Calendar of Events

First Friday event from 5-9 PM

The Casa HoLa Store will be open for shopping!

https://holahoralatina.org/events/
https://www.facebook.com/HoLaHoraLatina
https://www.instagram.com/holahoralatina/
https://twitter.com/CasaHoLa

HoLa Hora Latina is located inside of the Emporium for the Arts at 100 S. Gay St. Suite 112, Knoxville, TN 37902. Info: (865)335-3358 or casahola@holafestival.org

Visit the Ijams Hallway Gallery in April to view photography by David Liles!

This former CPA loves color and high contrast, and his works are often abstractions that are achieved through color, pattern, shape and detail (or lack thereof).

Ijams Nature Center, 2915 Island Home Ave, Knoxville, TN 37920. Information: 865-577-4717, www.ijams.org

Thu-Sat 8 PM, Sun 3 PM

by Paul Rudnick
Directed by Courtney Woolard

A young and successful television actor relocates to New York, where he rents a marvelous, gothic apartment.

With his television career in limbo, the actor is offered the opportunity to play Hamlet onstage, but there’s one problem: He hates Hamlet.

His dilemma deepens with the entrance of John Barrymore’s ghost, who arrives intoxicated and in full costume to the apartment that once was his. The contrast between the two actors, the towering, dissipated Barrymore whose Hamlet was the greatest of his time, and Andrew Rally, hot young television star, leads to a wildly funny duel over women, art, success, duty, television, and yes, the apartment.

Reviews
…unapologetically silly and at times hilarious…affectionately amusing about the theatre…
—NY Times

“…fast-mouthed and funny…It has the old-fashioned Broadway virtues of brightness without pretensions and sentimentality without morals.”
— Village Voice

Theatre Knoxville Downtown, 800 S. Central Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information & tickets: 865-544-1999, www.theatreknoxville.com

Theatre students at Pellissippi State Community College have collaborated with a Brooklyn playwright on a new play that will debut this weekend.

“Our Tempest” by Jake Brasch will be performed six times at Pellissippi State: at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, April 1-2 and April 8-9, as well as 2 p.m. matinees on Sundays, April 3 and 10. All performances will be held in the Clayton Performing Arts Center on the college’s Hardin Valley Campus, 10915 Hardin Valley Road, Knoxville. Tickets are $12 for adults and $10 for students and seniors.

This marks Pellissippi State’s second collaboration with The Farm Theater in New York. Brasch wrote the first draft of the play in collaboration with Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee, in fall 2021, culminating in a workshop with minimal technical elements. Brasch then revised the play based on that experience and worked with Pellissippi State to bring “Our Tempest” to life in a full-scale production this spring.

“Our Tempest” follows a group of Theatre students from a small liberal arts college in Tennessee as they devise a production focusing on climate change using Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” as a starting point. Things don’t go exactly as planned, and as the students reveal their individual fears and insecurities, they discover they need each other, too. “Our Tempest” stars 10 Pellissippi State students, with a crew that includes both students and alumni. In addition to climate change, the play also delves into issues of race, gender, sexuality and religion – with one role double cast so that the audience and actors can look at one of the characters through those different lenses.

Purchase your tickets online at www.pstcc.edu/arts. "Our Tempest” has a run time of 1 hour 45 minutes with no intermission, and the play is recommended for ages 13 and older.

All Campus Theatre, a student run organization dedicated to creating theatre for students, by students, on campus is producing a student thesis at the Lab at Clarence Brown Theatre.

"Callaway", written by Emily Pope, 22, invites us into a story that seems far off from today but is actually more relevant than ever. Set in the South, midst of the Civil War, Callaway is a family drama about reflecting on the past, challenging inner ignorance and asking the age-old question: what is the right thing to do? The cast and crew have spent the last three months asking themselves those questions as they rehearse for the show.

Matt Boshears, 22, and Brooke Premo, 19, lean into their characters (Joshua and Dulcinea Callaway) as they bicker on the porch about Joshua leaving his post in the Confederacy. Dulcinea pleads for Joshua to leave the war, the cause rooted in the Southern states desire to keep slavery in its society. Boshears felt drawn to this story and Joshua’s character, reflecting on the arc of Joshua and his own growth through the process. “It makes us uncomfortable at times but that’s part of its beauty. There can’t be any kind of change or growth without discomfort.”

Through the process, the cast has found themselves asking hard questions of their character’s why for rejecting or maintaining the 1860s societal norm. Each character has a journey that the audience as seen in themselves, or others. Pope writes those hard moments with the heart of humanity pulsing through each syllable. There is no stereotype within the play. Left with the raw vulnerability theatre gives an audience to see, they are left with knowing there is more work to be done.

Callaway will be performing at the Lab Theatre at the Clarence Brown Theatre. The shows are April 1st at 7:30pm, with a talkback, April 2nd at 7:30pm, and April 3rd at 2:00pm. Reserve tickets: https://forms.gle/Hzkaw3RUrAdxdh6x9

All Campus Theatre is a student organization at the University of Tennessee dedicated to producing student work, and giving students opportunities to explore in theatre. Contact us at theatre@utk.edu, or visit our website at https://allcampustheatre.weebly.com/ to learn more.

Friday, April 1, at 7 PM and 9:30 PM - two shows! // Civic Auditorium

Hailing from Old Hickory, Tennessee, stand-up comedian Nate Bargatze is selling out shows across the world on his Raincheck Tour.

In July 2020, the comedian teamed up with All Things Comedy to release his weekly podcast, Nateland. The world is a crazy place and there's plenty of podcasts out there tackling the tough issues. However, Nateland will tackle the meaningless issues that we face day to day to give listeners a much-needed mental break from fighting the good fight. New episodes release Wednesdays, with video available on Nate’s YouTube channel and audio available everywhere you get podcasts.

Nate followed in the showbiz footsteps of his dad, a former clown turned world class magician, who’s influence is seen on Nate’s 2015 debut special Full Time Magic and his debut album Yelled at By a Clown. Nate’s half-hour Netflix Special The Standups premiered on July 4th, 2017. In March 2019, Nate’s first solo one-hour Netflix special, The Tennessee Kid premiered globally with rave reviews, and recently released his highly anticipated 2nd special for the streaming platform, The Greatest Average American on March 18th, 2021.

Bargatze’s comedy is both clean and relatable, evident in his ten appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. He also appeared on Conan four times, was a recurring guest on @midnight, and had his own Comedy Central Presents in 2011. Off-screen, Nate was part of Jimmy Fallon's Clean-Cut Comedy Tour, and has done live shows for the troops in Iraq and Kuwait five times. In addition to touring the country as a headliner, Nate toured in arenas with Chris Rock on his 2017 Total Blackout Tour. He regularly performs at Bonnaroo, SXSW, Oddball Comedy Festival, Sasquatch, Clusterfest, and the JFL Montreal Comedy Festival, where he’s received critical acclaim multiple years in a row.

Knoxville Civic Auditorium and Coliseum, 500 Howard Baker Jr Blvd, Knoxville, TN 37915. Information: www.knoxvillecoliseum.com

Arrowmont’s Board of Governors and staff host a grand opening for Arrowmont’s new gallery in Knoxville, TN, The Arrowmont Gallery, April 1, 2022. Guests include leading members of the community and Arrowmont supporters. The grand opening coincides with First Friday festivities and includes a ribbon cutting and brief welcome remarks at the start of the evening.

WHEN: Friday, April 1, 2022; 5:00 – 8:30 pm

INAUGURAL EXHIBITION ARTISTS: Jonathan Adams ∙ Jennifer Allen ∙ Erin Anfinson ∙ Adam Atkinson ∙ Barbara Bullard ∙ Tina Curry ∙ Chandra DeBuse ∙ Bill Griffith ∙ Dani Guillen ∙ Chris Hoehle ∙ Everett Hoffman ∙ Jeana Eve Klein ∙ Maia Leppo ∙ Ashton Ludden ∙ John Polly ∙ Justin Rothshank ∙ Joshua Shorey ∙ ᎺᎵᏔᎻᏏᏂ Mary Welch Thompson ∙ Katherine Wagner ∙ Kimberly Winkle

The Arrowmont Gallery - Knoxville, 110 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information: 865-436-5860, https://www.arrowmont.org/

April 1 @ 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
$32.00

An evening of fun, food, and dancing at Ancient Lore Village! Enjoy April Fools with us as we celebrate in style – with Silent Disco! Get dressed in your favorite outfit, grab your friends, drive to the Village, pick up a pair of headphones, choose a station, and dance the night away! Dinner included with your ticket.

Ancient Lore Village, 7107 Sevierville Pike, Knoxville, TN 37920. 865-200-2434, info@ancientlorevillage.com, https://ancientlorevillage.com

Friday, April 1 at 8 pm on Facebook & Youtube.

https://www.facebook.com/LaurelTheater
https://www.youtube.com/user/LaurelTheater

Chattanooga native Joseph Decosimo has been interested in the fiddle and banjo traditions of Tennessee since childhood. His focus is on the music of the Cumberland Plateau, southeast Tennessee, and western North Carolina. Early on, he sought out the older generation of players in the region. He has performed with Tennessee fiddlers Clyde Davenport, Charlie Acuff, Bob Townsend and Mike Bryant. Joseph has taught and performed at the Augusta Heritage Center, the Berkeley Old Time Music Convention, and the Festival of American Fiddle Tunes in Port Townsend.

In collaboration with Knox Brew Hub, Knoxville Area Brewers Association, and Member Breweries

The East Tennessee Historical Society (ETHS) is pleased to present the “World’s Fair Beer Expo: Cheers to 40 Years” event that will be held on Friday, April 1, 2022, at Knox Brew Hub, located at 421 Union Avenue in downtown Knoxville. The “Expo” is a series of three ticketed events to be held over the course of the day that are part of the kick-off events for Knoxville’s and Knox County’s 40th anniversary celebration of the 1982 World’s Fair. ETHS will also be opening this month a new feature exhibit, “You Should’ve Been There!”: The 40th Anniversary of the 1982 World’s Fair, in the Museum of East Tennessee History, which will be on view through October 9, 2022.

At the 1982 World’s Fair, 22 countries gathered in Knoxville to explore the theme “Energy Turns the World.” Many different pieces of memorabilia came out of this event, but one of the most famous was “World’s Fair Beer.” The East Tennessee Historical Society has partnered with Knox Brew Hub, Knoxville Area Brewers Association, and more than 20 local Knoxville breweries that are working to create a beer inspired by a country represented at the 1982 World's Fair. With the help of multiple embassies, ETHS has linked our Knoxville-based brewers with foreign breweries to discuss the culture of brewing in Mexico, the Netherlands, Germany, and more.

The “World's Fair Beer Expo” at Knox Brew Hub includes:

• A ticketed luncheon event at $100 per person from 12-2 p.m. at the Brew Hub featuring a four-course meal prepared by Chef Jeffrey DeAlejandro and paired with four of the local breweries’ “World’s Fair” beers. Tickets include an admission voucher to the Museum of East Tennessee History, a commemorative pint glass, and an enamel pin.

• Evening tasting events are a ticketed Happy Hour from 4-6 p.m. and an evening session from 7-9 p.m. at $50 per person, which offers the only opportunity to try out 2-ounce tasters of all 20 of the new “World’s Fair” beers from local breweries with snacks by Chef DeAlejandro.

• Tickets are now available on Eventbrite, and seating is limited. All proceeds benefit the East Tennessee Historical Society, a 501(c)3 organization. https://www.eventbrite.com/e/worlds-fair-beer-expo-cheers-to-40-years-tickets-288140184047

First Friday opening on April 1

RED Gallery is proud to announce the opening of UnNatural History, a photography exhibition by Diane Fox. The show will open on March 4 (First Friday) and run through April 23. It will feature two bodies of work within the larger collection: portraits of taxidermied animals, and photographs of dioramas featuring taxidermied animals in natural history museums.

Diane Fox is an artist whose work speaks to the perpetually dissolving connection of humanity to the natural world. Solo exhibitions of her photographic body of work, UnNatural History, have been shown nationally and internationally including at the Antenna Gallery, New Orleans, LA; Dom Muz Gallery, Torun, Poland; Santa Reparata Gallery, Florence, Italy, and more. In 2017, her work was shown internationally at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, France and the Schirn Kunsthalle in Frankfort, Germany as part of their exhibition “Dioramas.” Fox is a Distinguished Lecturer Emerita in the College of Architecture and Design at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, where she taught photography and graphic design. Fox has a MFA from The University of Tennessee, Knoxville and a BFA from Middle Tennessee State University.

Fox was inspired to make what she describes as confrontational animal portraits while in the Uffici looking at historical paintings of people long dead. “I felt that animals should also be honored in their death,” says Fox. What makes them confrontational in nature is their large scale, and the fact that the animals are gazing directly at the viewer. Fox explains, “When something is looking directly at you, you have to engage with it.” While individual portraits in the collection are striking, viewing them all together brings another experience. Fox says that many of the animals look alive, but when viewers see a portrait of an aged taxidermied monkey, they notice cracks in his face. These cracks, or the portrait of a jackalope (a mythological creature) “give it away” that these are all taxidermied animals.

For images of dioramas, Fox was interested in working with layers to confuse the space. None of the photographs are manipulated, or even cropped, and none of them encompass the entire diorama. “I include reflections from other cases, as well as elements meant to remain unseen to confuse the space,” says Fox.

“I want you to approach each piece thinking, ‘That’s beautiful.’ Then, ‘What’s going on?’ Then, ‘Wait, this isn’t right!’” The reflections pull other dioramas into the case, creating layers of imagery and layers of reactions within the viewers. Fox emphasizes that after studying the history of the natural habitat diorama, she has deep respect for people who made these dioramas; she says the art that goes into creating the taxidermy and the painted background is incredible. Ultimately, Fox hopes visitors will walk away from UnNatural History with deeper empathy and consciousness about animals’ lives. www.dianefoxphotography.com

Hours: Fridays 5-9pm, Saturdays 1-5pm and Sundays 1-5pm, and by appointment through the week (until April 23).
RED Gallery, 130 E Jackson Ave, Knoxville. 865-524-0146 or robin@robineaster.com

Pivot Point Fine Art Gallery will open to the public as part of Knoxville’s First Friday festivities on April 1. Located just north of downtown Knoxville at 15 Emory Place, the new retailer aims to celebrate artists and serve as a Knoxville-based resource for both established collectors and new art enthusiasts.

Owners Don Stoner and Faith Ferguson invite First Friday patrons and the entire community to visit the gallery, which features a variety of styles and mediums from about 30 different artists.

“We share a love of art and want to share that passion with others; we were inspired to open a gallery, and when we found this incredible space, we knew the time was right to realize that dream,” Stoner said. “There is a lot of incredible art being made in East Tennessee. Regionally and nationally, there are established artists whom we love and emerging artists we want to support. There is a desire and a demand for high-quality art in the community. Pivot Point is where this all converges, and we get to connect fans and buyers and artists and their work.”

The gallery features art display and retail space downstairs, as well as a second floor available for special events. Pivot Point’s local, regional and internationally renowned talent includes Knoxville-based artists like Shannon Deana Johnson, Daniel Clay, Jeanne Kidd, Joan Bontempo, Jean Hess, Bill Cook Jr. and more. Stoner and Ferguson hope to introduce these local artists, many of whom have dedicated followings beyond Knoxville, to area residents.

From 5-9 p.m. on April 1, several local and regional artists will be onsite at the gallery to greet visitors and discuss their work at the First Friday event.

“Knoxville art enthusiasts often are buying from galleries in larger cities like Nashville and Atlanta, and there’s an opportunity to serve them here,” Stoner said. “We also want to promote the quality and range of art being created in our community, tell the artists’ stories and ultimately connect local artists with local collectors. Pivot Point closes that gap.”

Located in a historic 130-year-old building, the gallery faces Gay Street heading south into downtown Knoxville, and nearby public parking is available. Regular hours will be announced in the coming weeks, and private viewing appointments are encouraged.

Artists currently on display use a range of materials in their work, including paint, ceramic, glass, wood and mixed media. The eclectic collection continues to expand as Stoner and Ferguson add to Pivot Point’s artist repertoire.

“Art is for everyone,” Ferguson said. “We want to help the general public find art and artists they love. We will showcase offerings at a wide range of sizes and values.”

Pivot Point is the most recent installation in a project to transform the Emory Place neighborhood into an arts destination. The gallery will host monthly exhibitions and other special events.

To learn more, visit www.pivotpointgallery.com and follow Pivot Point Fine Art Gallery on Facebook and Instagram.