Calendar of Events

CANCELLED

The Knoxville Opera Guild presents a series of themed meals throughout the season featuring entertainment by local artists. Please revisit this page for details about venues, menus, times, and further information as the season progresses.

March 29 - High Tea Opera Up Close

Knoxville Opera: 865-524-0795, www.knoxvilleopera.com

CANCELLED

Shrek the Musical (SUNDAY)
The Clayton Center for the Arts – Ronald and Lynda Nutt Theatre
March 29, 2020 2:00 PM

Based on the Oscar-winning DreamWorks Animation film, Shrek The Musical is a Tony Award-winning fairy tale adventure, featuring all new songs from Jeanine Tesori (Thoroughly Modern Millie; Caroline, or Change) and a sidesplitting book by David Lindsay-Abaire. Shrek brings all the beloved characters you know from the film to life on stage and proves there's more to the story than meets the ears. "Once upon a time, there was a little ogre named Shrek...." And thus begins the tale of an unlikely hero who finds himself on a life-changing journey alongside a wisecracking Donkey and a feisty princess who resists her rescue. Throw in a short-tempered bad guy, a cookie with an attitude and over a dozen other fairy tale misfits, and you've got the kind of mess that calls for a real hero. Luckily, there's one on hand... and his name is Shrek. Shrek presents a treasure trove of creative opportunities, including costumes, sets, puppets (there is a fire-breathing dragon after all) and more! Irreverently fun for the whole family, Shrek proves that beauty is truly in the eye of the ogre.

Tickets: https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/7961383/shrek-the-musical-sunday-maryville-the-clayton-center-for-the-arts-ronald-and-lynda-nutt-theatre

Clayton Center for the Arts: 502 East Lamar Alexander Parkway, Maryville, TN 37804. Information/tickets: 865-981-8590, www.ClaytonArtsCenter.com

Not Sorry Productions Presents Kate Willett Thursday, March 19, 2020 at 8 PM – 10 PM
Central Cinema, 1205 N Central St, Knoxville,

Tickets at: https://m.facebook.com/events/199315201219183?tsid=0.8747763694238451&source=result

As a university museum we follow the protocols and procedures of the University of Tennessee. For that reason the McClung Museum will be closed from March 16 to April 3. This means that all public programs and events (including public tours) will be cancelled or rescheduled.

Civil War Lecture Series, "James Longstreet: Hero at Chickamauga or Failure at Independent Command?”

Robert E. Lee’s ‘Old War Horse’ was pleased with the August 1863 plan to reinforce the Army of Tennessee and perhaps saw himself as the successor to unpopular General Braxton Bragg. Infighting among the top Confederate generals led to Longstreet’s orders to retake Knoxville in early November. As Longstreet predicted, nothing about that campaign went well. Hosted by our Civil War Curator, Joan Markel.

McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture, 1327 Circle Park Dr on the UT campus, Knoxville, TN 37996. Hours: Monday-Saturday, 9AM-5PM, Sunday, 1-5PM. Information: 865-974-2144, http://mcclungmuseum.utk.edu

Did you know that one of the things you can do to help us survive this mess is... watch movies at home? In the short time since we closed our doors, a slew of distributors have shown support for defunct independent cinemas with groundbreaking "virtual engagements" that directly benefit us directly... so take a look at what's showing "at" Central Cinema this week!

Now Playing

Online Premiere: Flirting With Azrael
Based on John Tod Baker's 2015 concept album, Flirting with Azrael: A Psychedelic Rock Musical is a film about Rabi Xaler, a woman abused and tormented by her alcoholic and adulterous husband, JD.

Oscilloscope Laboratories presents Saint Frances
Flailing thirty-four-year-old Bridget (Kelly O'Sullivan) finally catches a break when she meets a nice guy and lands a much-needed job nannying six-year-old Frances (played by a scene-stealing Ramona Edith-Williams).

Fantastic Fungi
Fantastic Fungi is a vivid journey into the mysterious subterranean world of mycelium and its fruit— the mushroom.

Kino Lorber presents Bacurau
A few years from now... Bacurau, a small village in the Brazilian sertão, mourns the loss of its matriarch, Carmelita, who lived to be 94. Days later, its inhabitants (among them Sônia Braga) notice that their village has literally vanished from online maps and a UFO-shaped drone is seen flying overhead.

Opening Saturday, March 28
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram to access our custom link once it's live!
Film Movement presents Zombi Child
Haiti, 1962. A man is brought back from the dead only to be sent to the living hell of the sugarcane fields.

https://centralcinema865.com/

While Historic Westwood is closed for tours through April 30th, spring has come to the gardens which remain open to the public. The daffodils in "Mickey's Cutting Garden" are beautiful right now and wonderful volunteers from Ossoli Circle have been sprucing up "Adelia's Shade Garden".

Bring a book and sit on one of the benches or in one of the front porch rocking chairs or simply walk-through on your way to the Third Creek Greenway. Please remember to keep an appropriate social distance from others while enjoying the grounds.

Free parking next door at Laurel Church of Christ, 3457 Kingston Pike.
www.knoxheritage.org

This production as been postponed until further notice.

By Chelsea Marcantel

“In a word, dazzling … the most talked-about production of this year’s Humana Festival.”

Prepare to have your face melted by Shreddy Eddy, Golden Thunder and the reigning champ, D Vicious, at the National Air Guitar competition! Nina, a real guitar player, enters the competition thinking it will be a cinch to take the championship. She soon discovers she has a lot to learn. A tribute to good friends, killer rock classics, and the joy of letting go.

Clarence Brown 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

CANCELLED

Shrek the Musical (SUNDAY)
The Clayton Center for the Arts – Ronald and Lynda Nutt Theatre
March 27-29, 2020

Based on the Oscar-winning DreamWorks Animation film, Shrek The Musical is a Tony Award-winning fairy tale adventure, featuring all new songs from Jeanine Tesori (Thoroughly Modern Millie; Caroline, or Change) and a sidesplitting book by David Lindsay-Abaire. Shrek brings all the beloved characters you know from the film to life on stage and proves there's more to the story than meets the ears. "Once upon a time, there was a little ogre named Shrek...." And thus begins the tale of an unlikely hero who finds himself on a life-changing journey alongside a wisecracking Donkey and a feisty princess who resists her rescue. Throw in a short-tempered bad guy, a cookie with an attitude and over a dozen other fairy tale misfits, and you've got the kind of mess that calls for a real hero. Luckily, there's one on hand... and his name is Shrek. Shrek presents a treasure trove of creative opportunities, including costumes, sets, puppets (there is a fire-breathing dragon after all) and more! Irreverently fun for the whole family, Shrek proves that beauty is truly in the eye of the ogre.

Tickets: https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/7961383/shrek-the-musical-sunday-maryville-the-clayton-center-for-the-arts-ronald-and-lynda-nutt-theatre

Clayton Center for the Arts: 502 East Lamar Alexander Parkway, Maryville, TN 37804. Information/tickets: 865-981-8590, www.ClaytonArtsCenter.com

CANCELLED

Our mission: We bring artists & audiences together to create and share transformative experiences.

Founded in 2009, Big Ears is a singular festival experience that explores connections between musicians and artists, effortlessly crossing the boundaries of musical genres as well as artistic disciplines. Big Ears is a weekend of world-class musical performances that celebrates Knoxville’s historic theaters, nightclubs, churches, museums, and outdoor spaces with concerts, discussions, interactive workshops, installations, film screenings, surprise collaborations and unexpected artistic collisions. It celebrates the never-ending adventure of artistic creation and exploration.

Annually, the festival supports 100+ performances of music, film, and art over four days. Community engagement typically includes 50+ panels, workshops, and performances that are free and open to the public.

In 2016, Big Ears was hailed by The New York Times as “the widest-angle music festival in the country, bridging the spaces between the classical tradition, improvised music, electronics and guitars,” and by Alex Ross of The New Yorker as “the most open-minded music gathering in the country.”

With nearly 150 jazz, rock, classical, bluegrass and folk concerts in venues ranging from the Tennessee and Bijou Theaters to St. John’s Cathedral and Church Street United Methodist Church, the Knoxville Museum of Art, the Standard, the Mill & Mine, the Square Room, Boyd’s Jig and Reel, and the Pilot Light. Visit www.bigearsfestival.org for full lineup, schedule and details!

CANCELLED

Big Ears and the curatorial masterminds over at Public Cinema are thrilled to announce the film program for the 2020 festival — nearly 30 screenings and more than 60 films — set to run over the entirety of the festival weekend at Regal Cinema in downtown Knoxville. Like the music programs at Big Ears, the film festival offers a fascinating and discerning breadth and depth that is sure to intrigue and inspire cinephiles from all over.

One of several programming themes for the film festival, Standard Definition, explores the transition from celluloid to digital film and will host work from Agnès Varda, Chantal Akerman, Abbas Kiarostami, and Hal Hartley, along with several U.S. theatrical premieres and rarely shown films from around the globe.

Another festival theme, Stereo Visions, presents boundary-bounding uses of 3D in film, and features Cunningham, Alla Kovgin’s new 3D film on the iconic dancemaker Merce Cunningham, along with a half-dozen other 3D screenings — some cheeky, some austere — each coming with the requisite viewing glasses.

As part of the music program at Big Ears, the legendary and enigmatic British alternative rock band Tindersticks will give their first stateside performance in nearly a decade — and in addition to that live performance, the film lineup will showcase four of the band’s collaborations with extraordinary French auteur Claire Denis: Bastards, Let the Sunshine In, and High Life, plus a rare theatrical screening of The Waiting Room, a “visual album” of videos that accompanied Tindersticks’ 2016 release of the same name.

Argentine-British artist Jessica Sarah Rinland and New Orleans based director Lily Keber will receive spotlights as filmmakers in residence at the festival. The festival will screen nearly all of Rinland’s evocative films, and host an installation of her mixed-media work at the UT Downtown Gallery. Keber will have three films in screening — including Bayou Maharajah, her documentary on NOLA piano king, James Booker — and a work-in-progress documentary on Santeria and Palo religious rituals in Cuba.

In addition to these curated screenings, there will also be a number of live performances that have an indispensable film component. These include Kronos Quartet and filmmaker Sam Green’s A Thousand Thoughts a “live documentary” on the the five decade history of Kronos, a hit at Sundance; Kim Gordon’s Sound for Andy Warhol’s Kiss, a soundtrack to Warhol’s infamous hour-long 1963 film Kiss by Sonic Youth frontwoman Kim Gordon and a quartet of ace rock ‘n’ noise collaborators. Film programming at Big Ears closes out with Electric Appalachia, a collaboration harpist Mary Lattimore, guitarist William Tyler, and film archivist Eric Dawson of the Tennessee Archive of Moving Image and Sound (TAMIS) — a film and music meditation on electricity and modernity in East Tennessee.

The program will be screened at the downtown Regal Riviera Stadium 8 Theater and the University of Tennessee Downtown Gallery, with several cinema-related live events presented during the festival weekend. All film events will be open to Big Ears pass-holders, and a “film program only” ticketing option is on sale now at www.bigearsfestival.org.

View Full Film Program: https://bigearsfestival.org/lineup/#/lineup_groupings/film

Small Works by UTK School of Art Faculty

Small Works features a selection of small works by faculty members in the School of Art. Participating faculty members include Joshua Bienko, Emily Bivens, Sally Brogden, Jason Brown, Rubens Ghenov, John C. Kelley, Mary Laube, Paul Lee, Beauvais Lyons, Frank Martin, Althea Murphy-Price, John Powers, Jered Sprecher, and Koichi Yamamoto.

https://art.utk.edu/small-works-by-soa-faculty/

Featuring the culminating work of our graduating class, on display at the Ewing Gallery of Art + Architecture.

Reception: 6-8 p.m. Friday, March 27

The first set of shows features Kristina Key, April Marten, William Rerick and Emmett Merrill.

Ewing Gallery, 1715 Volunteer Blvd on the UT campus, Knoxville, TN 37996. Information: 865-974-3200, www.ewing-gallery.utk.edu