Kate Adams News

Looking for a way to beat the heat this weekend? What's better than sinking into a seat in a darkened auditorium and letting the talented actors onstage whisk you way to a whole different world from the world iin which you toil Monday through Friday? Theater companies throughout the midstate are ready to dazzle you with their latest productions and here are some of this weekend's best bets...

Inspired by BroadwayWorld.com's Friday Six, welcome to BroadwayWorld Nashville's latest installment of The Friday Five: five questions designed to help you learn more about the talented people you'll find onstage throughout the Volunteer state. Today, we introduce you to four actors who will have entertain you beginning tonight in Shrek the Musical, directed by First Night Star Award winner Kate Adams for Dickson's The Renaissance Players.

Looking for an early summer diversion? We're happy to suggest some theatrical offerings to occupy your time, to keep you out of the heat and humidity - which seems to have really descended upon us this past week - and place you smack in the middle of a darkened auditorium that's certain to cool you down while entertaining you in high style…

It's already heating up in Nashville and it's not even summer yet! But Nashville area theater companies are hard at work to ensure that audiences have a lot to choose from in the way of live theater presented in cool, darkened theaters. Here are our suggestions for the most eagerly anticipated shows of the sultry summer season…

On Monday, May 18th, Shark Eat Muffin Theatre Co. will present an industry reading of Catie O' Keefe's latest play, 'Fantasies and Nightmares', directed by NY based, Illana Stein (The Pearl Theatre Co).

Of course, Nashville's Iroquois Steeplechase is Saturday (and despite weather forecasts to the contrary, chances are that means it's going to be raining), so when it comes time to dry off, we suggest you head to the theater, where there's all sorts of good stuff onstage.

Steel Magnolias is currently onstage in Nashville, thanks to a well-acted production from director Robert Coles' Imaginary Theatre Company, featuring some of Music City's best known actresses, led by Kate Adams as M'Lynn and Britt Byrd as Shelby, Heather Vaughn Alexander as Truvy, Angela Gimlin as Annelle, Beth Woodruff as Clairee and Ann Street Kavanaugh as Ouiser.

Looking for something fun to do in Nashville - say, in the next few days or so? That doesn't involve running in the Country Music Marathon? Have no fear, gentle BWW Nashville readers, our team of writers have done the necessary legwork - we're all about saving you time, keeping you out of the marathon traffic and helping you make informed decisions about how to spend your entertainment dollar, after all - and we are delighted to present you with our very first, official Critic's Choice column, filled to the veritable brim with suggestions for great stuff going on around our fair state.

Inspired by BroadwayWorld.com's Friday Six, welcome to BroadwayWorld Nashville's latest installment of The Friday Five: five questions designed to help you learn more about the talented people you'll find onstage throughout the Volunteer state. This week the spotlight shines on Kate Adams, Britt Byrd and Ann Street-Kavanaugh - Steel Magnolias' M'Lynn, Shelby and Ouiser from Imaginary Theatre's production of Robert Harling's classic comedy, opening in East Nashville tonight.

As BroadwayWorld previously reported, AKA Studio Productions just presented an industry reading of Diana Amsterdam's The Dodgers. Dave Solomon directed the project, which starred Into the Woods stars Billy Magnussen and Mackenzie Mauzy, along with American Horror Story's Finn Wittrock and Hannah Bos, Greg Hildreth and Preston Sadleir. BroadwayWorld is excited to bring you exclusive photos from inside the reading below!

To mark the Centenary of Arthur Miller's birth and the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, Richard Beecham will direct a revival of Miller'sPlaying for Time in the Crucible. Beecham directs Kate Adams (Helene), Noa Bodner (Esther), Pascale Burgess (Elzvieta), Imogen Daines (Etalina),Emma Darlow (Liesl), Holly De Jong (Schmidt), James Duke (Mengele / Kapo / Cellist / Paul), Amanda Hadingue (Alma Rose), Melanie Heslop(Marianne), Rebecca Jenkins (Varya), Kate Lynn-Evans (Mandel), Maeve O'Sullivan (Greta / Olga), Sian Phillips (Fania), Danny Scheinmann (Schmuel / Captain Heinz / Second Chess Player / First Trooper), Augustina Seymour (Paulette/ Music Captain), Christopher Staines (Commandant Kramer / 1st Chess Player / SS Guard / Kapo / Pianist) and Alexia Traverse-Healy (Mala / Tchaikowska). Completing the cast are 17 members of Sheffield People's Theatre - the theatre's intergenerational acting company from across the region.

AKA Studio Productions will launch a nine-episode SAG original comedy web series, 'Rules of Cool' on January 26th at 9:00 pm on the series' YouTube channel.

Bawdy, irreverent, perhaps even unhinged: What better way to describe Midwinter's First Night? Held Sunday night at Backstage at the Barn, the intimate cabaret theater at Nashville's iconic Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre, the slightly offbeat, decidedly more casual younger sibling of The First Night Honors focused on the fun, while honoring some of Middle Tennessee's best and brightest with First Night Awards.

On Monday, September 22, 2014, The Innovative Theatre Foundation, the organization who for the past 10 years has been dedicated to celebrating Off-Off-Broadway, announced the 2014 recipients at its annual event. Celebrating ten years and thousands of nominees, the New York Innovative Theatre awards took place at Mason Hall at Baruch Performing Arts Center, 17 Lexington Avenue. Scroll down for photos from the festivities!

JJJ Productions in association with Culture Project and Aaron Grant Theatrical, Inc have announced that the world premiere of The Anthem, an original musical lovingly inspired by the classic Ayn Rand Novella, 'Anthem', with a book by Gary Morgenstein, music by Jonnie Rockwell and lyrics by Erik Ransom, is extending a special pride-themed ticket offer for June 2014. Scroll down for photos of the cast!

The cast has been set for the invited reading of the new coming-of-age screenplay, 'they just didn't like me,' by Dominic Zicari, which will be held today, June 3rd at the New York offices of Peter Fields of RITHOLZ, LEVY, SANDERS, CHIDEKEL and FIELDS.

As taken from the song "I Bring Light," one of the first achieved moments of individual triumph and beauty for the story's protagonist is captured through the powerful words of a character who has always understand the potential greatness of being "free." A young rebel by the name of Prometheus takes his ardent desire to liberate himself from the darkness which has descended upon his people by means of an oppressive and soul crushing State, and becomes the hero of this fantastic new musical that tackles an old yet thought provoking concept. Can it be possible for one person to change the world - to have it "born anew" - by showing how important the individual is in the midst of complete tyranny? Ayn Rand's Anthem is hereby taken and transformed into a production that emphasizes the influence of one young soul and his ambition to show that there really isn't any "I" in team after all; this, my friends, is The Anthem.

The cast has been set for the invited reading of the new coming-of-age screenplay, "they just didn't like me,' by Dominic Zicari, which will be held on June 3rd at the New York offices of Peter Fields of RITHOLZ, LEVY, SANDERS, CHIDEKEL and FIELDS.

Ashley Kate Adams, actress and producer, will star as Athena in 'The Anthem' now at the Culture Project in New York City. This original show is based on the book of the same name by Ayn Rand. Adams shared some insights about the show and her career with Broadwayworld.com.

JJJ Productions in Association with Culture Project and Aaron Grant Theatrical, Inc have announced that the world premiere of THE ANTHEM, an original musical lovingly inspired by the classic Ayn Rand Novella, 'Anthem', with a book by Gary Morgenstein, music by Jonnie Rockwell and lyrics by Erik Ransom will begin previews tonight, May 20, 2014, Off-Broadway at Culture Project's Lynn Redgrave Theatre on 45 Bleecker Street. This musical helmed by Rachel Klein officially opens on Thursday, May 29, 2014.