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Jeffrey Ellis

Jeffrey Ellis

Jeffrey Ellis is a Nashville-based writer, editor and critic, who's been covering the performing arts in Tennessee for more than 35 years. In 1989, Ellis and his partner launched Dare, Tennessee's Lesbian and Gay Newsweekly which later became known as Query. Ellis is the recipient of the Tennessee Theatre Association's Distinguished Service Award for his coverage of theater in the Volunteer State and was the founding editor/publisher of Stages, the Tennessee Onstage Monthly.  He is a past fellow of the National Critics Institute at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center and is the founder/executive producer of The First Night Honors - the history of which can be traced to 1989 and the first presentation of The First Night Awards - which honor outstanding theater artisans from Tennessee in recognition of their lifetime achievements and also includes The First Night Star Awards and the Most Promising Actors recognition. Midwinter's First Night honors outstanding productions and performances throughout the state. An accomplished director, Ellis helmed productions of La Cage Aux Folles, The Last Night of Ballyhoo and An American Daughter, all in their Nashville premieres, as well as award-winning productions of Damn Yankees, Company, Gypsy and The Rocky Horror Show. Ellis was recognized by The Tennessean as best director of a musical for both Company and Rocky Horror. Since 2015, Ellis has been increasingly in demand as a director by a variety of Tennessee theater companies and he has helmed productions of Picnic (Circle Players), The Last Five Years (VWA Theatricals), The Miss Firecracker Contest, Cabaret, My Fair Lady, Daddy's Dyin'...Who's Got the Will?, South Pacific, Winter Wonderettes and The Wizard of Oz (The Larry Keeton Theatre), The Little Foxes (ACT 1), The Boys in the Band (Jeffey Ellis Presents), Singin' in the Rain (Arts Center of Cannon County) and The Secret Garden (Center for the Arts, Murfreesboro) and, in 2020, the 70th anniversary season production of La Cage Aux Folles for Circle Players. Later this year, he will be directing Beautiful: The Carole King Musical for Center for the Arts.




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First Show:

EVITA, starring Patti LuPone

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MOST POPULAR ARTICLES


Laura Michelle Kelly & David Shannon To Lead Nashville Rep's SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE
Laura Michelle Kelly & David Shannon To Lead Nashville Rep's SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE
July 29, 2024

Two stars from Broadway and London’s West End – Laura Michelle Kelly and David Shannon – will lead Nashville Repertory Theatre’s production of Sunday in the Park with George, which will be presented April 4-13, 2025, at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center as the final production of the company’s 40th anniversary season.

Nashville Shakespeare Festival Names Jason Spelbring As Its New Artistic Director
Nashville Shakespeare Festival Names Jason Spelbring As Its New Artistic Director
June 25, 2024

Jason Spelbring is a theatre director, administrator, educator, and producer. He has served as associate artistic director, artistic associate/resident director at Lyric Repertory Company, and associate professor/assistant department head in the Department of Theatre Arts at Utah State University’s Caine College of the Arts.

Review: Street Theatre Company's FUN HOME Delivers Artistry for Pride Month
Review: Street Theatre Company's FUN HOME Delivers Artistry for Pride Month
June 20, 2024

Over and over again, that has happened to me for the almost half a century during which I’ve been reviewing theater. No matter if it’s a play I have seen countless times, I find myself excited to witness a new take on a much-loved title or to find new and expressive meaning in something I know like the back of my hand. More importantly, I find that theater can elicit in me a profound response and cause me to recall people, places and memories that feed my very soul.

The Saturday Six: The Cast of Street Theatre Company's FUN HOME
The Saturday Six: The Cast of Street Theatre Company's FUN HOME
June 14, 2024

Street Theatre Company’s mega-successful residency at Nashville’s The Barbershop Theatre continues with their latest production: a sold-out run of Fun Home, the Tony Award-winning musical by Jeanine Tesori and Lisa Kron, based on Alison Bechdel’s graphic novel of the same name. Opening Friday night, June 14, every single ticket to the emotional, funny/sad, gripping and highly entertaining musical was sold in the days leading up to Thursday’s final dress rehearsal (which we reviewed; look for our reaction this weekend).

In The Spotlight: Nashville School of the Arts' Ella Claybrooks
In The Spotlight: Nashville School of the Arts' Ella Claybrooks
May 24, 2024

Today our spotlight shines on Ella Claybrooks, a senior at Nashville School of the Arts, who won her Spotlight Award nomination for her performance as Alice in Bright Star. Ella will be attending The American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA) this fall, in pursuit of a BFA in Musical Theater.

In The Spotlight: Summit High School's Landon Wilson
In The Spotlight: Summit High School's Landon Wilson
May 23, 2024

Today our spotlight shines on Landon Wilson, a senior at Spring Hill’s Summit High School, who earned his Spotlight Award nomination for his performance as Ren McCormack in Footloose The Musical. Landon will be a student at Belmont University this fall, with plans to audition for its musical theater program once he’s on-campus.

In The Spotlight: Coffee County High School's Alyssa Freeze
In The Spotlight: Coffee County High School's Alyssa Freeze
May 22, 2024

Today’s spotlight is focused on Alyssa Freeze, a senior at Coffee County High School, who garnered Spotlight Award attention for her performance as Janet Van De Graff in The Drowsy Chaperone. This fall, Alyssa begins her college career at Nashville’s Lipscomb University. 

In Tuesday's Spotlight: Nashville School of the Arts' Jayden Murphy
In Tuesday's Spotlight: Nashville School of the Arts' Jayden Murphy
May 21, 2024

The two winners of the Outstanding Lead Performer Spotlight Awards in Nashville will travel later this summer to New York City to take part The Jimmy Awards and to compete for top honors, which recognizes the nation’s leading high school musical theater performers.

In Today's Spotlight: Ravenwood High School's Raleigh Risser
In Today's Spotlight: Ravenwood High School's Raleigh Risser
May 20, 2024

In today’s spotlight is Raleigh Risser, a senior at Williamson County’s Ravenwood High School, who garnered Spotlight Award attention for her role as Fiona in Shrek: The Musical. She will pursue her BFA in Musical Theater at Ithaca College. 

In The Spotlight: Coffee County High School's Edgar Guzman
In The Spotlight: Coffee County High School's Edgar Guzman
May 19, 2024

Today we begin a six-part series of interviews with the Spotlight Awards’ nominees for Outstanding Lead Performer, shining the BroadwayWorld Nashville spotlight on the talented young actors who will compete for the opportunity to represent Nashville, Middle Tennessee and TPAC at The Jimmy Awards.

Review: Nashville Repertory Theatre's POTUS...
Review: Nashville Repertory Theatre's POTUS...
May 12, 2024

Nashville Repertory Theatre closes out its 39th season with one of the best laugh-out-loud comedies we’ve ever seen on a Tennessee Performing Arts Center stage: Selina Fillinger’s uproariously funny, if all-too-real, POTUS or, Behind Every Great Dumbass Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive. Directed by the acclaimed Lauren Shouse and performed by an all-star cast that’s filled with seven of the best actors in Nashville, it’s a smart, incisive and topical farce that’s certain to lift your spirits and feed your soul.

Review: Studio Tenn's Season-Closing CABARET
Review: Studio Tenn's Season-Closing CABARET
May 11, 2024

Paul Vasterling, the longtime CEO and artistic director of Nashville Ballet, makes his debut as a director of musical theater with his revival of Cabaret – which he also choreographs – in a much-heralded and eagerly anticipated production for Franklin-based Studio Tenn. The timely and sumptuous revival allows audiences an opportunity to consider the prescience of the classic Broadway musical by John Kander and Fred Ebb that debuted in 1966 and which has continued to fascinate and challenge artists of the theater the world over almost 60 years later.

Review: YES THE MUSICAL at Dream Hotel
Review: YES THE MUSICAL at Dream Hotel
May 4, 2024

Meanwhile, theater aficionados, bachelorette parties (aka “WOO! girls”), fun-seekers and all the assorted denizens of Music City’s Broadway district will be buying up all the sunglasses in order to protect their eyes from the over-the-top glitz and glamour provided by the physical production of Yes, A Musical Comedy’s theatrical magic and technical wizardry and the pure joy of Blaine Hopkins’ book and lyrics, Garrett Kotecki’s music and lyrics and Joel Waggoner’s everything else (including additional words and orchestrations) that make the show so entertaining, so delightful and, lord have mercy, so much fun!

Nashville Children's Theatre's World Premiere of FINDING NEMO Musical Is Captivating and Heartwarming
Nashville Children's Theatre's World Premiere of FINDING NEMO Musical Is Captivating and Heartwarming
April 18, 2024

Captivating, heartwarming, colorful, imaginative and down-right magical, Nashville Children’s Theatre’s world premiere production – it’s 19th in the past few years since executive artistic director Ernie Nolan’s arrival – of the theatre for young audiences version of Disney-Pixar’s Finding Nemo is just the latest theatrical hit from the venerable Nashville institution.

Nashville Repertory Theatre's Stellar 39th Season Continues With Superb Prooduction of THE COLOR PURPLE
Nashville Repertory Theatre's Stellar 39th Season Continues With Superb Prooduction of THE COLOR PURPLE
April 9, 2024

Led by a bravura performance from Carli Hardon, Nashville Repertory Theatre’s production of The Color Purple – the musical based on the beloved Alice Walker novel – is yet another extraordinary success from the professional company in the midst of its 39th season. Directed with complete self-assurance and confidence by Reggie Law, with evocative and energetic choreography by Joi Ware and the musical direction of Dion Treece that results in one of the most emphatically sung shows in Nashville Rep history.

Chris Cooper And Cast Present 'Sublime' Version of [title of show] at MTSU
Chris Cooper And Cast Present 'Sublime' Version of [title of show] at MTSU
April 3, 2024

Cooper’s clear and focused direction of [title of show] ensures that the action that transpires over the course of 90-plus minutes holds your attention, reminds you of people you know and delivers a pretty spot-on depiction of what real life is all about. With the able assistance of musical director Angela Tipps (the only non-student involved in the production, except for the professors who serve as mentors of the student-led creative team and production crew) and choreographer Paige Lovell (who provides the quartet of actors some fancy footwork that enlivens the proceedings), Cooper and his ideally cast quartet of actors, in this critic’s estimation, deliver the goods and then some.

Could LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL Be Belmont University Musical Theatre's Best-Ever?
Could LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL Be Belmont University Musical Theatre's Best-Ever?
April 1, 2024

With its silver anniversary year within sight, Belmont University Musical Theatre concludes its 24th season with what is perhaps its best show yet: Legally Blonde, The Musical. Featuring a remarkable cast of student performers, including most of the Class of 2024, which is arguably the most accomplished and most promising group of students assembled in the program’s quarter-century of musical theatre pedagogy and preparation, this Legally Blonde could easily hold its own against other productions of the tremendously entertaining show, whether on tour or even on Broadway.

Julia Nicole Hunter Comes Home to Tennessee, Playing Grace Farrell in ANNIE
Julia Nicole Hunter Comes Home to Tennessee, Playing Grace Farrell in ANNIE
March 27, 2024

In the world of theater, there exists a sisterhood of women who can count an appearance as an orphan (maybe even THE orphan) in a production of Annie as either their first onstage role or one of their most vivid onstage performances. But for Murfreesboro native Julia Nicole Hunter, who now stars as Grace Farrell in the national touring company of the seven-time Tony Award-winning musical coming to  Tennessee Performing Arts Center this week, her current role as Oliver Warbucks’ faithful assistant marks her first time ever in the show.

Sara Bareilles' WAITRESS To Open Nashville Repertory Theatre's 40th Season in September
Sara Bareilles' WAITRESS To Open Nashville Repertory Theatre's 40th Season in September
March 18, 2024

Nashville Repertory Theatre’s 40th Season will open with its staging of Waitress, the Tony Award-winning musical by Sara Bareilles and Jessie Nelson, running September 13-22 at the James K. Polk Theatre at Tennessee Performing Arts Center.

Street Theatre Company's THE TRAIL TO OREGON May Be Hard to Describe, But It's More Fun Than A Bout of Dysentery
Street Theatre Company's THE TRAIL TO OREGON May Be Hard to Describe, But It's More Fun Than A Bout of Dysentery
March 12, 2024

The answer is none of the above, obviously – you and I are showing our age with those ridiculous suggestions – and any effort to explain The Trail to Oregon to you would contain spoilers, which people oftentimes don’t want to know, sending particularly disturbing and frankly threatening emails to critics just trying to do their jobs.



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