Jeffrey Ellis - Page 134

With so many new productions bowing this week (hence, the Friday 5 on Thursday), the spotlight shines first on Austin Olive and Amie Lara from the cast of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, directed by the talented Joshua Waldrep, and opening tonight at Pearl Cohn Comprehensive High School. It's the last production of the 2014-15 - that's the 65th year - season of Circle Players, the oldest community theatre troupe in Middle Tennessee.

It's been a busy spring in Tennessee and as we head into summer, you can rest assured that things are only going to get busier - and more interesting. Our advice? Hydrate yourself (drink plenty of water before heading out), dress comfortably (but tasteful) and head out for a night at the theater. You'll be inspired, entertained and possibly even transported to some far-away world of wonder and imagination. 

School's out for summer, but that doesn't mean that college theater students are lounging by the pool, waiting for their next big break. Rather, if you're someone like Rebekah Stogner, an acting/journalism major at Nashville's David Lipscomb University, chances are you're preparing for the next audition and getting ready for fall semester.

Today's actor/subject/model is the hardest working man in Nashville theater - or, at least, the busiest - Justin Boyd, who will be appearing as Van in ACT 1's production of Dog Sees God, directed by Jim Manning. His headshot is by photographer Megan Maddox.

Despite knowing that the time would come, I am still staggered by the news of Arita Trahan's passing last weekend. Although she had moved from Nashville some years back - living in Los Angeles and Philadelphia after leaving Tennessee - she always remained a member of our theater family, one of the leading lights among the scores of talented people who have called our city home over the years.

The weekend is upon us, which means you have just a few hours to figure out a game plan so you don't miss out on all the fun that's happening all around you. We've got the goods on theatrical events this weekend, to save wear and tear on your brain, and we can offer some sound advice: Just do as we say and everything will be fine. Resistance is futile.

Cookeville High School's production of West Side Story claimed top honors - the award for Best Show of 2014/15 - last Saturday at the second annual Nashville High School Musical Theatre Awards, presented at Lipscomb University's Collins Alumni Auditorium and hosted by Melinda Doolittle.

VWA Theatricals, a Nashville-based theatrical production company, will make its official bow this summer with a production of Jason Robert Brown's The Last Five Years, set to play the iconic Darkhorse Theater in August.

There always seems to be so much to do in Nashville, from a creative and theatrical standpoint, we're often asked for recommendations of what's not to be missed on our calendar. Well, have no fear, gentle readers, we're at your service, at the ready to tell you of the shows you really should see this week and in the coming weeks…

But not all of our best-known teen actors are studying in the traditional secondary school manner. Today, we focus on Shane Kopischke, a 17-year-old rising high school senior who is home-schooled and currently celebrating his 11th year of doing stage productions.

Today's actor/subject/model is the charming, talented and oh-so-charming Jocelyn Kasper (photographed by Anthony Matula), who most recently appeared in the title role of The Drowsy Chaperone (aka Beatrice Stockwell) for Franklin's Pull-Tight Players. Next up for Jocelyn is a role in Blackbird Theatre Company's world premiere of their original musical Myth, written by Greg Greene and Wes Driver. After that, you can see her this fall in The Ghosts of Nashville, another original show.

Of course, Nashville's Iroquois Steeplechase is Saturday (and despite weather forecasts to the contrary, chances are that means it's going to be raining), so when it comes time to dry off, we suggest you head to the theater, where there's all sorts of good stuff onstage.

Just in time for Mother's Day, Fabisch and her Faby Baby Productions LLC bring their rollicking – and oh-so-entertaining – revue, Motherhood the Musical, to TPAC's Andrew Johnson Theatre. Featuring dynamic direction by Kim Nygren and starring a quartet of winning singer/actresses, it's a superbly performed and staged show that pulls back the curtain on what moms talk about when the husbands, kids and in-laws (and gay BFFs) are away. It's heartwarming, laugh-out-loud funny and oftentimes remarkably sentimental without being mawkish or maudlin.

Today, the spotlight shines on Jennifer Whitcomb-Oliva, Sue Fabisch, Jaclyn Lisenby Brown and Corrie Miller, the cast of director Kim Nygren's ensemble for Motherhood the Musical, opening tonight at TPAC's Andrew Johnson Theatre. Fabisch created the show, so let's hope she's happy with the way things are going…

Last fall, when we started this series - COLLEGIATE THEATRICS - we were talking to college students across the country about what lay ahead of them during the academic year and now we find ourselves at graduation time for the class of 2015, today represented by the beautiful, ethereal and brilliant Lacy Hartselle. Mere hours after her graduation from Nashville's Lipscomb University on Saturday, she reflected on our five questions to give us an intimate look into how her life was changed during her college career.

Looking for something fun to do in Nashville this week? We have done the necessary legwork - we're all about saving you time and helping you make informed decisions about how to spend your entertainment dollar, after all - and we are delighted to present you with our newest edition of Critic's Choice, filled chock-a-block with all sorts of fun stuff…enough to keep you off the streets and entertained until our Friday offerings come your way!

Who's to blame? That's the question that looms large over the onstage action of Richard Greenberg's Take Me Out, now in performance at Darkhorse Theatre in a superbly cast production directed by Joy Tilley Perryman for ACT 1.

We assume you are aware that the Kentucky Derby is this Saturday and that the Iroquois Steeplechase runs the following weekend in Nashville, so we have you covered with suggestions for non-equestrian events. Now, get out there and have some fun, y'all! And while you're at it, you'll be doing some good for the community by supporting the arts - and artists - in the Volunteer State!

Inspired by BroadwayWorld.com's Friday Six, welcome to BroadwayWorld Nashville's latest installment of The Friday Five: five questions designed to help you learn more about the talented people you'll find onstage throughout the Volunteer state. This week the spotlight shines on Connor Hall, Kurt Jarvis and Shawn Whitsell, members of director Joy Tilley Perryman's ensemble for ACT 1's production of Take Me Out, the Tony Award-winning Richard Greenberg play which opens at Darkhorse Theatre tonight.

This week the spotlight shines early - it's Thursday, after all - on Raymond McAnally, a local boy from Franklin who's made good in the acting game and has brought his one-man show (Size Matters) home for a weekend run at the historic Franklin Theatre in his hometown. Give his interview the once-over, then call and make reservations for the show and we'll see you at the theater!