Patrick Waller News

Laura Matula sings 'Can You Unbreak a Heart' from Punchinello, music by Christopher Davis, lyrics by Frederick Richardson.

Theater audiences in Nashville will be treated to something new this weekend as the new musical Punchinello, based on the writings of Max Lucado, will be presented in a staged reading at Wallace Chapel at Christ Church Nashville this Friday and Saturday nights.

When Patty Duke played the role of Helen Keller in the Broadway premiere of William Gibson's The Miracle Worker, she was ten years old, and when Madeleine Hall took the stage of the Franklin Theatre on Thursday night in the opening of Studio Tenn's exquisitely crafted revival of the modern American theater classic, she too was ten years old. And it should be noted that as portentous as Duke's debut came to be known, theater lovers still to come may very well consider Madeleine Hall's beautifully crafted performance just as revelatory and just as noteworthy.

Emily Landham and ten-year-old Madeleine Hall star as Anne Sullivan and Helen Keller in Studio Tenn's upcoming production of William Gibson's The Miracle Worker. Studio Tenn, resident professional theatre company of the Franklin Theatre today announced complete casting for the production that debuts February 23 and runs through March 4.

Nashville Children's Theatre (NCT) will be revamped-for one night only-for the 21 and up crowd on the evening of Friday, December 9, when the theater holds Big Kid Night, "because kids shouldn't have all the fun," featuring a performance of Junie B. In Jingle Bells, Batman Smells!, starring Brooke Bryant as the irrepressible first grader Junie B. Jones.

Nashville Children's Theatre (NCT) will be revamped-for one night only-for the 21 and up crowd on the evening of Friday, December 9, when the theater holds Big Kid Night, "because kids shouldn't have all the fun," featuring a performance of Junie B. In Jingle Bells, Batman Smells!, starring Brooke Bryant as the irrepressible first grader Junie B. Jones.

Truth be told, seeing Henry Haggard and Jeff Boyet playing first graders may be enough to ensure that you get yourself to Nashville Children's Theatre for the company's wonderfully entertaining production of Junie B. in Jingle Bells, Batman Smells. But the production holds so many delightful riches - not the least of which is Brooke Bryant's completely engaging portrayal of the title character - that it is certain to delight audiences of all ages who make it to NCT to revel in this holiday season respite that imparts a lesson while eliciting laughs, gasps and so much more over the course of an hour or so in the theater.

Based on the series of Junie B. Jones books by Barbara Park, Junie B. in Jingle Bells, Batman Smells! brings the saucy first grader back to NCT with all of her holiday excitement. Junie B. and her classmates were last at NCT in 2007, when the theatre performed Junie B. Jones and a Little Monkey Business to celebrate the theater's grand re-opening following its massive renovations.

Arthur Miller's All My Sons, which debuted on Broadway in 1947, continues to resonate with contemporary audiences thanks to its timeless, heart-wrenching relevance and Miller's unequaled ability as a storyteller. Now onstage at TPAC's Andrew Johnson Theatre in an impressive production that opens Tennessee Repertory Theatre's 2011-2012 season, All My Sons is Miller's searing consideration of the relentless pursuit of the American Dream, selflessness be damned in the name of profit.

Tennessee Repertory Theatre kicks-off its 27th season of live, professional theatre with Arthur Miller's classic All My Sons. All My Sons runs tonight through October 15 at TPAC's Johnson Theater

Tennessee Repertory Theatre kicks-off its 27th season of live, professional theatre with Arthur Miller's classic All My Sons. All My Sons runs October 1 - 15 at TPAC's Johnson Theater (with preview performance September 29-30).

Studio Tenn launches its eagerly anticipated sophomore season in its new home at the Franklin Theatre, kicking off the company's second act with a sparkling revival of one of musical theater's best-loved shows: Guys and Dolls, the 'musical fable of Bradway' based on a story and characters of Damon Runyon, with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and a book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows.

Jersey Boys veterans Jared Bradshaw and John Hickman join Nashville's own Carrie Tillis and Laura Matula to head the cast of Studio Tenn's production of Guys & Dolls, opening August 18-28 at the Franklin Theatare, kicking off the company's second season - their first in their new venue.

Jersey Boys veterans Jared Bradshaw and John Hickman will join Nashville's own Carrie Tillis and Laura Matula to head the cast of Studio Tenn's production of Guys & Dolls, running August 18-28 at the Franklin Theatare, kicking off the company's second season - their first in their new venue.

Shakespeare meets the Hatfields and the McCoys this summer in Tennessee Shakespeare Festival's family-friendly The Comedy of Errors, running June 17-July 10 in Bell Buckle on the campus of the Webb School. Tennessee Shakespeare Festival's latest production, The Comedy of Errors - described as 'a rollicking version of William Shakespeare's madcap tale of mistaken identity, set in the highlands of 1880s West Virginia.'

Jack's Tale, a musical based on the Appalachia folk tales of the Scots-Irish heritage, is the final production of Nashville Children's Theatre's 2010-11 season. Written by NCT producing director Scot Copeland and by musician Paul Carrol Binkley, this homespun adventure tale features actors who are also musicians. The cast floats between acting and playing music and sometimes both at the same time.

Shakespeare meets the Hatfields and the McCoys this summer in Tennessee Shakespeare Festival's family-friendly The Comedy of Errors, running June 17-July 10 in Bell Buckle on the campus of the Webb School. Tennessee Shakespeare Festival's latest production, The Comedy of Errors - described as 'a rollicking version of William Shakespeare's madcap tale of mistaken identity, set in the highlands of 1880s West Virginia.'

David Compton returns to a role he first played almost a quarter-century ago and Rona Carter plays a man who is transformed into an ass in Nashville Children's Theatre's upcoming production of Robin Goodfellow, playwright Aurand Harris' unique take on Shakespeare's A Midsummer's Night Dream. Opening on Tuesday, April 19, Robin Goodfellow runs at NCT through May 15.

David Compton returns to a role he first played almost a quarter-century ago and Rona Carter plays a man who is transformed into an ass in Nashville Children's Theatre's upcoming production of Robin Goodfellow, playwright Aurand Harris' unique take on Shakespeare's A Midsummer's Night Dream. Opening on Tuesday, April 19, Robin Goodfellow runs at NCT through May 15.

Nashville Children's Theatre (NCT) will host Telling Tales: A SHELebration Where the Sidewalk Ends on Thursday, June 2, 2011 - a brand new fundraiser event for grown-ups that features a varied collection of Nashville artists, leaders and performers paying tribute to Shel Silverstein.