Calendar of Events

Sunday, May 4, 2025

Friends of Music and the Arts: Music for Francis Poulenc featuring Edie Johnson

  • May 4, 2025

Category: Music

5 PM
For Choir, Organ and Orchestra
"Gloria" with Edie Johnson, organ

The Episcopal Church of the Ascension
(865) 588-0589 or info@knoxvilleascension.org
800 S. Northshore Dr., Knoxville, TN 37919

Friends of Music and the Arts, a support society for music at Ascension, augments the calendar of liturgical feast-days with concerts and organ recitals throughout the year. https://www.knoxvilleascension.org/foma

Retropolitan Craft Fair

  • May 4, 2025

Category: Exhibitions, visual art, Festivals, special events, Fine Crafts and Free event

Join us at Mill & Mine, 227 W Depot Ave, Knoxville, TN 37917
Sunday, May 4th, 2025 11am - 6pm

Over the past decade The Retropolitan Craft Fair has grown from a fledgling local market into one of the premiere maker events in the Southeast. We’re proud to be part of Knoxville’s flourishing maker community and are grateful to our sponsors, vendors and patrons for making this little dream of ours a reality. Cheers to the next 10 years! https://www.retropolitancraft.com/

Bijou Theatre: The Wailers

Category: Music

The Wailers: 2025 Natural Mystic 30th Anniversary Tour, Sunday, May 4, 7:30 PM at the Bijou Theatre.

Embark on an extraordinary musical journey with The Wailers in 2025 as they commemorate the 30th anniversary of their acclaimed compilation album, Natural Mystic: The Legend Lives On. Following the success of their 2024 tour, which honored Bob Marley's legendary album Legend, The Wailers are set to bring the entirety of Natural Mystic to life on stage, offering fans a unique and immersive experience.

Tickets at https://www.ticketmaster.com/event/1B00624DB5CC5A20

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

Oak Ridge Playhouse: Company

Category: Comedy, Music and Theatre

Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Book by George Furth

Surrounded by his circle of married friends, habitually single Bobby is forced to question his adamant retention of bachelorhood by examining the joys and pitfalls of companionship. Through an array of amusing and stirring interactions, the couples lead him on a compelling roller coaster of laughter, tears, and introspection. A tour de force of wit, intellect, and emotion, Sondheim’s brilliantly brisk and energetic musical score and witty lyrics delve deep into the human psyche, resulting in a delightful cocktail of hilarity, heartache, and self-reflection as Bobby explores and grapples with the idea of settling down himself.

PG-13 AUDIENCES
https://www.orplayhouse.com/

Museum of Appalachia: Sheep Shearing Days

  • May 2, 2025 — May 9, 2025

Category: Festivals, special events, History, heritage and Kids, family

Sheep Shearing Days - May 2 & May 9, 2025.

Students and families are invited to celebrate the arrival of spring with the annual tradition of sheep shearing. This student-focused event will show how pioneers turned wool into clothing and will feature hands-on activities and immersive learning experiences with Appalachian artisans, educators, and musicians.

Museum of Appalachia, 2819 Andersonville Hwy, Clinton, TN 37716. Information: 865-494-7680, www.museumofappalachia.org

Dragonfly Aerial Arts Studio: Circus Extravaganza

Category: Dance, movement, Festivals, special events, Kids, family and Music

14th ANNUAL CIRCUS EXTRAVAGANZA
Details TBA

Our annual Circus Extravaganza funds our scholarship program for kids. We're always grateful for donations from those wanting to give more than the price of a ticket to help sponsor a child, or from those who can't make the show but want a way to give. Circus Extravaganza benefits #CircusForEveryBody: programs that share the circus with ​under-served + special-needs people

https://www.dragonflyaerialartsstudio.com

Broadway at the Tennessee Theatre: Moulin Rouge! The Musical

Category: Dance, movement, Music and Theatre

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

Theatre Knoxville Downtown: How a Boy Falls

Category: Theatre

By Steven Dietz, Directed by Windie Wilson
Show Dates: April 18th - May 4th, 2025

The disappearance of a young boy casts suspicion on his newly-hired au pair, as well as on the wealthy parents who have hired her. As the parents seek revenge upon one another, the young au pair is hatching a plot of her own. How a Boy Falls is a psychological thriller with a dark comic edge about the way in which past events can be weaponized to shape the present.

Performances are Thu-Sat 7:30 PM and Sun 3 PM

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

River & Rail Theatre Company: Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grille

Category: Music and Theatre

River & Rail Theatre Company proudly announces its upcoming production of "Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill," a soul-stirring theatrical experience celebrating the life and music of legendary jazz artist Billie Holiday. This remarkable performance will star the acclaimed actress and singer Shinnerrie Jackson in the title role, bringing Holiday’s iconic voice and heartrending story to life on stage.

Performance Dates and Venue: The production will run at River & Rail Theatre Company in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee at the Old City Performing Arts Center (111 State Street), from April 17-May 4 2025, offering audiences an intimate and unforgettable evening of music and drama.

Written by Lanie Robertson, "Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill" takes audiences back to a small Philadelphia nightclub in 1959, where Billie Holiday performed one of her final concerts. Through the hauntingly beautiful melodies of Holiday’s most beloved songs, including "Strange Fruit," "God Bless the Child," and "What a Little Moonlight Can Do," the play weaves a narrative that is both poignant and raw, exploring her struggles, triumphs, and enduring legacy.

Shinnerrie Jackson Shines as Billie Holiday: Shinnerrie Jackson, a celebrated performer known for her captivating stage presence and powerful voice, steps into the role of Billie Holiday with grace and authenticity. Her portrayal promises to capture the essence of Lady Day’s artistry and vulnerability, offering audiences a deeply emotional and immersive experience.

Tickets at https://www.simpletix.com/e/lady-day-at-emersons-bar-and-grille-by-lan-tickets-177072
Information: 865-407-0727, www.riverandrailtheatre.com

Clarence Brown Theatre: The Play That Goes Wrong

Category: Comedy and Theatre

BY JONATHAN SAYER, HENRY SHIELDS, AND HENRY LEWIS

Welcome to the opening night of 'The Murder at Haversham Manor', where things go from not very good to an utter disaster. 'The Play That Goes Wrong' is an ill-fated play-within-a-play, set on the opening night of the Cornley Drama Society’s newest production. The troupe’s ambitious whodunit has everything you never want in a show: falling props, collapsing scenery, an unconscious leading lady, a corpse that can’t play dead, and actors who trip over everything…including their lines. Come see why this show has been called “the funniest play Broadway has ever seen!” (Huffington Post)

Clarence Brown Theatre, 1714 Andy Holt Ave on the UT campus, Knoxville, TN 37996. For information/tickets: 865-974-5161, www.clarencebrowntheatre.com

Tri-Star Arts: Featuring Thenjiwe Niki Nkosi & Meg White

  • April 4, 2025 — June 21, 2025

Category: Exhibitions, visual art and Free event

MAIN GALLERY
Thenjiwe Niki Nkosi — Apr. 4 - Jun. 21, 2025 / reception Apr. 4, 2025

PROJECT SPACE
Meg White — Apr. 4 - Jun. 21, 2025 / reception Apr. 4, 2025

Tri-Star Arts at Candoro Marble Building, 4450 Candora Drive, Knoxville, TN 37920. Hours: Tu-Sa 11-5. Information: https://tristararts.org/visit

McClung Museum: X-Ray Vision: Fish Inside Out

Category: Exhibitions, visual art, Free event and Science, nature

The Smithsonian’s National Collection of Fishes X-rays represent more than 70 percent of the world’s fish specimens and is the largest and most diverse collection of its kind in the world. Although the X-rays featured in the national collection were made for research purposes, the strikingly elegant images demonstrate the natural union of science and art and are a visual retelling of the evolution of fish. X-Ray Vision: Fish Inside Out, an exhibition from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), showcases these dramatic prints exposing the inner workings of the fish.

The exhibition features 32 black-and-white digital prints of different species of fish. Arranged in evolutionary sequence, these X-rays give a tour through the long stream of fish evolution. The X-rays have allowed Smithsonian and other scientists to study the skeleton of a fish without altering the specimen, making it easier for scientists to build a comprehensive picture of fish diversity.

The exhibition also includes specimens from the collections of the McClung Museum, the Etnier Ichthyological Collection, and the Vertebrate Osteology Collection to highlight research happening with fish specimens at the University of Tennessee.

McClung Museum of Natural History and Culture, 1327 Circle Park Dr on the UT campus, Knoxville, TN 37996. Hours: Tu-Sa 9-5, Sun 12-4. Information: 865-974-2144, https://mcclungmuseum.utk.edu/

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