Vanderbilt & TPAC Education to Offer Free Performance of WALKING THE TIGHTROPE, 3/5

In partnership with Vanderbilt University, the Tennessee Performing Arts Center will present a free performance of the critically acclaimed Walking the Tightrope by Mike Kenny on Thursday, March 5, at 6:00 p.m. in TPAC's James K. Polk Theater. Light refreshments will be served in the lobby prior to the one-hour show, which will be followed by a discussion between the audience and artists.

Advance reservations are required for the free tickets and can be made at TPAC.org, by phone at (615) 782-4040, and at the TPAC Box Office, 505 Deaderick Street, in downtown Nashville.

Winner of numerous theatre awards for 24th Street Theatre in Los Angeles, including "Best Production" of 2013 by the LA Drama Critics Circle, the play features a grandfather who struggles to explain the absence of "Nanna" to his visiting granddaughter. With humor and help from a clown, they discover the meaning of family -- celebrating life and learning to accept death.

Beautifully produced video and live music transport the audience from the quaint English seaside to the spectacular big top of the circus. The play is one of 12 works on TPAC Education's Annual Season for Young People, engaging up to 30,000 students from throughout Tennessee and Kentucky.

The evening event is both an extension of TPAC Education's student schedule and its popular series for adults. For 10 years, Vanderbilt and TPAC Education have collaborated on one program in this adult series, called "InsideOut of the Lunchbox." Participants receive a free lunch during panel discussions, which often include performance excerpts and dialogue with academic experts on issues explored through music, theatre, opera and ballet.

"This play is a natural for the goals of our partnership with Vanderbilt and the interests of the people who attend the lunchbox programs," said Kristin Dare-Horsley, TPAC's director of education outreach. "This particular production is just as relevant -- if not more so -- to adults, who will experience it from a totally different perspective than young people. It's powerful for any age-poignant, meaningful, and relevant to our lives."

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