Calendar of Events

Billed as a musical within a comedy, "The Drowsy Chaperone" is a hilarious, tuneful, Tony Award-winning take on musicals and theatre. when a die-hard musical theatre fan plays his favorite cast album, a 1928 smash hit called "The Drowsy Chaperone," the show magically bursts to life in his run-down apartment and the audience is instantly immersed in the glamorous, rollicking tale of a celebrity bride and her uproarious wedding day. Populated with a cast that includes jovial gangsters, a hapless bridegroom, a harried best man, a latin lothario, a flaky chorine, a boozy chaperone and many others this is a joyous and fun-filled shows that will send laughter soaring into the rafters. This production is suitable for General Audiences.

Oak Ridge Playhouse, 227 Broadway in Historic Jackson Square, Oak Ridge, TN 37830. For information and tickets: 865-482-9999, www.orplayhouse.com

Dorothy and her dog, Toto, are caught in a tornado's path and somehow end up in the magical Land of Oz. There, the Good Witch of the North, Glinda, advises Dorothy to follow the yellow brick road to the Emerald City and meet the Wizard of Oz, who can return her to Kansas. During her journey, she meets some memorable friends, a Scarecrow, a Tin Man and a Cowardly Lion, who join her, hoping to receive what they lack themselves (a brain, a heart and courage, respectively). All of this is done while also trying to avoid the Wicked Witch of the West and her attempt to get her sister's ruby shoes from Dorothy.

23 Jul 2010 at 8:00PM and 25 Jul 2010 at 2:00PM

Historic Tennessee Theatre, 604 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. For information: 865-684-1200, www.tennesseetheatre.com. For tickets: 865-684-1200, 865-656-4444, www.knoxvilletickets.com

Brown bag luncheon & video presentation.

Oak Ridge Art Center, 201 Badger Avenue, Oak Ridge, TN 37830. Hours: Tuesday-Friday, 9AM-5PM; Saturday-Monday, 1-4PM. For information: 865-482-1441, www.oakridgeartcenter.org

Kentuckians Yim Yames of My Morning Jacket, singer-songwriter Daniel Martin Moore and genre-bending cellist and vocalist Ben Sollee will embark on a nine-date ³Appalachian Voices² tour in an effort to raise public awareness of the devastating practice of Mountaintop Removal coal mining throughout Appalachia. While Moore and Sollee completed a US tour in early 2010, the upcoming ³Appalachian Voices² tour marks the first time the three will perform together since recording the 11-song album, Dear Companion, in 2009. A portion of the proceeds from Dear Companion as well as the upcoming tour benefit Appalachian Voices, for which the tour was named, an organization devoted to ending mountaintop removal coal mining together with
diverse environmental problems impacting the central and southern Appalachian Mountains. "The people and the land of Appalachia are too important to us as a nation
to be sacrificed for something as short-sighted as Mountaintop Removal (MTR) coal mining. Our cultural stake in the region, from its music to its log cabins, is an indispensable part of our history and identity as Americans. People all over the world know our country music, our dances and our stories and they call them American. They are the fruit of Appalachia. Learn more about MTR's destructive impact, and how we're all connected to it, at www.ILoveMountains.org." ‹ Ben Sollee, Daniel Martin Moore and Yim Yames.

Tickets are $26.50, plus applicable service fees. Bijou Theatre, 803 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. For information: 865-522-0832, www.knoxbijou.com. For tickets: 865-684-1200, 865-656-4444, www.knoxvilletickets.com

A unique installation of video, films and multi-image performance works by Norman Magden, School of Art Professor of 4D Arts, will be on display at the University of Tennessee, Downtown Gallery. The exhibition is titled THROUGH A TRANSPARENT LENS INSIDE OUT, which refers to the time based images displayed and Magden’s focus on transparent and super imposed images to create a mesmerizing effect. The exhibition will be a quasi-retrospective in that one part will show earlier works and another section will contain more recent pieces.

Magden’s work recently received first place in the Experimental Film category at the Los Angeles Movie Awards and received several Awards of Excellence for Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design and Best Costume Design. He also received First Place in the Experimental Film category in the Los Angeles Reel Film Festival with additional awards of Best Cinematography, Best Concept, Best Costume Design and Best Production Design. Other venues where his work was selected for screening include New Filmmakers (Hollywood), International Vampire Film Festival (New Orleans), Festivus Film Festival (Denver), Peoples Awards Film Festival (Quito, Ecuador), Byron Bay International Film Festival (Australia), Kansas City Film Festival and The Rome International Film Festival (Georgia).

The exhibition will open on Friday, July 16 from 7:00 – 9:00 PM, as a special premiere for A1LabArts members. The public opening and reception will be the First Friday, August 6 from 5:00-9:00 PM.

UT Downtown Gallery, 106 S. Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37902. Hours: Wednesday-Friday: 11AM - 6PM; Saturday: 10AM - 3PM. For information: 865-673-0802, http://web.utk.edu/~downtown

Over 180 of the finest craftspeople from all over the United States demonstrate their skill, answer questions, and offer their unique art for sale. From broom-making to stained glass, the Fair has something for everyone!

July 16-24 and October 7-23. Hours: Monday-Saturday 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM, Sunday 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM. Admission: $6 adults, children 12 and under free. Music shows at 12, 2, and 4 pm - Sundays at 12 and 2 pm.

At the Gatlinburg Convention Center, Traffic Light #8. Information: 865-436-7479, www.craftsmenfair.com

The Tennessee Stage Company will be back on Market Square for our eighth season of Shakespeare On The Square (and our twentieth summer Shakespeare season) playing at 7:00 pm Thursday through Sunday evenings July 15 – August 15, and featuring Romeo & Juliet and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged). The Complete Works will be directed by Jenny Ballard - the Artistic Director of Children’s Theatre of Knoxville - and Romeo & Juliet by Tennessee Stage Artistic Director Tom Parkhill. Played on a rough replica of the new Globe Theatre in London (a reconstruction of Shakespeare’s original theatre) the plays will be presented in the timeless style of Elizabethan Theatre presentations. The Tennessee Stage Company encourages our audience to spend an evening on the Square: do a little shopping, have a nice dinner, see the play and maybe stop into a pub afterward. All of this and more is available on Market Square nightly. So come early and see the Square!

Romeo & Juliet: July 15, 17, 23, 25, 29, 31 and August 6, 8, 12, 14
Complete Works: July 16, 18, 22, 24, 30, and August 1, 5, 7, 13, 15

Tennessee Stage Company: 865-546-4280, www.tennesseestage.com

A Nashville songwriter, a local humorist and the screenwriter for the indie film Tennessee are among 13 instructors at this year’s Knoxville Writers’ Guild’s summer workshops, scheduled for July 12-15 and July 19-22 at Pellissippi State Community College. Steve Leslie, who wrote the title cut to Ricky Skagg’s Grammy winning album Brand New Strings will offer the course “Have You Written a Hit Song?” Leslie’s work has been recorded by Kenny Rogers, George Straight, Mark Chesnutt and others.

Sam Venable will discuss making people laugh as a columnist for the Knoxville News Sentinel and the author of 10 books, including Someday I May Find Honest Work: A Newspaper Humorist’s Life.

“Writing and Reading Your First Screenplay” will be taught by Knoxville native Russell Schaumburg. A graduate of Northwestern University, Schaumburg also holds a law degree and studied acting at the Joanne Baron/D.W. Brown Studio.

“We have a great line-up of professional writers willing to share their experiences,“ said Guild Vice President Terry Shaw, a local novelist. “Whether you’re just starting out or have been doing this a long time, these workshops can help.

“They also highlight some of the incredible talent we have right here in Knoxville,” Shaw said.

For example, he pointed to the session on short story writing by Michael Knight, who has published in Esquire, The New Yorker and Paris Review. The author of five books, his novel, The Typist will be published by Atlantic Monthly Press in August. Knight teaches creative writing at the University of Tennessee.
Other presenters include:
Novelist and poet Darnell Arnout, “Building Character” and “Mining the Mother Lode.”
Poet K.B. Ballentine, “Place and Persona: The Where and Who in Your Writing,” “Continuing the Celtic Tradition” and “Imagery in Poetry.”
Toastmasters veteran Grant Fetters, “Basic Public Speaking”
Author, photographer and poet Alex Gabbard, “Travel Writing”
Poet Linda Parsons Marion, “Mining the Gold of Family Experience”
Performance artist and writer Kali Meister, “Basic Playwriting” and “Erotica Writing”
Public relations professional Kelly Norrell, “Promotional Strategies” and “Promotional Writing”
Author John Tullock, “How to Discover, Sell and Promote the Book You Want to Write”
Editor, poet Marianne Worthington, “The Personal Essay”

Workshops cost $30 for Guild members and $42 for non-members. For more information, contact Shaw at 865-963-7633 or tshaw05@comcast.net; visit the Guild’s website at http://www.knoxvillewritersguild.org.

An exhibit featuring the art work of Ken Moffett and photographs of Karen Krogh will be on display at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church.
Karen Krogh, Photographs - "TVUUC: The Light of Love"
For 23 years photography has been an artistic passion for Karen Krogh. The opportunity to freeze a moment in time and to reflect upon it drives her interest in this art form. Beginning as a photo lab assistant in California she became a corporate photographer for the Toyota Motor Company. Later she moved on to magazine and public relations work. She is currently associated with a Knoxville commercial studio and also accepts freelance assignments.
The images in this exhibit are reflections from a most difficult and challenging year in the life of Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church. Her photographs convey the incredible resiliency of a congregation of courageous and loving people.
Ken Moffett, "Transparent Colors"
Ken Moffett's exhibit features five decades of watercolor painting by this architect/artist. His vocation as an architect has limited his time for artistic activities but not his success as an artist. His work has been exhibited in five states and is represented in several private collections. Ken's technique of using a single brush for an entire painting helps to define his work, freeing him from conventional detailing and creating integrated and somewhat abstract compositions. He has lived in Knoxville since 1975 and has been a member of TVUUC since the 1980s.

Opening reception Friday, July 16, from 6 to 7:30 p.m.; artists' talk at 6:30 p.m.

Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church, 2931 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919. Information: 865-523-4176, www.tvuuc.org

Based on the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Mary Lennox is a sour-faced, ill-tempered little girl. But who can blame her? While in India, she lost her parents during an outbreak of a deadly disease called cholera. When we meet her, she is arriving at Misselthwaite Manor, her mother’s sister’s husband’s gloomy and mysterious home, alone and unhappy. But ”The Secret Garden” becomes the story of Mary’s awakening through the healing power of nature. Misselthwaite Manor has many secrets. Mysterious crying is heard at nights along its dark corridor. Mary’s
uncle is a poor hunchback whose life has stood still for ten years, since the death of beautiful young wife. And there is a walled garden with a hidden locked door and a long-buried and forgotten key. With the aid of Martha and Dickon Sowerby, two happy country kids, and the discovery of her cousin Colin, Mary begins to believe that if she can bring the hidden garden back to life, she might “return to life” herself. “The Secret Garden” is a funny, spooky, heartwarming tale of redemption and self-discovery.

The COMPLETE PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE is:
Fridays, July 9, 16, 23 at 7 PM
Saturdays, July 10, 17, 24 at 3 PM and 7 PM
Sundays, July 11, 18 at 3 PM
Thursdays, July 15, 22 at 7 PM

Located at 800 Tyson Street, Knoxville, TN 37917. Information: 865-599-5284, www.childrenstheatreknoxville.com, info@childrenstheatreknoxville.com.

Boone, NC artist Sandy Adair has been creating custom weavings, off-loom weavings, and macramé wall pieces for over 28 years. The Blue Ridge mountain landscape surrounding Adair's home has been a continuing source of inspiration to her. Tapestry weaving is a slow process of layering in one needle of yarn at a time until an image is formed. Once completed, the weaving is stretched across a frame, secured and backed with muslin. Adair's award winning tapestries have been collected internationally.

Kim Nixon, a traditional rug hooker, believes in artwork that reminds us of our past while transcending the present. She uses pattern to bridge the gap between what is background, where we have come from, to what we see in front of us. Her rugs, foot stools and stair risers are hooked with strips of hand-dyed wool. Nixon's works mesmerize with their mosaic beauty and set up their own rhythm, offering images that stir universal associations.

Hanson Fine Art & Craft Gallery, 5607 Kingston Pk, Knoxville, TN 37919. Hours: Monday-Friday 10AM-5:30PM; Saturday 10AM-5PM. For information: 865-584-6097, www.hansongallery.com

Reception on July 10, 7-9PM with gallery talk at 6:30 PM.

Oak Ridge Art Center, 201 Badger Avenue, Oak Ridge, TN 37830. Hours: Tuesday-Friday, 9AM-5PM; Saturday-Monday, 1-4PM. For information: 865-482-1441, www.oakridgeartcenter.org