Calendar of Events

Knoxville Children’s Theatre will present 14 live performances of the inspirational play, “Lilies Of The Field,” adapted from the novel by William E. Barrett and made famous by the Oscar-winning comedy-drama film, starring Sidney Poitier and Lilia Skala.

The live stage play will be performed March 30 through April 15:
Fri., Mar. 30 at 7 PM, Sat., Mar. 31 at 1 PM & 5 PM, Sun., Apr. 1 at 3 PM
Thurs., Apr. 5 at 7 PM, Fri., Apr. 6 at 7 PM, Sat., Apr. 7 at 1 PM & 5 PM, Sun., Apr. 8 at 3 PM,
Thurs., Apr. 12 at 7 PM, Fri., Apr. 13 at 7 PM, Sat., Apr. 14 at 1 PM & 5 PM, Sun., Apr. 15 at 3 PM.

Based on a true story and the Oscar-winning film, “Lilies Of The Field” is the gently humorous tale of how a group of German nuns convince an aimless drifter to help them build a chapel in the middle of the New Mexico desert. Presented especially for Easter, this inspirational yarn proves God does indeed “move in mysterious ways!”

The play is performed by 11 talented young actors, from ages 13 to 16. Derrick Washington, Jr. plays Homer Smith, the carefree young man who happens upon the Sisters when his car breaks down in the New Mexico desert. Hallie Boring plays the Mother Superior who believes that Homer has been sent from God to help her build a chapel. The South Carolina Baptist and the Catholic nun engage in a battle of wills over the fate of Mother’s planned chapel. KCT Academy Director Dennis E. Perkins, a senior at West High, directs the production. Ryan Cross is the stage manager. Jaden Lily Branson will be the play’s stage manager.

Knoxville Children's Theatre, 109 E. Churchwell Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37917. Information: 865-208-3677, www.knoxvillechildrenstheatre.com

The all vocal country sensation Home Free is bringing Nashville country standards and country-dipped pop hits to town (and having a great time doing so). The band comes to town on the heels of their most recent full-length album release, TIMELESS, bringing with them new music, new jokes, and new production.
Home Free has become a household name, amassing more than 185-million YouTube views, and entertaining more than 300,000 people live in concert since bursting on the national scene in 2013. The 5-man band has become known for their show-stopping performances that mix their signature no-instrument, all-vocal music with their quick-witted humor.
Their fourth studio album, TIMELESS, which was released on September 23, 2017 via Columbia Records and debuted at the No. 2 spot on the Billboard Country Albums Chart. This release marks the 4th consecutive top 5 Billboard debut for their album.

Tennessee Theatre, 604 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. For information/tickets: 865-684-1200, www.tennesseetheatre.com, www.ticketmaster.com

Join us for a unique staged reading of Jesus Christ Superstar with an all-female cast. Produced & directed by Wendel Werner, this production is sure to add to the meaningfulness of Easter weekend. $15
Modern Studio is an all-ages venue, BYOB for 21+. https://www.modernstudio.org/events/

Modern Studio, 109 W Anderson Ave, Knoxville, TN 37917. Information: 865-323-2425, www.modernstudio.org

Little Seeds, the electrifying New West Records bow by Shovels and Rope, finds the award-winning South Carolina duo of Michael Trent and Cary Ann Hearst exploring fresh dimensions in their sound with a brace of bold, candid, highly personal new songs. The 12-song collection, produced by Trent at the couple’s home studio in Charleston, succeeds 2014’s Swimmin’ Time and 2012’s O’ Be Joyful; the latter title garnered the twosome Americana Music Awards for Song of the Year (for “Birmingham”) and Emerging Artist of the Year. Last year’s Busted Jukebox, Volume 1 was a collaborative collection of covers featuring such top talents as the Milk Carton Kids, Lucius, JD McPherson and Butch Walker.

On the new release, Trent and Hearst as ever play all the instruments and penned the material, which range from stomping rockers to delicate acoustic-based numbers. Many of Little Seeds’ finely crafted and reflective new songs ’ completed in the late summer of 2015 -- are drawn from tumultuous events experienced by the couple over the course of the last two years.
http://www.shovelsandrope.com/

Bijou Theatre, 803 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information/tickets: 865-522-0832, www.knoxbijou.com, www.ticketmaster.com

Stacy Mitchhart Band

Alive After Five is a unique live music series that takes place in the smoke-free, casually elegant setting of the Ann and Steve Bailey Hall in the Knoxville Museum of Art. There is a live band on stage, seating at tables, two cash bars, food from area restaurants, free freshly popped popcorn, and free parking. Audience members can enjoy listening to music, dancing, and browsing the museum’s art galleries. Admission is $15 for general and $10 for museum members and college students with ID. Ages 17 and under are admitted free.

Knoxville Museum of Art, 1050 World's Fair Park Dr, Knoxville, TN 37916. Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 10AM-5PM, Sunday, 1-5PM. Information: 865-525-6101, www.knoxart.org

Jubilee Community Arts presents Irish music by Open the Door for Three on Friday, March 30, at 8:00 pm at the Laurel Theater, 1538 Laurel Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37916.

Open the Door for Three is fiddle player Liz Knowles, uilleann piper Kieran OHare, and Dublin-born singer and bouzouki player Pat Broaders. Their music is a rare combination of unearthed tunes from centuries-old collections, newly composed melodies, fresh arrangements of songs old and new, homages to the musicians and bands they grew up listening to, and the unmatched energy of a trio of good friends playing great Irish music together.

Jubilee Community Arts, 1538 Laurel Ave, Knoxville, TN 37916. For information: 865-522-5851, www.jubileearts.org.

A STEAM-focused class created just for preschoolers! Children ages 2-5 will get the most out of this class that explores Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math through fairy tales. This month we'll have some STEAM fun reading Jack and the Beanstalk and then planting some beanstalks of our own! Find this guided activity in the Classroom. FREE with museum admission!

The Muse Knoxville, 516 N. Beaman Street, Knoxville, TN 37914. Information: 865-594-1494, www.themuseknoxville.org

In Market Square. This project is part of a collaborative, interdisciplinary production called #BURDEN, a passion project I have developed with the purpose of representing an individualize concept of pain and suffering that people experience across the globe. #BURDEN is a multidisciplinary project that incorporates humanities, visual art, music performance, composition, and choreography/dance into one full-scale production.

We will be conducting the first phase of the project on the 30th of March. Phase 1 of #BURDEN consists of a public survey, asking each individual to share their most painful life experiences in one word. They will have the option to share their story of why they chose that specific word if they chose to do so. All interactions with the artist will be video documented in order to show the diversity of the participants, and to have video documentation as a means of inspiration for the proceeding artists that will contribute to the following phases of the project. The artist will be wearing all white clothing, and the participants will be asked to write their word anywhere on the white clothes. After a significant number of participants have written their word, the white clothing will be covered in ink, hosting a vast number of diverse words that each represent individual pain and suffering.

This project serves the purpose of showing the unifying qualities of human struggle and suffering, and how each of us are connected through our experiences, despite how diverse our background and lives may be. It is my hope that this project raises awareness of similarities between diverse groups of people, and that emotional and personal walls may be let down in order to allow interpersonal communication and connections to be made.

Information: Alexander Montgomery Smith, 936-524-6011
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYBMS5H6igs&t=21s

The Carpetbag Theatre presents Dark Cowgirls and Prairie Queens at Ula Love Carousel Theatre, 1704 Andy Holt, Knoxville, TN 37917
Mar 29-31 at 7 PM, Apr 1 at 4 PM

Dark Cowboys and Prairie Queens is the story of a little known facet of American History. Filled with vivid images, captivating stories and harmonious song, “Cowgirls brings to life seven of the most colorful Black women to emerge from the American West." The play is an imaginative dramatization of the lives of Mary Fields (Black Mary), Biddy Mason (Grandma Mason), sculptress Edmonia Lewis (Little Wildfire), Mary Ellen Pleasant (Mammy Pleasant) of underground railroad fame, and Julia Boulette (fondly remembered as the Queen of Virginia City).

This production is part of an original series that has been funded by the Roy Cockrum Foundation in celebration of our 50th Anniversary in 2019; a foundation which enables theaters to reach beyond their normal scope of activities and undertake ambitious and creative productions.

This play has been presented in many venues throughout its 35 year history, including the New Victory Theater, a Broadway theater. It was featured at the closing of the Free Southern Theatre (1963 - 1985) in New Orleans, Louisiana and the beginning of the first National Black Theater Festival in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Dark Cowgirls has roots at the Alternate ROOTS Festival in Atlanta, Georgia and its story still lives in communities from Mississippi to California, and from Massachusetts to Florida. It has been performed for women (at the Women in Theater Festival in Boston and the Foot of the Mountain in Minneapolis) and men (the Black Cowboys of Northern Alabama and Northern California). Dark Cowgirls owes its longevity to the many small stubborn sponsors who believed that it was important to tell stories of empowerment and to celebrate the forgotten lives of Black women.

Carpetbag Theatre at Fourth United Presbyterian Church, 1323 N. Broadway Knoxville, TN 37917. Information & tickets: 865-544-0447, www.carpetbagtheatre.org.

By: David West Read

"…eloquent, affecting…moving." The New York Times

Since the death of his favorite student, Larry Morrow, a fifty-something high school teacher, has been falling asleep at his desk and dreaming. The student’s sister and his friends find little solace in schoolwork. And the school’s guidance counselor keeps hanging inspirational slogans on the walls to help everyone “process their emotions.” A bittersweet story of finding the way and strength to move on. This production contains mature language and themes.

Lab Theatre, 1714 Andy Holt Ave on the UT campus, Knoxville, TN 37996. For information: 865-974-5161, www.clarencebrowntheatre.com. For tickets: 865-974-5161, 865-656-4444, www.knoxvilletickets.com

This annual juried exhibition features student paintings, drawings, sculptures, metalworkings and ceramics.

Hardin Valley Campus of Pellissippi State: 10915 Hardin Valley Road, Knoxville, TN 37932. Bagwell Center Gallery hours: M-F 10-6:30. Information: 865-694-6405, www.pstcc.edu/arts

The Kickoff Event – Monday, March 26: 6-8pm Celebrating our Design Community and the Fashion Arts in Knoxville
Sponsored by Gage Models & Talent Agency and Hard Rock Café Pigeon Forge featuring music and runway with local artists and models performing a sneak peek of the weeklong runway events to follow.
Live Music: Cindi Alpert and the Corduroy Jazz Trio
Doors Open: 6pm for Music & Cocktail Hour
Runway: 7pm
Location: The Emporium Center, 100 S Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37902
Tickets Required

Wednesday, March 28: 6-9pm Emerging Artists Runway
Doors Open: 6pm for Cocktail Hour, Runway: 7pm
Location: Relix, 1208 N Central St, Knoxville, TN 37917
Tickets required

Thursday, March 29 : 6-9pm Celebrating the Art of Hair & Makeup on the Runway
Doors Open: 6pm for Cocktail Hour, Runway: 7pm
Location: Relix, 1208 N Central St, Knoxville, TN 37917
Tickets required

Friday, March 30 : 6-9pm
Doors Open: 5:30pm for Cocktail Hour, Runway: 6:30pm
Location: Knoxville Marriott, 501 E Hill Ave, Knoxville, TN 37915
Tickets required

The Grand Finale Runway Event – Saturday, March 31
3pm Doors Open, 4pm Children’s Runway Event, 5pm Emerging Model Showcase & Style Runway, 6pm Knox Rocks Runway, 7pm Cocktail Hour, 8pm Grand Finale Couture Runway
Location: Jackson Terminal, 213 Jackson Terminal, Knoxville, TN 37917

Schedule and tickets: https://knoxvillefashionweek.com/schedule-tickets/