Professional theater, community theater, children’s theater, dance, burlesque, comedy, drama, and plenty of holiday offerings—there’s enough stagecraft in Knoxville these days to keep theatergoers of all sorts satisfied (and challenged and intrigued). The fall calendar runs from Clarence Brown Theatre’s big-budget pro productions and Theatre Knoxville Downtown’s cozy community shows to classic kids’ adaptations, ballet and modern dance, Hal Holbrook and Rodgers and Hammerstein at the Tennessee Theatre, and a spate of Christmas performances.
SEPTEMBER
Clarence Brown Theatre: Violet
Clarence Brown Theatre (1714 Andy Holt Ave.) • Through Sept. 18 • $26-$42
Violet at Clarence Brown Theatre
In the 1960s, a woman heads from North Carolina to Oklahoma, hoping to be healed by a TV evangelist. Along the way, she finds what she really needs—and encounters the regional music of East Tennessee, Memphis, and Arkansas.
Theatre Knoxville Downtown: [title of show]
Theatre Knoxville Downtown (319 N. Gay St.) • Through Sept. 18 • $15
That’s not a typo—it’s a sitcom-style tribute to musical theater.
Appalachian Ballet: Bluejeans and Ballet
Clayton Center for the Arts (502 E. Lamar Alexander Parkway, Maryville) • Thursday, Sept. 15 • 6 p.m. • $55 • claytonartscenter.com or appalachianballet.com
The Appalachian Ballet Company’s annual fundraising gala includes casual dinner and drinks and a modern dance performance.
Smoky Mountain Burlesque Fest
The Edge (7211 Kingston Pike) and the Concourse (940 Blackstock Ave.) • Sept. 15-17 • $10-$80
Three nights of world-class burlesque with Mr. Gorgeous, Ray Gunn, Bazuka Joe, Lola Lesoleil, Truvy Trollop, and the Bishop of Burlesque. Read more in this week’s issue or click here.
WordPlayers: Last Train to Nibroc
Erin Presbyterian Church (200 Lockett Rd.) • Sept. 15-25 • $15
The local Christian theater company presents Arlene Hutton’s play about coincidence and true love, set aboard a passenger train in 1940.
Knoxville Children’s Theatre: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Knoxville Children’s Theatre (109 E. Churchwell Ave.) • Sept. 23-Oct. 9 • $12
A stage adaptation of C.S. Lewis’ fantasy about the Pevensie children and their adventures with Aslan and the White Witch in Narnia.
Clarence Brown Theatre: The Crucible
Carousel Theatre (1714 Andy Holt Ave.) • Sept. 28-Oct. 16 • $22-$42 • clarencebrowntheatre.com
Arthur Miller’s classic drama about the Salem witch trials was widely perceived as an allegory about McCarthyism when it was first staged in 1953. It seems more and more appropriate with every revival.
Mark Twain Tonight!
Tennessee Theatre (604 S. Gay St.) • Sept. 30 • 8 p.m. • $54-$79
Hal Holbrook reprises one of the defining roles of his long career, delivering Twain’s trenchant social criticism and timeless insights about human nature.
OCTOBER
GO! Contemporary Dance Works: Transcendance
Clarence Brown Theatre (1714 Andy Holt Ave.) • Oct. 1-2 • $15
An evening of contemporary and classical works, with two new works by artistic director Lisa McKee. Guest artist Daniel Chait presents “Don’t Be Afraid.”
Oak Ridge Playhouse: It’s Only a Play
Oak Ridge Playhouse (227 Broadway, Oak Ridge) • Oct. 7-16
This comedy peeks behind the scenes of the theater world to show where the drama really lies.
Once
Clayton Center for the Arts (502 E. Lamar Alexander Parkway, Maryville) • Thursday, Oct. 13 • $39.50-$62.50
Once
A mysterious romance propels a Dublin street musician to new creative heights in this Tony Award-winning musical.
Theatre Knoxville Downtown: Earth and Sky
Theatre Knoxville Downtown (319 N. Gay St.) • Oct. 14-30 • $15
An underworld thriller and romance all in one, as a poet and librarian digs into the dirty details surrounding her lover’s death.
Clarence Brown Theatre: This Is Our Youth
Clarence Brown Lab Theatre (1714 Andy Holt Ave.) • Oct. 26-Nov. 13 • $15
A coming-of-age story set in Reagan-era New York by Kenneth Lonergan, writer and director of the acclaimed indie films You Can Count on Me and Margaret.
Knoxville Children’s Theatre: The Haunting of Hill House
Knoxville Children’s Theatre (109 E. Churchwell Ave.) • Oct. 28-Nov. 13 • $12
KCT adapts Shirley Jackson’s spooky novel for the stage, just in time for Halloween.
NOVEMBER
Disney on Ice: Dream Big
Knoxville Civic Coliseum (500 Howard Baker Jr. Ave.) • Nov. 2-6 • $15-$66
Clarence Brown Theatre: A Christmas Carol
Clarence Brown Theatre (1714 Andy Holt Ave.) • Nov. 23-Dec. 11 • $22-$42
Clarence Brown Theatre updates its long-running seasonal family favorite with a new production based on a new adaptation of Charles Dickens’ novel.
Oak Ridge Playhouse: 1940s Radio Hour
Oak Ridge Playhouse (227 Broadway, Oak Ridge) • Nov. 24-Dec. 11
Various low-level entertainers, strivers, and industry hacks come together at the Mutual Manhattan Variety Cavalcade radio show in late December 1942.
Theatre Knoxville Downtown: Seasonal Allergies
Theatre Knoxville Downtown (319 N. Gay St.) • Nov. 25-Dec. 11 • $15
A bittersweet comedy about friends, family, and holiday stress.
Senior Editor Matthew Everett manages the Knoxville Mercury's arts & entertainment section, including the comprehensive calendar section—Knoxville’s go-to guide for everything worth doing in the area. You can reach Matthew at matthew@knoxmercury.com.
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