Calendar of Events

September 23 - October 9: THE LITTLE PRINCE by Rick Cummins and John Scoullar

In River & Rail Theatre Co.'s first-ever Theatre for Young Audiences production, we get to bring one of our favorite children's stories to life. When a world-weary aviator finds themself stranded in a strange new world, the friendship and guidance of a small child enables them to shed what is not useful and pay attention to the life and beauty before their eyes. The Little Prince takes on an imaginative and playful perspective, reminding us all what it is like to look at the world through children's eyes again. "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly. What is essential is invisible to the eye."

River & Rail Theatre, 111 State Street, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information: 865-407-0727, www.riverandrailtheatre.com

by Kenneth Jones

In the panhandle of Nebraska, two actresses of a certain age are returning to their dying hometown. Jane’s in from L.A. to check up on her ailing mother. Andrea’s back from New York to bury her father. Can childhood friends overcome past hurts to find hope in a place they thought they left behind? Fall in love with a hilarious, heartfelt, hopeful premiere of a new American comedy about small towns, big dreams and the power of coming home.

PG-13 AUDIENCES

Oak Ridge Playhouse, 227 Broadway, Oak Ridge, TN 37830. Information and tickets: 865-482-9999, https://www.orplayhouse.com/

An Exhibition of Works by Polish Exchange Students Agnieszka Hoza and Izabela Kabza

Gallery 1010, 100 S. Gay Street, Suite 114, Knoxville, TN 37902. Hours: Reception Fri 5-7 PM, Sat 10 AM – 1 PM, or by appointment. Information: https://gallery1010.utk.edu/

ANJELAH JOHNSON-REYES "WHO DO I THINK I AM?" TOUR
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 | 7:30PM

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

It’s the 10th anniversary of Ijams’ partnership with Central Cinema and Knoxville Horror Film Fest!

Grab your favorite blanket or lawn chair and join the film festivities! Doors open at 7 pm and movies begin at dark (~9 pm). Food trucks and beer garden will have tasty meals, snacks, and beverages for purchase. NO COOLERS AND NO OUTSIDE ALCOHOL PLEASE. Dogs are allowed, but must be on leash at all times.

These events are on the Ijams Visitor Center lawn. In case of inclement weather, the event will move to the Ijams Homesite under the tent. Tickets are $10 per person or $36 for a family four-pack. Space is limited per screening. Purchasing tickets ahead of time is highly recommended. Walk-up tickets may not be available.

2915 Island Home Ave., Knoxville, TN 37920. 865-577-4717 or https://www.ijams.org/movies-under-the-stars

KATHLEEN MADIGAN
Friday, September 23 at 7:30PM // Civic Auditorium

Comedian Kathleen Madigan’s 32-year comedy career is showing no signs of slowing down. Madigan has been touring 250 nights a year on the road and has risen from performing in comedy clubs to performing in marquee theaters with sold out shows. She’s squeezed in over 40 appearances on late night talk shows and multiple comedy specials airing on Netflix, Comedy Central and HBO. She also recently joined Jerry Seinfeld on his Netflix show “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” and made the most of the pandemic by launching a podcast, “Madigan’s Pub cast,” on all streaming outlets. Recently asked if her career was planned, she said, “No, like that guy in the Joy of Painting used to say, it was a happy accident. This whole thing just started out as a reason to drink and wow, what a great drinking accident.”

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

Fri • Sep 23 • 7:30 PM
Knoxville Civic Auditorium, 500 Howard Baker Jr Blvd, Knoxville, TN 37915. Information: www.knoxvillecoliseum.com

Starts at: $36
DOORS: 5:00 pm
ALL AGES

River Breeze Event Center: 6110 Asheville Hwy., Knoxville, TN 37924. Information: (865) 584-9740 or www.goriverbreeze.com

Update 9-21-22: Canceled, will be rescheduled as soon as possible.

Faculty/Guest Artist Recital: Melisa Barrick Baldwin, Eileen Downey, & Wesley Baldwin

This faculty and guest artist recital will feature works for different combinations of soprano, cello, and piano.

September 23 at 7:30 p.m.
Sandra G. Powell Recital Hall, Natalie L. Haslam Music Center

UT School of Music: Unless otherwise noted, concerts are FREE and open to the public. In-person events that take place in the Sandra G. Powell Recital Hall or the James R. Cox Auditorium also have livestream options.
Venues: Sandra G. Powell Recital Hall in the Natalie L. Haslam Music Center, 1741 Volunteer Boulevard; James R. Cox Auditorium and Performance Hall 32, Alumni Memorial Building, 1408 Middle Drive.
Information: 865-974-8935, https://music.utk.edu/events/

GO! Contemporary Dance Works will present Wide Open, a contemporary and classical dance performance on Friday, September 23 at the Tennessee Amphitheater at World’s Fair Park.

An expansive performance matched by its open air surroundings, Wide Open celebrates the contrasts and similarities of both classical ballet and contemporary dance. Developing a tradition of starting its season with a fall outdoor performance, Wide Open will give GO!’s Knoxville audience a chance to experience company repertoire as well as its new works in a totally new way.

“The audience will experience dance in the fullest as the movement will not be visually confined by the walls of a theatre,” says Director Lisa Hall McKee. “The audience will have a closer connection to the dancers and to the familiar environment. Last year, it was exhilarating to see the city life surrounding the dancers. It makes it much more fascinating, less formal and less intimidating. Everyone absolutely loved it!”

Wide Open will feature several new works to include No Need to Envy, an elegantly costumed, Old Hollywood style contemporary ballet choreographed by McKee and performed to music by trumpet player Chris Botti. “I choreographed this piece with the sole purpose of entertaining our mixed generation audience,” says McKee. “It has a strong old school musical theatre feel to it which is very large and fun and touches on the envy manifested by pretentious elements of high society in that era.” Additional new works include Snapshots of Our Past, by Darby O’Connor-Lanigan, which looks inside the family portrait, the memories they hold and the stories they tell, and Bullseye, choreographed by Brenna Featherston, which is set on the Junior company and is an exploration of the choreographers time working in retail and finding the artistry in monotony.

Revisited repertoire will include Pulse, a driving 10 minute percussive ballet, Lines On a Page, a travel through the mind of an author, and Monet’s Water Lilies, a stunning visual display of movement depicting Claude Monet’s famous painting.

Wide Open will be the second performance by GO! performed in open air at the Tennessee Amphitheater and will include a pre-show event with live music and free refreshments at 7PM for ticket holders. Tickets are $15 in advance or $17 at the door and can be purchased at gocontemporarydance.com or at Studio Arts for Dancers, 865-539-2475. All seating is general admission. Wide Open is produced in part by corporate sponsors to include Garza Law Firm, MMG Munitions Group, Eagle Strategies and Studio Arts for Dancers. Wide Open is proud to be a Penny4Arts performance.

https://www.gocontemporarydance.com/

We open our museum to everyone for free the 4th Friday of every month. Get your whole crew together for a night of community and play!

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

Via Zoom on Sept. 23

We are excited to present “The Moon Underfoot Again: Artemis vs. the Apollo Lunar Programs,” by Research Associate Professor Bradley J. Thomson, a planetary geologist in the UT Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences. Humans will be returning to set foot on the lunar surface soon. But where on the Moon are we going, and why? Professor Thomson will discuss how the Artemis program differs from the Apollo missions, and how the emerging role of the commercial space sector is transforming how NASA conducts its mission of exploration and science. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required.
https://tennessee.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJEpde6orz0uHtRF6llcrYUZ2V9Pae-xPEvB

Professor Thomson’s work uses spacecraft observations and modeling to better understand the nature and timing of surface modification processes on terrestrial planets, and to better link orbital with surface observations. He has been a lead author, and co-author, on 39 peer-reviewed publications.

As a member of the science team for the lunar orbital radar instruments Mini-SAR and Mini-RF on the Chandrayaan-1 and the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spacecraft, respectively, Professor Thomson helped to design and execute observational campaigns for these instruments, and he also participated in the search for deposits of water ice in cold traps near the lunar poles using these data. Professor Thomson has contributed to the selection process for the Mars Science Laboratory rover, and was one of many proponents for a landing site in Gale crater. His additional work on Mars focuses on understanding the potential role of water in shaping the surface geomorphology, and also understanding the connection between rock strength and weathering. Professor Thomson current serves as vice-chair of MAPSIT, the NASA analysis group focusing on mapping and planetary spatial infrastructure; he is an elected officer of the Planetary Geology Division of the Geological Society of America; and he has participated on the NASA-chartered NEX SAG and Phobos/Diemos SKG advisory groups.