A green ogre, an enchanted garden, a rhyming feline, a punk rock opera, and the boy who asked for more ... just a sampling of what awaits the corner of Franklin and First in 2015-2016. For the third consecutive year, Mark, Ricki, John Mark and Will Holleman will host "Happenin' at the Hollemans," a lovely evening featuring the unveiling of the Roxy Regional Theatre's highly-anticipated "Better Than Broadway" season, on Monday, May 11, from 5:30pm to 7:30pm.
Tables will be themed around each production, featuring food and drink by Fire & Ice Catering, mint juleps by MB Roland Distillery, and wine by Beachaven. This annual fundraiser allows those who wish to donate toward the upcoming season an opportunity to choose their show and level of support, with benefits ranging from program recognition and complimentary tickets to marquee space.
Providing the evening's entertainment, the Thomas Heflin Quartet will be performing a mix of jazz standards and musical selections from upcoming Roxy productions.
Clarksville-born jazz trumpeter Thomas Heflin has been hailed as "a fluent trumpeter with a bright tone and a forward-looking style" by jazz writer Scott Yanow. While still a student at Clarksville High School, Thomas began performing in the pit orchestra in Roxy productions such as The Music Man, Jesus Christ Superstar and Candide, among others. He had already begun to gravitate towards jazz, but his performances in the Roxy's jazzier productions such as 1940's Radio Hour, Dunbar Cave Dance of 1938 and Ain't Misbehavin' helped him to realize that jazz would be his calling.
Since then, Thomas has gone on to pursue his own music career. In 2005, he placed second in the Carmine Caruso International Jazz Trumpet Solo Competition in Seattle, WA, and has since performed throughout the U.S. and Canada, Europe and Australia. He has also been featured or mentioned in Italy's Jazz Magazine, The Pittsburgh Tribune Review and The International Trumpet Guild Journal, among others. A recording artist for Blue Canoe Records, Thomas has released three albums on the label. After receiving his doctorate in jazz performance in 2009, he worked for five years in New York City as Program Manager at the Manhattan School of Music Precollege Division, where he was also on the jazz faculty. He currently lives in Tifton, Georgia, with his wife Danica and daughter Anna Bree and serves as Assistant Professor of Jazz at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton, GA.
For his performance at "Happenin' at the Holleman's," Thomas will be backed by a quartet of regional musicians, one of which is Will Pedigo, who also grew up performing at the Roxy from a very young age, first as a cast member and then as a member of the pit orchestra. Pedigo is now an award-winning producer at Nashville Public Television. In 2007, he featured the Roxy Regional Theatre in NPT's documentary "Tennessee Town Squares." In addition to producing the show, Pedigo composed and performed on the soundtrack, which was nominated for a regional Emmy.
The Hollemans' home is located at 1280 Madison Street, just past Pageant Lane and across from Glenwood Drive. Parking is available at Veterans Plaza, and valet attendants will be on-hand.
Tickets are $50 per person and may be purchased online at
www.roxyregionaltheatre.org, by phone at
(931)645-7699, or at the theatre during regular box office hours (9:00am to 2:00pm, Mondays through Fridays, and one hour prior to curtain). Patrons are requested to RSVP by May 4, but a limited number of tickets will be available at the door.
