Dressed to the nines-despite forecasts of thunderstorms and a tornado watch that hung over the region-theater people from throughout Tennessee gathered at Belmont University's Bill and Carole Troutt Theatre on Sunday night for the 2013 First Night Honors. Hosted by Holly Shepherd and Joel Diggs, the gala evening honored eight leading lights of Tennessee theater as they were recognized as members of the First Night Class of 2013 Honorees.
Travis Brazil directs as Boiler Room Theatre continues its 12th season with John Steinbeck's classic drama Of Mice and Men, starrng Ross Bolen and John Mauldin, opening Friday April 13, at the theatre's venue in the historic Factory at Franklin, for a run that continues through May 5.
Since its publication in 1937, John Steinbeck's novella Of Mice and Men has inspired artists-there have been multiple film treatments, a Carlisle Floyd opera, ballets and stage productions based upon the tragic tale of migrant workers George Milton and Lennie Small-and it is now given a superb production at Boiler Room Theatre featuring stunning performances from the entire cast of actors under the confident and focused direction of Travis Brazil, who makes his area directing debut with this electrifying rendition of the timeless tale.
Travis Brazil directs as Boiler Room Theatre continues its 12th season with John Steinbeck's classic drama Of Mice and Men, starrng Ross Bolen and John Mauldin, opening Friday April 13, at the theatre's venue in the historic Factory at Franklin, for a run that continues through May 5.
The Boiler Room Theatre (BRT), Williamson County's original and longest-running professional theatre company, continues its 12th season with the John Steinbeck's classic drama Of Mice and Men opening Friday April 13th at the theatre's iconic namesake venue in the historic Factory at Franklin, 230 Franklin Rd., Building Six, in Franklin, Tenn. for a run through May 5.
Nashville actors displayed an astonishing range in 2010, playing some of the most coveted roles in theater with imagination and creativity and exhibiting new stage personas for characters making their initial debuts in new, original works. It was a memorable year, to say the least, and Nashville men stepped up to the plate with vigor and conviction, showing greater promise for the new season now under way in 2011. These ten actors led the way for their peers during the season just past and we're proud to recognize their onstage achievements...
'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:
A cast of more than 125 performers took to the stage of the Troutt Theatre at Belmont University to fete the eight members of the 2010 Class of First Night Honorees in a production that featured the best of the best of Nashville theater and included a surprise appearance by Joseph Mahowald, winner of a 1989 First Night Award, now playing the role of Franklin Hart Jr. in the national tour of 9 to 5: The Musical, which opened in Nashville at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center on Tuesday, September 21.
Hot on the heels of the Nashville premiere of Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye, Amun Ra Theatre shows no sign of slowing down its pace this season as it prepares to tackle Samuel Beckett's absurdist classic Waiting For Godot, directed by guest artist Robert Kiefer and starring a virtual 'who's who' of ART Ensemble members. Waiting For Godot, the second show in ART's 2010 'The Future Is Now Season,' opens April 22 and runs through May 9 at the Amun Ra Theatre Playhouse, 2508 Clifton Avenue.
Keifer's superbly cast five-member ensemble delivers a performance that is compelling and provocative, bringing Beckett's rather nonsensical, although altogether shocking and introspective, premise to vivid life. Since its 1953 premiere, Waiting for Godot has left many of the world's greatest writers and thinkers pondering the meaning of Beckett's work; the significance - or perhaps insignificance - of the five characters; and the meaning behind the characters and their situation. Every word has been parsed, every exchange debated and still we are left to question and to wonder.
Hot on the heels of the Nashville premiere of Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye, Amun Ra Theatre shows no sign of slowing down its pace this season as it prepares to tackle Samuel Beckett's absurdist classic Waiting For Godot, directed by guest artist Robert Kiefer and starring a virtual 'who's who' of ART Ensemble members. Waiting For Godot, the second show in ART's 2010 'The Future Is Now Season,' opens April 22 and runs through May 9 at the Amun Ra Theatre Playhouse, 2508 Clifton Avenue.
Hot on the heels of the Nashville premiere of Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye, Amun Ra Theatre shows no sign of slowing down its pace this season as it prepares to tackle Samuel Beckett's absurdist classic Waiting For Godot, directed by guest artist Robert Kiefer and starring a virtual 'who's who' of ART Ensemble members. Waiting For Godot, the second show in ART's 2010 'The Future Is Now Season,' opens April 22 and runs through May 9 at the Amun Ra Theatre Playhouse, 2508 Clifton Avenue.
Diamond's play tells a story of a group of black girls known to Claudia MacTreer (played by ART regular Alicia Haymer in a starring role) in the fall of 1941, 'the year the marigolds didn't bloom.' Claudia comes to believe the marigolds didn't bloom because of the life and tragic events of her best friend, Pecola Breedlove (portrayed by Demetria Granberry, in her professional acting debut). Pecola, who is subjected to mocking because of both her dark skin and a suspected incestuous relationship with her father, spends her time longing for blue eyes, which to a dark-skinned black girl coming of age in a turbulent racial era, represent beauty and self-worth.
Diamond's play tells a story of a group of black girls known to Claudia MacTreer (played by ART regular Alicia Haymer in a starring role) in the fall of 1941, 'the year the marigolds didn't bloom.' Claudia comes to believe the marigolds didn't bloom because of the life and tragic events of her best friend, Pecola Breedlove (portrayed by Demetria Granberry, in her professional acting debut). Pecola, who is subjected to mocking because of both her dark skin and a suspected incestuous relationship with her father, spends her time longing for blue eyes, which to a dark-skinned black girl coming of age in a turbulent racial era, represent beauty and self-worth.
Diamond's play tells a story of a group of black girls known to Claudia MacTreer (played by ART regular Alicia Haymer in a starring role) in the fall of 1941, 'the year the marigolds didn't bloom.' Claudia comes to believe the marigolds didn't bloom because of the life and tragic events of her best friend, Pecola Breedlove (portrayed by Demetria Granberry, in her professional acting debut). Pecola, who is subjected to mocking because of both her dark skin and a suspected incestuous relationship with her father, spends her time longing for blue eyes, which to a dark-skinned black girl coming of age in a turbulent racial era, represent beauty and self-worth.
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.
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