Jene India

As a new-works-focused playwright development lab and production company, TPS recognizes that the overwhelming majority of new works by Nashville playwrights in the past 20 years have been produced by Black-owned theatre companies.

What's a stage manager? What do they do? What's their job? Seriously. Perhaps no job in the theater is as hard to define as that of a production stage manager and it's that blend of mystery, fear and total dependence that makes actors, directors, crew members, producers - you name it! - hold a really great stage manager in total awe and to revile someone who is (how do you say it, without offending anyone?) less than stellar in their position?

Just when you thought it was safe to go to the theater once again, we welcome you to the debut installment of Music City Confidential, all the news that's fit to print (or not-depending on your perspective) from Nashville's ever-growing, ever-fascinating (okay, so we obviously don't have enough to occupy ourselves) live theater industry (we're trying that out-does it work? Let us know, theaterati!) Here amid the florid prose and flowery praise, you'll find all the stories that don't quite fit elsewhere, some of 'em kind of gossipy, some of 'em stone-cold serious, some of 'em just lists of names you need to know. You'll also find photos from our new "Intermission@" series, details about the latest cast parties and various and sundry minutiae-the veritable flotsam and jetsam-from backstage, onstage, offstage and beyond…

It seems like Molly Breen is either always onstage or backstage - whether she's acting, rehearsing, running lines, hanging out with friends - so, if you're looking for her, it's a pretty safe guess you'll find Molly inside a theater. With an enviable resume, which includes assignments with a host of theater companies, she moves effortlessly from one production to another, taking on a wide range of roles. She's equally at home onstage, in front of a camera doing film work or commercials, appearing in music videos and, generally, pursuing her dream of being an actress.

In celebration of Black History Month, SistaStyle Productions presents the world premiere of Mary McCallum's Fly, Girl!, a fictionalized look at the life of aviatrix Bessie Coleman. The play, directed by noted Nashville actor/director/educator Barry Scott, opened at Darkhorse Theatre on Friday, February 19, and will close on February 27. Coleman (1892-1926) was the first African-American to become a licensed airplane pilot and was the first American of any race or gender to hold an international pilot's license. McCallum's play follows Bessie from her girlhood in Texas, where she picked cotton and dreamed of flying, then on to Chicago and ultimately to France, becoming known in the process as 'Queen Bess' the aviatrix.

In celebration of Black History Month, SistaStyle Productions presents the world premiere of Mary McCallum's Fly, Girl!, a fictionalized look at the life of aviatrix Bessie Coleman. The play, directed by noted Nashville actor/director/educator Barry Scott, opens at Darkhorse Theatre on Friday, February 19, continuing through February 27. Coleman (1892-1926) was the first African-American to become a licensed airplane pilot and was the first American of any race or gender to hold an international pilot's license. McCallum's play follows Bessie from her girlhood in Texas, where she picked cotton and dreamed of flying, then on to Chicago and ultimately to France, becoming known in the process as 'Queen Bess' the aviatrix.

In celebration of Black History Month, SistaStyle Productions presents the world premiere of Mary McCallum's Fly, Girl!, a fictionalized look at the life of aviatrix Bessie Coleman. The play, directed by noted Nashville actor/director/educator Barry Scott, opens at Darkhorse Theatre on Friday, February 19, continuing through February 27. Coleman (1892-1926) was the first African-American to become a licensed airplane pilot and was the first American of any race or gender to hold an international pilot's license. McCallum's play follows Bessie from her girlhood in Texas, where she picked cotton and dreamed of flying, then on to Chicago and ultimately to France, becoming known in the process as 'Queen Bess' the aviatrix.

More than 100 theatre professionals gathered Monday night, August 24, for the kick-off event for the fourth annual Shades of Black Theatre Festival. Nashville's Darkhorse Theatre, 4610 Charlotte Avenue, was the site for the Festival Mixer which opens the month-long event.