Maryanna Clarke News

Tennessee Women's Theater Project returns to Nashville's Z. Alexander Looby Theater for the fifth year running - beginning Friday May 6 - for its annual Women's Work festival of performing and visual arts created by women. Running through Sunday, May 22, the festival cuts a broad swath across styles and genres to offer eleven completely different programs: poetry and essays; one-woman shows; staged readings of new plays; film, dance, music and a display of visual art works in the theater lobby.

Tennessee Women's Theater Project returns to Nashville's Z. Alexander Looby Theater for the fifth year running - beginning Friday May 6 - for its annual Women's Work festival of performing and visual arts created by women. Running through Sunday, May 22, the festival cuts a broad swath across styles and genres to offer eleven completely different programs: poetry and essays; one-woman shows; staged readings of new plays; film, dance, music and a display of visual art works in the theater lobby.

Now onstage through March 13 at the Z. Alexander Looby Theater, in a nicely appointed production from Tennessee Women's Theater Project, Impressionism gives audiences a chance to see some fine Nashville actors in a play that is simply not up to their best efforts. Even Maryanna Clarke's focused direction and the leading performances of Holly Allen and Jeremy Childs - and a knockout supporting performance by Tamiko Robinson - are unsuccessful in making Jacobs' script more than what is: a pretentious attempt to use impressionist art to amplify the story of two characters who aren't that sympathetic and are only interesting because you have nowhere else to look.

Holly Allen and Jeremy Childs lead the cast of Tennessee Women's Theater Project's production of Michael Jacobs' Impressionism, opening Friday, February 25 and running for 13 performances at Nashville's Z. Alexander Looby Theater. TWTP's production marks the regional premiere of Impressionism.

Holly Allen and Jeremy Childs lead the cast of Tennessee Women's Theater Project's production of Michael Jacobs' Impressionism, opening Friday, February 25 and running for 13 performances at Nashville's Z. Alexander Looby Theater. TWTP's production marks the regional premiere of Impressionism.

For Sondra Morton, the owner and artistic director Act Too Players, every day has its own special set of challenges and sources of inspiration - and, quite frankly, she'd have it no other way. In fact, she thrives on the pace and excitement that is all in a day's work as she inspires and trains budding thespians in Middle Tennessee through the company's efforts.

Nashville theater audiences were treated to a wide range of dramatic offerings in 2010, with the revival of some of the best-known American plays of the past half-century, along with productions of some amazing original works by a group of talented homegrown playwrights, whose subjects ranged from what goes on in the intimate confines of the ladies' room to a murder mystery comedy with a film noir ambience. Clearly, if 2010 is any indication, the new 2011 season now under way is going to be filled with even more surprises and delights.

Director Maryanna Clarke's intelligent choice to retain the play's original setting instead of transplanting the playwrights' characters to some American hamlet helps to underscore the play's universality and to further illustrate how women all over the world must confront the cold reality of a cancer diagnosis. With the tremendous guidance of dialect coach Jill Massie, the three actresses in the piece (Corrie Miller, Kristin James and Linda Sue Simmons) display a remarkable gift of actually sounding as if they come from the Emerald Isle, instead of sounding like a bunch of Tennessee actresses mimicking the Lucky Charms leprechaun.

The play is described as 'a tender, often hilarious exploration of the lives of three women: 34 year-old hairdresser Rose lives on a farm with her husband and two children, wondering if she married too young. Lola, in her 50s, has withdrawn from the world. Nobody ever visits, unopened mail piles up, and she's trying to face the job of selling, packing and moving on. Lyndsey, at 11, is worried that her best friend has stopped sitting beside her in art class. When breast cancer intrudes, everything begins to come undone.'

The play is described as 'a tender, often hilarious exploration of the lives of three women: 34 year-old hairdresser Rose lives on a farm with her husband and two children, wondering if she married too young. Lola, in her 50s, has withdrawn from the world. Nobody ever visits, unopened mail piles up, and she's trying to face the job of selling, packing and moving on. Lyndsey, at 11, is worried that her best friend has stopped sitting beside her in art class. When breast cancer intrudes, everything begins to come undone.'

The glitterati of Nashville's theater community took to the red carpet Sunday night, September 19, prior to the start of the First Night Nashville Theatre Honors. Held at the Troutt Theatre at Belmont University, the First Night Honors recognized eight leaders of the Nashville theater community for their lifetime achievements and contributions to the art form.

Tennessee Women's Theater Project has announced its 2010-2011 season, presenting two plays new to Middle Tennessee audiences, and the return of the company's annual Women's Work showcase of performing and visual arts at Nashville's Z. Alexander Looby Theater. A fourth production, last year's successful Warriors Don't Cry, will be touring Nashville area schools.

Earlier this season, Amanda Card-McCoy took on one of the three roles in the Tennessee Women's Theater Project's Secrets of a Soccer Mom, earning good reviews while impressing TWTP artistic director Maryanna Clarke, who has raved about her talent and her work ethic. The Nashville native got her professional start at Nashville Children's Theatre and she counts Nashville theatre stalwarts David Alford, Brenda Sparks, Denice Hicks and Matt Carlton as among her role models - the folks who inspired her to pursue her career in the theatre. Last weekend, Amanda took the time to answer our questions and to give readers at Nashville.BroadwayWorld.com a glimpse into her 'Life in the Theatre.'

Tennessee Women's Theater Project returns to the Nashville's Z. Alexander Looby Theater on Friday, May 7, with its fourth annual Women's Work showcase of performing and visual arts created by women. Running through Sunday, May 23, the festival cuts across typical borders of style, medium and genre, offering 11 completely different programs: poetry and essays; one-woman shows; staged readings of new plays; dance, and even a clown performance combining the Pochinko and Commedia dell' Arte Bouffon styles.

Tennessee Women's Theater Project returns to the Nashville's Z. Alexander Looby Theater on Friday, May 7, with its fourth annual Women's Work showcase of performing and visual arts created by women. Running through Sunday, May 23, the festival cuts across typical borders of style, medium and genre, offering 11 completely different programs: poetry and essays; one-woman shows; staged readings of new plays; dance, and even a clown performance combining the Pochinko and Commedia dell' Arte Bouffon styles.

Secrets of a Soccer Mom is set at a soccer field on a crisp autumn day, where three women talk on the sidelines while waiting their turn to play in the annual youth soccer league mothers vs. sons game. There's a little gossip, a little strategy - should they play all out or let their sons win? - and a lot of laughs, courtesy of Kathleen Clark's dialogue.

Thanks to Kathleen Clark's genuinely funny Secrets of a Soccer Mom, now onstage in an entertaining production from Maryanna Clarke and Tennessee Women's Theater Project, you get a glimpse at the 'real' reality of the lives of soccer moms, as opposed to the reality you may have been led to expect. Be forewarned: It's like looking behind the curtain to see what makes the Wizard the wizard and chances are you will never again look at the soccer mom in the next lane in the same way.

Secrets of a Soccer Mom is set at a soccer field on a crisp autumn day, where three women talk on the sidelines while waiting their turn to play in the annual youth soccer league mothers vs. sons game. There's a little gossip, a little strategy - should they play all out or let their sons win? - and a lot of laughs, courtesy of Kathleen Clark's dialogue.

Secrets of a Soccer Mom is set at a soccer field on a crisp autumn day, where three women talk on the sidelines while waiting their turn to play in the annual youth soccer league mothers vs. sons game. There's a little gossip, a little strategy - should they play all out or let their sons win? - and a lot of laughs, courtesy of Kathleen Clark's dialogue.

It seems as if Maryanna Clarke is always in motion: As the founding artistic director of the Nashville-based Tennessee Women's Theatre Project, she always has multiple irons in the fire. As the mom of college student Kate (upon whom she dotes -- and of whom she is justifiably proud), she has all the responsibilites of motherhood on her shoulders. And as the wife of Chris Clarke (her theatrical partner-in-crime aka producer), she's got the wife role down pat!