Editor’s Note: While Arts Knoxville has a long-standing policy of not critiquing non-professional performers under…
Theatre
“What are we doing here, that is the question. And we are blessed in this, that we happen to know the answer. Yes, in the immense confusion one thing alone is clear. We are waiting for Godot to come … ”
― Samuel Beckett, Waiting for Godot
Review: ‘The Harvest’ at Clarence Brown Theatre’s Lab Theatre — Seeking Stability During Times of Change
Faith can be a safe haven for many of us, providing answers to life’s tough questions and a community to lean on. But just as often as it offers such answers, it can provoke just as many questions. This questioning is at the heart of Samuel D. Hunter’s 2016 play ‘The Harvest’, where a young man wrestles with the death of his father, his broken family, his faith, and his sexuality. ‘The Harvest’ runs through Nov. 9 at the Clarence Brown Theatre Lab Theatre.
Review: Theatre Knoxville Downtown’s ‘The Birds’ — Horror Waiting in the Wings
In the spirit of spooky season, Theatre Knoxville Downtown offers a little fright of their own with their latest production, ‘The Birds’. While those of us might be most familiar with Alfred Hitchcock’s 1963 film, playwright Conor McPherson’s ‘The Birds’ (2009) is yet another adaptation of British author Daphne du Maurier’s popular 1952 short story of the same name.
Review: CBT’s ‘Sense and Sensibility’
Although there is peril in describing the current attention devoted to English novelist Jane Austen as a mania, that seems like an almost unavoidable conclusion. From the popularity of Jane Austen Regency Balls, Jane Austen Festivals in the UK and the U.S., not to mention a plethora of film and television projects in addition to the literature itself, the author’s fanbase is arguably second only to The Bard in the 21st Century. The fact that 2025 is the 250th anniversary of Ms. Austen’s birth has only added fuel to the fire of that attention.
Review: River and Rail Theatre Co. — A Feast of Performances in Ijames ‘Moon Man Walk’
There is nothing in the dramatist’s rulebook that says a play can’t be simple and complex at the same time. Those are certainly the traits of James Ijames’ Moon Man Walk, which opened last weekend for a three-week run at River & Rail Theatre Company.
Review: TKD’s ‘Laughter on the 23rd Floor’: A Battle of Wits
When life feels hard, comedy can be a balm to the soul and even a force for change. That’s what Neil Simon’s 1993 play, ‘Laughter on the 23rd Floor’, now in a production at Theatre Knoxville Downtown, reminds us of.
‘The Business of Smiles’ Follows Knoxville Children’s Theatre to New Site
BY HAYLEY WILSON I sat down with Knoxville Children’s Theatre Executive Director Sien Moon…
Review: Knoxville Theatre Club’s ‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’ a Force of Nature
Director JP Schuffman and Knoxville Theatre Club brings us an absolutely stunning production of Southern playwright Tennessee Williams’s 1955 Pulitzer Prize-winning Cat on a Hot Tin Roof that attests to the tenacity of the human spirit in the face of futility, death, and anguish: “there’s nothing more determined than a cat on a hot tin roof.”
Renascent Productions and First Take Co.’s ‘I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change’: Love, Sex, and Funny Business
By Hayley Wilson
‘I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change’ ran for three performances at the Clayton Center for the Arts on Maryville College campus. However, its short run was no indicator of its appeal: opening night was a full house, and the laughter that filled the auditorium was palpable. This production had a little something for everyone, because at its heart, I Love You is about our desire for human connection—and the many opportunities we have to thwart or complicate that desire for connection.
Review: National Tour of ‘Les Misérables’ — Showstopping Relevance in the 21st Century
A current National Tour of ‘Les Misérables’ is making an 8-performance stop in Knoxville through August 3 at the Tennessee Theatre. Read the review.
