Sara Schwabe: All of Knoxville's a stage
This is a big fat weekend on the Knoxville theatre scene with the opening of not one, but 3 major productions split between the Actors Co-op Theatre Company and the Tennessee Stage Company.
The Actors Co-op is getting back to its cutting-edge roots (yea!) with their bold season opener, HEDWIG & THE ANGRY INCH. This popular rock musical about a would-be rock star who names her band "The Angry Inch" after the remnants of her botched sex-change, officially opens Friday, July 14th for a four-week run at the Black Box Theatre.
photo by Shannon Stanfield
With HEDWIG, Amy Hubbard and the rest of the Actors Co-op resident company hope to further realize their mission "to engage our community with inventive, entertaining and thought-provoking theatre." The company exists not only to provide audiences with intimate and engaging performances, but also to allow actors an opportunity to sink their teeth into challenging, meaty roles.
Rest assured, all ye fans of this cult classic! Joe Beuerlein was born to play Hedwig--perhaps one of the meatiest roles in the musical theatre world. I watched rehearsal this week and I'm here to tell you that Joe's portrayal of the transvestite glam-rocker will impress even the most staunch HEDWIG purists. Gorgeous costumes and make-up by Rob Link made me wish I was as pretty as Hedwig (or at least that I had her legs--yowza!).
photo by Shannon Stanfield
Combine all this with a talented Angry Inch Band including Chris Hamblin, Mike Murphy, Lucas Flatt, Nate Barrett & Jodie Manross (Ytzak), and you've got one hot tranny musical! All performances will be at the Actors Co-op home, the Black Box Theatre on Homberg Drive. Pay attention, though! You might not recognize the building with its new paint job, beautiful new awning and stellar new sign!
photo courtesy Tennessee Stage Co.
On the other side of town (and spectrum), the Tennessee Stage Company opens its fourth season of Shakespeare on the Square on Thursday, July 13th. This festival has become a summer staple on Market Square, providing audiences with free performances of what founder, Tom Parkhill, calls "Shakespeare's Greatest Hits."
This season's bill will feature HENRY V and TAMING OF THE SHREW. Both of these productions have been mounted by the company in recent memory, but this year they're offering a few surprises. Most notably, the title role in HENRY V will be played by Ms. Leigh Monet. I'm a big fan of non-traditional casting, so I'm excited to see how this plays out. (It seems this is the summer for gender-swapping!)
Shakespeare on the Square will be offering these two productions in reperatory through Aug. 5th, so you will have many opportunities to see both shows. All performances are BYOC (Bring Your Own Chair).
If you'd like to read more about either of these productions, check out the latest pieces by Leslie Wylie or Doug Mason.
Also for additional news about Knoxville's theatrical goings-on, head on over to Joe Beuerlein's theatre blog.