Shelena Walden

As the magical floating stage descends from the upper recesses of Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre, anticipation grows and attention is directed to the half dozen actors seated upon the stage, their chairs as unique as the performers themselves. Gathered together by director Joy Tilley Perryman, the dozen actors who will be seen and heard in the company's performance of Listen to Your Mother, a collection of monologues on the subject of parenthood and the myriad relationships to be found among parents and children, were each cast for his or her particular strengths, whether it's their ability to tell a story or to engage an audience.

Today, in our final installment, our spotlight falls upon three Nashville actors - Mileah Milstead, Vicki White and Shelena Walden - who join their castmates for the show at Chaffin's Barn, located at 8204 Highway 100 in Nashville. For ticket information or reservations, call (615) 646-9977 or go to www.chaffinsbarntheatre.com.

The world premiere of a brand-spanking new musical with Broadway in its sights, a relatively young but awe-inspiring theater company and a sparkling, witty new play about Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald led the list of Tennessee's outstanding theatrical achievements in 2012 that was revealed Sunday night at Midwinter's First Night. Photographer Rick Malkin was on hand to capture the evening's highlights with his camera.

Nashville actor/singer/musician Geoff Davin has released his latest music video 'White Beat,' written by the multi-talented performer himself. The star of Boiler Room Theatre's The Rocky Horror Show and Circle Players' Company, the versatile Davin surrounds himself with an all-star cast of some of Music City's favorite stage stars. For more information, go to www.GeoffDavin.com.

Celebrating their company's 61st season - which makes them the oldest community theater in Middle Tennessee - Nashville's Circle Players recognized outstanding achievement during the 2010-2011 season with the presentation of the Circle Awards on Sunday, June 19.

With the strong, focused direction of Clay Hillwig and the uniformly consistent and superb performances of an exceptional cast, Circle Players starts off 2011 with its impressively mounted revival of Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun. With a story that is as potent and as relevant today as it was at the time of the play's 1959 Broadway debut, A Raisin in the Sun follows the struggling but proud Younger family as they strive to make their lives better on Chicago's South Side.

'There are no small parts, only small actors,' goes the old theatrical saw that's tossed about willy-nilly to encourage budding thespians to take on roles they suspect might be beneath them and their lofty stature. But, of course, there's much truth to be found in the axiom and you will certainly see it brought to life in the efforts of the members of many acting ensembles, particularly those considered among the best in Nashville's 2010 theater season:

In celebration of Black History Month, SistaStyle Productions presents the world premiere of Mary McCallum's Fly, Girl!, a fictionalized look at the life of aviatrix Bessie Coleman. The play, directed by noted Nashville actor/director/educator Barry Scott, opened at Darkhorse Theatre on Friday, February 19, and will close on February 27. Coleman (1892-1926) was the first African-American to become a licensed airplane pilot and was the first American of any race or gender to hold an international pilot's license. McCallum's play follows Bessie from her girlhood in Texas, where she picked cotton and dreamed of flying, then on to Chicago and ultimately to France, becoming known in the process as 'Queen Bess' the aviatrix.

Actress-playwright-producer Mary McCallum gives an extraordinarily strong and vibrant performance as aviatrix Bessie Coleman in her self-written new historical drama, Fly, Girl!, now in its premiere production at Darkhorse Theatre, courtesy of SistaStyle Productions. With an outstanding supporting ensemble, all of whom are completely committed to both their roles and this important production, it is a sharply written and movingly acted new work - definitely one that deserves a broader audience beyond the confines of the Nashville stage.

In celebration of Black History Month, SistaStyle Productions presents the world premiere of Mary McCallum's Fly, Girl!, a fictionalized look at the life of aviatrix Bessie Coleman. The play, directed by noted Nashville actor/director/educator Barry Scott, opens at Darkhorse Theatre on Friday, February 19, continuing through February 27. Coleman (1892-1926) was the first African-American to become a licensed airplane pilot and was the first American of any race or gender to hold an international pilot's license. McCallum's play follows Bessie from her girlhood in Texas, where she picked cotton and dreamed of flying, then on to Chicago and ultimately to France, becoming known in the process as 'Queen Bess' the aviatrix.

In celebration of Black History Month, SistaStyle Productions presents the world premiere of Mary McCallum's Fly, Girl!, a fictionalized look at the life of aviatrix Bessie Coleman. The play, directed by noted Nashville actor/director/educator Barry Scott, opens at Darkhorse Theatre on Friday, February 19, continuing through February 27. Coleman (1892-1926) was the first African-American to become a licensed airplane pilot and was the first American of any race or gender to hold an international pilot's license. McCallum's play follows Bessie from her girlhood in Texas, where she picked cotton and dreamed of flying, then on to Chicago and ultimately to France, becoming known in the process as 'Queen Bess' the aviatrix.

Signs of a New Day is not a perfect play, by many measures, but the fact that it focuses on Looby - whose name almost every Nashvillian most certainly knows, but someone about whom they know precious little - elevates it to near-perfection. Thanks to German's extensive research and dedication to detail, coupled with her dramatist's keen eye and ear for what works onstage, the play gives Looby and his wife, Grafta Mosby Looby, the attention they so richly deserve. It is a moving work that challenges its audiences to continue the noble work of the Loobys and all of their contemporaries who risked their lives and livelihoods so that we all might live in a more just and equitable society.