Calendar of Events

River & Rail’s White Rabbit/Red Rabbit Features A Different Actor Every Night
by Nassim Soleimanpour

No director. No set. No rehearsal. This one-person show is written to be handed to its performer on the night of their performance, in front of a live audience. Called “playful, enigmatic and haunting”, “a tense, entrancing piece of theatre” and “unpredictable, and completely unforgettable”, White Rabbit/Red Rabbit experiments with new ways of making and understanding theatre.

Barred from leaving his country after refusing military service under Iran’s brutal dictatorship, playwright Nassim Soleimanpour sent a play out into the world instead. The result is a thrilling, experimental allegory which has been performed in over 30 languages since its premiere in 2011, and which is different every night. Performed live at River & Rail's Old City Performing Arts Center by nationally-recognized artists like pulitzer-nominated playwright Octavio Solis, Tony-nominated actor, Andy Grotelueschen, the Book of Queer's Marlon Meikle, Pokemon’s Martha Harms, Kenneth Herring and Emily Ernst of River and Rail, and Knoxville’s own Jed Diamond, Jonathan Clark, and Dale Mackey! Tickets are $25 for General Admission, $40 for premium seating, and $10 for students with ID:
https://tinyurl.com/3mdt4zxb. Stay tuned for a full list of performers.

Kenneth Herring - Performing April 11th at 7:30pm
Dale Mackey - Performing April 13th at 7:30pm
Marlon Meikle - Performing April 14th at 7:30pm
Martha Harms (Performing April 15 at 2:30pm)
Octavio Solis (Performing April 18 at 7:30pm)
Andy Grotelueschen (Performing April 21 at 7:30pm)

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

Old-time jam night at the Laurel Theater.
Every month on the 2nd Thursday at 7 PM - free!

Jubilee Community Arts at the Laurel Theater, 1538 Laurel Ave, Knoxville, TN 37916. Information: 865-522-5851, www.jubileearts.org

Comedian DAVID CROSS comes to the Bijou Theatre with his WORST DADDY IN THE WORLD tour with Sean Patton, Thursday, April 13, at 8:00PM.

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

Join Knox Heritage and Linda Behrend for a lecture on Anne Wetzell Armstrong: Of Time and Knoxville on Thursday, April 13, at 6:00PM.

Behrend will discuss the life of Armstrong and her autobiography, Of Time and Knoxville: Fragment of an Autobiography which was published by the University of Tennessee Press in 2022. Behrend painstakingly researched, edited, provided meticulous annotations and a critical introduction to Armstrong's memoir.
RSVP at https://www.knoxheritage.org/.

Knox Heritage at Historic Westwood, 3425 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919. Information: 865-523-8008, www.knoxheritage.org

Union Ave Books is proud to present an author event featuring Kaitlyn Hill in conversation with Lauren Morrill on April 13, 2023 at 6:30.

Kaitlyn Hill is a writer, reader, and sweet tea enthusiast who believes that all the world is not, in fact, a stage, but a romance novel waiting to happen. She is the author of Love from Scratch and Not Here to Stay Friends.

Kaitlyn has a BA in Sociology/Anthropology and German Studies, which means that she can tell you way too much about the Communist Manifesto in Karl Marx's mother tongue. Before landing on writing, she worked in roles from city government intern in a small German town to Haunted Mansion Maid at Walt Disney World, and most recently, at her hometown public library.

Aside from books, Kaitlyn's favorite things are giraffes, ABBA, and excessively long naps. She lives with her real life romance hero in Lexington, Kentucky.

You can reserve your free spot https://www.eventbrite.com/e/an-author-event-featuring-kaitlyn-hill-tickets

Union Ave Books, 517 Union Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information: 865-951-2180, www.unionavebooks.com

The Volunteer Brass Quintet, the UT honors brass quintet, performs a varied and engaging program.

April 13 at 5:30 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. 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/

CATS includes eight performances from April 11-16, 2023. Audiences and critics alike are rediscovering this beloved musical with breathtaking music, including one of the most treasured songs in musical theater – “Memory.” CATS tells the story of one magical night when an extraordinary tribe of cats gathers for its annual ball to rejoice and decide which cat will be reborn. The original score scenic and costume design are combined with all-new lighting and sound design and updated choreography and direction to make this new production for a new generation.

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

Rala is pleased to present Cynthia Markert as our featured artist for April and May. "Tallulah Dearest and Her Coterie" continues Cynthia's unique and recognizable style of oil painting on wood. Please join us for the show opening from 6 to 8pm on Friday, April 7.

Artist Cynthia Markert has been creating her mixed media portraits on wood for over four decades. She finds inspiration in historical icons such as The Odd Woman, The New Woman, The Flapper, and The Free Thinking Woman from the 1890s to the 1930s, and the Belle Époque to the jazz age. Her paintings infuse these inspirations with personal expression of spiritual bonding.

https://www.facebook.com/events/1815062672203536/

Rala: Regional and Local Artisans, 112 W. Jackson Ave, Knoxville, TN 37902. Hours: Tu-Sa 11-6, Su 11-5. Information: 865-525-7888, https://shoprala.com or www.instagram.com/ShopRala

April 7 - May 18, 2023
First Fridays: April 7 + May 5, 5-9pm

For more than a decade, Art Source, the exhibition dedicated solely to Knox County art educators, has given these same teachers an opportunity to nourish and showcase their own artistic talents. Exhibition awards will be announced at 6:30pm during the May First Friday reception. Join us in recognizing the work of our area art teachers and interns!

UT Downtown Gallery, 106 S. Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37902. Hours: W-F 11-6, Sa 10-3. Information: 865-673-0802, https://downtown.utk.edu

The Art Guild at Fairfield Glade will host a Fun and Wine Opening Reception for the Members’ Judged Art Show on Friday, April 7 from 5 - 7 p.m.

Art Guild members Al Hansen, Beverly Olin and Kay Wode will serve as a judges panel and will determine the winning entries. Winners will be announced to the public during the April 7 reception. This event is free and open to the public! Browse through eye-catching displays of artwork in our gallery, available for purchase. Unique gifts can also be found in our retail space, “Endless Possibilities, Fine Arts and Crafts.”

Gallery: Mon-Sat 9-4. Art Guild at Fairfield Glade at the Plateau Creative Arts Center, 451 Lakeview Drive, Fairfield Glade, TN 38558. Information: 931-707-7249, www.artguildfairfieldglade.net

A First Friday opening reception for the exhibits is planned from 5:30 pm - 9 pm, April 7th, with complimentary refreshments and music.

Roger Kroll has been working in the jewelry business for over 50 years. After receiving an MFA degree from the Rochester Institute of Technology, majoring in metal and jewelry arts, he taught special education for four years in upstate New York. He then joined the faculty at East Tennessee State University where he helped build the MFA program in metal arts. He then left the university to pursue his own career producing jewelry in Sarasota, Florida, where he opened a small jewelry shop and manufacturing business. After a successful nineteen years of business in Florida, he returned to East Tennessee where he continued his love of creating beautiful expressive jewelry using traditional techniques in a contemporary fashion. He cuts and polishes unique stones in addition to fusing dichroic glass, which he then sets in sterling silver. He has exhibited in many juried shows throughout the country and is a former member of the Foothills Craft Guild in Knoxville and also a long-time member of the Art Market Gallery.

Born and raised near Chicago, Cindy Marrazzo is an international painter and engineer living in Jacksboro, TN. Her art education began as a child with private oil painting lessons and continued throughout her high school years, receiving multiple awards and support from her teachers for art scholarships. Shortly after her graduation from high school at 16, Cindy enlisted in the US Marine Corps. She then chose a path in the sciences which included instruction in anatomy, light & reflection, fluid mechanics (water, cloud, & wind movement), the color spectrum and other physics & architectural classes that could be applied to her art. Although passionate about art, she instead worked with math and science for most of her adult life. After losing her engineering job in a down economy, Marrazzo took a friend’s suggestion and took up her paint brushes to rekindle her love of painting. “I apply my physics and math to my art & I use my Marine Corps discipline to finish many paintings that require a lot of time and patience.” Many of Marrazzo’s pieces are painted in a traditional realism style. She uses math & science to deliver realistic details to every scene, while her use of darks and lights provide amazing light to her paintings. Marrazzo artwork can be found throughout the US, Canada and Europe.

Art Market Gallery, 422 S. Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37902. Hours: Tu-Sa 11-6, Su 1-6. Information: 865-525-5265, www.artmarketgallery.net, www.Facebook.com/ArtMarketGallery

Terra Madre: Women in Clay announces their upcoming Exhibition to be held at Mighty Mud located at 126 Jennings Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37917.

The exhibition includes a First Friday evening opening reception on April 7 from 6 pm – 9 pm. The exhibit is free and open to the public and refreshments will be provided at the opening reception.

This show will feature the handmade pottery and clay art of several members of the group. Terra Madre is an eclectic group of female artists with diverse approaches to clay. Unique additions to the home and distinctive gifts for the season will be featured including functional, sculptural, traditional, contemporary and whimsical works of clay art. Some of the Madres whose work will be included in the upcoming exhibit are: Donna Beshore, Ellie Kotsianas Christner, Pat Clapsaddle, Debbie Corley, Emily Burgess, Amy Evans, Annamarie Gundlach, Lynn Fisher, Pat Herzog, Lynne Johnson, Lisa Kurtz, Karen Kyte, Patty Lewis, Wendy Mosca, Diahn Ott, Linda Sullivan and Debbie Whalen.

https://www.terramadrewomeninclay.com/