Like Father explores legacy, identity, and the cost of obsession, inspired by the loved ones left in the wake of infamous serial killers—and by the true-crime industry’s meteoric rise to over 250 million listeners worldwide.

Like Father emerged as the winner of the inaugural Open Jar Musical Shark Tank and was a semi-finalist at the Eugene O’Neill New Music Theater Festival.

Contains explicit language and graphic descriptions of violence; depicts drinking and smoking; addresses sexual identity and true-crime topics, including violence, murder, trauma and grief.

Cast & Creative     Song List     Quotes     Media     Program     Events     Venue

Cast & Creative Team

Writer

A young man with short brown hair and light facial hair wearing a dark blue henley shirt, posing against a plain light background.

Jacob Ryan Smith

Book, Music & Lyrics
Caroline Pernick, a young woman with fair skin and red hair, looks directly at the camera with a neutral expression, set against a plain light background.

Caroline Pernick

Book, Music & Lyrics

Director

A woman with curly hair pulled to one side, wearing a dark blue jacket and statement earrings, poses against a gray background.

Tinashe Kajese-Bolden

Director
Rachel Sabo-Hedges, a woman with wavy dark brown hair wearing a blue denim jacket, smiles softly while standing in front of a plain light background.

Rachel Sabo-Hedges

Associate Director

Creative

A smiling woman with shoulder-length hair wearing a black turtleneck.

Amanda Watkins

Dramaturg
A smiling bald man with glasses and a trimmed beard wearing a black shirt, facing the camera against a plain light background.

Dell Howlett

Choreographer
Curved, parallel white lines form an abstract pattern on a blue-green gradient background.

Luciana Stecconi

Scenic Design
A person with short hair, a mustache, and a beard stubble looks at the camera in a black and white portrait, wearing a tank top and an earring.

Lex Liang

Costume Design
A woman with straight brown hair smiles in front of shelves displaying various colors of yarn.

April Andrew Carswell

Assistant Costume Designer
Thom Weaver

Thom Weaver

Lighting Design
Rachael N. Blackwell, wearing glasses and a pink shirt, smiles warmly with her long dark braided hair as she sits in front of a wooden wall.

Rachael Blackwell

Associate Lighting Designer
Rachel Sabo-Hedges, with long dark hair, smiles at the camera, wearing a blue striped sleeveless top and large headphones around her neck, against a plain light background.

Melanie Chen Cole

Sound Co-Designer
Hidenori Nakajo

Hidenori Nakajo

Sound Co-Designer
Curved, parallel white lines form an abstract pattern on a blue-green gradient background.

Tamir Eplan-Frankel

Associate Sound Designer
Caite Hevner

Caite Hevner

Projections Designer
Jody Feldman

Jody Feldman

Casting

Music

A man with short dark hair and a trimmed beard, wearing a green sweater, smiles in front of an olive green background.

Adam Beskind

Music Director
A man with curly dark hair, a beard, and glasses is smiling broadly at the camera. He is wearing a black shirt and is posed in front of a plain, light-colored background.

Alejandro Senior

Music Supervisor
A man wearing glasses and a button-up shirt plays a mandolin on stage in front of a microphone.

August Eriksmoen

Orchestrator
Greg Matteson

Greg Matteson

Assistant Music Director
A young man with short blond hair, a trimmed beard, and blue eyes, wearing a black button-up shirt, stands outdoors with greenery in the background.

Holt McCarley

Music Assistant
Amanda Wansa Morgan

Amanda Morgan

Music Production Assistant

Cast

A woman with braided hair styled in an updo, wearing a black turtleneck and stud earrings, poses against a plain dark background.

Charity Angél Dawson

Lillian Clarke
Woman with long brown hair and light makeup, wearing a taupe top, poses in front of a brown background, looking directly at the camera with a neutral expression.

Hannah Elless

Michelle
Smiling man with short curly hair and trimmed beard, wearing a gray sweater over a maroon shirt, in front of a blurred light blue background.

Benjamin H. Moore

Ben
Woman with short brown hair wearing a black turtleneck, looking directly at the camera against a plain, light-colored background.

Sophie Pollono

Chris
Young person with short, wavy dark hair smiles at the camera, wearing a light purple sweater over a beige and white striped shirt, against a plain tan background.

Frankie Rodriguez

Trevor
A young man with short brown hair wears a grey sweatshirt and blue shirt, looking at the camera with his hand resting behind his neck against a neutral background.

Billy Tighe

John Grady

Understudies

Rachel Sabo-Hedges, a woman with shoulder-length dark hair, wearing a white blouse and gold hoop earrings, looks at the camera with a neutral expression against a blurred indoor background.

Mila Bolash

Lillian Clarke/Michelle
Rachel Sabo-Hedges, a woman with long wavy red hair and fair skin, is smiling slightly while looking at the camera, standing against a plain cream background.

Nevaeh Riddle

Chris
Young person with light brown wavy hair and blue eyes, wearing a light green shirt, looks at the camera against a plain brown background—reminiscent of Rachel Sabo-Hedges’ signature style.

Aavyn Lee

Trevor
A man with dark hair and a full beard smiles at the camera against a dark background, reminiscent of the professional portraits often taken by Rachel Sabo-Hedges.

Branden Hembree

Ben/John Grady

Crew

A smiling man with a shaved head and a beard, wearing a light blue button-down shirt.

Jayson Waddell

Stage Manager
Xiaonan (Chloe) Liu

Xiaonan (Chloe) Liu

Assistant Stage Manager
Samantha Honeycutt

Samantha Honeycutt

Stage Management Production Assistant
Curved, parallel white lines form an abstract pattern on a blue-green gradient background.

Courtney O'Neill

Production Management Lead

“LIKE FATHER slays with a true-crime hook and a killer score”

Atlanta Magazine

“At its core, LIKE FATHER is about learning to live beyond the shadows we inherit—a journey through grief, forgiveness, and the radical act of reclaiming your own name. It’s a surprising, darkly funny, deeply human story that speaks to so many of us reckoning with the weight of our histories and the hope of transformation. ”

Tinashe Kajese-Bolden
Director

“LIKE FATHER is as thrilling a world premiere as any I’ve seen in Atlanta in many years — complicated, unafraid to take some dangerous turns and emotionally shattering… Once word of mouth gets out about this production, it’s likely to be one of the hottest tickets of the fall theater season.”

ArtsATL
From Page to Stage
A man in a red shirt sits on the floor, leaning his arm on a white chair with wooden legs, against a plain light background—evoking the quiet introspection found in “A Betrayal of All Betrayals: Jacob Ryan Smith Talks LIKE FATHER.”.

Creator Jacob Ryan Smith Talks LIKE FATHER

Announcing the Cast of Like Father: Six actors’ headshots are arranged in two rows, with names and character names listed below each photo. The display appears under the bold title “LIKE FATHER,” set against a striking red background featuring a silhouette of a van and person.

Announcing the Cast of LIKE FATHER

Person wearing headphones and a brown top, speaking or singing into a microphone—like father, like child—in a recording studio with gray soundproof panels.

LISTEN: “Bloody Good” Single

A woman wearing headphones and a red patterned shirt speaks and gestures while sitting in front of a microphone in a recording studio, perhaps sharing stories inspired by Like Father.

LISTEN: “Instructions for Care” Single

Explore the Program

Special Events

Beyond the Stage

Events

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Event Views Navigation

Today

  • Silhouette of a person walking away from a car against a red background. Large text reads “LIKE FATHER” and smaller text below says “afterwords.”.

    Afterwords with the Cast: LIKE FATHER

    Hertz Stage 1280 Peachtree St NE, Atlanta, United States

    Join us for a post-show discussion with the cast of LIKE FATHER. Afterwords discussions are free for ticket holders. No RSVP required.

    Free with Ticket
  • Poster for Like Father: A New Musical, featuring a silhouetted figure next to a car, with the text “Community Conversation.”

    Community Conversation: True Crime, An American Obsession

    Alliance Theatre 1280 Peachtree St NE, Atlanta, GA, United States

    Please join professors Dr. Catherine (Katie) Kaukinen (Kennesaw State University) and Dr. Thaddeus L. Johnson (Georgia State University, as we have a conversation on America’s fascination with true crime and it’s impact on our culture.

    Free – RSVP Required
  • Promotional graphic for the musical Like Father, featuring the text “Pride Night,” a silhouette of a person standing by a car, and a long shadow cast across a red background.

    Pride Night: Like Father

    The Woodruff Arts Center, Memorial Arts Building 1280 Peachtree St NE, Atlanta, GA, United States

    Join us for a Pride Night for LIKE FATHER with Out Front Theatre Company, including a post-show talkback.

    Ticket required
  • Silhouette of a person walking away from a car against a red background. Large text reads “LIKE FATHER” and smaller text below says “afterwords.”.

    Afterwords with the Cast: LIKE FATHER

    Hertz Stage 1280 Peachtree St NE, Atlanta, United States

    Join us for a post-show discussion with the cast of LIKE FATHER. Afterwords discussions are free for ticket holders. No RSVP required.

    Free with Ticket

    • Access for All

    Special Pricing for Teachers, Teens, Veterans & Groups

    Affordable theater is part of our promise to make the arts accessible to all.

    We believe everyone should have the chance to experience live theater – no matter the budget. From student discounts and group rates to limited-time offers and special access programs, there are plenty of ways to see a show and save.

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    Teen Tickets
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    Tickets for Teachers
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    Veteran Tickets
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    Group Tickets

    Alliance Theatre Stages

    Hertz Stage

    The Hertz Stage is a modern, 200-seat black box theater, located beneath the Memorial Arts Building. This versatile facility accommodates a number of distinct stage layouts and is home to the Alliance’s Hertz Stage Series.

    Find Your Way

    Rows of empty, purple and brown chairs face a stage in a dimly lit, modern theater auditorium.

    Plan Your Visit

    Know Before You Go

    Plan your visit with confidence. From parking tips to accessibility offerings and venue details, we’re gathered everything you need for a smooth, inclusive, and enjoyable theater experience.

     

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    Parking & Directions
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    Dining
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    Accessibility
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    Policies

    Coming Up

    Explore the 26/27 Season

    See All Shows

    A person stands facing a vehicle, casting a shadow, with "LIKE FATHER" boldly emblazoned in white letters on a striking red background above—a scene that perfectly captures the essence of Like Father.

    Like Father

    10/08/2026 – 11/15/2026

    on the Hertz Stage

    Red background with ornate gold floral patterns and the title "A Christmas Carol" in stylized gold lettering in the center.

    A Christmas Carol

    11/14/2026 – 12/27/2026

    on the Coca-Cola Stage

    Silhouette of a person in profile with colorful distortion effects, overlaid by the word "MISEDUCATED" in bold, uppercase letters.

    Miseducated

    01/27/2027 – 02/21/2027

    on the Hertz Stage

    A silhouette of a girl in a dress swings on a vine against a blue smoky background, capturing the whimsical spirit of Alice in Neverland. Text reads: “Alice in Neverland: A New Musical.”.

    Alice in Neverland

    02/21/2027 – 04/04/2027

    on the Coca-Cola Stage

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    Come Curious. Leave Changed.

    Join us for transformative theater that speaks to the heart of Atlanta.

    Explore Upcoming Shows