Kate Adams-Johnson News

One of the new events added to the line-up for 2011 First Night, The Theatre Honors was The Women In Theatre Luncheon - which saluted the inaugural eight recipients of The First Night Star Award - held Tuesday, August 30, at The Listening Room Cafe in Cummins Station. Co-chaired by Corrie Miller and Neely O'Brien Green, the event was produced by Jeffrey Ellis, founder and executive producer of First Night.

Six of the leading lights of the theater world in Tennessee will be recognized as members of the 2011 Class of First Night Honorees August 27-September 4 as First Night, the Nashville Theatre Honors hosts a series of theatrical events to celebrate their achievements and accomplishments.

First Night: The Honors Gala is set for Sunday, September 4, at the Troutt Theatre at Belmont University, which kicks off at 5:30 p.m. with the Red Carpet Event, hosted by Jennifer Richmond and Trey Palmer, with fashion commentary by Cary Street, Joshua Waldrep and Lisa Garner Harrison. Impresario Johnny Delarocco (aka John Pyka) will produce a special Red Carpet performance by his company just for First Night.

Five of the six honorees - Brewer, Hoff, Proctor, Sasser and Shute-Pettaway - gathered on the East Bank of the Cumberland River on Wednesday, August 3, to have their official First Night photographs taken by acclaimed Nashville photographer Barry A. Noland. Atha is out of town until month's end, when she returns for all the First Night festivities.

Six of the leading lights of the theater world in Tennessee will be recognized as members of the 2011 Class of First Night Honorees August 27-September 4 as First Night, the Nashville Theatre Honors hosts a series of theatrical events to celebrate their achievements and accomplishments.

Cori Laemmel would be the first to tell you: 2011 has been kind of a crazy year for her. She made her debut with Tennessee Repertory Theatre with her critically-acclaimed turn in Yankee Tavern; with four of her talented friends, she brought MAS Nashville to life, creating and performing in two stellar nights of cabaret - with more in store; and she launched her theater training program for younger actors aka The Theater Bug. Oh, and she was in the audience for her actor husband Tyson Laemmel's many performances, as well.

David De Silva, the man behind the creation of one of pop culture's most enduring tales of the individual's creative struggle for self-expression - known the world over as the film and stage musical, Fame - arrives in Tennessee today for the opening of Circle Players' regional premiere of Fame Forever: Talent Springs Eternal, which opens at Middle Tennessee State University's Tucker Theatre for a one-weekend run.

With its four-week theater camp wrapping up last week, The Keaton Theatre is now focused on opening night for the Nashville premiere of Camp Rock, The Musical. Although with the onslaught of tech week, campers and counselors may find themselves yearning for yet another week of camp.

Danny Proctor, Helen Shute-Pettaway, Layne Sasser, Pam Atha, Dan Brewer and Gary Hoff were introduced Monday night as the six members of the 2011 Class of First Night Honorees during the First Night Preview Party, hosted by founder and executive producer Jeffrey Ellis at The Listening Room Cafe in downtown Nashville.

With its four-week theater camp wrapping up last week, The Keaton Theatre is now focused on opening night for the Nashville premiere of Camp Rock, The Musical. Although with the onslaught of tech week, campers and counselors may find themselves yearning for yet another week of camp.

In the cast, there's a blend familiar faces from local theater productions and a whole slew of newcomers. During the run-up to the show's opening night, we introduced you to members of Kate's cast - and now that the show is up and running, we're happy to introduce you to another cast member...Jessica Higgins...

In the cast, there's a blend familiar faces from local theater productions and a whole slew of newcomers. During the run-up to the show's opening night, we introduced you to members of Kate's cast - and now that the show is up and running, we're happy to introduce you to another cast member...Sandra Kennelly...

In the cast, there's a blend familiar faces from local theater productions and a whole slew of newcomers. During the run-up to the show's opening night, we introduced you to members of Kate's cast - and now that the show is up and running, we're happy to introduce you to another cast member...Melissa Silengo...

There comes a moment, very early on in Kate Adams-Johnson's A Chorus Line (which opened last night at The Keeton Theatre) in which, one by one, each of the actors is caught in the spotlight, with some portentous musical underscoring that heightens the emotional impact of the moment. But what's really telling about that sequence of illumination is how evocatively it telegraphs the stories of each of the actors in the cast. You can tell, almost imperceptibly, what it is that separates the pretenders from the contenders...

In the cast, there's a blend familiar faces from local theater productions and a whole slew of newcomers. During the run-up to the show's June 9 opening night, we've introduced you to members of Kate's cast - and next up is Mallory Gleason, who plays Cassie...

In the cast, there's a blend familiar faces from local theater productions and a whole slew of newcomers. During the run-up to the show's June 9 opening night, we've introduced you to members of Kate's cast - and next up is handsome, charming, talented and Caleb Reynolds who, clearly, knows his way around an interview.

In the cast, there's a blend familiar faces from local theater productions and a whole slew of newcomers. During the run-up to the show's June 9 opening night, we've introduced you to members of Kate's cast - and next up is an experienced, if rather young, actor fresh off his run in Circle Players' recent 13 The Musical, the peripatetic (and media savvy) Spencer Dean...

Over the past few years, I've often referred to Kate Adams-Johnson as the busiest director/choreographer in Nashville and, clearly, she has the resume and press clippings to claim that title without reservation. In January, she was recognized at Midwinter's First Night as one of the best theatrical choreographers in 2010, for her work on both Swing! and Titanic.

Director Kate Adams-Johnson, aka Nashville's busiest choreographer, is putting yet another cast through its paces in preparation for yet another opening night (this one's fast approaching on Thursday, June 9). Only this time, she's serious. Very serious. The show she's helming for this particular opening night, you see, is every dancer's holy grail: A Chorus Line. In the cast, there's a blend familiar faces from local theater productions and a whole slew of newcomers. During the run-up to the show's June 9 opening night, we've introduced you to members of Kate's cast - and next up is a relatively new actor on the Nashville theater scene, where he made quite the statement in Circle Players' recent 13 The Musical, the confident, composed Ryan Garrett...

Director Kate Adams-Johnson, aka Nashville's busiest choreographer, is putting yet another cast through its paces in preparation for yet another opening night (this one's fast approaching on Thursday, June 9). Only this time, she's serious. Very serious. The show she's helming for this particular opening night, you see, is every dancer's holy grail: A Chorus Line.In the cast, there's a blend familiar faces from local theater productions and a whole slew of newcomers. During the run-up to the show's June 9 opening night, we've introduced you to members of Kate's cast - and next up is relatively new face (although she's already made her mark on Nashville stages), the bright, lovely and clever Kathryn Clubb...