Teens Learn the Power of Monologues in the Rep s Young Voices Competition The Jon Royal-led program pairs teens with mentors to perform work by acclaimed playwright Idris Goodwin Tweet
Under the direction of
Scene fave Jon Royal, the Nashville Repertory Theatre has kicked off its new Young Voices Competition. Twenty-two students from around the city studied the works of acclaimed playwright and poet Idris Goodwin and chose a poem or monologue to perform from his collected works. Over the past few months, the cohort has met virtually with Royal along with mentors Kenny Dozier, Alicia Haymer, Rashad Rayford, Stella Reed and Tamiko Robinson Steele.
With conVERGEnce, Verge Theater Company Imagines a More Equitable Theater Industry The online discussion series continues on March 15 Tweet
Lisa Troi Thomas, Daniel Jones and Beth Thielman
A play ends. The lights come on. Spectators gather their belongings. And then, a crew member brings several chairs onstage, and the actors and director come walking out.
Shit, you think.
Can I get out of here without anyone noticing?
You’ve just entered a talkback the post-play discussion that you never asked for, but nonetheless keeps happening.
Tessa Bryant has worked on multiple programming teams and has orchestrated many such after-show discussions. “Talkbacks are almost universally terrible,” Bryant says. She doesn’t blame the programmers, the actors or the play. “The format doesn’t give people much, and I think it’s because we weren’t able to focus on those topics.”
Watch the Nashville Rep Perform Love Letters From Historical Figures Oscar Wilde, Napoleon Bonaparte and others wrote some juicy missives Tweet Share
Valentine’s Day is around the corner, I ve just realized. If you’re also surprised by this news, maybe you don’t have anything planned. You can get in the spirit with a series produced by the Nashville Repertory Theater,
Actually Love: Dramatic Readings of Historical Love Letters. Released one at a time on the Rep’s YouTube channel, the episodes in the series pair some of Nashville’s best actors with lovesick folks of yore. The first monologue, released yesterday and embedded below, features Rebekah Durham as the English poet Vita Sackville-West, whose letter to Virginia Woolf is gorgeous and moving.
Verge Theater Company Will Host New Works as a Path Forward Discussion Shawn Whitsell, Amanda Card and Kyle Hayden will lead Mondayâs conVERGEnce Tweet Share
Shawn WhitsellOn Monday, Verge Theater Company continues conVERGEnce, the virtual discussion series that has been opening up conversations about representation in theater. Past discussions centered on anti-racism and reimagining arts institutions. At 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 1, Verge will host New Works as a Path Forward, featuring Shawn Whitsell, Amanda Card and Kyle Hayden.
Board member Tessa Bryant says that through discussing the possibilities of producing new plays, theater companies can examine how itâs serving audiences and artists. âNew works, more than any other kind of work we can be producing, have the potential to stretch our artists but also move the social needle in a way that a lot of other work does not have,â says Bryant. âNew works give us a chance to put