Louisville Ballet Brings the Brown-Forman Nutcracker to the digital stage
For millions of Americans, the holiday season isn’t complete without a trip to the theatre to watch The Nutcracker, choreographed by Val Caniparoli. But in 2020, safety supersedes tradition, leaving venues around the country dark for the foreseeable future.
Such is the case for The Kentucky Center, where the Louisville Ballet performs this holiday classic. This June, the company announced the 2020-21 Season of Illumination will be all-digital and include a new ballet art film production entitled Kentucky! Volume 1 and the Brown-Forman Nutcracker, with more productions to be announced later.
While many regard the pivot as bittersweet, artistic director Robert Curran says it was an unexpectedly easy decision, and one that has brought a renewed sense of excitement to the company.
Louisville Orchestra Celebrates American Soul with FREE Virtual Concert
Since famed Louisville Orchestra conductor Teddy Abrams first graced the stages of Whitney Hall, Louisville patrons of fine music knew they were in for a treat. In what was a monumental transition into celebrating the roots of classical music as well as other important genres, the season line-ups soon began to reveal what Teddy and crew had in mind and where the future of the Louisville Orchestra was heading, and all signs pointed to exciting times ahead.
With past collages featuring various musicians, rock bands and even local artists, paired with the harmonic orchestra ensembles, Teddy and the LO have attracted new patrons to the performances as well as invigorated the long-time patrons of the group.
Audience Spotlight: Jim Brickman Brings Comfort & Joy at Home for the Holiday
There is no doubt that this holiday season will not look like past years. Longstanding traditions may be put on hold, family gatherings may be limited, and things will just be different.
With the COVID virus continuing to wreak havoc on the world as we once knew it, businesses from every industry have been affected. Among those hit the hardest have been concert venues, most of which have been dark since March. Musicians and industry leaders have stepped up to help venues in any way they can. One of them is musician Jim Brickman.
With multiple awards, gold and platinum albums, and collaborations with artists such as Lady Antebellum, Martina McBride, Johnny Mathis, Olivia Newton John, and more, Brickman’s music has enlightened millions and now he wants to bring the sounds of the holidays to your home with the Comfort & Joy at Home Virtual Holiday Tour streamed live on December 10 to benefit Kentucky Performing Arts.
Audience Magazine – Stay Connected with The Arts…Sign-up for FREE!
In collaboration with the performing arts groups of Louisville, we are excited to bring you Audience Magazine, an all-digital publication that delivers a behind-the-scenes look into the performing arts and entertainment during this unprecedented time of reflection and artistic creation.
Audience Magazine highlights enlightening articles and information about the arts groups as well as spotlights on Louisville Landmarks and interviews with inspirational representatives from the arts community. And the best part about it all is …. it’s FREE!
Headliners Music Hall Announces Parking Lot Concert Series Oct. 23-25
For those seeking the thrill of live music, your day just got better. Headliners Music Hall announced their first ever socially distanced and seated parking lot concert. The three day event will take place October 23, 24 and 25 with each featuring a different band in the parking lot of the renown concert hall in what will be a one-of-a-kind event.
In a statement posted on the venue’s web-site: Headliners Music Hall is announcing our first-ever parking lot concert series. We will hold three nights of concerts on October 23, 24 and 25th. The club has been closed since the COVID-19 outbreak erupted in March, so we will be taking live music to the parking lot to have one weekend of live music before the colder weather comes. Fleetwood Mac tribute band, Back2Mac, will headline Friday, October 23, with alt indie-rock outfit Jaye Jayle’s Prisyn Album Release Party, out on Sargent Records, on October 24 and SMTN TO DO – A Pull Up Day Party closing out the weekend on October 25. Doors for all three shows will be at 5pm ET, with the show starting at 7pm.
Audience Interview: Carly Johnson: Her Vision Her Hope
Louisville is known for its culinary scene, nightlife, entertainment, and of course, the performing arts. We also have an abundance of talented musicians, ranging from orchestra performers to vocalists and everything in between.
One musician familiar with the spotlight and entertaining crowds large and small is local jazz, R&B and rock powerhouse singer/songwriter Carly Johnson. Having performed with artists such as Norah Jones, Bonnie Prince Billy, Houndmouth, and My Morning Jacket, as well as playing in a jazz guitar duo with critically acclaimed local musician, Craig Wagner, she has become a well-known and respected name in the Louisville music scene.
Her latest masterpiece is a song titled Burn Your Fears that she wrote for a dear friend who courageously fought lung cancer with the power of positivity, and was an inspiration to everyone around her.She also released a video compilation in partnership with the Louisville Ballet and Orchestra musicians filmed at Whitney Hall at the Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts.
Audience publisher, G. Douglas Dreisbach caught up with Carly to hear more about the song and upcoming album, her inspiration in writing it and how the partnership with the Louisville Ballet and Kentucky Performing Arts came to be.
Audience Exclusive: Michael Drury: Pandora Productions; Artistic Director
Powerful and Provocative: Pandora Productions is dedicated to telling the stories of the LGBTQ community
What started as a theater company with a goal of showcasing social justice through the arts, Louisville-based Pandora Productions has blossomed into one of the only LGBTQ+ theater companies in the region. Through trials and tribulations, shoestring budgets and other obstacles, the group is blazing its own path to deliver relevant content in the community.
We caught up with artistic director Michael Drury to discuss Pandora’s journey, what it takes to run a theater company and what lies ahead.
StageOne Family Theatre Announces Longtime Artist Educator Andrew D. Harris as Producing Artistic Director
The Board of Directors of StageOne Family Theatre announces Andrew D. Harris as the Producing Artistic Director. Andrew has been serving as Interim Producing Artistic Director since January of this year. “The board feels Andrew has proven his ability to lead and we are looking forward to supporting him through our ever changing local and global landscape.
Andrew has seen the ups and downs of StageOne over the years and we believe his experience, determination, and creativity will ensure success,” said StageOne Family Theatre Board President Jon Riehm, announcing the decision.
Actors Theatre of Louisville Announces Line-up for Virtual 2020-2021 Season
LOUISVILLE, KY — Actors Theatre of Louisville and Executive Artistic Director Robert Barry Fleming proudly announce the lineup of 2020–2021 virtual programming, presented through Actors Theatre Direct, the company’s multi-channel, transmedia approach to storytelling. Fleming shares,
“In envisioning a new season of work at this time in our community, we seek to rigorously reimagine how a 21st century theatre can be shared and of service to our Louisville and Kentuckiana family who are continuing to process the tragic murder of Breonna Taylor and a weekend of protests and violence, during the ongoing disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Louisville Music Icons Unveil Lift up Louisville Song – Check it out!
When it comes to creativity, Louisville certainly is at the top of its game. Once again, the creative minds of musicians around the city have collaborated to create an uplifting video that features lyrics and landmarks from around Louisville.
The song and musicians were organized by Louisville Orchestra Music Director Teddy Abrams. It features two dozen artists from different backgrounds from bluegrass to rock. Included in the long list of contributors are Jim James and Patrick Hallahan of My Morning Jacket, singer/songwriter Will Oldham, cellist/composer Ben Sollee, Scott Carney of Wax Fang, percussionist Dani Markham, hip hop star Jecorey Arthur, gospel singer Jason Clayborn, singer Carly Johnson and others from Louisville’s music scene.
Audience Interview: The Louisville Orchestra: John Malloy, President
The Louisville Orchestra has been instrumental in the growth of the arts in Louisville since 1937 when conductor Robert Whitney, Louisville Mayor Charles Farnsley and other business leaders of the community launched Louisville’s now-beloved fully professional symphony orchestra.
The Louisville Orchestra has hosted thousands of performances and enlightened the souls of many under the direction of some of the most talented conductors in the world. Audience publisher, Douglas Dreisbach, caught up with President John Malloy to find out more about the importance of the arts, the orchestra and the upcoming performance at the world-renowned Carnegie Hall. This interview was also featured in the April edition of Audience Magazine.
Audience Interview: Louisville Ballet: Robert Curran, Artistic Director
The Louisville Ballet was founded in March 1952 and is now recognized as one of the most highly-regarded regional ballet companies in the country.
As the official state ballet of Kentucky, it has hosted some of ballet’s biggest names, including Mikhail Baryshnikov, Twyla Tharp and Wendy Whelan, performed for over tens of thousands of people, and reached more than 20,000 school-age children through its educational programming.
Audience Publisher, Douglas Dreisbach, caught up with Artistic Director, Robert Curran, about how the team at the ballet is coping with the current crisis and what we can expect in the company’s 2020-21 season. This interview was also featured in the April edition of Audience Magazine.
Audience Interview: Kentucky Performing Arts: Kim Baker, President & CEO
Kentucky Performing Arts’ family of venues are the primary performance spaces for several major art groups in Louisville, including PNC Broadway in Louisville, Louisville Orchestra, Louisville Ballet and more. The KPA venues are The Kentucky Center for the Performing Arts, the Brown Theatre and Old Forester’s Paristown Hall, Louisville’s newest, state-of-the-art performance venue.
KPA venues are currently closed due to the COVID-19 social distancing protocols. Audience publisher, Douglas Dreisbach, caught up with KPA President and CEO, Kim Baker, to see how they are doing amid the current situation. This interview was also featured in the April edition of Audience Magazine.
Audience Interview: PNC Broadway in Louisville: Leslie Broecker, President
PNC Broadway in Louisville has brought the biggest hits to Louisville. Most recently, Hamilton entertained sold-out shows for a thre- week stint in 2019 and is scheduled for an encore visit as part of the 2019-20 season.
Audience publisher, Douglas Dreisbach, caught up with President Leslie Broecker to talk about everything from the exciting new season, to the importance of the arts in our community and the what goes into scheduling, to rescheduling a season for Broadway. This interview was also feature in the April edition of Audience Magazine.
Audience Interview: Actors Theatre of Louisville – Patrick Owen – Chief External Relations Officer
Actors Theatre of Louisville has been a staple in the Louisville community since 1964, when Actors, Inc. and Theatre Louisville merged. The combined organization was designated the “State Theater of Kentucky” in 1974. Known as one of the America’s most innovative theatre companies, Actors Theatre hosts almost 400 performances annually and welcomes an annual attendance of approximately 150,000 guests.
Audience Publisher, Douglas Dreisbach, caught up with Actors Theatre Chief External Relations Officer, Patrick Owen, to talk about how the team at Actors is working through the current crisis and what we can look forward to in the 2020-21 season. This interview was also featured in the April edition of Audience Magazine.
Audience Interview: Kentucky Opera: Barbara Lynne Jamison, General Director
Kentucky Opera was founded in 1952 and designated the State Opera of Kentucky in 1982. The mission of Kentucky Opera is to enrich and engage our community through spectacular music, creative storytelling and the thrill of the human voice. The Kentucky Arts Council, the state arts agency, supports Kentucky Opera with state tax dollars and federal funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Audience publisher, Douglas Dreisbach, sat down with Kentucky Opera’s General Director, Barbara Lynne Jamison, to talk about how the organization is dealing with our current challenges. This interview also appears in the April edition of Audience Magazine.
Audience Interview: Kentucky Shakespeare: Matt Wallace, Producing Artistic Director
One of the signs of summer is when the crowds start filtering to Central Park for the annual Kentucky Shakespeare performances. On the brink of their 60th season, and potentially one of the first groups back on the stage after the COVID-19 crisis diminishes,
Audience publisher, Douglas Dreisbach, caught up with Producing Artistic Director, Matt Wallace, to hear more about this exciting season.
BROADWAY IN LOUISVILLE’S PRESENTATION OF ANASTASIA HAS BEEN RESCHEDULED FOR AUGUST 4-9 AT THE KENTUCKY CENTER
PNC Broadway in Louisville has announced that the engagement of ANASTASIA, originally scheduled to play March 17-22, 2020 at The Kentucky Center, has been rescheduled for August 4-9, 2020. Ticket holders of the original engagement dates will be able to use their existing tickets for entry to the new dates on the same corresponding day/performance time.
“Thank you for your patience as we have navigated this unprecedented situation,” says Leslie Broecker, president of PNC Broadway in Louisville. “In uncertain times, it is art that we turn to for escapism, joy, and comfort. When this intermission comes to an end, the thrill that live theatre brings will feel more special than ever before.”
Arts & Entertainment Coronavirus (COVID-19) Closures & Cancellations
We are all saddened about the need to cancel so many events due to situation with COVID-19. However, we also understand that we need to follow the proper protocol of government official to do whatever we can to reduce the further spread of the virus.
Each performance requires so much hard work and dedication from performers, directors, stage crew, volunteers, patrons and more to perform at the highest level. We are don’t like to be the bearer of bad news, but we do want to keep you informed on the status of the upcoming shows and performances around Louisville. Below is a list of news and information about closures and cancellations for upcoming Louisville events, shows and performances.
**This page will be updated regularly.
PNC BROADWAY IN LOUISVILLE ANNOUNCES 2020/2021 SEASON
(March 12, 2020) – PNC Broadway in Louisville is proud to announce the 2020-2021 Season kicking off with Broadway’s hilarious hit musical MEAN GIRLS, followed by the Academy Award® winner Aaron Sorkin’s adaptation of Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Masterwork, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, directed by Tony Award® winner Bartlett Sher, Broadway’s “little slice of heaven” WAITRESS, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s record-breaking musical spectacular CATS, the unanimously funny and laugh-out-loud TOOTSIE, and the Tony Award-winning production of AIN’T TOO PROUD – THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE TEMPTATIONS. And HAMILTON returns to Louisville for three weeks!
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