These experiences include teambuilding exercises, music instruction, and performance opportunities.

The Franklin Theatre is excited to announce the launch of its new Group Experience Packages. Designed for local community, student, business or travel groups and tour operators alike, these Group Experience Packages offer several unique opportunities to enjoy The Historic Franklin Theatre.

Group Experience Packages at The Franklin Theatre incorporate local artists, nonprofit organizations, and educators to bring world-class lectures, workshops, and performances to its stage. Groups as small as 10 are welcome to participate. Whether you’re stopping by to team-build, learn, or just be entertained, the instructors and staff endeavor to offer groups memorable performing arts experiences at The Franklin Theatre.

Group Experience Packages include:

Jazz On The Move

Presented by Nashville’s top jazz artists and educators of the Nashville Jazz Workshop, this program offers world-class music and opportunities to learn more about the genre and its iconic artists. Each performance is led by an individual jazz artist intimately familiar with the jazz great being profiled with an outstanding group of supporting musicians. Groups may choose which artist is profiled through story and song, including Louis Armstrong, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington or Ella Fitzgerald.

Whose Teambuilding is it Anyway

Improv actor-teachers will create customized programs on any topic including the power of “yes, and,” active listening, public speaking, presentations, team building, sales training, ice breakers, brainstorming, group mind, customer service and more. These sessions are high-energy and filled with instantly usable information with the goal that every team member walks out the door with stronger relationships and new skills.

Co-Write a Classic

Groups will work alongside one of Nashville’s notable songwriters in this interactive co-writing program. Groups will compose original lyrics of their own and end the session with a performance of the new tune on the iconic Franklin Theatre stage.

Franklin Cinema in Action

Groups will work with a professional dance or music instructor to learn a dance or song from movies like “La La Land,” “Grease,” or “Singin’ in the Rain” as well as watch the movie on the big screen.

“Name in Lights” Student Showcase

Student performance groups can enjoy performing outside on Franklin’s Main Street, under the Theatre’s beautiful marquee with their name in lights. Following the performance, students will enjoy a behind-the-scenes tour of The Franklin Theatre.

Additional offerings include:

• Behinds-The-Scenes Tour of The Franklin Theatre
• Concessions and Bar Services
• Group Dining
• Bus Parking

For more information about Group Experience Packages at The Franklin Theatre, visit www.franklintheatre.com/group-packages.

The film, set on the Natchez Trace, follows the events surrounding the death of the famed American explorer & will feature Q & A with Director & Actor

A story of the allegedly unresolved 1809 demise of a national hero, Mysterious Circumstance, directed by Clark Richey, sheds light on Meriwether Lewis’s death by gunshot on the Natchez Trace, an isolated frontier road connecting Nashville, Tennessee, to Natchez, Mississippi. The film explores if the famed explorer committed suicide as history reports or was his end far more sinister?

In the film, entangled versions of Lewis’s tragic ending at a remote Tennessee inn are imagined by his friend Alexander Wilson (Billy Slaughter, Mindhunter) during a tense encounter with Priscilla Grinder (Gousset, The Card Counter) – the only witness to Lewis’s final night alive. The historical thriller brings together an award-winning cast and crew that includes Schneider (The Dukes of Hazzard), Sonny Marinelli (Entourage) and Evan Williams (Versailles) as Lewis.

“We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to premiere Mysterious Circumstance, at the historic Franklin Theatre,” said Eric Dilts, Managing Director of The Franklin Theatre. “Set just southwest of Franklin, this film is an opportunity for us to shine a light on the rich, and sometimes complicated, history of Middle Tennessee.”

In addition to the screening of Mysterious Circumstance, the evening will include brief remarks before the film and a Q & A with writer & director Clark Richey and Amye Gousset, lead actress & producer immediately following.

Tickets and more information can be found at www.franklintheatre.com/mysterious-circumstance/. Tickets are also available by calling 615-538-2076, or visiting the box office at 419 Main Street, Franklin, TN.

Volunteers are the heartbeat of the Franklin Theatre. Their work is essential to the patron’s safety and the enjoyment of the performance or event.

You are invited to join us on Monday, August 22nd to learn about volunteer opportunities at the theatre, meet Eric Dilts, our new Managing Director, and take a behind-the-scenes tour of this historic venue.

The Franklin Theatre opened in 1937 and has brought our downtown to life for 85 years!

Please RSVP on the link below and feel free to bring a friend.

Light refreshments will be served.

 RSVP Today → 

The concert, written by Franklin, TN residents Douglas Waterbury-Tieman and Annabelle Fox, will feature veterans of the stage and screen.

The Franklin Theatre will play host to a concert version of JOHNNY & THE DEVIL’S BOX, a Broadway-bound bluegrass musical, on September 16^th, 2022.

Written by Franklin, TN local and Belmont University graduate Douglas Waterbury-Tieman, and boasting a creative team of Broadway veterans, including Scott Wasserman (Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen, The Great Comet) and Jennifer Jancuska (Hamilton), JOHNNY & THE DEVIL’S BOX tells the story of a boastful fiddle player who attracts the attention of the Devil in his aim to prove his skills.

“Johnny & The Devil’s Box is an exciting and unique opportunity for The Franklin Theatre to present world-class performing arts experiences to our community,” said Eric Dilts, Managing Director of The Franklin Theatre. “Audiences will love its lively, bluegrass score, conceived right here in the heart of Middle Tennessee. We are honored to be part of the development history of this highly praised new musical theatre work and look forward to watching this musical become a hit in Tennessee and beyond.”

“We have such a history with the Franklin Theatre, having performed there many times over the years with Studio Tenn,” said Waterbury-Tieman. “Now to be able to bring our original music to the stage with such an incredible cast of guest artists is an incredible honor. We can’t wait to watch the audience tap their feet to the fiddle in our very favorite theatre.”

The musical’s journey began locally at Belmont University where Waterbury-Tieman conceived of the work, along the way presenting a 29-Hour reading with Studio Tenn. Momentum quickly gained for the show until plans for a production at the Tony Award Winning Goodspeed Opera House were put on hold due to the pandemic’s shut down of Broadway. The Franklin Theatre’s engagement is an opportunity to present a distinct concert interpretation of the show for audiences prior to its full production Regional Premiere this November at the Cumberland County Playhouse in Crossville, TN.

The Franklin Theatre concert will feature Waterbury-Tieman alongside his wife Annabelle Fox (No Strings Off Broadway Revival), Matthew Carlton (The Doyle and Debbie Show, Nash Rep’s Ragtime), Rachel Potter (X-Factor; Broadway’s Addams Family, Evita), A.J. Smith (The Kelly Clarkson Show), Jake Speck (Broadway’s Jersey Boys; Nashville), with more to be announced. The supporting band will feature Zach and Maggie White, Laura Ray and Ben Jones, with Matt Logan serving as Consulting Producer.

Tickets can be found at www.franklintheatre.com/johnny-devils-box. Tickets are also available by calling 615-538-2076, or visiting the box office at 419 Main Street, Franklin, TN.

Fan favorites, like White Christmas and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,

return to The Historic Franklin Theatre and go on sale this Friday.

We are excited to announce Republic Bank as the presenting sponsor for its holiday movie screenings throughout December. As part of their month-long “Christmas in July” promotion, all holiday movies will go on sale Friday, July 22 at 11:00 AM.

“Holiday movies at The Franklin Theatre have become a staple for many families in middle Tennessee,” said The Franklin Theatre’s Managing Director, Eric Dilts. “Our 2022 lineup is sure to excite all audiences with the beloved classics and fan-favorites. These holiday screenings often sell out, so everyone is encouraged to make their holiday viewing plans now if they can. Also, as a corporate partner that is helping keep this tradition alive, we’re thrilled to have Republic Bank work with us this year to bring these cherished movies to our historic theatre”.

“Republic Bank, for over 40 years, has really strived to be a community partner in all the markets that we serve. The Franklin Theatre, to us, is a treasure here. Not only for the historical aspect, but for the entertainment value that it brings,” said Chad Hart, Tennessee Market President for Republic Bank. “It’s become a time-honored tradition for many families in Williamson County to enjoy some of the holiday shows, and we’re excited to be part of it this year.”

As an added benefit, patrons that purchase any “Christmas in July” movie or live show will be entered to win a Franklin Theatre prize package that includes Franklin Theatre Merchandise, concessions and (non-holiday) movie vouchers, and a $100 Franklin Theatre gift card.

The “Christmas in July” movie lineup will include:

• THE LAST HOLIDAY; December 6^th, 2022
• ELF; December 10^th, 2022
• THIS CHRISTMAS; December 12^th, 2022        
• A CHRISTMAS STORY; December 13^th, 2022
• NATIONAL LAMPOON’S CHRISTMAS VACATION; December 18^th & 19^th, 2022
• HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS; December 19^th, 2022
• IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE; December 20^th, 22^nd, & 23^rd, 2022
• THE POLAR EXPRESS; December 21^st & 22^nd, 2022
• WHITE CHRISTMAS; December 22^nd, 2022

Additional showings may be added throughout the season.  Complete dates, showtimes and tickets can be found at https://www.franklintheatre.com/christmas-in-july/.

Ecclectic holiday-themed live performances include The Gatlin Brothers, The World Famous Glenn Miller Orchestra, Melinda Doolittle, and Studio Tenn’s “A Christmas Carol,”among others

The Franklin Theatre invites the community to make their holiday plans early by securing tickets to a variety of holiday-themed performances.  During the month of July, The Franklin Theatre will put tickets on sale to the majority of its holiday programming, beginning with 10 live shows, Friday, July 15 at 11:00 AM.

“We’ve been working very hard and are delighted to share our holiday programming with everyone,” said The Franklin Theatre’s Managing Director, Eric Dilts. “Our calendar has something for everyone this holiday season, with fan favorites along with some new and diverse acts as well. It’s thanks to the support and feedback from our incredible community that we can offer such an exciting lineup.”

As an added benefit, patrons that purchase any “Christmas in July” show will be entered to win a Franklin Theatre prize package that includes Franklin Theatre Merchandise, concessions and (non-holiday) movie vouchers, and a $100 Franklin Theatre gift card.

See the full “Christmas In July” lineup of live shows here!