Performances from productions of director Brian Jones' Avenue Q, for Nashville's Circle Players - Middle Tennessee's oldest community theater organization - and Center for the Arts' Newsies, directed by 2019 Theaterati of the Year nominee Mark David Williams, are among highlights of next Sunday's Midwinter's First Night - Celebrating 30 Years in Nashville.
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.
Passionate and captivating, The Hunchback of Notre Dame - the stage musical based on the Disney animated classic, featuring music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and book by Peter Parnell - is given a superb production at Woodbury's Arts Center of Cannon County and discerning theater patrons in Middle Tennessee have but two performances left to experience the show under the direction of Darryl Deason and Rachel Jones.
GOOD MORNING, THEATERATI! Welcome to Thursday, May 18, 2017…It's #TheatreThursday! which begs the question: How do you propose to live life dramatically? And, while we're on the subject, what shows are on your agenda this weekend? Let us know what you plan to see and what led you to make your choice! We'll pass the word along to the powers-that-be!
If the theater community had its own royal family and nobility, then it would make perfect sense that young Sevon Askew, recently awarded a Spotlight Award as best male soloist for his performance in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, would be a crown prince. The son of Susan Arnold Walsworth, who has appeared on numerous stages in the midstate, he's the nephew of David Arnold (perhaps best known for his portrayal of Shrek in the musical about the gentle green ogre - a role Sevon has played, as well) and Cat Arnold (who's currently onstage in ACT 1's Noises Off). Talent, it would seem, runs through certain families.
Hatty King of Lipscomb Academy in Nashville and Nathan Keffer of Ravenwood High School in Brentwood took home top honors at the 2017 Spotlight Awards - held Saturday night at Tennessee Performing Arts Center's Andrew Jackson Hall - winning "Best Actress" and "Best Actor" awards respectively. The two travel to New York next month to compete nationally in the Jimmy Awards on June 26.
As Tony Award nominations were being revealed on Tuesday to honor productions and performances during the 2016-17 season, organizers of The 2017 Spotlight Awards - honoring the best in high school musical theater throughout Middle Tennessee - were tallying scores and assembling all the names of nominees for the awards presentation to be held Saturday, May 13, at Andrew Johnson Hall at Nashville's Tennessee Performing Arts Center.
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