News

Live Play With Ten-Person Cast Opens February 20, Runs through March 2

6 January 2014 – Nashville, Tenn – This February at the Franklin Theatre, Studio Tenn Theatre Company brings to life one of television’s most riveting moments—the most watched political interview of all time—in an intimate, live-on-stage experience. The “Frost/Nixon” runs February 20 through March 2. Tickets are available at StudioTenn.com or by calling the Box Office at (615) 538-2076.
Written by Peter Morgan and debuted in London in 2006, this gripping play relays the true account of British talk show host David Frost, who, in 1977, against all odds, booked the first televised interview with Richard Nixon after his resignation from the presidency—and who got him to admit in front of 45 million viewers his involvement in the infamous Watergate scandal.
Studio Tenn Managing Director Jake Speck said, “’Frost/Nixon’ is the story of two tenacious, prize-fighter public figures gambling on their careers, each trying to unravel the other on live television in front of a world audience.”
Chock-full of drama, “Frost/Nixon” and its ten-person cast goes beyond the interview and reveals the impossibly high stakes and close calls involved in the making of one of broadcast journalism’s most audacious pursuits. “This is a compelling play of risk and reward, desire and desperation,” said Speck. “Especially if you enjoyed Studio Tenn’s 2012 production of ‘Twelve Angry Men,’ you will not want to miss this show.”
The play’s original director Michael Grandage serves as an aesthetic inspiration to Studio Tenn’s Artistic Director Matt Logan. “He was a master at bringing cinematic elements into live theatre in a very precise, edited fashion,” Logan said.
“Frost/Nixon” was adapted into an Oscar-winning film by Ron Howard in 2008. More recently, several other Hollywood titles in the political thriller genre have enjoyed phenomenal success, including 2012’s “Argo” and 2013’s “American Hustle,” both set in the same era as the famous Frost/Nixon interviews.
Logan shares, “historical dramas allow you to immerse yourself in a momentous [past] event that is so often taken for granted, to experience with immediacy the adrenaline, the tension, the urgency, as though it were presently unfolding. History books are written with the distance of retrospect; theatre places you into the moment and humanizes the story.”
David Frost will be played by Brent Maddox, who has been featured in Studio Tenn’s productions including “Into The Woods” (The Baker) and “A Christmas Carol” (Bob Cratchit). The play opens in Franklin amid world-wide remembrances of the real David Frost, who passed away in 2013 at the age of 74.
Studio Tenn Theatre Company’s production of “Frost/Nixon” runs February 20 through March 2 at the Franklin Theatre in downtown Franklin. Tickets are available at StudioTenn.com or by calling the Franklin Theatre Box Office at (615) 538-2076. To wrap their 2013-2014 season, Studio Tenn will present “Les Miserables” for a two-night run at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center May 3 and 4. For more information about Studio Tenn’s productions and ways to get involved as a sponsor or donor, visit StudioTenn.com.
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ART GARFUNKEL COMING TO FRANKLIN THEATRE

Third Performance (January 29) Added Due to High Demand for Tickets

Although it has been 40 years since “Bridge Over Troubled Water” was recorded, Art Garfunkel’s image and signature vocal remain among the most instantly recognizable in popular music.

The Franklin Theatre is honored to welcome him for three nights in January which includes a newly added show (Wed., January 29) to accommodate a high demand for tickets.  Patrons will join Mr. Garfunkel for an evening of acoustic performance with songs, anecdotes, prose and a unique audience Q&A session.

Garfunkel earned five Grammy Awards and legions of fans as part of the legendary duo Simon & Garfunkel, which he formed with Paul Simon. The duo created a string of hits through the early 1970s, including “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” “The Boxer,” “Cecilia,” “Mrs. Robinson” and “Sound of Silence.” After they disbanded, both went on to solo careers, but were inducted as a duo into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.

Garfunkel has been selling out auditoriums all over the world on his recent “An Evening with Art Garfunkel” tour and brings his intimate performance to Franklin for the benefit of “The Nicaragua Project,” a local nonprofit started by singer songwriter, Gene Cotton. The organization works in Nicaragua rehabbing schools and orphanages, providing educational scholarships, and other humanitarian efforts. (www.thenicaraguaproject.com)

Cabaret seats (nearest stage) are $200.00 and all others are $100.00 each. (80% of the ticket price is tax-deductible.)

Tickets are available at the Franklin Theatre box office, online at www.franklintheatre.com or by calling 615-538-2076.

FRANKLIN THEATRE CELEBRATES THE SEASON

Christmas Film Fest and World-Class Live Music Featured

FRANKLIN, TENNESSEE – From Celtic to Country and Big Band to Bluegrass, the Franklin Theatre presents a variety of award-winning musical experiences this Holiday season with something for the entire family. In addition, the 75 year tradition of movies on Main Street is in high gear with a Christmas Film Festival.

Among the musical giants slated for Christmas themed shows are Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, Phil Vassar, Christmas with the Celts, Sarah Darling, The Street Corner Symphony and Mark Schultz.  The season caps off with two shows on New Year’s Eve with the World Famous Glenn Miller Orchestra.

“Each of these acts represents the finest in their genre and promises an evening to lift the spirit during the holiday season,” says Programming Director Dolly Chandler.  “Pairing a show with a visit to the shops and great eateries or just to see the Christmas lights in historic downtown Franklin is a magical experience.”

Everyone familiar with the Franklin Theatre will also enjoy favorite movie classics during the five-week Christmas Film Festival.  Partnering with print media partner Nashville Scene, classics and favorites like It’s A Wonderful Life, Christmas Vacation, Miracle on 34^th Street and Polar Express take on a different hue in the recently restored theater.

LIVE EVENT DATES

12/6            Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver Christmas Concert
12/10 & 11 Christmas With The Celts
12/13          Sarah Darling & Friends Acoustic Christmas
12/14          Street Corner Symphony Christmas Show
12/19          Mark Schultz
12/21          Phil Vassar
12/31          Glenn Miller Orchestra – Two shows

MOVIE DATES

12/3-4          A Christmas Story
12/7             Home Alone
12/7-9          Miracle On 34th Street
12/7             Love Actually
12/14-16      The Polar Express
12/15-18      White Christmas
12/17-23      Elf
12/22-23      It’s A Wonderful Life

TICKETS

Tickets for all shows are available by calling the box office at 615-538-2076 or online at www.franklintheatre.com.  Many of these shows will sell out and advance reservations are encouraged.

GIFT CARDS

Available in any denomination and usable for any event or concessions at the theater, Franklin Theatre has gift cards make a perfect present for the “hard to shop for.”  To purchase, please stop by the box office or call 615-538-2076.

BALCONY RENTALS

Franklin Theatre also provides the opportunity to rent the balcony (44 seats) for private groups for movies or events when space is available. Balcony rentals include a private bar.  Make holiday plans now for a special event for social groups or your company party by calling: 615-538-2083.

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In 2007, we almost lost the Franklin Theatre – forever!

But thanks to enormous support, the community saved a vital landmark and reinvented it as a world class performance venue.

But our work is not done.

Successful historic theaters require ongoing care and to plan for future costs of building repairs and equipment replacement the Franklin Theatre is instituting a modest “preservation fee” to be added to ticket prices effective November 1^st to help assure the high level of experience patrons have come to expect.

“In the near future we’ll need to replace carpets, make repairs to equipment as they happen and upgrade systems that allow us to present quality programming and talent,” says theater director Dan Hays.  “Adding a preservation fee to each ticket purchased will build a fund dedicated to major capital expenses and minimize emergencies down the road.”

After totally renovating the building which reopened in 2011, one of our focuses now is to assure it remains in good repair and state–of-the art for years to come.  General donations and ticket prices support programming and bring in the quality of talent the theater has become known for while the new preservation fee will be earmarked for major equipment repairs and building improvements.

The “preservation fee” will be added to the cost of all ticketed events regardless of whether purchased at the box office, by phone or online.

* Additional ticketing service fees are charged by Agile for online purchases only and not those purchased in person at the box office or by phone.

For more details about the new policy or information on coming events, please contact the Franklin Theatre at 615-538-2076 or visit www.franklintheatre.com.

The musical fairy tale mash-up “Into The Woods” runs October 17 through November 3 at the historic Franklin Theatre, including performances during Halloween, October 31 and downtown Franklin’s popular Pumpkinfest (October 26).

This colorful and clever convolution of fairy stories by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine debuted on Broadway in 1986 and became an instant classic, sustaining its popularity among audiences of all ages through numerous revivals and, coming Christmas Day of 2014, a Disney film adaptation.
“Into The Woods” is definitely a must see for the entire family. “There is so much to love about ‘Into The Woods’, whether you’re an adult, child, or child-at-heart,” said company Managing Director Jake Speck.

The plot intertwines story lines from classic fables and fantasies such as Little Riding Hood, Jack and the Beanstalk, Rapunzel and Cinderella. It begins simply enough with the quintessential fairy tale conundrum: everybody has a wish. And, as wishes in fairy tales are wont to do–(no spoilers here)–they all come true.

Act Two, however, is the yin to the yang—the reality check to the fairy tale.
“Happily Ever After,” after all, is just a matter of when the storyteller decides to say “The End.” What if, instead of merely riding off into the sunset—literally or figuratively—the characters were to continue? “Into the Woods” explores the aftermath of living out the wishes.

“That’s the poignant and amazing part,” shares Artistic Director Matt Logan. “It poses the question, ‘How often do we really even know what we want?’

“Watching these characters from our collective cultural memory discover their own stories and pursue them past their familiar fairy tale endings is both entertaining and deeply thought-provoking.”
As visuals go, Studio Tenn’s production will borrow less from the pages of a storybook and more from the pages of a yearbook. “Stylistically, we’re taking this production in a direction that’s more ‘retro’ than ‘fantasy,’” Logan explains.

Modern and vintage pop culture references will hearken back to the good ol’ days of your youth—whensoever that may have been. “Think of the ‘Napoleon Dynamite’ aesthetic,” Logan claims. Virtually an instant cult classic among millenials, the 2004 MTV film is set in a sort of surreal mishmash of decades—some ’80s here, some ’90s there, with a smattering of ’60s and ’70s—such that the viewer doesn’t quite know when exactly the story is supposed to have taken place.

Studio Tenn’s spin on Little Red Riding Hood reminds of film darlings “Little Miss Sunshine” and “Juno”: lingering in that delightful limbo of adolescent awkwardness. Cinderella’s stepsisters are much like Tina Fey’s “Mean Girls;” her “ball” is more a high-school prom.

The largely local cast includes Kayce Cummings as Cinderella, Susan Swindell Day as Cinderella’s Stepmother and Granny, Laura Matula as Lucinda, Susannah Smith White as Florinda, Kim Bretton as Baker’s Wife, Emily Tello Speck as Rapunzel and Harp, Nan Gurley as the Witch, Marguerite Lowell, as Cinderella’s Mother and Giant, Patrick Waller as Wolf and Cinderella’s Prince, Matthew Carlton as Mysterious Man and Jack’s Mother, Ross Bridgeman as Rapunzel’s Prince, Brent Maddox as the Baker and Garris Wimmer as Steward, along with New York’s Marissa Rosen as Little Red Riding Hood and Joey Barreiro as Jack. And another fresh, interpretive twist, the Narrator will be played by nine-year-old Gus O’Brien.

“Seeing the story unfold through a child’s eyes reminds us how we are all shaped by our own childhood validations,” Logan said. “In the end, it’s not so much about children as it is about the child that manages to endure in each of us—in our hopes, fears, dreams, expectations and imaginings.”
Studio Tenn’s “Into the Woods” runs October 17 through November 3 at the historic Franklin Theatre in downtown Franklin, Tennessee. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit FranklinTheatre.com or call the Franklin Theatre box office at (615) 538-2076.

FRANKLIN, Tenn. — The McCrary Sisters will perform at the historic Franklin Theatre on Saturday, August 2 with legendary gospel quartet The Fairfield Four and GRAMMY award-winning blues musician Keb’ Mo’.

The McCrary Sisters, the daughters of the late Rev. Samuel McCrary — one of the original members The Fairfield Four, have performed with country music greats like Johnny Cash and Wynona Judd. The sisters’ list of recording sessions, and long association with Bobby Jones TV show spans genres and generations. They have recently added their unique blend of vocals to recording projects for blues greats Robert Randolph and Jonny Lang and with country artists Eric Church for CMT 2012 Artist of the Year Awards Show. Other performances have included the 2011 and 2012 Americana Music Festival shows as well as sessions for the hit TV show Nashville.

Tickets for The McCrary Sisters with The Fairfield Four and special guest Keb’ Mo’ are on public sale now and start as low as $28.00 for classic seating.  They can be purchased at the Franklin Theatre box office (419 Main Street, Franklin, TN), online at www.franklintheatre.com or by calling 615-538-2076.

About the Franklin Theatre:

Built in 1937, the Franklin Theatre re-opened to the public on June 3 following a multi-year, multi-million-dollar restoration.  The Main Street landmark is owned and operated by the nonprofit Heritage Foundation.

For additional information contact:

Chelsey Reardon

chelsey@franklintheatre.com

615-538-2079