Nashville Theater Calendar 11/02/15

Sometimes it seems there is so much theater happening that it's difficult to keep track of it all. From personal experience, despite all the datebooks, smart phones, tablets, desktop computers and laptops...it's hard to keep everything straight in this wacky business of the show.

Thus, we are happy to present the return of one our most popular features: The Nashville Theater Calendar, a comprehensive - maybe even exhaustive (lord knows we're exhausted from putting it together, gathering all the info from all over the interwebs!) - listing of theatrical openings for the 2015/16 season. We'll update the calendar every Monday, clearing out the shows that have closed and adding additional information on the shows still to come. Something's missing? That's an easy fix: just send us a message here, on Facebook, or by email at jeffreyellis37215@att.com.

BIRTHDAYS OF THEATRICAL NOTE THIS WEEK: NOVEMBER 1: Boston Conservatory of Music student Spencer Dean, 2012 First Night Most Promising Actor; NOVEMBER 2: 2015 First Night Honoree Darryl Deason, director/producer/actor, lifetime board member at Arts Center of Cannon County; actor/musican/writer/recording artist Kevin Thornton; co-founder of Nashville's Actors Bridge Ensemble and writer/actor/director/producer Bill Feehely; Nashville Repertory Theatre props designer Evelyn Thornhill; NOVEMBER 3: 2011 First Night Honoree/actress Layne Sasser (who's opening this week in ACT 1's August: Osage County); performer and costume designer Greg Boling (Circle Players' La Cage Aux Folles); actress Elizabeth Wuellner; actress Jessica DeZwaan Taylor; artist/photographer and actor Case Dillard (national tour of Mary Poppins); NOVEMBER 4: stage manager and 2015 First Night Star Award winner Teresa Hardage Driver; NOVEMBER 5: actress and comedian and BWW Tennessee award winner Christy Eidson; Belmont University alumna and actress Caroline Michelle Simpson; NOVEMBER 6: Circle Players board vice president Erin Matthews Richardson; chair of the Lipscomb University theatre department Beki Baker, an actress/director and 2013 First Night Star Award winner; 2015 Tony Award winner Michael Cerveris, star of Fun Home on Broadway; actor/director/educator Brad Oxnam; Nashville director and 2014 First Night Star Award winner Clay Hillwig; actor and former ACT 1 board member Matthew Scott Baxter.

Opened September 4

Cumberland County Playhouse: The Foreigner, running through November 5 www.ccplayhouse.com The Foreigner returns to the Cumberland County Playhouse Mainstage! Says director Weslie Webster (Smoke on the Mountain, Wizard of Oz),"Ever since it was first performed at CCP in 1987, The Foreigner has been the most requested title - and the most popular production - in Playhouse history. And I'm just thrilled that I once again get to work with all the amazing actors who made the show a smash hit last year." Since its 1983 premiere, Larry Shue's side-splitting farce has earned two Obie Awards and two Outer Critics Circle Awards as Best New American Play and Best Off-Broadway Production. In it, we meet the painfully shy Charlie Baker (Jason Ross) who has been brought to a remote fishing lodge in Georgia by his friend Froggy (Michael Ruff), a British demolitions expert who runs training sessions at a nearby army base. Terrified of actually having to converse with strangers once Froggy departs, Charlie pretends to be a foreigner who doesn't understand English. When the other residents of the lodge begin to speak freely around him, he not only becomes privy to secrets both frivolous and dangerous, he also discovers an adventurous extrovert within himself. Also returning to the cast are Carol Irvin as the lodge's owner Betty Meeks, Lauren Marshall as former debutante Catherine Simms, who's visiting with her brother Ellard (Daniel Black) and fiancé Reverend David Lee (Britt Hancock). Grammy nominee Bobby Taylor rounds out the cast as the disreputable local Owen Musser.

Opened October 15

Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre, Nashville: Alone Together, running through November 15 www.dinnertheatre.com Directed by Lydia Bushfield and starring Charlie Winton and Bonita Allen, the cast includes Brett Cantrell, Austin Olive, Andy Griggs and Corinne Bupp. Cantrell, Bupp and Winton were last onstage at the Barn in Arsenic and Old Lace.

Opened October 22

Cumberland County Playhouse: In-Laws, Outlaws, and Other People (Who Should Be Shot), running through December 12 www.ccplayhouse.com

Opened October 23

Encore Theatre Company, Mt. Juliet: Gin Rummy by Gene Embry, running through November 7 www.encore-theatre-company.org Follow six best friends as they meet for their monthly game of Gin Rummy. While the cards rarely get dealt, these boisterous, opinionated women share friendship, stories of family, the trials of marriage and parenthood throughout the span of four decades.

Opened October 29

Lipscomb Department of Theatre, at Collins Alumni Auditorium at Lipscomb University, Nashville: Into the Woods, through November 7 www.lipscomb.edu/theatre Scott Baker directs one of Sondheim's most popular stage works, and an Oscar-nominated film in 2014, Into The Woods intertwines the plots of Brothers Grimm fairy tales, bringing them together for a timeless yet relevant piece and a rare modern classic. Enchantingly comedic with a dark twist, the story brings together everyone's favorite characters from "Jack and the Beanstalk," "Little Red Riding Hood," "Rapunzel" and "Cinderella," among many others. Will the Baker and his wife get their wish to have a child? Can Cinderella attend the King's Festival, and can Jack feed his family with riches plundered from atop the beanstalk? Will Little Red arrive at Granny's house? When the Baker and his wife learn that they cannot have a child because of a Witch's curse, the two set off on a journey that sees that everyone's wish is granted, but the consequences of their actions return to haunt them later with disastrous results. Performance Dates: November 5-7 at 7:30 p.m.

Opened October 29

Nashville Children's Theatre, Nashville: Charlotte's Web, running through December 6. www.nashvillechildrenstheatre.org E.B. White's Charlotte's Web has been named "the best American children's book of the past two hundred years" by the Children's Literature Association. NCT's acclaimed stage version of this timeless story has won the hearts of children and their families like no other play in our repertoire. We welcome Fern, Charlotte, Wilbur, and Templeton back to our stage every few years, inviting new generations of children and their families to share this remarkable story together, told as only NCT can tell it. It is deep in the early, just before dawn, and Fern's delightful little runt pig, Wilbur, appears to be headed for the dinner table - and not in a good way - when he is saved through the remarkable literary efforts of a spider named Charlotte. Wilbur may be "Terrific," and he certainly is "Some Pig," but it is up to Charlotte to tell it to the world. This long time family classic is a beautiful story of friendship and sacrifice, and in Nashville Children's Theatre's acclaimed production, when that wonderful spider sets about her devoted work, you will believe in the miracle of Charlotte's Web.

Opened October 30

Circle Players, at the Z. Alexander Looby Theatre, Nashville: Of Mice and Men, running through November 15. www.CirclePlayers.net Heather Alexander and Daniel DeVault direct the stage adaptation of John Steinbeck's classic tale of George and his lumbering friend, the gentle giant Lennie. Tony Nappo plays Lennie, with Mitchell Stevenson as George. Other cast members include Eric Butler, Morgan Fairbanks, Joseph Lovell, Ethan Treutle, Nick Boggs, Ron Veasey, Christian McLaurin and Craig Hartline.

Tuesday, November 3

Nashville Repertory Theatre, Studio A at Nashville Public Television, 161 Rains Avenue, Nashville: Staged Reading of Nate Eppler's Good Monsters. Good Monsters tells the story of Frank, a Gulf War veteran and police officer who moonlights as a security guard to make ends meet. Safira was a shoplifter. It was dark. Frank thought she had a gun. She didn't. Now Frank's the guy who shot an unarmed teenager, with ramifications for his wife, his best friend, Safira's father, and a media spin doctor looking for a story. While he waits for the grand jury, Safira haunts Frank every night and soon she begins to make terrifying demands of him. Eppler wrote Good Monsters as part of The Rep's Ingram New Works Project two years ago. The situations and controversies in the plot were met with strong debate and emotion by those who attended the earlier readings, which excited the artists involved with the script, prompting them to think the story will engage the audience. Good Monsters contains adult themes, a lot of adult language, and is for mature audiences. The staged reading of Good Monsters will include a post-show discussion with audience, cast, playwright, and director and is free for Nashville Rep members. Donations are welcome from other attendees. Reservations should be made online at nashvillerep.org/good-monsters-reading.

Opening November 5

N&XT, at Gallery Luperca, 604 Gallatin Avenue, Suite 212, Nashville: Manuscript, running through November 14 www.nandxt.com Starring: Parker Arnold as David, Jesse W. Smith as Chris and Sadie Elizabeth Hart* as Elisabeth: In the bedroom of a Brooklyn Heights brownstone, three ambitious college freshmen confront the discovery of an unpublished manuscript that can guarantee success. It's winter break; the parents are out of town; and David is the host of this gathering. His best friend, Chris, is coming over with his new girlfriend from college, Elizabeth. Elizabeth is a famous author and David an aspiring one. They've come to party before a fancy holiday ball. But when Chris makes a run to get their drugs for the evening it becomes clear that David and Elizabeth have a secret history. To make matters worse, Chris returns with shocking news and a stack of pages that will change their lives forever. It appears that their supplier, a famous and famously reclusive author, has died of a drug overdose. After discovering the body, Chris managed to salvage the only copy of his final work from the scene. As the bright young things scrap over what to do with the manuscript, their plotting is by turns hilarious and startlingly cruel. They spin out of control on their manipulative quest for fame and, ultimately, revenge. Little is what it seems, and no one can be trusted as plot twists pile up, and the play hurtles towards a surprise ending. November 5-14: Thursday-Saturday at 7 p.m.

Middle Tennessee State University Theatre Department, at Tucker Theatre, Mufreesboro: Uncle Vanya, running through November 8. What realities must we face when we are forced to look honestly at our own lives? Uncle Vanya, though over 100 years old, looks with modern acuteness at the universal and timeless questions around our human desire to mean something and live with passion and connection. With startling self-effacing humor- Chekhov explores the intertwining lives of a family living a provincial Russian life and shares a beautiful story of love, loss and the search for understanding. Using playwright Annie Bakers' exciting recent adaptation and highly physical staging the classic text will be experienced with a fresh lens. Tickets are $10 for general admission, $5 for K-12 and MTSU faculty, and free for MTSU students with your ID. The performance runs Thursday-Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Halena Kays directs a cast that includes Joshua Jackson, Kelsey Blackwell, Courtney Coppa, Kyle Kennedy, Elvia Karegeya, Megan Castleberry, Saul Rodriguez, Moira Vaughn and Garrett Phay.

Hume-Fogg Academic High School Theatre Department, Nashville: Sweeney Todd School Edition, running through November 7. www.hfatheatre.com Directed by 2014 First Night Honoree Daron Bruce, vocal music direction by Lisa Forbis and choreographed by 2011 First Night Honoree Pam Atha (and with a set by 2012 First Night Star Award winner Jim Manning). Sweeney Todd has become a bloody, worldwide success since being awarded eight Tony Awards (including Best Musical), for its Broadway premiere and has now been adapted for high school performers in Sweeney Todd School Edition. Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler (A Little Night Music, Pacific Overtures) crafted a tasty, thrilling, theatrical treat that has simultaneously shocked, awed, and delighted audiences across the world. An infamous tale, Sweeney Todd, an unjustly exiled barber, returns to 19th century London seeking vengeance against the lecherous judge who framed him and ravaged his young wife. The road to revenge leads Todd to Mrs. Lovett, a resourceful proprietress of a failing pie shop, above which he opens a new barber practice. Mrs. Lovett's luck sharply shifts when Todd's thirst for blood inspires the integration of an ingredient into her meat pies that has the people of London lining up, and the carnage has only just begun! Reserved seats are $13 at the website; general admission seats are $10 for adults, $5 for students and are sold half an hour before curtain. This special School Edition has been masterfully adapted, working directly with Mr. Sondheim, to retain the dark wit and grand scope of the original work, with a few lyric and key changes to facilitate high school productions. At the show's core is a challenging score of epic proportion with two tasty tour de force roles in Sweeney and his comic female accomplice Mrs. Lovett.

Opening November 6

ACT 1, at Darkhorse Theater, Nashville: August: Osage County, running through November 21 www.ACT1online.com Tracy Letts' acclaimed play about a dysfunctional family coming to terms with one another - August: Osage County - opens at Nashville's iconic Darkhorse Theater on November 6, directed by Bradley Moore and featuring a veritable who's who of Nashville actors. August: Osage County, running through November 21, is presented by ACT 1 as its second show of the 2015-16 season. In Letts' play, the mystery of their missing father brings three sisters to the home of their mother, Violet an acid-tongued, pill-popping cancer patient. Daughters Barbara, Karen and Ivy - along with their significant others and various other kinfolk - feel the full force of their dysfunctional matriarch's venom, as Violet tells every one of them exactly what she thinks of them. Director Bradley Moore had assembled a reputable group of storytellers/actors to bring this story of family dysfunction to life onstage, including Debbie Kraski as Violet Weston, Layne Sasser as Mattie Fae Aiken, David Arnold as Charlie Aiken, Dietz Osborne as Bill Fordham and Cat Arnold as Barbara Fordham. Completing Moore's ensemble are Rob Wilds, Taylor Novak, Jenna Pryor, Jess Miller, Elizabeth Ayers Turner, Dollie Mayfield, Gerald Pitts and Kurt Jarvis. Show dates and times are: November 6, 7, 12, 13, 14, 19, 20 and 21 at 7:30 p.m. and Novermber 8 and 15 at 2:30 p.m. at Darkhorse Theater, 4610 Charlotte Avene, Nashville. For ticket information and other details, go to www.act1online.com. August: Osage County is intended for mature audiences.

In Another Life and Maverick Entertainment in association with Genuine Human, Nashville, at The Filming Station, 501 8th Avenue South: William Luce's The Belle of Amherst, running through November 22. www.thebelleofamherst.wordpress.com Directed by Melissa Bedinger Carrelli and starring Caroline Davis as Emily Dickinson. The Belle of Amherst, a theatrical exploration of the private life of poet Emily Dickinson, comes to Nashville November 6-22, for nine performances at The Filming Station downtown. Presented by In Another Life and Maverick Entertainment Group in association with Genuine Human, The Belle of Amherst will play three weekends: November 6-8, 13-15 and 20-22. Friday and Saturday evening performances are at 7:30 p.m.; Sunday matinees begin at 2:30 p.m. A true nonconformist, Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) is recognized as one of the finest, most influential and singular voices in the English language. Drawing from her poems, diaries and letters, playwright William Luce's one-character show (which premiered in 1976) brings Dickinson to life by using a stream-of-conscious flow of prose and verse. Fifty-three at the play's introduction, the notoriously reclusive Dickinson welcomes the audience to her home in Amherst, Massachusetts, and reveals her longing to become a famous poet, shares recipes and small-town gossip, and paints lyrical portraits of her family. The twists and turns of her narrative include childhood flights of fancy, reactions to literary criticism, her naturalist view of the infinite Universe, and, ultimately, her acceptance of Immortality. As she wrote in one of her many letters, "Pardon my sanity. Pardon my jubilation in Nature, my terror of midnight, my childlike wonder at love, my white renunciation. Nothing more do I ask than to share with you the ecstasy and sacrament of my life."

Arts Center of Cannon County, Woodbury: Mary Poppins, running through November 21 www.artscenterofcc.org Directed by Allison Hall, with musical direction by Haley Ray and choreography by Regina Wilkerson-Ward, this family musical features the delightful songs from the popular Disney film including "A Spoonful of Sugar," "Supercalifragilisticexpialidcious" and "Chim Chim Cheree. Winner of 44 major theatre awards from around the globe, Mary Poppins has captivated audiences for generations, and now the enchanting story, unforgettable songs and breathtaking dance numbers will dazzle and delight theatre goers of all ages. Believe in the magic of Mary Poppins and discover a world where anything can happen if you let it! Performances run November 6-21. Call (615) 563-2287.

Murfreesboro Little Theatre: My Fair Lady, running through November 22 www.mltarts.org My Fair Lady is a classic story, told with an incredibly rich and memorable score, filled with laughs, tears and - at long last - love! Based on George Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion (which itself is based upon Greek mythological figure Pygmalion), authors and lyricist Alan Jay Lerner and composer Frederick Lowe crafted this record-breaking hit, revolving around poor cockney Eliza Doolittle, a feisty flower girl, and egotistical Professor Henry Higgins, who wagers that he can pass her off as a lady in six months, because all that separates the social classes just happens to be his specialty - speech! Directed by theatre veteran Melvin C. Spring, with musical direction and accompaniment by MLT President Charlie Parker, Andy Ford stars as Henry Higgins, and making her MLT s debut, Mary Hutchens ignites the stage as Eliza Doolittle, and choreographer. My Fair Lady features Perry Poston as Colonel Pickering, Zach Kelley as Freddy, Rob DeHoff as Alfred P. Doolittle, Rae Ellyn Kelley as Mrs. Eynford-Hill, Janice Denson as Mrs. Pearce, Heather Gardner as Mrs. Higgins, Steven Luster as Harry, and Jacob Kight as Jamie. Rounding out the cast are Alyssa Brangenburg, Alex DeHoff, Aylee Gardner, and Raeley Underwood.

Springhouse Theatre Company, 14119 Old Nashville Highway, Smyrna: The Marvelous Wonderettes, running through November 15. Take a journey with The Marvelous Wonderettes and enjoy an evening of the music of the 50s and 60s. This stellar cast will knock your socks off. Directed by Catherine Birdsong, who co-stars along with Jennifer Whitcomb-Oliva, Darci Wantiez and Stephanie Jones-Benton. Curtain is at 7:30 p.m. November 6, 7, 13 and 14, with 3:30 p.m. matinees on both November 8 and 15.

Street Theatre Company, Nashville, at Bailey Middle School: Bat Boy the Musical, running through November 22 www.streettheatrecompany.org

Opening November 9

Roxy Regional Theatre's theotherspace, Clarksville: Buyer & Cellar, running through November 17 www.roxyregionaltheatre.org Buyer & Cellar, an outrageous new comedy about the price of fame, the cost of things and the oddest of odd jobs, takes the stage of the Roxy Regional Theatre's theotherspace for four evenings only, November 9 - November 17. Ryan Bowie stars as struggling actor Alex More in this hilarious one-man show. Desperate for work after being fired from his job as the Mayor of Toontown character at Disneyland, Alex takes a job working in the Malibu basement of Barbra Streisand ... and one day the Lady Herself comes downstairs to play. It feels like real bonding in the basement, but will their relationship ever make it upstairs?

Opening November 10

Broadway at TPAC, Nashville: Bullets Over Broadway, running through November 15 www.tpac.org Written by Woody Allen (Death Defying Acts, Writer's Block) and based on the screenplay by Allen and Douglas McGrath for the 1994 film, Bullets Over Broadway tells the story of an aspiring young playwright newly arrived on Broadway in 1920s New York who is forced to cast a mobster's talentless girlfriend in his latest drama in order to get it produced Bullets Over Broadway features Michael Williams as "David Shayne," Emma Stratton as "Helen Sinclair," Jeffrey Brooks as "Cheech," Bradley Allan Zarr as "Warner Purcell," Michael Corvino as "Nick Valenti," Hannah Rose Deflumeri as "Ellen," Rick Grossman as "Julian Marx," Jemma Jane as "Olive Neal," and Rachel Bahler as "Eden Brent."

Opening November 12

Cathedral Players, at Cathedral of the Incarnation, 2015 West End Avenue, Nashville: Movies Were Movies, running through November 15. www.squareup.com/market/cathedral-players You don't want to miss Cathedral Players' fall musical...Movies Were Movies.This show has many of your favorite movie musical moments and movie theme songs in our colorful song and dance journey! There will be plenty of songs from the Golden age of the silver screen as well as many popular movie theme songs such as "Ghostbusters," "My Heart Will Go On" from Titanic, and the ever popular "I Will Always Love You" from The Bodyguard. The kids will love this show as well since there's plenty of music from lots of Disney™ movie musicals such as The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Pocahontas, Aladdin, as well as music from the smash, Frozen! General admission tickets are $15 and are open seating. We'll also have a special dinner show on Sunday, November 15 with dinner at 6 p.m. and the show following at 7 p.m. for $30 per ticket.

Opening November 12

Franklin Road Academy Fine and Performing Arts, Nashville: Our Town, running through November 15 www.FRAfota.com Ross Bolen directs FRA students in Thornton Wilder's theater masterpiece about life in iconic Grovers Corners between 1901 and 1913, as seen through the lives of the town's citizens.

Opening November 13

Center for the Arts, Murfreesboro: The Glass Menagerie, running through November 22 www.boroarts.org

Roxy Regional Theatre, Clarksville: The Secret Garden, running through November 27 www.roxyregionaltheatre.org The haunting moors of England will come to life at the Roxy Regional Theatre in the enchanting musical The Secret Garden, based on the enduring family classic penned over a century ago by Frances Hodgson Burnett (who moved with her family from her native England to Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1865), this Tony Award-winning musical, with book and lyrics by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Marsha Normanand music by Lucy Simon, will be directed by Tom Thayer. Virginia Richardson stars as eleven-year-old orphan Mary Lennox, who comes to live with her mysterious Uncle Archibald and her sickly cousin Colin. With the help of her charming new friend, Dickon, Mary rejuvenates the house, its inhabitants and its neglected secret garden in this heartwarming tale of forgiveness and renewal. Featuring Ryan Bowie as Archibald Craven, Tanner Sigears as Colin, and James Hansen as Dickon, the cast also includes Kelley Barker, Leslie Greene, Sean Michael Jaenicke, John McDonald, Lindsay Nantz, Val Roche, Matthew Smolko and Jonathan Whitney, with Tom Thayer on piano. A special Thanksgiving performance on Thursday, November 26, at 7 p.m. will include complimentary pie and coffee with the cast. The Secret Garden plays November 13, 14, 20, 21 and 27 at 8 p.m., November 19, 25 and 26 at 7 p.m. and November 21 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $25 (adults) and $15 (ages 13 and under) and may be purchased online or by phone at (931) 645-7699. Active-duty military, APSU students and CitySaver coupon holders can receive two tickets for the price of one to Wednesday and Thursday performances.

Nashville Opera at The Noah Liff Opera Center: Philip Glass' Hydrogen Jukebox www.nashvilleopera.org Join us for an intimate voyage through the cultural landscape of America from the 1950's through the 1980s. Delving into such topics as life, death, the atomic bomb and potential annihilation, Eastern philosophy, sex, drugs, rock and roll, war, and significant political events, Hydrogen Jukebox is a kaleidoscope of societal phenomena. Above all, though, Hydrogen Jukebox tries to portray the American People-a collective of individuals searching a better way towards understanding, meaning, and happiness in hectic and often confusing times. This electrifying opera-featuring a haunting, dynamic score by Philip Glass and the prophetic poetry of Allen Ginsberg-promises to overwhelm your senses with a poignant experience that is at once passionately nostalgic and strikingly relevant. Approximate running time: 2 hours, 10 minutes (with one 20-minute intermission)

Opening November 15

4th Story Theatre at West End United Methodist Church, Nashville: The Hurting Part, running through November 22. A new play by Silas House, The Hurting Part is set in the small Dayton, Ohio, apartment of Thelma and Simeon Smallwood, December of 1962, we struggle with the values of family and home, love and loyalty. This family story is ours, too. Through it we are reminded of deep detachment and homesickness in our lives when Christmas feels like the reliving of them all over again. "Nobody talks about the hurting part of Christmas. Sometimes that's the biggest part of all." The cast includes Nancy Hawthorne, Adam Troxler, Molly Weinberg, Christopher Wagner, 2015 First Night Most Promising Actor Logan Dowlen, Sheridan Hitchcox and Jessica Undis. Kirk McNeill and John McGuire directs, with Martha Ann Pilcher as producer.

Monday, November 16

Metro Parks and Kennie Playhouse Theater, at East Recreation Center, 600 Woodland Street, Nashville: Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, staged reading for one night only. August Wilson's Tony Award-nominated Ma Rainey's Black Bottom is set in Chicago in the 1920. Ma Rainey and her band are there for a recording session, but issues of race, art, religion and the historic exploitation of black recording artists looms large over the scene. Directed by First Night Award winner Stella Reed, the cast includes Sam Dressler, Stella Reed, Howard Snyder, Clark Harris, Michael McLendon, Darlene Knight, Joel Diggs, Laurens Jones, Omar Lagualdi, Kenny Dozier and Robb Douglas. Tickets are $7 and the reading is recommended for mature audiences. Curtain is at 7 p.m.

Belmont University Department of Theatre and Dance, at Troutt Theater, Nashville: Homicidally Ever After, by Shawn Knight, running through November 18. Welcome to the third annual meeting of the Union of Fairy Tale, Nursery Rhyme, and Children's Story Characters! Will Prince Charming be reelected President of the Union? Will a villain interrupt the proceedings and curse everyone? Will a plucky sidekick bring groan-inducing jokes? One can only hope.... Join us for an evening of murder and mystery where YOU try to solve the case by scouring a crime scene, bribing key characters, and solving puzzles to find clues. The show is free, and attendance is limited to 100, so arrive early, and help us catch the killer! The show runs Monday, November 16, 7:30 p.m.; Tuesday, November 17, 7:30 p.m.; Wednesday, November 18, 9 p.m.

Opening November 19

Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre, Nashville: Yule Y'all, running through December 27 www.dinnertheatre.com Lydia Bushfield directs an all-star cast (Martha Wilkinson, Lisa Marie Wright, Jennifer Richmond, Jeremy Maxwell, Steven Kraski, Daniel Keith Bissell and Craig Hartline) in her new Christmas comedy debuting at Chaffin's Barn for the 2015 holiday season. No hideous Christmas sweaters were harmed in the making of this photograph, we are told. But you'll never know until you go see the show!

Gaslight Dinner Theatre, Dickson: Mr. Jingle's Christmas Clause, running through December 19 www.gaslightdinnertheatre.org

Opening November 20

Grand Ole Opry/Gaylord Opryland, Nashville: How The Grinch Stole Christmas, The Musical, running through December 27. http://www.grinchmusical.com/ Discover the magic of Dr. Seuss' classic holiday tale as it comes to life on stage. Featuring the hit songs "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch" and "Welcome Christmas," The Grinch discovers there's more to Christmas than he bargained for in this heart-warming holiday classic. Max the Dog narrates as the mean and scheming Grinch, whose heart is "two sizes too small," decides to steal Christmas away from the holiday-loving Whos. Celebrate the holidays with the show The New York Timescalls "100 times better than any bedside story!"

Cumberland County Playhouse: A Sanders Family Christmas, running through December 22 www.ccplayhouse.com

Opening November 20

Gaslight Dinner Theatre, Dickson: Mr. Jingle's Christmas Clause, running through December 19 www.gaslightdinnertheatre.org Gaslight Dinner Theatre continues its 15th Anniversary Season with its 72nd show: the premiere of Mr. Jingle's Christmas Clause. Written and created by Gaslight Dinner Theatre's artistic director Greg Frey, this musical comedy centers around Jerry Jingle and his small town hotel, The Luckee Inn. Jerry is not the celebrating sort and his Christmas Eve is interrupted by a host of "not-so-heavenly" beings finding their way to his humble hotel when the last bus to Chicago crumbles near his doorstep. Commotion pursues with mistaken identities, madcap adventures, robbery, and of course true love, all in the midst of the biggest snow storm since 1947! Experience the magical transformation that can only happen this time of year. Mr. Jingle's Christmas Clause is filled to the brim with over 15 of your Holiday favorite songs- some new, some old - but all designed to put you in the spirit. The stellar cast includes Nashville-based Jenny Norris Light ( I Do! I Do!, Seussical, Guys and Dolls, The Andrew's Brothers, All Shook Up); Kim Kinsley (On The Town, Little Women, Nunsense, State Fair, 42nd Street); Noah Rice, a recent Belmont graduate (White Christmas, The Fantasticks, 13-The Musical, Cinderella, Hershey Park); Greg Frey (A Christmas Carol, 9-5 The Musical, My Fair Lady, Fox on the Fairway, Disney's Son of Pinocchio); and New York-based Trevor Sideris (Urinetown: The Musical, Hairspray, Little Shop of Horrors, Les Miserables, Brigadoon). Each actor plays multiple colorful characters which adds to the fun of the evening, keeps you laughing, and makes this musical comedy a memorable and sure-to-be favorite. Delicious holiday luncheon and dinner buffets begin one hour before show time. Price includes buffet, desserts, beverage and show. Gratuity not included. Call the box office at (615) 740-5600 for reservations.

Opening November 27

Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre Backstage, Nashville: Murder at the Howard Johnson's, running through December 27 www.dinnertheatre.com

Nashville Rep at TPAC's Johnson Theatre: A Christmas Story, running through December 20 www.nashvillerep.org

Tuesday, December 1

VWA Theatricals, at The VanWye Vocal Studio, Nashville: Audition Master Class with Savannah Frazier. Broadway veteran and Nashville's hometown girl Savannah Frazier will lead a master class on the art of auditioning at The Van Wye Vocal Studio on Tuesday, December 1, presented by VWA Theatricals.Frazier made her Broadway debut in Amazing Grace, the Musical, which closed on Sunday, October 25, at the Nederlander Theatre.The master class is best described as a pre-audition workshop. Each student who wants to perform should come prepared to sing either two 16-bar cuts, or one 16 bar cut/one-minute monologue. Participants will then be given suggestions/adjustments by Frazier, and will then be able to perform again with those suggestions in mind. The class is geared toward the objective of a scene or song, and the tactics and process used to achieve the performers goals. When there's specificity in an audition, Frazier says, "It changes the whole game." Participants will receive instruction and advice to achieve the best audition possible, vocally and acting-wise, and to prepare them for what a typical New York audition would be like.

Opening December 3

The Larry Keeton Theatre, Donelson/Nashville: 1940s Radio Christmas Carol, running through December 20 www.thelarrykeetontheatre.org

Studio Tenn, Franklin: It's A Wonderful Life, running through December 20 www.studiotenn.com

Opening December 4

Actors Bridge Ensemble at The Darkhorse Chapel, Nashville: The Nether, running through December 13 www.thenether.eventbrite.com Curtain is at 7 p.m. This is first first production in the Darkhorse Chapel; ABE is staggering our start time with the production happening in the main theater upstairs. Entrance to the Darkhorse Chapel is on 47th Avenue.Featuring: Rodney Pickel, Phil Perry, Bralyn Stokes, Robin-August Fritsch and Vali Forrister (as Detective Morris). The Nether is a daring examination of moral responsibility in virtual worlds. As Detective Morris, an online investigator, questions Mr. Sims about his activities in a role-playing realm so realistic it could be life, she finds herself on slippery ethical ground. Sims argues for freedom to explore even the most deviant corners of our imagination. Morris holds that we cannot flesh out our malign fantasies without consequence; their clash of wills leads to an outcome neither could have imagined. Suspenseful, ingeniously constructed, and fiercely intelligent, Haley's play forces us to confront deeply disturbing questions about the boundaries of reality. Winner of the 2012 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, The Nether is described as both a serpentine crime drama and haunting sci-fi thriller that explores the consequences of living out our private dreams.

Arts Center of Cannon County, Woodbury: A Tuna Christmas, running through December 13 www.artscenterofcc.com Vickie Bailey directs Mark Thomas and Matt Smith in this holiday offering from the town of Tuna, Texas.

Center for the Arts, Murfreesboro: White Christmas, running through December 20 www.boroarts.org

Lakewood Theatre Company, Old Hickory: The Lion in Winter, running through December 20 www.lakewoodtheatreco.com Sibling rivalry, adultery and dungeons - Lion in Winter, by James Goldman, is a modern day classic. Comedic in tone, dramatic in action - the play tells the story of the Plantagenet family who are locked in a free for all of competing ambitions to inherit a kingdom. The queen, and wealthiest woman in the world, Eleanor of Aquitaine, has been kept in prison since raising an army against her husband, King Henry II. Let out only for holidays, the play centers around the inner conflicts of the royal family as they fight over both a kingdom, as well as King Henry's paramour during the Christmas of 1183. As Eleanor says, "every family has its ups and downs," and this royal family is no exception.

Pull-Tight Players, Franklin: Holmes For The Holidays, running through December 19 www.pull-tight.com The halls are decked with murder this holiday season at the Connecticut manse of stage actor William Gillette. But whodunit? His mother, Martha? Or one of his fellow actor friends staying at Connecticut Castle for the Christmas weekend? Gillette has played Sherlock Holmes on stage, but now he had better play him in real life before the murderer strikes again.

Renaissance Players, Dickson: A Christmas Story, The Musical, running through December 13. This musical, which received rave reviews on its Broadway run, is based on the movie classic that runs round-the-clock on television every Christmas. Set in the 1940s in the fictional town of Hohman, Indiana, the musical follows 9-year-old Ralphie Parker and his quest for the Holy Grail of Christmas gifts-an Official Red Ryder carbine-action 200-shot Range Model air rifle. Rebuffed at every turn with a similar echoing response, Ralphie plots numerous schemes to achieve his desperate desire for the coveted BB gun. All the iconic scenes from the movie are here: Ralphie's friend, Flick, getting his tongue stuck to the flagpole; his brother, Randy, getting dressed in his snowsuit; the bullies, Farkus and Dill; the leg lamp award; the bunny suit; the Chinese restaurant; Christmas dinner; and many others. The delightfully versatile score ranges from gentle ballads to show-stopping full-ensemble numbers such as "Ralphie to the Rescue!," "A Major Award," "Sticky Situation," "Up on Santa's Lap," "Somewhere Hovering Over Indiana" and the inevitable "You'll Shoot Your Eye Out!" A Christmas Story, The Musical will bring an exciting new dimension to those who have seen the movie and will certainly stand on its own for those who haven't. Show Times are December 4, 5, 11, 12 at 7 p.m. and December 6, 13 at 2 p.m. Order your tickets at https://squareup.com/market/the-renaissance-players or by calling (615) 446-0890 or by email at jmarie58@bellsouth.net.

Springhouse Theatre Company, Smyrna: It's a Wonderful Life, running through December 13 www.springhousetheatre.comTraditions are a significant part of the way we experience the joy of the Christmas season. Make a visit to Bedford Falls one of your traditions as you share in the classic telling of the full- stage version of It's a Wonderful Life.

Opening December 9

Miss Jeanne's Dinner Theatre, Nashville: A Tuna Christmas, running through December 27. Written by Jaston Williams, Joe Sears and Ed Howard, A Tuna Christmas is the beloved two-man holiday comedy, featuring Tobias J. Turner and Asa Ambrister in a production at Miss Jeanne's Dinner Theatre. Under the direction of E. Roy Lee, Turner and Ambrister play 22 citizens of Tuna, Texas. This follow-up to Greater Tuna, features many of the colorful characters familiar to audiences, but introduces new faces such as Tuna Little Theatre director Joe Bob Lipsey, and Tastee Kreme waitress Helen Bedd. Tuna, the third-smallest town in Texas, is in an uproar over the legendary Christmas Phantom, who is vandalizing all the neighborhood Christmas yard displays. Turner is a former student of 2015 First Night Honoree Kaul Bluestone. He has performed in works ranging from Romeo and Juliet, Much Ado about Nothing, and Twelfth Night to Noises Off, The Music Man, and The Importance of Being Earnest. He is currently a member of the national touring company of the Off-Broadway play Old Jews Telling Jokes, under the direction of Jay Kholos. He is also an alumnus of The Backdoor Playhouse, as a student of Mark Creter at Tennessee Technological University. Ambrister is an actor and director on stages throughout Middle Tennessee, most prominently as a regular performer at Miss Jeanne's Dinner Theatre for a weekly interactive mystery show. He was voted best featured actor in Broadway World.com Nashville's Awards for his work in Love! Valour! Compassion! and Greater Tuna. He studied performance locally at Columbia State Community College, and at The American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York City. Miss Jeanne's Dinner Theatre is located at 2416 Music Valley Drive, Suite 150. Dinner and "show only" options are available. FYI: Patrons should allow extra travel time, due to heavy Opryland area traffic in December. Show contains moderate adult language. Visit www.missjeannes.com or call (615) 902-9566 for further details.

Opening December 11

Murfreesboro Little Theatre: A Coney Island Christmas, running through December 20 www.mltarts.org

Opening January 7, 2016

Maverick Entertainment, at the Andrew Johnson Theatre at TPAC, Nashville: It's Who You Know, running through January 10 www.ItsWhoYouKnowOnTour.com Chambers Stevens is a bona fide Hollywood multi-hyphenate - actor-comedian-acting coach-author - who somehow has encapsulated all of that and more in his new one-man show It's Who You Know. "Most of us have had brief brushes with a celebrity," Stevens suggests. "Maybe a star is in town shooting a movie and we whip out our cell phone to take a discreet - or not so discreet photo. Maybe they pop up in odd places we don't expect to see them. But when one lives in Hollywood, the brushes with celebrity are more frequent, and often bring hilarious results." Stevens, in fact, has a personal file box that's fairly bulging with the anecdotes he's collected over his 40 years both in and out of the business which forms the basis for his latest one-man show that is different at every performance. Stevens describes the show as being like "sit-down comedy." Inspiration for the show, says Stevens, came from a close encounter with filmmaker Steven Soderbergh at a screening of the movie director's documentary And Everything is Going Fine, about humorist Spalding Gray. Soderbergh told Stevens about a film, Personal History of American Trash,where Gray pulls scripts of plays he had been in, from a box, and proceeds to tell anecdotes about his experiences in those plays. Stevens, a Tennessee native, was a 2013 First Night Honoree.

Sunday, January 10, 2016

The First Night Honors, Nashville: You simply must save the date for 2016 Midwinter's First Night...the cold and frosty one...featuring the presentation of the BWW Nashville Awards and First Night's TOP 10 of 2016, featuring the presentation of the First Night Awards (the ones that really matter, after all!)...we'll have spectacular entertainment, refreshing libations and a damn good time hosted by Justin Boyd, Britt Byrd, Katherine Morgan and Taylor Novak...all of whom will be riding herd on First Night founder & executive producer Jeffrey Ellis, who is known for being rather ribald and somewhat salty at these things. 2013 First Night Honoree Chambers Stevens is a special guest star! Tickets are $10 in advance/$15 at the door! We'll be announcing our venue very soon in that over-dramatic way we have of doing things! Thanks to Michael Adcock for our swell art...he's our favorite. But then again, now that we think about it, so are YOU! See you at the party!

Opening January 14, 2016

Nashville Children's Theatre, Nashville: Scot Copeland's Cinderella, running through February 7. www.nashvillechildrenstheatre.org Nashville Children's Theatre's breathtaking new production of the most beloved fairytale of all time: As charming as a Victorian Toy Theatre and as romantic as a Viennese Waltz, this sparkling confection brims with humor, magic, and spectacular theatrical effects. All the iconic elements one would hope to see are here; the hilarious step-sisters, wise fairy godmother, amazing transformations, delicate pumpkin coach, the ball gown, a handsome Prince, the striking clock, a desperate flight and, of course, a delicate glass slipper left behind in the snow - all lovingly designed, carefully crafted, and beautifully played by the extraordinary artists of Nashville Children's Theatre. This winter, come and warm your hands and heart with NCT's Cinderella.

Circle Players and TSU Theatre, Nashville, at Tennessee State University Performing Arts Center's Lewis Theater: Sister Act, running through January 31 www.CirclePlayers.net Tim Larson directs the Nashville area premiere of the hit Broadway musical, starring LaToya Gardner in the role originated on Broadway by Patina Miller, based on the film in which Whoopi Goldberg starred.

Opening January 15, 2016

Murfreesboro Little Theatre: The Exonerated, running through January 24 www.mltarts.org

Opening January 22

Nashville Opera at TPAC's James K. Polk Theater: Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutte www.nashvilleopera.org It all starts with a bet. Tw

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