Adam Koplan is indeed “all that.”
Giving up a New York career as a professional “theatre maker,” he’s back to his Atlanta roots where he serves as director of performing arts at the Westminster School from which he graduated in 1991. There, he performed in a dozen plays and found his home onstage.
Koplan recalled, “Now back as an educator in the arts, the ‘truth and beauty arena,’ what we can accomplish here is transformational.”
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Also, as a community leader, Koplan chairs the board of the William Breman Jewish Heritage Museum. Spinning all these artsy spheres makes him an impresario indeed.
Take a flying carpet ride on his plug into the city’s art ecosystem.
This original 1920 Vaudeville poster has space in Koplan’s own home.
Jaffe: Share your ties to Atlanta.
Koplan: My parents are physicians. Dad came to Atlanta to join the Public Health Service (as CDC director) and investigate infectious disease outbreaks. I went K-7 to the Hebrew Academy and 8-12 to Westminster. My family belonged (belongs) to Shearith Israel. After high school, I left to pursue my passion in theater to Philly, Paris, Seattle, and, ultimately, Manhattan, where I lived for 17 years before returning here. In 2016, I wanted my kids to enjoy Atlanta’s green space and community feeling. I love the arts, culture, and theater scene here.
Original photography by Dan Winters of citrus fruits sits above Koplan’s fireplace.
Jaffe: Does theatre still have your heart?
Koplan: Like all first loves, there will always be an allure. Live theater, either as audience, teacher, or maker, is absolutely glorious. I must confess that my passions have expanded. I’m more driven by the movement to make arts and culture available and accessible for wide audiences—both generally and especially within the education system.
Affable and confident, Adam poses by two works from Picasso’s, “Portraits…
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