SAVE THE DATE: Nashville Theater Calendar for November 12, 2018

Looking ahead, you'll find a number of new productions on tap, including a whole slew of holiday favorites, for your entertainment pleasure, thanks to the efforts of theater companies all over Middle Tennessee. Here's our calendar for November 12, 2018, to help you plot your course through next February...

Through November 17 Hello Dolly!, presented by Arts Center of Cannon County, 1424 John Bragg Highway, Woodbury. Directed by Matt Smith. In 1890s New York City, the bold and enchanting widow Dolly Levi is a socialite-turned-matchmaker. Her latest clients seeking assistance are the cantankerous "half-a-millionaire" Horace Vandergelder and a young artist named Ambrose, who is in love with Horace's niece, Ermengarde. Dolly's scheming soon involves Horace's employees as well as a New York hatmaker, as she tries to cover up her own secret romantic designs. For details, go to www.artscenterofcc.com or call (615) 563-2787.

Through November 18 Journey's End, presented by Lakewood Theatre Company, Old Hickory. Lakewood Theatre Company presents R.C. Sherriff's classic play about the futility and slaughter of the first World War. Go to TicketsNashville.com to purchase tickets.

Through December 22 Holiday Inn, presented by Cumberland County Playhouse, Crossville. Opening our Christmas season on the Mainstage is a new smash hit Broadway musical - Irving Berlin's Holiday Inn. Based on the classic film with music and lyrics by Irvin Berlin, Holiday Inn is a whole year of holidays in one wonderful musical! It features thrilling dance numbers, laugh-out-loud comedy, and a parade of Berlin hits including "Blue Skies," "Easter Parade," "Steppin' Out With My Baby," "Heat Wave," "White Christmas," "Cheek to Cheek",and many more! Jim has left showbiz behind to settle down on his Connecticut farm...but life just isn't the same without a bit of song and dance. Jim's luck takes a spectacular turn when he meets Linda, a spirited schoolteacher with talent to spare. Together they turn the farmhouse into a fabulous inn with dazzling performances to celebrate each holiday, from Thanksgiving to the Fourth of July. But when Jim's best friend Ted tries to lure Linda away to Hollywood, will Jim be able to salvage his latest chance at love? Don't miss this heartwarming, high energy, tap dancing extravaganza! For more information, go to www.ccplayhouse.com or call (931) 484-5000 for tickets.

Read Jeffrey Ellis' review of Holiday Inn: /nashville/article/BWW-Review-IRVING-BERLINS-HOLIDAY-INN-Kicks-Off-The-Holiday-Season-With-Style-at-Cumberland-County-Playhouse-20181104

Through November 18 Miracle on 34th Street, presented by the Robertson County Players, at Springfield Middle School Theatre, Springfield. Connie Smith directs the musical by Meredith Willson, with Daniel Rushing as choral director and Dr. Wade Smith as orchestra director and featuring the Robertson County Community Band. Performances are at 7 p.m. for evening performances, with 2 p.m. Sunday matinees on November 11 and 18.

Through November 25 A Gentleman Mind Reader, presented by Razorglass Productions at The Barbershop Theater, 4003 Indiana Avenue, Nashville. The Gentleman Mind Reader follows an evening with Christopher Ellis, a man who can actually read minds. Out of work and chasing the success of his now deceased grandmother, he is confronted with one final chance to prove his worth in a family "blessed" with clairvoyance. This one-man show is written and starring reformed magician Will Pryor.

Through December 23 Disney's The Little Mermaid, presented by Nashville Children's Theatre, 25 Middleton Street, Nashville. Ernie Nolan directs and choreographs, with musical direction by David Weinstein. Catherine Birdsong stars as Ariel, with Corbin Williams as Prince Eric and Galen Fott as Triton. Other cast members include Piper Jones, James Rudolph, Isaac Brotzman, Jonah M. Jackson, Darci Wantiez, among others. Performances are at 7 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and at 2 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays from November 9-December 23. (No performance on Sunday, November 11.)

Read Jeffrey Ellis' review of The Little Mermaid: /nashville/article/BWW-Review-Nashville-Childrens-Theatres-THE-LITTLE-MERMAID-is-Utterly-Delightful-20181109

Read Jeffrey Ellis' interview with The Little Mermaid's Catherine Birdsong and Corbin Williams: /nashville/article/Birdsong-and-Williams-Come-Full-Circle-to-Play-THE-LITTLE-MERMAIDs-Ariel-and-Prince-Eric-for-NCT-20181101

November 13 AUDITIONS for On Golden Pond at Pull-Tight Players, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Franklin. Time is 7 to 9 p.m. both evenings. There are roles available for 2 women, 3 men, and 1 teenage boy (boys 12 and older only please). There will be cold readings from the script. Headshots/resumes are welcome, but not required. Performance dates are January 25, 26, 27, 31, February 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9. Rehearsals will begin the week of November 26. Please bring a list of any conflict dates with you to auditions. If you have any questions, please feel free to email director Heather Bottoms at heather.bottoms@gmail.com.

November 13-18 Irving Berlin's White Christmas, presented by the national touring company of the Broadway hit, HCA/TriStar Heath Broadway at TPAC Series, at Tennessee Performing Arts Center's Andrew Jackson Hall. Nashville's own Jeremy Benton stars. Go to www.TPAC.org for details, or call (615) 782-4040 for tickets.

Read Jeffrey Ellis' interview with White Christmas' Jeremy Benton: /national-tours/article/Nashvilles-Very-Own-Song-and-Dance-Man-Jeremy-Benton-Kicks-Off-the-Holidays-in-IRVING-BERLINS-WHITE-CHRISTMAS-20181112

Friday, November 16 Broadway Princess Party, at Tennessee Performing Arts Center, Nashville. Once upon a time...Broadway's OG Cinderella, Belle, Jasmine and their guiding Fairy Godfairy - Laura Osnes, Susan Egan, Courtney Reed and Benjamin Rauhala - set out to create an inclusive princess experience for people of all ages. The result? Broadway Princess Party! Grab your besties and join the #PrincessPosse in a kingdom near you! Ballgowns are optional, but don your tiara or go full cosplay - there are princess prizes for those who dress up! Curtain's at 7 p.m. For tickets, go to www.tpac.org or call (615) 782-4040.

Read Jeffrey Ellis' interviews with Broadway Princess Party's Susan Egan and Laura Osnes: /nashville/article/Laura-Osnes-and-Susan-Egan-on-the-Magical-and-Miraculous-Powers-of-THE-BROADWAY-PRINCESS-PARTY-20181107

November 15-December 29 Elf, presented by Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre, 8204 Highway 100, Nashville. Directed by Martha Wilkinson and starring Chase Miller. For more information, go to www.ChaffinsBarnTheatre.com or call (615) 646-9977.

November 16-18 Side Show, presented by Belmont University Musical Theatre at Massey Auditorium, Belmont University campus, Nashville.

Read Jeffrey Ellis' Collegiate Theatrics interview with Side Show's Maggie Hutchison: /nashville/article/Collegiate-Theatrics-Belmont-Universitys-MAGGIE-HUTCHISON-20181029

Read Jeffrey Ellis' Collegiate Theatrics interview with Side Show's Macy Medford: /houston/article/Collegiate-Theatrics-Belmont-Universitys-MACY-MEDFORD-20181104

November 16-December 23 A Sanders Family Christmas, presented by Cumberland County Playhouse, Crossville. THE FINAL SEASON: Celebrate and rejoice with the Sanders family one last time in this heartwarming sequel to Connie Ray and Alan Bailey's wildly successful bluegrass gospel musical Smoke on the Mountain! It's December 24, 1941, and America is going to war. So is Dennis Sanders of the Sanders Family Singers. Join Pastor Mervin Oglethorpe and the spirit filled Sanders Family as they send Dennis off with hilarious and touching stories and twenty-five Southern Gospel Christmas favorites.

November 23-December 22 A Christmas Story, presented by Nashville Repertory Theatre at TPAC's Andrew Johnson Theatre. Nashville Rep will pack away its sets and costumes for their annual holiday season offering of the play based upon the hit film after a decade-long run. For more information, go to www.nashvillerep.org.

November 23-December 29 The Game Show Show, presented by Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre, 8204 Highway 100, Nashville. For more information, go to www.ChaffinsBarnTheatre.com or call (615) 646-9977.

November 25-December 1 TPS 2018 Reading Festival, presented by Tennessee Playwrights Studio at Darkhorse Theatre Chapel, 4610 Charlotte Avenue, Nashville. The festival showcases early drafts of plays that were developed through the Studio's monthly workshops and read by Nashville actors. Playwrights were selected via a competitive application process early in 2018. The public readings of these works-in-progress, read and directed by Nashville and Chattanooga-based artists, are free. A panel of theatre professionals will lead post-performance discussions and audience input will be solicited to assist playwrights as they continue to develop their scripts.

Sunday, November 25 7:30 p.m. Kingdom - a play about Snow White and climate change by Claudia Barnett. Directed by Leah Lowe. Cast: Tamara Todes, Chandra Walton, Ted Welch, Robert Chambers, Jessica Anderson, Patriq James, Josh Inocalla, Candace Kirkpatrick, Molly Breen. Inspired by the true story of a Norwegian valley that never sees winter sun, Kingdom (a play about Snow White and climate change) traces a hundred years of environmental hubris, including attempts to split atoms, tame a waterfall, and transmute air, culminating in a radical act of community as an artist conducts sunlight onto town square. Kingdom presents history as a parable, focusing on a blind girl who thrives in darkness and the personified conflict between natural history and unnatural selection.

Tuesday, November 27 7:30 p.m. Black and Blue (Or The Man in the Pantry) by Matt Garner. Directed by Beki Baker Cast: Chip Arnold, Karen Sternberg, David Ian Lee, Ethan Jones, Brian Russell, Beki Baker. Everyone and everything is abandoning Tom...that is to say...everyone except the man in the pantry.

Thursday, November 29 7:30 p.m. NEC COMPUNCTI by Louis Johnson. Directed by Shawn Whitsell. Cast: Patriq James, Robert Chambers, Gabe Atchley, Howard Snyder, Leonard Ledford III, Jalen Dukes, Lexi Nimmo, Kalee Smyth. This is NOT a play about the wrongfully convicted! That bastard's guilty as sin! As Josiah "Big Joe" Morgan spends his final days on death row, his previous life outside his tiny cell snaps into sharp focus. How did he get there, and can he deny the seemingly inevitable?

Friday, November 30 7:30 p.m. The Odd Evangelical by Gaye Jeffers. Directed by Blake Harris. Cast: Anne Swedberg, Grace Holtz, Kaleb Moran, Terrance Wright, Maggie McNulty, Autumn Hemmelgarn. A dark comedy about faith, politics, and marriage, The Odd Evangelical is shocking and hilarious. Lynn, an Evangelical church admin, meets a former crime reporter, Mary Greed, who challenges her ideas about faith and the function of the church. Through a long sleepless night, Lynn and her husband, Gardner, are visited by visions of Blessed and Reason in a weird game of dodgeball as questions of God and country, fear and safety are addressed between bites of Little Debbie cakes and surprise visitors from the past.

Saturday, December 1 7:30 p.m. Fan Me with a Brick by Kenley Smith. Directed by Alicia Haymer. Cast: Miranda Pepin, Alicia Haymer, Nikki Staggs, Carmen Ridley, Ang Madeline-Johnson, Christopher Bosen, LaTia Lewis, Eric Bulter, Brianna Booker, Shawn Whitsell, Ethan Jones, Beth Henderson. When Victoria sets out to learn more of her family's history, she opens a portal to a past full of loss, pain and indomitable perseverance. Her mother reluctantly joins her, and the two women uncover old wounds - a scandalous affair in segregated Virginia, a stolen child, a lost parent, a horrific accident - that linger unhealed in the present. The play is based on actual events. Original research by Yalewa Sparrowhawk.

November 29-December 8 Mary Poppins, presented by Audience of One Productions at The Capitol Theatre, Lebanon. Mary Poppins is the story of the Banks family who live in a big house in London on Cherry Tree Lane. Things are not going well for the family, the children, Jane and Michael, are out of control and are in need of a new nanny. Jane and Michael have their own ideas about what sort of caretaker they should have, while their parents-and, in particular, Mr. Banks-are insistent on someone strict for the job. When a mysterious young woman named Mary Poppins appears at their doorstep, the family finds that she's the answer to their prayers, but in the most peculiar way. Mary Poppins takes the children on many magical and memorable adventures, but Jane and Michael aren't the only ones she has a profound effect upon. Even grown-ups can learn a lesson or two from the nanny who advises that "anything can happen if you let it." Tickets: http://prod1.agileticketing.net/WebSales/pages/info.aspx?evtinfo=164148~c27b6327-1c15-4c85-84f1-e763f23c38a2&epguid=194fd3f0-e86f-4164-85ad-c27cc81b985e&

November 29-December 15 A Tuna Christmas, presented by The Renaissance Players at the Gaslight Dinner Theatre, Dickson. - November 29-December 15. Brett Myers and Bryce Conner will star in this hilarious sequel to Greater Tuna. It's Christmas in the third smallest town in Texas. Radio station OKKK news personalities Thurston Wheelis and Arles Struvie report on various Yuletide activities, including hot competition in the annual lawn display contest. In other news, voracious Joe Bob Lipsey's production of "A Christmas Carol" is jeopardized by unpaid electric bills. Many colorful Tuna denizens, some you will recognize from Greater Tuna and some appearing here for the first time, join in the holiday fun! Matinees - Doors open at 11:30 a.m. - Lunch is served at 12 noon; Dinner - Doors open at 6 p.m. - Dinner is served at 6:30 p.m. Food will be provided by Dickson's own Front Porch. Tickets can be purchased at www.renplayers.com, or by calling (615) 593-5520.

November 29-December 16 A Christmas Carol, the Musical, presented by The Larry Keeton Theatre, 108 Donelson Pike, Nashville. For more information, go to www.thelarrykeetontheatre.org; for reservations, call (615) 883-8375.

November 30-December 8 The Wolves, presented by Actors Bridge Ensemble at The Darkhorse Theater, 4610 Charlotte Pike, Nashville. Actors Bridge Ensemble celebrate their 12th annual collaborative production with the Nashville premiere of The Wolves by Sarah DeLappe. The Wolves was a finalist for the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and is among the "Top Ten Most Produced Plays of 2018-19" according to American Theatre Magazine. The Belmont Black Box Theater is being transformed into an indoor soccer arena complete with astroturf. The cast has their own soccer coach, Brent Maddox, who is helping them prepare for the physical demands of the play. Directed by First Night Award winner Jaclynn Jutting, the cast includes Lucy Buchanan, Riley Walker, Hayley Pellis, Penelope Gerosa, Sammi Gainer, Tea Sherrill, Rachel Mackall, Anna Jenkins, Emily Peterson, and CJ Tucker.

Read Jeffrey Ellis' preview of Actors Bridge Ensemble's production of The Wolves:

November 30-December 9 It's a Wonderful Life, presented by The Renaissance Players at the Renaissance Center at Freed-Hardeman University, Dickson. In our American culture It's a Wonderful Life has become almost as familiar as Dickens' A Christmas Carol. The story is a natural for a stage adaptation: the saga of George Bailey, the Everyman from the small town of Bedford Falls, whose dreams of escape and adventure have been quashed by family obligation and civic duty, whose guardian angel has to descent on Christmas Eve to save him from despair and to remind him-by showing him what the world would have been like had he never been born-that his has been, after all, a wonderful life. This faithful adaptation has all your favorite characters: George and Mary Hatch, Clarence, Uncle Billy, Violet, and, of course, the Scrooge-like villain, Mr. Potter. This fine dramatization not only celebrates the faith of the season, it also celebrates the American philosophy of life: hard work, fair play and the love and support of one's family and community will be rewarded. Auditions are October 8 at 6:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at www.renplayers.com, or by calling (615) 593-5520.

November 30-December 16 Miracle on 34th Street, Center for the Arts, Murfreesboro. For more information, go to www.boroarts.org or call (615) 904-2787.

November 30-December 16 Lips Together, Teeth Apart, presented by Rogue Stage Ensemble at The Barbershop Theater, Nashville. A beachside home on Fire Island proves a strange setting for two straight couples - sister and brother Chloe and Sam, and their spouses John and Sally - on the Fourth of July. Upon his recent death from AIDS, Sally's brother David bequeathed her the Fire Island house, surrounded by friendly, partying gay neighbors on either side of the fence. Terrence McNally's play is an indictment of ignorance and stagnancy in the fight against AIDS, as well as a powerful look inside dissolving marriages, lost hopes and dreams and the looming capricious nature of death.

December 6-9 The Seventh Annual Winter Concert, presented by The Theater Bug, 4809 Gallatin Pike, Nashville. Come join 50+ of Nashville's talented young performers for a night of music, dance and fun in the seventh annual Winter Concert - a perfect way to celebrate the Winter Season for all ages, with holiday fun for the whole family! Curtain is at 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, with a 6 p.m. curtain on Sunday. Call (615) 838-7358 for details.

December 6-22 It's a Wonderful Life (Radio Play), presented by Artists Community Theatre at 12545 Old Hickory Boulevard, Antioch. Directed by Teri Beck.

December 7-22 A Christmas Carol, presented by Towne Centre Theatre, 136 Frierson Street, Brentwood. For details, go to www.TowneCentreTheatre.com.

December 7-30 Disney's Beauty and the Beast, presented by Studio Tenn at Jamison Theater, The Factory at Franklin. For tickets, go to www.studiotenn.com, or call (615) 541-8200.

December 13-23 Peter Pan and Tinker Bell: A Pirate's Christmas, at TPAC's James K. Polk Theatre. Nashville's own Diana DeGarmo plays Tinker Bell in the production that will introduce an English holiday tradition to Nashville audiences: Christmas Panto. Go to www.TPAC.org for details, or call (615) 782-4040 for tickets.

December 13-23 A Sanders Family Christmas, presented by the Friends of White Bluff at the Bibb-White Bluff Civic Center. Call (615) 797-1154 or (615) 797-3131 for tickets and information.

January 10-20 Avenue Q, presented by Circle Players at the Z. Alexander Looby Theatre, 2301 Rosa L. Parks Boulevard, Nashville. Directed by Brian Jones. For more information, go to www.circleplayers.net

January 10-February 2 Julius Caesar, presented by Nashville Shakespeare Festival at Belmont University's Troutt Theatre, Nashville. Directed by Santiago Sosa. For further details, go to www.nashvilleshakes.org.

January 11-27 Newsies, Center for the Arts, Murfreesboro. Directed by Mark David Williams. For more information, go to www.boroarts.org or call (615) 904-2787.

February 8-17 Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, presented by Studio Tenn at Jamison Theater, The Factory at Franklin. For tickets, go to www.studiotenn.com, or call (615) 541-8200.

February 8-17 Sense and Sensibility, presented by Center for the Arts, Murfreesboro. For more information, go to www.boroarts.org or call (615) 904-2787.

February 8-23 Singin' in the Rain, presented by Arts Center of Cannon County, 1424 John Bragg Highway, Woodbury. Jeffrey Ellis directs the stage adaptation of the classic movie musical, starring Lindsey Mapes Duggin as Kathy Selden. For details, go to www.artscenterofcc.com or call (615) 563-2787.

February 9-23 Topdog/Underdog, presented by Nashville Repertory Theatre at TPAC's Andrew Johnson Theatre. Eddie George stars in Suzan-Lori Parks' acclaimed play. For more information, go to www.nashvillerep.org.

February 12-27 A Bronx Tale, presented by the national touring company of the Broadway hit, HCA/TriStar Heath Broadway at TPAC Series, at Tennessee Performing Arts Center's Andrew Jackson Hall. Go to www.TPAC.org for details, or call (615) 782-4040 for tickets.

February 15-23 Twelfth Night, presented by Vanderbilt University Theatre at Neely Auditorium, Vanderbilt University campus, Nashville. Santiago Sosa directs the classic William Sheakespeare comedy. Twelfth Night is the quintessential Shakespearean play that manages to capture the comical and, often, farcical nature of human behavior; combining beautiful, poetic verse and dynamic prose to tell the story of the far off land of Illyria and it's inhabitants, following a shipwreck that separates a pair of twins and the death of a Countesses two family members, that a young Duke pines away for. This romantic comedy explores themes of sexual ambiguity, double-identities, grief, and the trifles that come with unrequited love.

February 15-24 Silent Sky, presented by Lipscomb University Theatre at Shamblin Theatre, Lipscomb University campus, Nashville.

February 15-March 2 The Bomb-itty of Errors, presented by ACT 1 at The Darkhorse Theater, 4610 Charlotte Avenue, Nashville. Directed by Bakari J. King. For tickets, go to www.tickets.ACT1online.com.

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