Welcome to the ever-changing cyberhome of AthensSouth Theatre. Thanks for stopping in!
Nashville's economic and population booms are reshaping the face of "The Athens of the South" on a seemingly daily basis. One of the positive aspects of this growth is the need for more cultural offerings here than ever before. AthensSouth Theatre is a non-profit performing arts organization incorporated in December 1997 as a response to the ever-changing cultural needs of the Mid-South's most diverse city.
Please E-mail us at [email protected] or contact us through the other means listed later on this page if you'd like to get involved! Contributions are tax-deductible (and can be made online via secure server by clicking here). We also want to encourage members of the community to come forward with proposals for various productions they'd like to see mounted here in Nashville. We're here for you!
Evans Donnell, President and Artistic Director
AthensSouth Theatre is now working on a world premiere project that entertainingly unveils the man some believe was the "real Bard" -- Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford. Check out the web site for A Rose By Any Other Name, two new plays by William Dorian, to learn more about what we hope to present in the near future!
AthensSouth Theatre plans to end its long production hiatus this October with performances of Conor McPherson's THE WEIR, and has scheduled auditions for the award-winning Irish ghost tale.
The Olivier Award-winning play that captivated audiences in London and New York will open Oct. 12 on the auditorium stage at Eakin Elementary School and run for three consecutive weeks on Thursdays and Fridays beginning at 8 PM each night. The six-performance production will close Oct. 27.
Cold-reading open call auditions will be from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM on Monday, June 12, Tuesday, June 13 and Wednesday, June 14, at the Eakin auditorium. Actors will read sides from the script that will be available at the auditions so no monologues are requested. Actors wishing to read these sides in advance or seeking directions to the school may phone the theatre at 720-0626 or send an e-mail to [email protected].
THE ABILITY TO DO A BELIEVEABLE IRISH ACCENT IS A MUST. Those auditioning will be asked to read with their own approximation of an "generic" Irish accent.
The play has four male parts and one female role, but the part of Finbar has already been cast. The breakdown on remaining roles is as follows:
Jack -- male in his fifties;
Brendan -- male in his thirties;
Jim -- male in his forties;
and Valerie -- female in her thirties.
Actors should bring a resume/headshot with them if they have it, but one is not required. There is no pay for this production since it is a benefit for AthensSouth Theatre.
Rehearsals under the direction of William Dorian begin August 22 and for the most part will take place Mondays through Thursdays through the opening week of Oct. 12.
"We're happy to finally be planning for a new show, and grateful for the assistance we're getting in putting this production on," artistic director Evans Donnell said.
That assistance comes primarily from the generosity of the Metro Community Education program and area coordinator Tom Nunnery in allowing AthensSouth to rehearse and perform the play at Eakin for adult audiences.
"We know the Community Education program has been a wonderful opportunity for Davidson County residents of all ages to learn and teach during its decades of service to Nashville. We're very honored to be a small part of that ongoing history of diverse cultural and educational offerings," said Donnell, who will teach a four-session class this summer at Eakin for sixth to eighth graders on the text, times and impact of William Shakespeare's works.
For more information about Eakin, visit its web site at http://www.eakinschool.org. For information on Community Education classes at Eakin, please call 298-8089.
Dorian has has been involved in nearly all aspects of theatrecraft -- acting, directing, playwrighting, and teaching -- for nearly 30 years. He obtained an MA in Theatre from Tulane University and has also studied abroad at the University of London.
He taught theatre at both Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, KY, and Cumberland University in Lebanon. He is currently theatre critic for The Nashville Pride newspaper.
He has recently written two plays, A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME Parts I and II, which take a dramatic look at the authorship debate that continues to swirl around the plays and sonnets traditionally attributed to Shakespeare. These plays put forward the notion that Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, actually wrote what was attributed to the man from Stratford. That attribution, the plays provocatively suggest, came about because the Earl employed Shakespeare as a "front" since the writing of plays and poetry for public consumption was considered unsuitable for a nobleman in Elizabethan England.
AthensSouth plans to produce the first part of A ROSE ... in May of 2001, and hopes that THE WEIR will financially benefit its efforts to mount its most ambitious production to date.
The veteran director is very excited about the prospect of bringing McPherson's beautiful and haunting work to Nashville theatregoers. "Rarely does a director get the opportunity to direct a play of the literary quality found in THE WEIR," Dorian said. "The work is so well-written and the characters so intricately well delineated that this is truly 'actor's theatre' at its best."
Taking place is a rural Irish pub after dark with the wind whipping about outside, THE WEIR involves five lonely souls trying to reach each other by communicating "real life experiences" of the paranormal. As they tell their personal ghost stories, we become acquainted with their individual idiosyncrasies. Strengths and weaknesses are revealed through these intimate accounts -- courage and character flaws alike sometimes coming to the surface in spine-chilling fashion.
Although not a "horror" play, THE WEIR is a perfect choice for the Halloween season. It has an eerie, otherworldly ambiance that will have you looking over your shoulder all the way home -- precisely because these are such "realistic" accounts of metaphysical experiences.
Tickets for the shows are $12 for regular admission and $10 for students and seniors.
This play is produced by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc. It contains mature themes and incidents and is recommended for adult audiences.
AthensSouth Theatre ended its run of Paula Vogel's award-winning play THE BALTIMORE WALTZ in May 1999 at Bongo After Hours Theatre.
The show was well-received by audiences and reviewers alike. Kevin Nance of The Tennessean called it "a brave, hard-working production" of a play that "is an elaborate and often hilarious joke in which the punchline turns out to be deadly serious." To read Shelton Clark's review for CitySearch, click here.
"THE BALTIMORE WALTZ is an uproarious comedy with tragic undertones," director Lane Wright said in a pre-show press release. "It combines spies, toilet seats, stuffed rabbits, and a mad doctor with a tour of the major cities of Europe and the relationship between a brother and sister into an unforgettable evening of theatre. We hope you'll join Anna, Carl, and a mysterious Third Man for a trip unlike any other you've ever taken."
The production featured Laura Kinard as "Anna," Jack E. Chambers as "Carl" and Daryl W. Phillipy as the "Third Man."
THE BALTIMORE WALTZ won the 1992 Obie For Best Play when it was presented Off-Broadway by Circle Repertory Company in a production starring Paris, Tenn., native Cherry Jones and directed by Anne Bogart. Ms. Vogel won the 1997 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE.
This show was produced by special agreement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc.
__________
About the actors (bios supplied by the performers for the show's program):
LAURA KINARD is doing her first show with AthensSouth. In Nashville, she has been seen in Circle Players' SONG OF JACOB ZULU and A PIECE OF MY HEART. While living in Memphis, she performed at Theatre Memphis and Circle Playhouse in such shows as LEND ME A TENOR, CEMENTVILLE and DON'T DRESS FOR DINNER. She holds a B.F.A. in performance from Ole Miss.
In real life, Laura is an interior decorator at Sprintz Furniture, having worked there for three-and-a-half years. She wants to congratulate her younger sister, Amanda, who will formally receive her Ph.D. in English from Vanderbilt University on May 14, the same day that WALTZ opens.
She's very excited about doing WALTZ, having first read the play six years ago. Thanks to everyone involved!
JACK E. CHAMBERS grew up in south Georgia, working his way up to Tennessee to study at the University of the South, where his educational focus was on both English and political science. He moved to Nashville after finishing school in 1991. He has continued to act while supporting himself by working in the marketing field for the Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Jack has appeared in over 60 productions and a dozen TV spots during the past 10 years. Notable credits include THE ELEPHANT MAN, OTHELLO, WOMEN AND WALLACE, THE DINING ROOM, BYE BYE BIRDIE, COBB, ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA, OH WHAT A LOVELY WAR, NOISES OFF, and the recent premiere of STREETS AND BOULEVARDS at the Belcourt Theater. His first script and collaborative musical are currently in the works.
Jack credits both his parents with apparently limitless understanding and support, and director Lane Wright, who was the first Nashville director to cast him in a production here.
DARYL W. PHILLIPY is a native of Nashville returning to the Music City after a five-year hiatus. He recently completed his M.F.A. in performance at the University of Southern Mississippi.
Daryl has worked professionally onstage with Southern Arena Theatre Repertory Company in Hattiesburg, Miss., and with Theatre West Virginia at Grandview State Park, where the famous Hatfield and McCoy family feud is relived on stage. He has also worked in television as an actor in various commercials.
Favorite roles include "Charlie Fox" in SPEED-THE-PLOW, "Mitch" in A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, "George Ferguson" in THE WIDOW'S BLIND DATE, and most recently "Antonio" in THE TEMPEST.
Daryl has worked as a director and set designer, but his true love is treading the boards as an actor. He is pleased to be a part of AthensSouth Theatre and looks forward to working in Nashville in the future. Daryl would like to thank his family and friends for their continued support and not letting him starve.
About the director (bio supplied by the director for the show's program):
LANE WRIGHT is a native of Nashville and has been acting professionally for almost nineteen years. He has appeared in both professional and non-professional productions in the Nashville area and across the country. Locally he has appeared with Circle Players, Actor's Playhouse, ACT I, Nashville Children's Theatre, and Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre, among others. Most recently he played Jim Casy in THE GRAPES OF WRATH at the Roxy Regional Theatre in Clarksville. He has also performed in Kentucky, Alabama, Colorado, Illinois, and with the Poetry Alive! company in 33 states. This summer he will be appearing in three shows with the Oklahoma Shakespearean Festival.
As a director Lane has worked with Actor's Playhouse, Circle Players, and Theatre Horizons. Some of the shows he has directed include BURN THIS, THE HEIDI CHRONICLES, DIAL "M" FOR MURDER, ALL IN THE TIMING, LATER LIFE, and most recently the premiere Diner Theatre production, FRANKIE AND JOHNNY IN THE CLAIR DE LUNE.
Lane has a Master of Arts in Theatre from Memphis State University, now the University of Memphis.
(Left) Mark Gaddis as Edward Sergeant and Jill Massie as Kyra Hollis in a scene from Sir David Hare's SKYLIGHT, which concluded its run August 23, 1998 at Eakin Elementary School's auditorium.
(Right) Jim Wright as Tom Sergeant and Jill Massie as Kyra Hollis in SKYLIGHT.
In August 1998 AthensSouth Theatre completed its run of SKYLIGHT, the award-winning play by Sir David Hare that made its southeastern U.S. debut under the new troupe's banner.
The play first opened to critical acclaim at London's Royal National Theatre in May of 1995. In February of 1996 it became a smash commercial hit at Wyndham's Theatre in London's West End before triumphing again with critics and the public in September of 1996 at Broadway's Royale Theatre in New York. SKYLIGHT was nominated for a 1997 Tony Award as Best Play and won the 1997 New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Foreign Play as well as the 1995 Olivier Award for Best Play. It also had highly successful runs in 1997 at Chicago's famed Steppenwolf Theatre Company and at Washington, DC's prestigious Arena Stage. Northern California's Berkeley Repertory Theatre, last year's Tony winner for Outstanding Regional Theatre, produced the play earlier in 1998.
This contemporary and finely crafted "chamber play" is essentially a love story about two people - Kyra, an idealistic inner-city school teacher, and Tom, an upscale restaurateur for whom she once worked. It details their love affair, which was passionate, adulterous and now over - or is it? When Tom visits Kyra's northwest London flat soon after his troubled son Edward has paid a call, the former lovers recount their tumultuous past while exploring what their present lives mean in this modern morality play of remarkable depth and intensity.
This show was produced by special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc., and the Metro Schools Community Education program.
"It won't be on the stage if it's not on the page. That axiom proves all too true all too often in the theater, but playgoers need have no fear with AthensSouth Theatre's production of David Hare's SKYLIGHT, one of the best written plays of the past 25 years." -- Kevin Nance, The Tennessean
"SKYLIGHT ... shows promise for the area's dramatic offerings. AthensSouth is considering Shakespeare's MEASURE FOR MEASURE as a future production. If the talent level for that production is the same as SKYLIGHT, then AthensSouth may have a promising future indeed." -- Shelton Clark, Nashville CitySearch
Click on the link to read the thorough preview article that appeared in the Nashville Scene shortly before SKYLIGHT opened.
Amazon.com is pleased to have AthensSouth Theatre in the family of Amazon.com associates. We've agreed to ship books and provide customer service for orders we receive through special links on AthensSouth Theatre's web site.
Amazon.com associates list selected books in an editorial context that helps you choose the right books. We encourage you to visit AthensSouth Theatre's web site often to see what new books they've selected for you. Thank you for shopping with an Amazon.com associate.
Sincerely,
Jeff Bezos
President
Amazon.com
P.S. We guarantee you the same high level of customer service you would receive at Amazon.com. If you have a question about an order you've placed, please don't hesitate to contact us.
AthensSouth Theatre
2803 Blakemore Avenue
Nashville TN
USA
37212-3333
Phone: (615) 720-0626
Fax: (615) 383-9270
