When last we left Hendersonville-native, Lindsey Bliven, she was telling us what it felt like to return to TPAC's stage door as part of the touring production of "Mary Poppins." In part two of our conversation, we take Lindsey into Andrew Jackson Hall to hear what she remembers seeing at TPAC when she was younger.
Below is part 2 (of 3) of our conversation with Lindsey.
-Tony
Andrew Jackson Hall is one of the biggest (and best according to many touring artists) performance spaces in Tennessee. Empty, the stage (131’ x 71’) could hold four Lear jets or the Space Shuttle (with one wing hanging over the first two rows).
Here’s a few more fun facts about the technical workings of the stage:
Special thanks to Jane Linton for sharing the information. Jane leads the dream team in our tech department -- the skilled and talented people who make the magic happen on stage for every performance at TPAC.
Click here for a virtual tour: http://www.tpac.org/facilities/jacksonhall.asp
"CATS: Behind the Curtain" featuring The Nutty Professor (and Biscuits the cat)
Biscuits discovered first-hand that kitties should not dabble in chemistry experiments, especially the complex equations involved in Professor Kelp's love potion!
The Nutty Professor might be dangerous for cats, but humans will love it.*
This Pre-Broadway World Premiere will be in TPAC's Polk Theater July 24 – August 19.
Visit tpac.org/nuttyprofessor for details and tickets.
Looking for a love potion? See tpac.org/pinterest for recipes.
– Jennifer
*No cats were harmed in the making of this blog post.
Since I'm a bit of a craft nut, I decided to start a little experiment for the 12-13 Broadway Season at TPAC. You ask...what could it be? Well, I crochet..a lot of bizarre stuff mostly for kids and small animals. (My english bulldog, Frank, is getting quite a collection.) Plus, I'm a bit of a yarn addict - crafters know this as "fiber" and I love all the different types and textures. I guess this will give me another excuse to go to my yarn store...wink, wink. (btw...shout out to the ladies at Bliss Yarns in Brentwood!)
So, my new project will be to create something themed for every broadway show. First up, Anything Goes! Could I do anything other than a sailor hat?? Nope, certainly not...hats are my thing. Check back soon for a progress update!
* The pattern is by Jennifer Cirka Jaybird Designs and photo credit to Jenifer Lauren Photography.
Get crafty with TPAC on Pinterest! Click here to go to our boards!
Anchors away,
Jacquie
The biggest stars on Broadway came together last night to celebrate this season’s winners (and losers) at the 66th annual Tony Awards. As usual, Neil Patrick Harris was absolutely brilliant as the evening’s master of ceremonies. This was his third stint as host and I have to say that his performances were just as entertaining as any of the night’s cast performances. And how about that hilariously topical closing number (Props to the songwriting team of David Javerbaum and Adam Schlesinger)? NPH is great on “How I Met Your Mother,” but I would much rather see him onstage belting out showtunes. But I digress…
In a season chocked full of big budget musicals, “Once,” the touching story of two musicians falling in love amidst the backdrop of Dublin, Ireland, surprised many by running away with eight Tony Awards, including best musical and best actor (Steve Kazee). And the cast performance from that show was definitely one of the highlights of the night, so good in fact that I actually ordered the cast recording on Amazon during the commercial break that followed. Other great performances of the night included the cast of “Newsies” (I was exhausted just watching those guys jumping around onstage!) and Ricky Martin with the cast of “Evita” (nice lip broom, Ricky. “Peter and The Starcatcher’s” Black Stache would be very proud). I was really happy to see “Porgy & Bess” win for best revival of a musical, and even more overjoyed when Audra McDonald won for best actress (Tony number five for her. Look out Angela Landsbury!). “Peter & The Starcatcher” was the big winner for straight plays, snatching up a total of five awards, including best supporting actor (Christian Borle), though “Clybourne Park” took the trophy for best play (make sure you check out Tennessee Rep’s production of “Clybourne Park,” September 8-22).
Other big winners in the category of plays included James Cordon (best lead actor) for his Chris Farleyesque performance in “One Man, Two Guvnors,” Judith Light (best featured actress) for “Other Desert Cities,” Nina Arianda (best actress) for her sultry turn in “Venus in Fur” and the legendary Mike Nichols for his direction of “Death of a Salesman.”
For a full recap of the winners and video of last night’s performances, visit tonyawards.com.
TPAC Staff