When Mike Strickland, the CEO of Knoxville-based Bandit Lites, came to speak recently to the Executive Women’s Association, I knew it would be interesting. But I figured that, since he also is the chairman of the board of the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce and I am a member of that board, his talk would be [...]

Filed under: Business, Events, Knoxville, Music, Theater | 4 Comments »

Of course we all can book a hotel in New York City, browse the New York Times, select some plays and make a long weekend of it. Alan and I have done that several times and had great experiences each time.
But there’s an even better way to have a theater weekend in the Big Apple. Go with [...]

Filed under: Knoxville, Theater | 14 Comments »

To celebrate the great time we are having in our new offices in the historic Miller’s Department Store building at 445 S. Gay Street, we made “coming back to Miller’s” the theme of our annual mid-winter client party this year.
The invitation had historic photos from Miller’s in its heyday. And we chose the time setting [...]

Filed under: Business, Downtown, Events, Historic preservation, Journalism, Knoxville, Media, Music, Politics, Public Relations, Theater | 11 Comments »

On a cold night in January of 2005, festivities for the grand re-opening of the historic Tennessee Theatre were about to start. The ”grand entertainment palace,” as it was nicknamed,  had just undergone a $25.5 million renovation and I found myself standing beside Knoxville Mayor Bill Haslam in the back of the darkened theater just before the doors [...]

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I guess the theory is that if one Christmas play is successful, maybe we should have two!
In its recently announced upcoming season, the Clarence Brown Theatre at the University of Tennessee will produce both the Charles Dickens classic, “A Christmas Carol,” and “It’s a Wonderful Life: A Radio Play.” The two Christmas season chestnuts will [...]

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While everyone else was getting ready for the Super Bowl Sunday, about a dozen folks were having a very unique Knoxville experience.
Members of the Upper Left Book Club (more on them later) and a few hangers-on gathered in a West Knoxville restaurant following a matinee showing of “That Evening Sun” for a Q & A [...]

Filed under: Art, Knoxville, Theater | 5 Comments »

I know. It seems pretty clear. You hear it all the time. Last week at the Clarence Brown Theatre production of “The Flu Season” (which was excellent, by the way), they said photography and audio and video recording of the performance were strictly prohibited. No big deal.
But they didn’t search purses and confiscate cameras as [...]

Filed under: Downtown, Knoxville, Music, Theater | 20 Comments »

“A Streetcar Named Desire” closed with a matinee at the Clarence Brown Theatre yesterday, capping a run that boasted many sold-out performances and box office revenue that exceeded projections by a comfortable margin.
And last night the theater celebrated its 35th anniversary with a gala at the Foundry that easily exceeded its $35,000 fundraising goal. It [...]

Filed under: Events, Knoxville, Theater | 11 Comments »

The smell of football is in the air. You can almost feel the excitement building with each passing day. All the orange clothes are being moved to the front of the closet.
But guess what. While everyone is getting ready for football season, the cultural season also is kicking off. And you need to get your tickets now because [...]

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Television and film actress Dale Dickey made a quick decision when she got a call from Cal MacLean, the artistic director of Knoxville’s Clarence Brown Theatre, asking if she wanted to return to her hometown to play the role of Blanche DuBois in “A Streetcar Named Desire.”
“I never in my life thought I would be [...]

Filed under: Events, Knoxville, Music, Theater | No Comments »