First Night's Springtime Theatre Retreat Set for Sunday, 5/15

Members of Tennessee's theater community will gather Sunday, May 15, at The Renaissance Center in Dickson for First Night's Springtime Theatre Retreat, an opportunity for representatives of the state's burgeoning theater community to come together for discussion of shared vision and goals for the coming year.

Sponsored by First Night, The Nashville Theatre Honors, the retreat was first suggested a few months ago, according to Jeffrey Ellis, founder and executive producer of First Night and writer/critic for Nashville.BroadwayWorld.com.

"Whenever there is a First Night event, people from throughout the region gather to celebrate their love of theater and for the art they all share," Ellis explains. "But it's hard to have a substantive discussion about what's going on and what's coming up when you're at a cocktail party."

During Sunday's retreat, following the 10 a.m. registration at The Renaissance Center, the first session will focus on "Where We Are Now," from 10:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. Lunch (which will cost $10 per person and is payable at registration) will be served from 12:30 to 1:15 p.m. And the retreat's second session, slated for 1:15 to 2:45 p.m., will focus on "Where We Want to Be," a discussion of plans for the future by the leaders of area theater companies.

First Night's Springtime Theatre Retreat is part of First Night's calendar of year-round events designed to bring heightened awareness of and attention to the people and companies who create live theater in the Volunteer State. Next up is First Night: The Tony Concert, a co-production with Keeping Scores Concerts at Boiler Room Theatre on Monday, June 6.

For further details about First Night's Springtime Theatre Retreat, call the First Night Line at (615) 530-6178; to RSVP for the event, email rsvp@FirstNightNashville.com.