David Weinstein News

Under Phase III of Governor Abbott's plan to safely and strategically open Texas while minimizing the spread of COVID-19, fine arts performance halls can open starting June 10 at 50% capacity. 

a??a??a??a??a??a??a?? The Telly Awards, the world's largest honor for video and television content across all screens, has announced this year's winners, including Jeff Buckley's 'Sky Blue Skin' music video from Sony Music Entertainment, Partizan's Hewlett Packard 'Print the Holidays' Christmas commercial (helmed by French director Michel Gondry) and more.

Under Phase II of Governor Abbott's plan to safely and strategically open Texas while minimizing the spread of COVID-19, youth camps can open. 

This summer, the Hill Country Community Theatre's Youth Summer Theatre Program will produce the musical, a?oeDisney's The Little Mermaid Jr.,a?? lyrics by Howard Ashman and Glenn Slater, book by Doug Wright, music by David Weinstein.

Flat Stanley has travelled all over the world, and now this delightful character is coming to Main Street Theater! From the book by Jeff Brown, this fun musical adaptation will play Sundays, March 1 and 8 at 12:30pm and 3:30pm; Spring Break performances March 16 - 18 at 10:30am and 1:30pm; Saturdays, March 21, 28 and April 4 at 10:30am & 1:30pm at MST's Midtown location, 3400 Main St. in Matchbox4. All tickets are on sale via phone at 713.524.6706 or online at MainStreetTheater.com. Tickets are $16 - $26. Group rates are available. No children under 3 are admitted in the theater (including sleeping babies). (Performances are also available for school matinees. Call 713.524.9196 ext 101 or 102 or visit the website.)

Since arriving in our midst in early 2017, Ernie Nolan justifiably has gained a reputation as an innovator, a creative genius (Hyperbole? The answer is a resounding a?oeno,a?? judging from his artistic achievements of the past two-plus years) and a master of challenging the status quo. As executive artistic director at Nashville Children's Theatre a?" one of the leading theater companies in America, dedicated to serving young audiences through challenging, elucidating offerings certain to appeal to their varied sensibilities a?" he's given us a plethora of productions that have been both unexpected and exhilarating, elevating the local theater scene immeasurably in the process.

There is something about Hatty Ryan King a?" the young woman playing Alice Murphy in Lipscomb University Theatre's superb production of Bright Star (the recent Broadway musical by Steve Martin and Edie Brickell) now onstage at Collins Alumni Auditorium through November 10 a?" that sets her apart from her peers, that makes her seem destined for greatness and which ensures that every role she takes on is elevated by her unerring instincts, her palpable presence and her inestimable talent.

As the lights came up in Nashville Children's Theatre's Ann Stahlman Hill Theatre at the conclusion of Return to Sender a?" the world premiere production of Marisela Trevino Orta's adaptation of Julia Alvarez's novel of the same name, now onstage at NCT through October 27 a?" the familiar a?oedinga?? of an alert emanated from my iPhone: A judge had ruled against a Trump administration initiative to refuse entry to immigrants who might find themselves dependent upon public assistance while they pursue their own version of the American dream.

Theatre Arlington's 47th season has something for everyone! Executive Producer, Steven D. Morris, is thrilled to announce the line-up for the 2019-2020 season. There will be great musical comedies, a fun new holiday show, wonderful family-friendly children's programming and classic plays that need to be seen again. This season Theatre Arlington will continue to work hard to improve the patron's experience and the quality of every production. The Theatre is excited to announce that they will be hiring more professional Equity actors in each production as well as skilled designers and talented live musicians. That's not all Morris is happy to announce - this season will be the inaugural year for a new Cabaret Series which will bring the metroplex's best singers and musicians to Theatre Arlington to perform in an intimate environment.  If it has been awhile since you've visited downtown Arlington, now is the time to find your way and come home to Theatre Arlington!

In anticipation of the gala 30th anniversary celebration of The First Night Awards, Tennessee's best and brightest in live theater were revealed tonight as First Night's Top Ten of 2018 - reviewer and critic Jeffrey Ellis' annual recognition for theater in the Volunteer State - were announced during a Facebook Live presentation from Nashville.

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...

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 beginning of a new year...

Here's hoping you had a splendid Thanksgiving holiday weekend and that you're settling in for another action-packed season of events and shows to make Christmas 2018 sparkle even more! Looking ahead, you'll find a number of new productions on tap for your entertainment pleasure, thanks to the efforts of theater companies all over Middle Tennessee. Here's our calendar for November 26, 2018, to help you plot your course through the end of the year...

Looking ahead, you'll find a number of new productions on tap, including a whole slew of holiday favorites, for your entertainment pleasure, thanks to the efforts of theater companies all over Middle Tennessee. Here's our calendar for November 12, 2018, to help you plot your course through next February...

It should come as no surprise whatsoever that the opening night audience for NCT's holiday season offering of Disney's The Little Mermaid rewarded the cast and crew with loud cheers, sustained applause and, more importantly, their rapt attention - were it not for the fact that last night's audience was comprised primarily of (how will we say it without offending?) more experienced theater-goers.

Looking ahead, you'll find a number of new productions on tap for your entertainment pleasure, thanks to the efforts of theater companies all over Middle Tennessee. Here's our calendar for November 5, 2018, to help you plot your course through the end of the year...

For Catherine Birdsong, the animated film version of The Little Mermaid - the 1989 Disney musical fantasy based on the story of the same name by Hans Christian Andersen - was the first movie she remembers ever seeing in a darkened cinema and it continues to elicit memories, to reverberate in her heart, particularly now that she finds herself in rehearsal for the debut of the stage musical at Nashville Children's Theatre.

Derby Dinner Playhouse will open their 2018-2019 Children's Musical Theatre Series with THE MUSICAL ADVENTURES OF FLAT STANLEY on October 6, 2018 as part of their Children's Musical Theatre Series. Public performances run October 6, 13, 20, 27, 29, November 3 & 10, 2018. For ticket information please call 812-288-8281 or visit www.derbydinner.com.

Ernie Nolan and his stellar crew of theatrical collaborators at Nashville Children's Theatre once again prove their mettle with a production worthy of adulation and acclaim, thanks to their world premiere of the TYA (theater for young audiences) version of the recent Broadway musical Tuck Everlasting. Based on Natalie Babbitt's 1975 novel - long considered one of the finest works ever written expressly for young readers - Tuck Everlasting is a thing of beauty, whether onstage or on the page, and audiences unfamiliar with either the book or the play are in for an emotional, thought-provoking journey that reverberates long after the final bows ring down the show's curtain.