SAVE THE DATE: Nashville Theater Calendar for December 10, 2018

Looking ahead, you'll find a number of new productions on tap for your entertainment pleasure, including a number of holiday season offerings to put you in the Christmas spirit, thanks to the efforts of theater companies all over Middle Tennessee. Here's our calendar for December 3, 2018, to help you plot your course through the first few weeks of 2019...

TONIGHT: Monday, December 10 First Night's Top Ten Grand Reveal.Join us for a Facebook Live event at 7:30 p.m., featuring the reveal of the people and productions from the 2018 theater season in Tennessee who have distinguished themselves and are included in critic Jeffrey Ellis' annual review of the very best in live theater and the introduction of our hosts for Midwinter's First Night. Bradley Gale, Rachel Potter, Brooke Leigh Davis, Candace-Omnira Lafayette, Jon Rogers, Megan Blevins, Elizabeth Golden, Amie Lara, David West and Angela Gimlin join Ellis for the grand reveal, featuring nominees in 24 different categories, in anticipation of Midwinter's First Night, to be held in January!

Through December 15 A Tuna Christmas, presented by The Renaissance Players at the Gaslight Dinner Theatre, Dickson. - November 29-December 15. Brett Myers and Bryce Conner will star in this hilarious sequel to Greater Tuna. It's Christmas in the third smallest town in Texas. Radio station OKKK news personalities Thurston Wheelis and Arles Struvie report on various Yuletide activities, including hot competition in the annual lawn display contest. In other news, voracious Joe Bob Lipsey's production of "A Christmas Carol" is jeopardized by unpaid electric bills. Many colorful Tuna denizens, some you will recognize from Greater Tuna and some appearing here for the first time, join in the holiday fun! Matinees - Doors open at 11:30 a.m. - Lunch is served at 12 noon; Dinner - Doors open at 6 p.m. - Dinner is served at 6:30 p.m. Food will be provided by Dickson's own Front Porch. Tickets can be purchased at www.renplayers.com, or by calling (615) 593-5520.

Through December 16 Christmas on the Towne, presented by Towne Centre Theatre, 136 Frierson Street, Brentwood. Christmas on the Towne is a wonderful Christmas cabaret of holiday songs - some old, some new and some with a twist that are sure to get you in the festive spirit. There will be pre-show entertainment and caroling before show with complimentary wine and photo opportunities. Curtain is at 8 p.m. for evening performances, with 2:30 Sunday matinees. Call (615) 221-1174 for tickets.

Through December 16 A Christmas Carol, the Musical, presented by The Larry Keeton Theatre, 108 Donelson Pike, Nashville. Jamie London directs, with musical direction by Jane Kelley, a cast that includes Kevin Driver, Donna Driver, Cary Street and David Shaw. For more information, go to www.thelarrykeetontheatre.org; for reservations, call (615) 883-8375.

Through December 16 Miracle on 34th Street, Center for the Arts, Murfreesboro. For more information, go to www.boroarts.org or call (615) 904-2787.

Through December 16 Lips Together, Teeth Apart, presented by Rogue Stage Ensemble at The Barbershop Theater, Nashville. A beachside home on Fire Island proves a strange setting for two straight couples - sister and brother Chloe and Sam, and their spouses John and Sally - on the Fourth of July. Upon his recent death from AIDS, Sally's brother David bequeathed her the Fire Island house, surrounded by friendly, partying gay neighbors on either side of the fence. Terrence McNally's play is an indictment of ignorance and stagnancy in the fight against AIDS, as well as a powerful look inside dissolving marriages, lost hopes and dreams and the looming capricious nature of death.

Through December 22 Holiday Inn, presented by Cumberland County Playhouse, Crossville. Opening our Christmas season on the Mainstage is a new smash hit Broadway musical - Irving Berlin's Holiday Inn. Based on the classic film with music and lyrics by Irvin Berlin, Holiday Inn is a whole year of holidays in one wonderful musical! It features thrilling dance numbers, laugh-out-loud comedy, and a parade of Berlin hits including "Blue Skies," "Easter Parade," "Steppin' Out With My Baby," "Heat Wave," "White Christmas," "Cheek to Cheek",and many more! Jim has left showbiz behind to settle down on his Connecticut farm...but life just isn't the same without a bit of song and dance. Jim's luck takes a spectacular turn when he meets Linda, a spirited schoolteacher with talent to spare. Together they turn the farmhouse into a fabulous inn with dazzling performances to celebrate each holiday, from Thanksgiving to the Fourth of July. But when Jim's best friend Ted tries to lure Linda away to Hollywood, will Jim be able to salvage his latest chance at love? Don't miss this heartwarming, high energy, tap dancing extravaganza! For more information, go to www.ccplayhouse.com or call (931) 484-5000 for tickets.

Read Jeffrey Ellis' review of Holiday Inn: /nashville/article/BWW-Review-IRVING-BERLINS-HOLIDAY-INN-Kicks-Off-The-Holiday-Season-With-Style-at-Cumberland-County-Playhouse-20181104

Through December 22 A Christmas Story, presented by Nashville Repertory Theatre at TPAC's Andrew Johnson Theatre. Nashville Rep will pack away its sets and costumes for their annual holiday season offering of the play based upon the hit film after a decade-long run. For more information, go to www.nashvillerep.org.

Read Jeffrey Ellis' review of A Christmas Story: /nashville/article/BWW-Review-Nashville-Reps-Holiday-Tradition-of-A-CHRISTMAS-STORY-Comes-to-a-Fitting-Close-20181203

Through December 22 It's a Wonderful Life (Radio Play), presented by Artists Community Theatre at 12545 Old Hickory Boulevard, Antioch. Directed by Teri Beck.

Through December 23 A Sanders Family Christmas, presented by Cumberland County Playhouse, Crossville. THE FINAL SEASON: Celebrate and rejoice with the Sanders family one last time in this heartwarming sequel to Connie Ray and Alan Bailey's wildly successful bluegrass gospel musical Smoke on the Mountain! It's December 24, 1941, and America is going to war. So is Dennis Sanders of the Sanders Family Singers. Join Pastor Mervin Oglethorpe and the spirit filled Sanders Family as they send Dennis off with hilarious and touching stories and twenty-five Southern Gospel Christmas favorites.

Through December 23 Disney's The Little Mermaid, presented by Nashville Children's Theatre, 25 Middleton Street, Nashville. Ernie Nolan directs and choreographs, with musical direction by David Weinstein. Catherine Birdsong stars as Ariel, with Corbin Williams as Prince Eric and Galen Fott as Triton. Other cast members include Piper Jones, James Rudolph, Isaac Brotzman, Jonah M. Jackson, Darci Wantiez, among others. Performances are at 7 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and at 2 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays from November 9-December 23. (No performance on Sunday, November 11.)

Read Jeffrey Ellis' review of The Little Mermaid: /nashville/article/BWW-Review-Nashville-Childrens-Theatres-THE-LITTLE-MERMAID-is-Utterly-Delightful-20181109

Read Jeffrey Ellis' interview with The Little Mermaid's Catherine Birdsong and Corbin Williams: /nashville/article/Birdsong-and-Williams-Come-Full-Circle-to-Play-THE-LITTLE-MERMAIDs-Ariel-and-Prince-Eric-for-NCT-20181101

Through December 29 Elf, presented by Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre, 8204 Highway 100, Nashville. Directed by Martha Wilkinson and starring Chase Miller. For more information, go to www.ChaffinsBarnTheatre.com or call (615) 646-9977.

Read Jeffrey Ellis' review of Elf, the Musical: /nashville/article/BWW-Review-Chase-Millers-Star-Burns-Bright-in-Chaffins-Barns-ELF-THE-MUSICAL-20181116

Through December 29 The Game Show Show, presented by Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre, 8204 Highway 100, Nashville. For more information, go to www.ChaffinsBarnTheatre.com or call (615) 646-9977.

Through December 30 Disney's Beauty and the Beast, presented by Studio Tenn at Jamison Theater, The Factory at Franklin. Benji Kern directs, with musical direction by Stephen Kummer and choreography by Anna Perry. Hatty Ryan King and Patrick Thomas lead an all-star Nashville cast in Studio Tenn's holiday season production of Disney's classic animated film and acclaimed stage musical. With Paul Baswell as Gaston, Curtis Reed as LeFou, Bradley D. Gale as Lumiere, Shawn Knight as Cogsworth, Nan Gurley as Mrs. Potts, Micah Williams as Chip, Jennifer Whitcomb-Oliva as Madame de la Grande Bouche, Abby Docherty as Babette and Matthew Carlton as Maurice. For tickets, go to www.studiotenn.com, or call (615) 541-8200.

December 10 and 11 Auditions for Abigail's Party, written by Mike Leigh and directed by Laramie Hearn, from 6 to 9:30 pm. at the Barbershop Theater, 4003 Indiana Ave. Email Nettie Kraft at nettiemaeusa@yahoo.com to request sides and confirm your 15-minute slot.

Rehearsals begin the first week of January, evenings and possible weekends, flexible with actor schedules. Performances February 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 14, 15, and 16. British dialect ability needed, all ethnicities encouraged to audition. Small stipend is included. Come play!

BREAKDOWN
Beverly Moss- 40's. Female. Competitive. Relentless. Bored. Cheerful to disingenuousness and determined to come out the winner at all costs. Winner of what remains to be seen. Deeply invested in keeping up appearances and having the best decor and being agreed with on all topics.

Laurence Moss- 40's. Male. Aspirational. Workaholic. Possessing neuroses Beverly has a superhuman ability to trigger. Clings to art and culture as a way of exerting his superiority, which leads one to believe he is also harboring a fairly vast inferiority complex.

Angela Cooper- 30's. Female. Genuine. Pleasant. Clueless. Somewhat lacking in tact and knowledge of what is and is not polite to say to a group of acquaintances. A nurse who takes great pride in her work. New to the neighborhood.

Tony Cooper- 30's. Male. Passively dissatisfied. Ex-Footballer. Quiet, but in the same way a dormant volcano is quiet. One may build a village on its slopes, but one does so with the knowledge utter destruction is a single eruption away. Now a computer operator, and new to the neighborhood.

Susan Lawson- 40's. Female. Anxious. Cultured. Polite to a painful degree. Susan is not one to rock boats, even if she finds said boats somewhat overwhelming and she'd very much like to get out of them.

It's 1977 in the London suburbs, and Beverly and Laurence are having a casual get-together for their new neighbours, Angela and Tony. Also invited is Susan, a recent divorcee who has been dis-invited to her teenage daughter, Abigail's party. As the sound of teenage debauchery filters through the walls, what begins as a friendly round of drinks devolves into a brand of vicious that can only be achieved by the English middle class.

December 10 and 11 AUDITIONS for Murder at the Paradise Hotel. Consider This invites you to audition for our next original murder mystery dinner theatre show, Murder at the Paradise Hotel! Performances will be February 8, 9, 15, 16, 22 and 23. There will be no matinees. The majority of most parts are improvised within provided parameters. The historic Paradise Hotel is celebrating the New Year on December 31, 1999 with a lavish party for the reopening of its Grand Ballroom. Many guests will check in for this exclusive event, but one guest will not be checking out...Come help solve the mystery where people are not who they seem.

Roles available Hotel Manager: Male or Female, middle aged
Bellhop: Male or Female, young adult
Maid: Female, older
Undercover CIA Agent: Female, adult
Undercover CIA Agent: Male, adult
Mystery Book Author: Male or female, adult
Sous Chef: Male or Female, adult, French pronunciation of food words preferred
Other supporting roles: Male or Female, any age

Malinda Brafford directs from her script co-written by Tyson Pate.

December 13-23 Peter Pan and Tinker Bell: A Pirate's Christmas, at TPAC's James K. Polk Theatre. Nashville's own Diana DeGarmo plays Tinker Bell in the production that will introduce an English holiday tradition to Nashville audiences: Christmas Panto. Go to www.TPAC.org for details, or call (615) 782-4040 for tickets.

December 13-23 A Sanders Family Christmas, presented by the Friends of White Bluff at the Bibb-White Bluff Civic Center. Call (615) 797-1154 or (615) 797-3131 for tickets and information.

December 14-22 A Christmas to Remember, presented by Center Stage Entertainment, at Academy Park Performing Arts Centre, 120 Everbright Avenue, Franklin. This high-energy musical revue features more than 40 of the most beloved holiday songs and will take audiences on a musical journey with styles ranging from traditional holiday classics and sacred favorites to rock and roll, country and big band. A Christmas to Remember is perfectly suited for audiences of all ages and everyone will be amazed by the professional cast of singers, dancers, musicians and special guests. https://red.vendini.com/ticket-software.html?t=tix&e=304b28da5224e7c0c2393379a75754e4

January 5-12 Wellesley Girl, presented by Pipeline-Collective at Belmont Little Theatre, Nashville. Pipeline-Collective presents Wellesley Girl, a play by Brendan Pelsue:The year is 2465. The United States of America is the size of four small New England towns, walled inside a protective citadel. With fewer than 435 remaining Americans - and every adult a member of Congress - petty politics and small-town scandals are the focus of Federal law. But when an armed encampment appears outside the wall, will America's destiny be annihilation? Directed by David Ian Lee, Wellesley Girl features Galen Fott, Patriq James, Sejal Mehta, Matthew Rose, Karen Sternberg, Jackie Welch Schlicher, and Garris Wimmer. See the show for $15, or purchase by December 15 for just $10. Go to www.pipeline-collectice.com for more information.

January 10-20 Avenue Q, presented by Circle Players at the Z. Alexander Looby Theatre, 2301 Rosa L. Parks Boulevard, Nashville. Directed by Brian Jones. For more information, go to www.circleplayers.net

January 10-27 Julius Caesar, presented by Nashville Shakespeare Festival at The Troutt Theatre, Belmont University, Nashville. Directed by Santiago Sosa, this edgy, action-packed production will tell the story of the assassination of Rome's charismatic emperor Julius Caesar in a compelling, Roman-noir, re-imagining, where conspiracy can only exist in the shadows and dark corners of the city. Playing the role of Julius Caesar is veteran TV and Broadway actor Chuck Wagner, who has enjoyed an extensive career that spans four decades. Nashville Shakes favorites in the cast include Sam Ashdown, returning to Nashville after his critically acclaimed performance in the title role of NSF's 2018 Hamlet, Melinda Sewak, Morgan Davis, Andrew Johnson, Matthew Cruz Benenson, Miranda Pepin and Antonio P. Nappo. Joining the company for the first time are Josh Inocalla, Ang Madeline Johnson, Natalie Rankin, Chamberlin Little, and regional powerhouses Christopher Joel Onken and Jordan Gleaves. Realizing the shadowy, Roman-noir aesthetic of the play is lighting and set designer Phillip Franck and returning NSF composer, Natalie Bell, will design the suspenseful soundscape. The abundant violence in the play will be co-choreographed by fight director Eric Pasto-Crosby and Sosa. Performances at Belmont's Troutt Theater (2112 Belmont Blvd., Nashville) are January 10-27, Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $30 in advance or $33 at the door. Purchase $100 VIP Royal Packages (which include reserved parking, prime seating, and other perks) at www.nashvilleshakes.org or at www.ticketsnashville.com.

January 31-February 2 Julius Caesar, presented by Nashville Shakespeare Festival at Middle Tennessee State University's Tucker Theatre, Murfreesboro. Directed by Santiago Sosa, this edgy, action-packed production will tell the story of the assassination of Rome's charismatic emperor Julius Caesar in a compelling, Roman-noir, re-imagining, where conspiracy can only exist in the shadows and dark corners of the city. Playing the role of Julius Caesar is veteran TV and Broadway actor Chuck Wagner, who has enjoyed an extensive career that spans four decades. Nashville Shakes favorites in the cast include Sam Ashdown, returning to Nashville after his critically acclaimed performance in the title role of NSF's 2018 Hamlet, Melinda Sewak, Morgan Davis, Andrew Johnson, Matthew Cruz Benenson, Miranda Pepin and Antonio P. Nappo. Joining the company for the first time are Josh Inocalla, Ang Madeline Johnson, Natalie Rankin, Chamberlin Little, and regional powerhouses Christopher Joel Onken and Jordan Gleaves. Realizing the shadowy, Roman-noir aesthetic of the play is lighting and set designer Phillip Franck and returning NSF composer, Natalie Bell, will design the suspenseful soundscape. The abundant violence in the play will be co-choreographed by fight director Eric Pasto-Crosby and Sosa. Performances at MTSU's Tucker Theatre (615 Champion Way, Murfreesboro) are January 31-February 2, Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $30 in advance or $33 at the door. Purchase $100 VIP Royal Packages (which include reserved parking, prime seating, and other perks) at www.nashvilleshakes.org or at www.ticketsnashville.com.

January 11-26 The Romancers, presented by ACT 1 at Darkhorse Theater, 4610 Charlotte Avenue, Nashville. Scott Hutcheson directs this contemporary version of Edmond Rostand's play about two young people whose parents hope will someday marry; the play provides the source material for the long-running musical The Fantasticks.

January 11-27 Newsies, presented by Center for the Arts, Murfreesboro. Directed by Mark David Williams and starring Nick True as Jack Kelly. For more information, go to www.boroarts.org or call (615) 904-2787.

February 8-17 Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, presented by Studio Tenn at Jamison Theater, The Factory at Franklin. For tickets, go to www.studiotenn.com, or call (615) 541-8200.

February 8-17 Sense and Sensibility, presented by Center for the Arts, Murfreesboro. For more information, go to www.boroarts.org or call (615) 904-2787.

February 8-23 Singin' in the Rain, presented by Arts Center of Cannon County, 1424 John Bragg Highway, Woodbury. Jeffrey Ellis directs the stage adaptation of the classic movie musical, starring Lindsey Mapes Duggin as Kathy Selden, Austin Jeffrey Smith as Don Lockwood, Daxton Patrick as Cosmo Brown and Brittany Blaire Andersen as Lina Lamont, with Scarlett Turney as Dora Bailey and Landon Spangler as Dexter. J. Robert Lindsey, Becky Charlton, Janet Galvao, Terrie Kirby, Logan Taylor, David Brown, Drew Dunlop, Jeffrey Fiene, Zoe Zent, Natalie Garrison, Sharon Bessant, Mary Humphrey, Shiloh Bakalyar and Kiana Schofill complete the ensemble for this musical romp that's filled with memorable tunes and is an affectionate look at filmdom's transition from silent movies to talkies in the late 1920s. Allison Hall music directs, with choreography by Maggie Richardson.. For details, go to www.artscenterofcc.com or call (615) 563-2787.

February 9-23 Topdog/Underdog, presented by Nashville Repertory Theatre at TPAC's Andrew Johnson Theatre. Eddie George stars in Suzan-Lori Parks' acclaimed play. For more information, go to www.nashvillerep.org.

February 12-27 A Bronx Tale, presented by the national touring company of the Broadway hit, HCA/TriStar Heath Broadway at TPAC Series, at Tennessee Performing Arts Center's Andrew Jackson Hall. Go to www.TPAC.org for details, or call (615) 782-4040 for tickets.

February 15-23 Twelfth Night, presented by Vanderbilt University Theatre at Neely Auditorium, Vanderbilt University campus, Nashville. Santiago Sosa directs the classic William Sheakespeare comedy. Twelfth Night is the quintessential Shakespearean play that manages to capture the comical and, often, farcical nature of human behavior; combining beautiful, poetic verse and dynamic prose to tell the story of the far off land of Illyria and it's inhabitants, following a shipwreck that separates a pair of twins and the death of a Countesses two family members, that a young Duke pines away for. This romantic comedy explores themes of sexual ambiguity, double-identities, grief, and the trifles that come with unrequited love.

February 15-24 Silent Sky, presented by Lipscomb University Theatre at Shamblin Theatre, Lipscomb University campus, Nashville.

February 15-March 2 The Bomb-itty of Errors, presented by ACT 1 at The Darkhorse Theater, 4610 Charlotte Avenue, Nashville. Directed by Bakari J. King. For tickets, go to www.tickets.ACT1online.com.