NASHVILLE, TN — Nashville Repertory Theatre is proud to announce its 40th Anniversary Season. This milestone season, celebrating four decades of creation, presents a rich blend of musicals, plays, and multiple special events.
“We are thrilled about our 40th anniversary year and look forward to creating a memorable season for our audiences,” said Artistic Director Micah-Shane Brewer. “Nashville Repertory Theatre has been entertaining and inspiring audiences for four decades by creating exceptional, professional theatre in the heart of Music City. Our 40th anniversary season is a curation of plays and musicals that speak to the act of creating – creating new beginnings, community, change, second chances, a better world, art, families, and even pies!”
The season will open with the Broadway smash musical, Waitress. Featuring original music and lyrics by six-time Grammy nominee Sara Bareilles and a book by acclaimed screenwriter Jessie Nelson, Waitress is the story of Jenna, a server and expert pie maker, who is stuck in a small town and a loveless marriage. Faced with an unexpected pregnancy, Jenna fears she may have to abandon her dream of opening her own pie shop…until a baking contest in a nearby county and the town’s handsome new doctor offer her a tempting recipe for happiness. Supported by her quirky crew of fellow waitresses and loyal customers, Jenna summons the secret ingredient she’s been missing all along — courage. Nominated for four Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and cherished by audiences and critics alike, Waitress offers a special recipe for finding happiness in unexpected places. Waitress will be “Opening Up” in TPAC’s Polk Theater September 13-22, 2024.
The second production of the season is a reimagined take on a timeless classic, Thornton Wilder’s Our Town. This Pulitzer Prize winning play, one of the most popular of all time, tells the story of two young neighbors, George Gibbs and Emily Webb, whose childhood friendship blossoms into romance, and then culminates in marriage. Guided by an amiable stage manager, the occurrences of everyday life reveal universal truths and celebrations about love, family, and community. Our Town reminds us that there is beauty in the ordinary and brings a sense of wonder through our shared humanity. Audiences will rediscover this beautiful play in TPAC’s Johnson Theater October 25-November 3, 2024.
Back by popular demand, the magic of the yuletide season comes to life once again with the return of Nashville Rep’s adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. The ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future will lead the miserly prosperous curmudgeon Ebenezer Scrooge on a journey of transformation and redemption. Through these encounters, Scrooge learns the true meaning of Christmas and the importance of kindness and generosity. This heartwarming and spectacular production features stunning sets and costumes, dazzling special effects, and glorious music that transport the audience to Victorian England. A Christmas Carol is a timeless story that is sure to be loved by audiences of all ages. The holiday magic returns to TPAC’s Polk Theater December 6-22, 2024.
The second half of the season begins with The Mountaintop. This new play by Tennessee playwright Katori Hall is a gripping re-imagination of what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s last night on earth could have been. On April 3, 1968, Dr. King returns to his room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis after delivering his historic “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech to local sanitation workers. While waiting for room service, he is visited by a mysterious maid with whom he begins a humorous and flirtatious conversation that progresses into a soul-searching discussion about their mutual hopes and fears. As a lightning storm rages outside, the legacy of America’s most revered civil rights leader is laid bare to reveal his profound humanity. This beautiful and inventive play comes to TPAC’s Johnson Theater February 14-23, 2025.
The 40th anniversary mainstage season will close with Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s masterpiece Sunday in the Park with George, a musical celebration of the art of making art. Inspired by Georges Seurat’s famous painting, “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte,” this Pulitzer-Prize winning musical peeks into the life of the artist and his journey of finding inspiration to create his greatest work. In the play, Seurat is struggling to make meaningful art while maintaining a relationship with his lover, Dot. Amid the scorn of the artistic community, Seurat’s artistic ability thrives while his love diminishes. A century later, Seurat’s descendant – also named George and also an artist – finds himself burnt out and in search of what artistic path to follow, but he finds the answer to his future in the past. Sunday in the Park with George merges past and present into a poignant and glorious exploration of what it takes, and what it costs, to be an artist. Audiences are invited to journey to the park in TPAC’s Polk Theater April 4-13, 2025.
Nashville Rep’s 40th anniversary season extends beyond the mainstage. It includes a mix of old and new events celebrating the legacy of Nashville’s premier theatre company. Returning events include: the 9th Annual Broadway Brunch on August 18, 2024, REPaloud Staged Readings, the Ingram New Works Project, the Young Voices Monologue Competition, and Broadway Masterclasses for high school and college students. Brand new events include a black-tie 40th Anniversary Gala celebrating four decades of theatrical magic, an intimate cabaret series, and the first ever Young Stars Production, which is a fully staged, professional production performed by middle and high school students nurturing the next generation of theater artists.
“To celebrate four decades of service to our community, we’ve planned one of our biggest seasons ever: musicals, dramas, youth programs, special events, concerts, and much, much more,” says Drew Ogle Executive Director. “We are inviting all of Nashville to join us for this very special year.”
Season tickets for this special anniversary season go on sale in April 2024, and single tickets will be available for all five 5 shows starting July 1, 2024. For more information about Nashville Rep’s season and events visit www.nashvillerep.org or to purchase tickets visit www.tpac.org.
The Nashville Rep has been named Best Professional Theatre by the Nashville Scene, Best Local Theatre by The Tennessean, the #1 Nonprofit Performing Arts Organization by Nashville Business Journal, and recognized by the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County for 35 years of service to the community. The Rep’s shows, actors, directors, and designers have been honored by Nfocus, Nashville Scene, The Tennessean, and the First Night Awards.
For more information, visit www.nashvillerep.org or www.tpac.org.
