Arts & Culture

Nashville Ballet showcases portions of the ballet The Sleeping Beauty and the popular children’s book Jump, Frog, Jump! by Robert Kalan in its performance of Princesses and Frogs for children and families May 12-20, at The Martin Center for Nashville Ballet.

“Princesses and Frogs is designed specifically for families with small children, with its short run time, small audience size and audience participation component,” Nashville Ballet Director of Artistic Operations Sharyn Mahoney said.

—"The Miracles on Honey Bee Hill," the latest independent film from Dr. Bob Pondillo and a crew of MTSU students and alumni, will have a red-carpet premiere at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 8, at Nashville’s Belcourt Theatre.

The 23-minute film, which has been two years in the making, won the “Best Achievement-Short Screenplay” award at the 2010 SoCal Film Festival in Huntington Beach, Cal.

Pondillo's earlier independent films, which also included students and alumni in the crew, have garnered awards at film festivals around the world. "My Name is Wallace" and "Wait ..." were screened at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival in France.

Tennessee Haitian Voice welcomes the 2nd Annual Taste of Haiti.  On April 28th at 6:30 PM at Holy Name Parish Center Nashvillians can share in a special evening of Haiti’s rich and vibrant culture, traditional cuisine, dance, art, entertainment, and history. 

The event is a commemoration of the 2010 earthquake tragedy.  Cindy Guerrier, chair of this year’s event says, “We are inviting everyone to take part in this celebration to honor the many brave men and women who are continuing to fight for a better life in Haiti, to remember those who lost their lives during the tragic earthquake, those who are still destitute awaiting help, and to unite with those around the world who vow not to rest until we see a better Haiti.”

The man who helped bring the loving insanity of real modern families back to television is bringing his creativity to MTSU for a special April 11 event.

Dan O’Shannon, the Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning executive producer and writer of the hit ABC comedy “Modern Family,” will speak at 6:30 p.m. in Room 160 of MTSU’s College of Education as part of the University’s Tom T. Hall Writers Series.

The event, “An Evening with Dan O’Shannon,” is free and open to the public.

"Many people are familiar with Dan because of the TV shows he's co-produced or written for, so we are very fortunate to have him at MTSU," said Dr. Zeny Panol, interim associate dean for the College of Mass Communication.

“Tracing Tennessee’s Musical Roots”:Baroque Fiddling Project II at the Loveless Barn – Monday, April 16, 2012 at 7:30 p.m.:  Loveless Barn, 8400 Highway 100, Nashville – Music City Baroque offers  a continuing exploration of popular classical and fiddle music and dance from the birth of our country to the pre-Civil War era.  Works celebrate such historical figures as Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, General Marquis de Lafayette, Davy Crockett, Andrew Jackson, and Ole Bull, as well as one of Nashville’s most celebrated composers of the early 19thcentury in the fiddling Mecca of the Loveless Barn.

DATE and TIME:  Monday, April 16, 2012 at 7:30 p.m.

PLACE:  Loveless Barn, 8400 Highway 100, Nashville, TN  37221

Nashville Ballet announced its performance line-up today for the 2012-2013 season, which includes a new contemporary work featuring Nashville music and the return of several classic story ballets showcasing the versatility of Nashville Ballet dancers.

Nashville Basll“This performance roster offers audiences a variety of stories, contemporary works and children’s ballets, which illustrates how talented our dancers are in spinning tales with their bodies and switching between such different styles of dance,” Nashville Ballet Artistic Director and CEO Paul Vasterling said.

Nashville Ballet’s 2012-2013 performance season will include:

The Sleeping Beauty

MTSU’s Department of Theatre and Dance will present part one of Tony Kushner’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play “Angels in America: Millennium Approaches” April 4-7 in Tucker Theatre.

Deborah Anderson will direct the compelling production, and the curtains will go up at 7:30 nightly.

With a cast of eight playing multiple roles, the play tackles issues of politics, religion, death and love. “Angels in America”takes place during the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s and follows the life of Prior Walker, a man who is abandoned by his lover after he reveals his illness. Simultaneously, another story unfolds as Joe Pitt, a Mormon man, is faced with the challenge of compromising his values or honoring them. 

El-Husseini will discuss his recent play Comedy of Sorrows (Commedia Al-Ahzaan), written after the Egyptian revolution of 2011. Scenes from the play will be read by professional actors.  The event is part of a Vanderbilt series related to the “Arab Spring” that  includes a dramatic reading of the entire play at Vanderbilt’s Sarratt Cinema at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 4 at 7:00.