What's going on? Check the following schedule of local arts and cultural events.
compiled by Adrienne Martini
CLARENCE BROWN THEATRE
1714 Andy Holt Avenue
974-5161
www.clarencebrowntheatre.org
The CBT, which also produces plays in the Ula Love Doughty Carousel Theatre a stone's throw from its main stage, is Knoxville's biggest Equity house and university stage. Works can be über-experimental, even when the script is very traditional. The ideas themselves are always strong, even when the execution isn't. Ticket prices vary so please call for quotes.
The Woman in Black
Two person thriller—starring Knoxville's own Robert Hahn and David Brian Alley—about a ghost, a family, and a fright.
Oct. 12-28. CBT
Dha-Fusion
A futuristic symphony/dance by a NYC based performance group.
Dec.12-16. Carousel
Cinderella
Rodgers and Hammerstein musical based on Grimm Brothers tale about a girl who loses her shoe.
Nov. 17-Dec. 2. CBT
Inherit the Wind
Staged version of the Scopes monkey trial.
Feb. 1-17, 2001. CBT
The Brecht File
World premiere of new play by George Tabori about the 1940s persecution of Bertold Brecht and his work.
March 1-17, 2001. Carousel
The Glass Menagerie
Tennessee Williams' classic about yearning set in 1930s St. Louis.
April 12-28, 2001. CBT
Picasso at the Lapin Agile
A short, surreal play by comedian-turned-writer Steve Martin that probes the great minds of the early 20th century.
May 31-June 16, 2001. CBT
ACTOR'S CO-OP
523-0900
www.w3street.com/actors_coop
The Co-op is a company founded by and for actors. Their strength is the quality of performances that are found in their productions, as well as the company's insistence on producing material that is challenging. Right now, the Co-op is looking for a permanent home but, until then, most of their plays are in Jackson Avenue Antiques' attic in the Old City. Tickets range from $5-$12.
Laestrygonians
This is the world premiere of a new script by Don Nigro. See the cover story, this issue, for more.
Oct. 12-21
The Cocktail Party
A holiday fete through the eyes of T.S. Eliot.
Nov. 30-Dec. 16
Keely and Du
An important play about the ramifications of abortion, both personal and political.
Feb. 1-17, 2001
A Little Bit Of Culture
A premiere of a comedy by local playwright and actor Staci Swedeen.
March 2-10, 2001
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Deeply affecting Edward Albee play about two couples and a university. Co-produced at and with the Bijou Theatre.
June 7-17, 2001
BIJOU THEATRE CENTER
803 S. Gay Street
523-4211
www.bijoutheatre.com
Now that the renovation on this historic structure is more or less done, the Bijou is producing a season of plays for grown-ups in addition to their fine shows for kids and classes. The quality of the shows can be a bit uneven at times but this should improve as the staff gets used to being a producing body again—and starts to build up a subscription base. Kids' shows are $4/$6. Other shows are $10/$12. A small price to pay for a show done in this wonderful space.
Kids
The Ghosts of the Bijou
Metro Pulse's own Jack Neely tapped his wellspring of Knoxville lore to create this spooky history lesson.
Oct. 20-29
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
A tradition in Knoxville, right up there with going to the Nutcracker. This is a play about a holiday show that almost isn't.
Dec. 1-17
Stuart Little
A mouse gets adopted by a human family and travels the world.
March 10 & 17, 2001
Mainstage
Wait Until Dark
Thriller in the classic style by Fredrick Knott.
Jan 11-21, 2001
Barefoot in the Park
Wonderful play by Neil Simon about a newlywed couple learning to live together—and it'll run just in time for Valentine's Day.
Feb. 15-25, 2001
The Fantasticks
Old-school musical that still wows new-school audiences.
March 8-18, 2001
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Deeply affecting Edward Albee play about two couples and a university. Co-produced with the Actor's Co-op.
June 7-17, 2001
OAK RIDGE PLAYHOUSE
Historic Jackson Square
482-9999
www.orplayhouse.com
Oak Ridge Playhouse has been producing classics for 58 years now and shows no signs of slowing down. Tickets are inexpensive, ranging from $15 for mainstage musicals to $6 for the junior shows.
Mainstage
Oliver!
Charming musical based on Dickens' Oliver Twist, about a thief, a rich man, and an orphan.
Nov. 23-Dec. 3
Blithe Spirit
Noel Coward classic about eccentric Londoners and a ghost who won't leave.
Feb. 16-25, 2001
You Can't Take It With You
The Sycamore family will prove that your own clan is not nearly as odd as you had once believed.
April 13-22, 2001
Forever Plaid
Nostalgic musical about a '50s doo-wop group that includes hits like "Three Coins in the Fountain."
May 11-20, 2001
Junior Playhouse
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
This version is less dark and creepy than the Tim Burton movie and twice as fun.
Oct. 14-15
Amazing Grace
A little girl who loves to act is denied a role because of her race and proves that she can do anything she sets her mind to in this touching script by Shay Youngblood.
Jan. 27-28, 2001
The Jungle Book
Rudyard Kipling travels to India where he creates this much-loved story about a young boy who has been raised by wolves.
March 17-18, 2001
KNOXVILLE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
523-1178
www.ksoknox.org
Like the Knoxville Museum of Art, the KSO rivals anything of its kind found in other cities of a similar size. We have a world-class conductor and musicians, plus guest artists like Yura Lee and Dionne Warwick. The KSO runs three subscription series, as well as a collection of holiday concerts that have become a tradition in many families. And on Friday, Oct. 13, and Saturday, Oct. 14, an Anniversary Season Gala will feature champion fiddler Mark O'Connor and violin virtuoso Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg duking it out, classical style.
Knoxville Chamber Orchestra
All of the Chamber shows are held in the Bijou Theatre
The Best of Bach
The Chamber will play Bach's "Concerto for Two Violins, Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 and Suite No. 4."
Nov. 4-5
Mozart's "Prague" Symphony No. 38 and Respighi's Trittico Boticelli.
Leos Svarovsky will take the baton as guest conductor.
Jan. 27-28, 2001
A Little String Music
The Chamber will play Tchaikovsky's "Serenade for Strings," Mozart's "Serenade," plus three works by Grainger.
March 3-4, 2001
Season Finale
The end of the year performance will feature Janina Flalkowska playing Beethoven's "Second Piano Concerto."
May 5-6, 2001
Masterworks
Masterworks shows are in the Tennessee Theatre, with the exception of February's concert, which will be in the Civic Auditorium
Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 20 with Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 1
Well-known pianist Anton Kuerti takes on Mozart while Kirk Trevor conducts Rachmaninoff.
Oct. 19-20
Viva Piazzolla!
A showcase of the Argentinean composer Astor Piazzolla by Daniel Binelli, master of the South American accordion.
Nov. 16-17
2001 in 2001
Strauss' "Thus Spake Zarathustra," which was made famous in Kubrick's 2001, will be the centerpiece of the year-opening show.
Jan. 18-19, 2001
Beethoven's Ninth Symphony
The Knoxville Choral Society will join the Orchestra for this recognizable, monumental work of art.
Feb. 22-23, 2001
French Favorites
A guest conductor will lead the KSO through the works of Debussy and Berlioz.
March 29-30, 2001
Dvorak's Violin Concerto and Schumann's "Rhenish"
Hot young Czech violinist Gabriela Demeterova comes to town.
April 26-27, 2001
Russian Composers
Pianist Christopher O'Riley plays Rachmaninoff's "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini," and Trevor will conduct Shostakovich.
May 17-18, 2001
KSO Pops
The Pops concerts cater to a fun-loving Baby Boomer crowd and take place in the Civic Auditorium.
Burt Bacharach
You know him from his string of Top-40 hits such as "What's New Pussycat?" and "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on my Head." Now hear him in person.
Jan. 5-6, 2001
Anne Murray
Canada's songbird roosts in Knoxville for a spell.
Feb. 16-17, 2001
A Celtic Celebration
Six major American orchestras celebrate our Irish roots with music, song, and costume.
March 9-10, 2001
A Beatles Tribute
The original cast of Beatlemania bring the British invasion back again.
April 20-21, 2001
The Temptations
The Emperors of Soul hold court and dazzle us with their energy
May 11-12, 2001
KNOXVILLE OPERA COMPANY
524-0795
Knox Opera has tackled some of the sacred cows of the form—including the mammoth Aida—and done them justice. This year, the company has scaled back a bit but will not waver in terms of quality. Shows are performed at either the Tennessee Theatre or the Civic Auditorium and ticket prices vary quite a bit, so call for further information.
Roberta Peters in Concert
Peters is a huge name in the opera world and has the voice of a well-trained angel. This is a chance to catch her in an intimate setting.
Oct. 27 & 29 at the Tennessee Theatre
L'Elisir d' Amore (The Elixir of Love)
A romantic opera in two acts by Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti that can be almost guaranteed to make your date swoon.
Feb. 9 & 11 at the Tennessee Theatre
H.M.S. Pinafore
Opera snobs might turn up their noses at Gilbert and Sullivan operettas but they're great fun for two reasons: a) they're performed in English; and b) they're structurally goofy and sonically complex.
April 6 & 8, 2001
THE CITY BALLET—KNOXVILLE
544-0495
www.knoxballet.org
Granted, the City Ballet doesn't entirely belong to Knoxville since the company actually resides in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Through this arrangement with the Tulsa Ballet, we do get to enjoy the benefits of a professional company without having to absorb all the costs of one. Still, it would be wonderful to get a few more chances for this city to interact with the members of the City Ballet, so that interested dancers could gain needed experience. This season, all of the ballets will be performed in the Civic Auditorium.
The Nutcracker
Perennial holiday fare about a young girl who gets a unique present and has a trippy dream, with music by Tchaikovsky.
Dec. 9-10
Romeo and Juliet
A love play with plenty of fight scenes and music composed by Prokofiev.
Feb. 3-4, 2001
An All-American Evening
Ballanchine choreographs a dance to the music of the Gershwins (Who Cares?), Taylor takes on the Andrew sisters (Company B), and everyone's favorite Agnes De Mille/Aaron Copland creation (Rodeo) comes out of storage.
Sat., April 21, 2001
KNOXVILLE MUSEUM OF ART
1050 World's Fair Park
525-6101
www.knoxart.org
The KMA has taken great strides this year and brought several high-profile exhibits to Knoxville. Both Chihuly's glass and Escher's two-dimensional pieces broke attendance records for this small museum that could. Hopefully, 2001 will be just as good.
From Realism to Impressionism: William Glackens' Voyage
This collection of works by Glackens, an Ashcan school painer, will have you rethinking Renoir.
Through Ded. 31.
Beyond the Frame: Pam Longobardi and Catherine McCarthy
Two modern women tackle the presentation of beauty and nature with their work.
Through Feb. 18, 2001
Works from the Kelly Collection of American Illustration
Richard Kelly, founder of the temp agency, has accumulated quite a collection of illustrations from America's Golden age of the form (1870-1930).
January 19-May 6, 2001
Roots of Racism: Ignorance and Fear
Fifty-four art quilts tackle this knotty subject.
Jan. 30-Feb. 28, 2001
Beyond the Frame: James Dustin and Alison Moritsugu
Two rising stars of contemporary art show their most striking work.
March 2-July 8, 2001
Prints of Andy Warhol
Fifty works from this famous pop artist, who rendered more than just Campbell's soup cans. This is a show to keep an eye out for.
May 25-Sept. 9, 2001
Worlds of Transformation: Tibetan Art of Wisdom and Compassion
This exhibit will focus on art's power as a vehicle for spiritual enlightenment.
Sept. 28, 2001-Jan. 6, 2002
HANSON GALLERY
5607 Kingston Pike
584-6097
Hanson Gallery is a strange amalgam of both retail and gallery space, with popular prints and objects d'art bringing in the cash to finance the gallery side. While normally art, culture and commerce are an uneasy mix, Hanson does a wonderful job of balancing the two and exposing Knoxville to up 'n' comers in the visual art world.
Les Femmes Superflues
Cynthia Markert brings her moody ladies painted on plywood to the walls of this Kingston Pike gallery.
Through Nov. 13
2000 Holiday Show
Anna Jaap shows her new paintings and well-known still lifes.
Nov. 17-Dec. 31
Winter Print Show
You can do wonders with reproducible art work and Eng Tay, Thomas Pradzynski, and Willi Kissmer prove it.
Jan. 3-29, 2001
October 12, 2000 * Vol. 10, No. 41
© 2000 Metro Pulse
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