NASHVILLE INTERVIEWS

Things are sure to be supercalifragilisticexpialidocious this weekend, as Mary Poppins - the practically perfect in every way nanny - flies over the housetops of London, lading in Woodbury at The Arts Center of Cannon County. Directed by Allison Hall, the award-winning musical runs for three weekend...

Leading the cast are three stage veterans who have been delighting local audiences for years: Debbie Kraski, Dietz Osborne and Layne Sasser, three names that are sure to attract the attention of theater-goers in the Nashville area. They agreed to take on our Friday Five questions in anticipation of ...

As members of the Nashville theater community join with members of the theaterati far-flung across the world to celebrate the 20th birthday of Actors Bridge Ensemble - the cutting-edge, forward-thinking, boundary-pushing, status quo-challenging theater company that has helped to make Music City USA ...

Today in a Friday Five (on Thursday!) feature, we shine our spotlight on Catherine Birdsong Broyles and Darci Wantiez, who offer some insight into their theater lives and give us some terrific answers to our five (well, six really) questions. Once you've gotten to know them better, you'll probably w...

Next up for Daron Bruce's students at Hume-Fogg Academic High School (one of the nation's highest rated secondary schools) is a much-anticipated production of Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd, running November 5-7 at the iconic and historic high school - located on Broadway, naturally - in downtown N...

If Lipscomb University musical theatre student Sarah Zanotti, a senior from Cleveland, Ohio, seems busier than normal this week, it should be understandable: Not only is she hurtling toward the end of semester with the rest of the students on the school's gorgeous Green Hills campus, but she's also ...

Candace Quarrels' story is one of those hard-to-believe show business tales that is likely to resonate with so many people, for so long, that it might become legendary in time. In fact, it may be the modern day equivalent to the age-old tale of a young, sweater-clad Lana Turner being discovered at a...

Today, Eric Butler (who plays Curlie) and Tony Nappo take on our Friday Five questions, to give you some insight into the two actors. Here's your chance to get to know them before seeing the show which runs for three weekends, through November 15....

Caitlyn Porayko, a member of Belmont University Musical Theatre's class of 2016, has a busy holiday season ahead, to be certain - she's playing Judy Haynes in BUMT's production of White Christmas (running December 4-6) and she'll be a member of the choir backing up Broadway diva, "Nashville own" (w...

What better way to herald Into the Woods' first night than by focusing today's Friday Five (sure, we know it's Thursday, but The Thursday Five doesn't have the same ring to it and The Thursday Thirty just sounds like too much - plus we have other things to do besides talk to actors) on three of the ...

Next up for Daron Bruce's students involved in theater at Hume-Fogg Academic High Schools (one of the nation's highest rated secondary schools) is a much-anticipated production of Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd, running November 5-7 at the iconic and historic high school, located on Broadway natura...

This will probably be an emotional weekend for Savannah Frazier as the curtain comes down on Amazing Grace, the Musical, the show in which the Nashville native made her Broadway debut. Closing after its final performance at the Nederlander Theatre on Sunday, Amazing Grace gave Frazier her biggest ex...

Ask people involved in theater around Nashville to list some of their favorites who have moved on to seek fame and fortune in other places, one name that's likely to come up is Calvin David Malone. A graduate of Belmont University's esteemed musical theater program, the Owensboro, Kentucky, native i...

Take Cate Jo, for example: A native of Birmingham, Alabama, she originally arrived on the Vanderbilt campus with an eye toward a career in academia, ultimately changing course to pursue a career as an actress. Most recently, she played the challenging role of Bianca in Tennessee Women's Theater Proj...

It is fitting, perhaps, and definitely a case of perfect timing, for actress Blair Ross: Preparing to go onstage as “Madame” – aka The Wicked Stepmother – in Rodgers + Hammerstein's Cinderella with most of her Tennessee family on hand to share in the excitement from their vantage point in th...

Take Collin Peterson, for example: a junior vocal performance and music education major at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, has been acting in theatrical productions for a number of years, most recently starring as Tarzan in Arts Center of Cannon County's Tarzan, the Musical, direc...

Today, our Friday Five features focuses on the pair of actors portraying the scions of the Addams Family: daughter Wednesday and son Pugsley. Read all about the actors portraying the two iconic characters – Katie Callaway and 2014 First Night Most Promising Actor Will Lasley – then ring up the b...

Ask people involved in theater around Nashville to list some of their favorites who have moved on to seek fame and fortune in other places, one name that almost always pops up is Deonte Warren. A graduate of Belmont University's musical theater program, he's worked throughout the country, ensuring t...

Opening tonight at The Larry Keeton Theatre in Donelson is a sparkling new revival of Meredith Willson's The Music Man, directed and choreographed by Stephanie Jones-Benton, with musical direction by Ginger Newman. Featuring a roster of the Keeton Theatre's favorite stars, the show runs through Octo...

There's a very good chance that Belmont University musical theater student Grace Williams is going through some separation anxiety this week. Along with her castmastes and the creative team, she bade farewell to Gypsy – the stunning revival of the iconic Broadway musical mounted by Franklin-based...

Tennessee Women's Theater Project launches its 2015-16 season with the fast-paced, irreverent comedy The Taming by Lauren Gunderson. The production opens tonight at Nashville's Looby Theater, running weekends through October 18. Which means it's a matter of perfect timing for actress Colette Divine ...

Today, we focus our Friday Five spotlight on the intriguing Deathtrap trio of Christi Dortch, Dante Greco and Judy Jackson, as interesting a bunch of actors as you'll find in Nashville. Get to know them better, then book your seats to see Deathtrap…...

Take Neal Buckley, for example: A senior musical theater major at Belmont, he's onstage through this weekend in Studio Tenn's Gypsy (at Jamison Hall at The Factory at Franklin), playing Yonkers (one of Dainty June's peripatetic Farmboys) and later this semester he stars as Phil Davis in Belmont Univ...

Saturday night marks the opening of RAPTURE, BLISTER, BURN at Nashville Repertory Theatre. This Pulitzer Prize nominated play written by Gina Gionfriddo marks the opening of Nashville Repertory's 2015-2016 season. Director Lauren Shouse took some time out of her busy tech week to answer a few questi...

Circle Players has taken on the task of being a regional premier of AMERICAN IDIOT.  Right here in Nashville, the disenchanted youth of Jingletown are coming to the stage. I was blessed enough to get a chance to converse with the director of Circle Players' production of AMERICAN IDIOT, as well...