BWW Interviews: Onstage at The Barn: Memories From the First 45 Years with Jaclyn Brown

Offering further proof that time flies when you're having a good time, it's been 45 years Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre opened its doors to the Nashville and regional theater-going audience. Since 1967-when A.W. and Puny Chaffin founded "The Barn"-thousands of people have made the trek to the big red barn in West Nashville, witnessing some of the best shows to be produced in Music City, and in the process getting to know all the actors, artists and technicians who've brought all a myriad of shows to life.

Throughout those 45 years, regardless of the title or names on the marquee, The Barn has offered every one of its audiences exciting professional theatre and a mouth-watering buffet fairly groaning from the weight of the assembled Southern delicacies.  In fact, when you talk to people about their memories of The Barn, they're just as likely to mention peanut butter pie or corn pudding as they are to recall the onstage antics and offstage friendships of such performers as Alesha Brevard, Michael Edwards, Brian Russell, Rona Carter, Martha Wilkinson, Carter Thrower...the list goes on and on and on.

Since 1967, Chaffin's Barn has provided employment to some of the best actors to be found on stages anywhere, launching careers for actors who have gained critical and audience acclaim all over the country. And during that time span, Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre has been hailed as one of the Top 25 tourist attractions in Nashville, "Best Buffet" and "Best Place to See a Play" in The Tennessean's annual Toast of Music City contest and in Nashville Scene's "Best of" as one of the top three "Best Places to See a Play." In addition, Chaffin's Barn was the recipient of The First Night Lifetime Achievement Award and its shows, directors, choreographers and actors have taken home multiple First Night honors over the years.

In recognition of The Barn's 45 years of bringing the magic of live theater to the stage, we continue our special series of Onstage at The Barn: Memories from The First 45 Years, with actress/music director/singer/songwriter/new mom Jaclyn Brown, who is one of the most accomplished multi-hyphenates to be found in Nashville, taking on a wide range of roles and responsibilities at Chaffin's Barn (she served as music director for Too Old For the Chorus (But Not Too Old To Be A Star), the show now onstage in West Nashville. Today, Jaclyn adds the memories of her Barn experiences to the ones that we've been sharing for two weeks to celebrate the 45^th anniversary…

What was your first experience at Chaffin's Barn? Playing Denise in Smoke On The Mountain in the summer of 2007, with Daron Bruce, Amanda Lamb, Keri Pisapia, Patrick Waller and Andrew Turner. Directed by Martha Wilkinson, music directed by Tim Fudge. Most fun, genuine people I've ever worked with.

What's your most vivid memory of working there? The most intense experience I ever had at the Barn was when Tim Fudge assigned me to play the banjo on a song in Smoke On The Mountain. I play several stringed instruments but had never picked up a banjo. Tim said, "How different can it be?!" I cried in the box office during our lunch break, then went home and practiced the heck out of it. I ended up playing banjo on 4 songs in that show, and in all the subsequent Sanders shows I've been in since.

What's the funniest experience you had at the Barn? Anytime I ever encounter Layne Sasser. Also, when I musical directed Annie in 2011, I was hugely pregnant and hadn't decided on a name yet. The orphan girls called him "Bob" and made him a name tag which they stuck on my belly. They also rubbed my belly and sang and talked to him every day. He got more attention than any fetus has ever had. I expected him to come out of the womb singing "It's a hard knock life." For the record, baby Jasper is not allowed to work in theater. He's going to be a dentist so he can support his mama!

How about interactions with patrons at the Barn? John and Shirley Petty are my stalkers. They attend every show I've ever been in, including the songwriter's nights at Chaffin's. Once, Mr. Petty paid me to come to his house and serenade his wife on their anniversary. When I got there he had printed a 20"x30" wall decal of my face. He also had a t-shirt made with my name and picture on it. Naturally, everyone at the Barn that summer had their picture taken in it.

What was/is your favorite foodstuff on the buffet? I loved "family dinner" at the Barn before Sanders Family performances. Daron Bruce will never let me hear the end of how unbalanced my favorite dinner is: salad, cottage cheese, one pickle, one bite of roasted potato, and a roll. I used to love the red jello, but they took it off the buffet. Bring it back, Mr. Chaffin!

To post a comment, you must register and login.