Calendar of Events

His concerts are legendary. Yanni returns with a worldwide tour performing in over 60 concerts through the USA, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Puerto Rico and Panama over the past 10 months. This is Yanni as you know him best, performing his instrumental hits from shows that have become famous around the world. Fans will witness Yanni and his world-class musicians as they take the stage to perform his greatest instrumental hits made famous in his shows from The Acropolis in Greece, The Taj Mahal in India, The Forbidden City in China and The Royal Albert Hall in England.

For the first time ever, the live show will also introduce music from Yanni's new album "Truth of Touch," which is the composers first album of original studio music in almost a decade. Come hear the music that touches the world as Yanni performs another 140 concerts scheduled over the next year including Eastern Europe, Western Europe, South East Asia, South America, Central America and North America.

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

Flying Anvil Theatre presents their newest show, 8X10 - a theatrical buffet of funny and offbeat short plays opening July 27 for a four-week run. Ten actors take on eight plays in an evening Artistic Director Jayne Morgan calls both challenging and fun.

“If you like variety, this is the show for you! All the plays are really smart, in very different ways. They make you laugh while asking existential questions about the meaning of life, relationships and creativity. There is literally something for everyone. We say, don’t like this play? Hang on. There’s something totally different coming along in ten minutes!”

The program of one-acts features several works by local playwrights Margy Ragsdale and Staci Swedeen. Plots of the plays run the gamut from three monkeys randomly typing the works of Shakespeare, a game God plays with Adam and Eve, how office jealousy warps the story of how one guy got the promotion and two drama teachers stranded in the desert. There are love stories, absurd twists and turns and one rather unusual house cat. All in a compact, fast-paced 90 minutes.

The casts of the plays include Crystal-Marie Albertson, Angela Grant, Dennis Hart, Steve Louis, Michael Marks, Margy Ragsdale, David Snow, David Steele, Windie Wilson. Directors are Carrie Booher, Keri McClain and Terry Pfeiffer.

8X10 has two preview performances – a Pay-What-You-Can preview on Wednesday, July 25, and an $16 Thursday preview on July 26. Opening Night is Friday, July 27, followed by a reception with the cast and crew. The show runs four weeks, through August 19.
Evening performances are at 7:30 pm and Sunday matinees are at 2:00 pm. at Flying Anvil Theatre, 1300 Rocky Hill Rd. Tickets are $22 and $24 (Students with I.D. $16) and may be purchased online at flyinganviltheatre.com, or call 865-357-1309 to make reservations.

Runs July 27 through August 19. Tickets available at https://www.ticketpeak.com/res/FlyingAnvil.

Tickets can be purchased online or reserved via telephone. Flying Anvil Theatre, 1300 Rocky Hill Road, Knoxville. Information: 865-357-1309, www.flyinganviltheatre.com

Music by Harvey Schmidt, Lyrics by Tom Jones
Directed by Rebecca Gomez

"Try To Remember" a time when this romantic charmer wasn't enchanting audiences around the world. The Fantasticks is the longest-running musical in the world and with good reason: at the heart of its breathtaking poetry and subtle theatrical sophistication is a purity and simplicity that transcends cultural barriers. The result is a timeless fable of love that manages to be nostalgic and universal at the same time.

The Fantasticks is a funny and romantic musical about a boy, a girl, and their two fathers who try to keep them apart. The narrator, El Gallo, asks the audience to use their imagination and follow him into a world of moonlight and magic. The boy and the girl fall in love, grow apart and finally find their way back to each other after realizing the truth in El Gallo's words that, "without a hurt, the heart is hollow."

Theatre Knoxville Downtown, 319 North Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37917. Information & tickets: 865-544-1999, www.theatreknoxville.com

This show is coordinated by the Simulations + Gaming + Role-Playing (SGR) Community of Scholars. This multi-disciplinary group brings together members of the UT community who share an interest in researching the development and use of simulations, gaming, role-playing, and similar strategies for teaching and learning. Such strategies are among the latest developments in higher education, and have been shown to create interactivity and collaboration, increase engagement and retention, deepen reflection and understanding, engender positive values and thoughtful behavior, and open authentic spaces for real-world problem-solving. Games and Simulations provide players/users with the opportunity to not only visualize, but to experience the world of a problem from a variety of perspectives.

Featured Games:
Marrying Mr. Darcy is a strategy card game for 2-6 players based on Jane Austen’s classic novel “Pride and Prejudice.”

Walden, a game is an exploratory narrative and open world simulation of the life of American philosopher Henry David Thoreau during his experiment in self-reliant living at Walden Pond. The game begins in the summer of 1845 when Thoreau moved to the Pond and built his cabin there.

Embodied Labs works at the intersection of healthcare training and virtual reality storytelling to provide a culture shift solution that empowers every member of the care team to share their expertise and value one another.

The Cat and the Coup is a documentary videogame in which you play the cat of Dr. Mohammed Mossadegh, the first democratically elected Prime Minister of Iran. During the summer of 1953, the CIA engineered a coup to bring about his downfall. As a player, you coax Mossadegh back through significant events of his life by knocking objects off of shelves, scattering his papers, jumping on his lap and scratching him.

Abbreviated Summer Hours: Tuesday – Friday, 12 – 4 PM. Ewing Gallery, 1715 Volunteer Blvd on the UT campus, Knoxville, TN 37996. Information: 865-974-3200, www.ewing-gallery.utk.edu

For ages 5-12. Dates: June 11-15, June 18-22, July 16-20, July 23-27, daily 9 AM – 4 PM at the Birdhouse, 800 N. 4th Avenue. We offer a kids camp, usually a week long, typically for ages 5-14. We tailor the lessons to multiple ages by working together in whole-group instruction or by splitting up into smaller groups to maximize learning. We spend the day together creating art through various art forms like music, improv games, visual art and dance. We meet-up at the end of the day and share our experiences in a cool down meditative share time. Our mission is to promote cooperation and the love of learning through art, craft and creativity! Through exploration of self we will find common ground in each other. Cost is $235 or $55 per day. https://kidsinthearts.weebly.com/ or karlalanhess@gmail.com

Reception: July 13, 6:30 – 8:00 PM - Free and open to the public. Juried by Clay Thurston and featuring photography in categories such as Wildlife, Human Interest, Landscape, Still Life, Architecture, and Digitally Altered.

Exhibit viewing hours: Hours: Tu & Th 9-5, W & F 10-5, 2nd-4th Sa 10-1. Fountain City Art Center, 213 Hotel Ave, Knoxville, TN 37918. Information: 865-357-2787, www.fountaincityartcenter.com

Featuring the hit songs, “A Whole New World” and “Friend Like Me,” Disney’s Aladdin Jr will capture the hearts of audiences young and old.

Aladdin and his three friends are down on their luck until Aladdin discovers a magic lamp, which contains a genie who has the power to grant three wishes. Wanting to earn the respect of Princess Jasmine, Aladdin embarks on an adventure that tests his will and moral character.

The live stage play will be performed July 13 through 29:
Fri., July 13 at 7 PM, Sat., July 14 at 1 PM & 5 PM, Sun., July 15 at 3 PM
Thurs., July 19 at 7 PM, Fri., July 20 at 7 PM, Sat., July 21 at 1 PM & 5 PM, Sun., July 22 at 3 PM & 7 PM
Thurs., July 26 at 7 PM, Fri., July 27 at 7 PM, Sat., July 28 at 1 PM & 5 PM, Sun., July 29 at 3 PM & 7 PM

The play is performed by 23 talented young actors, from ages 10 to 17. Joseph Coram will play the title role, and Celeste Paultre will perform as Princess Jasmine. Audrey Jones will take on the role of The Genie, and Noah Seaman will play Jafar.

Derrick Washington, Jr. will direct the production, after serving for the past year as a directing intern. Recent West High graduates Wheeler Moon and Bethany Moon will design lights and costumes, respectively, and high-schoolers Derrick Washington, Kennis Van Dyke, and others will perform the play’s technical duties. Bearden sophomore Abby Ann Ramsey 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

July 12 – August 12, Thursday to Sunday, 7:00 PM nightly
Shakespeare on the Square annually features two of the magnificent plays of Williams Shakespeare, comedies, tragedies and histories, rotated nightly outdoors on Market Square in the heart of downtown Knoxville. A blanket or a camp chair is all you need to view these performances. Or treat yourself to reserved VIP seating for just $15 per person, including a complimentary bottle of water and local merchant goodie bag. While we perform with no admission charge for general seating, we do appreciate your donations – we’ll pass a basket nightly and suggest a $10 donation per person. We also accept cash or credit cards at the “front of house” table.

Cymbeline: July 12, 14, 20, 22, 26, 28, and August 3, 5, 9, & 11
Special performance at Blount County Library in Maryville on July 30!
Cymbeline is the King of Britain. He marries an unpleasant woman who has an arrogant son called Cloten. Cymbeline arranges the marriage of his beautiful daughter, Imogen, to Cloten, but she defies him and marries the poor but worthy Posthumus Leonatus.

Henry IV, Part One: July 13, 15, 19, 21, 27, 29, and August 2, 4, 10, & 12
The story of Prince Hal (the future King Henry V of England), a fifteenth century wild child who carouses with criminals and commoners, helps his loser chums rob his father’s treasury, and spends all his time in seedy bars. This, of course, all takes place before Prince Hal’s glorious “reformation,” when he transforms himself from a total disgrace into a noble leader, who helps put down a rebel uprising that threatens his father’s reign, and kills the guy whose been bad-mouthing him all over England. Being a young prince is busy work, and this is just Part 1 of the story!

Indoor Matinee Performances - July 22: Cymbeline and August 5: Henry IV, Part One
Our indoor matinees take place in the luxuriously air conditioned and well appointed Scruffy City Hall at 32 Market Square. Both shows begin at 2:00 p.m. and admission is $15.00 at the door.

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

The Town's July/August 2018 Featured Artist is Sheri Burns, a home-school mom of four. She became an accomplished basket maker after studying Appalachian culture with her children. In an effort to add a hands-on element to her teaching, she signed up for a basket-making class and was immediately "hooked," she says. "I loved making baskets, and soon had a house full of them, and generously gifted them to all my relatives and friends!"

She is now a juried crafter at the Appalachian Arts Craft Center in Norris and teaches classes there and at Pellissippi State Community College. She is a member of the Tennessee Basket Association.

Each month, the work of an artist or group of artists is featured in specially-designed cases on the second floor of the rotunda in Farragut Town Hall. Farragut Town Hall, located at 11408 Municipal Center Drive directly across from the Farragut Branch Post Office, is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information about this exhibit or to access a Featured Artist application, visit townoffarragut.org/artsandculture or contact Brittany Spencer at ParksandRecInfo@townoffarragut.org or 865-218-3378.

Recent works by artist Kathy Holland and jewelery artist Lynn Straka will be featured throughout July at the Art Market Gallery. An opening reception for the artists, including complimentary refreshments and live music performed by Wendel Werner, will begin at 5:30 p.m. on July 6th, during Downtown Knoxville’s monthly First Friday Art Walk.

The show will highlight the new drawing series, “A Sea of Color,” by Kathy Holland, as well as the mixed-media jewelry of Lynn Straka, one of the Art Market Gallery’s newest artists.

Kathy Holland: I grew up enchanted and intrigued by the landscape around me: the undulating, mysterious, constantly changing forests, meadows, light and weather of the central and southern Appalachians. Even in my travels to England, Scotland and New Zealand I feel a pull toward similar terrain with an obviously dynamic geological past: land masses folded by tectonics and molded by weather, moving water and gravity.

Lynn Straka: My name is Lynn Straka, DVM. I am a mixed media jewelry artist and practicing small animal veterinarian. I began making natural and glass crystal beaded jewelry in about 2000—helping me through a tumultuous time. Jewelry-making quickly became a second vocation and I began selling my jewelry at craft shows. Ten years later, I expanded my work and began to transition from stringing beads to creating my jewelry by letter and word stamping on sterling silver and copper. I opened an Etsy shop, making and selling personalized pendant necklaces, bridal gifts and other unique pieces. At that time, I was self-taught, researching and learning technique and materials use on my own. I’ve always felt comfortable using small hand tools in these techniques, because the tools are similar to the tools I use in my veterinary surgical practice.

Art Market Gallery, 422 S. Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37902. Hours: Tu-Th & Sa 11-6, Fri 11-9, Su 1-5. Information: 865-525-5265, www.artmarketgallery.net

In Ijams' Hallway Gallery. Stop by to see gorgeous underwater photography by Bryce Gibson in July! Gibson's stunning photos of native, freshwater fish will help you appreciate the beauty and diversity of wildlife living in East Tennessee's waters.

More events at http://ijams.org/events/. Ijams Nature Center, 2915 Island Home Ave, Knoxville, TN 37920. Hours: Grounds and trails open during daylight hours. Call for Visitor Center hours. Information: 865-577-4717, www.ijams.org

A reception will take place on Friday, July 6, from 5:00-9:00 PM as part of First Friday activities downtown to which the public is invited to meet the artists and view the artwork.

My Life, My Art in East Tennessee in the Main gallery
“My Life, My Art in East Tennessee” is a juried exhibition developed to recognize local artists ages 50 and up. The exhibition, sponsored by Renaissance Terrace Assisted Living, will feature fine art works of all media works by local artists reflecting the theme “My Life, My Art in East Tennessee”. Works in the exhibitions may also be a reflection of community, family and history in East Tennessee. For more information about participating in the exhibition, please contact kkinney@schas.org.

On display at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, in downtown Knoxville. Exhibition hours are Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM. Information: (865) 523-7543 or www.knoxalliance.com.