Stephen Woodward

The Knights who say Ni. Coconut-carrying swallows. Evil, blood-thirsty rabbits. The valiant quest for a shrubbery. Fans of "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" have known these jokes by heart since the movie came out in 1975.

A decade ago, many probably scoffed at the idea of a downtown festival and street fair celebrating opera and Italian culture in Knoxville. The two cultures, traditionally, are worlds apart.

The dark, rock-infused musical "Spring Awakening" has stirred plenty of emotions and controversy since it debuted on Broadway in 2006. Since then, the show has become one of the most-celebrated Broadway shows, winning eight Tony Awards and a Grammy for ...

Like her character in the musical, Dayna Jarae Dantzler believes another force was at play in her life when the cast assembled for "The Color Purple," a nationally touring musical based on Alice Walker's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel.

Comedy writers typically have some basic tools to work with, like scene, dialogue and a variety of actors. But it's a little different for writers for Blue Man Group, a hilarious three-man show landing in Knoxville's Tennessee Theatre next week.

"Becoming" is the theme for this year's Modern Dance Primitive Light, the annual performance by Knoxville's Circle Modern Dance. The avant-garde dance group will mark its 19th year performing in the Historic Laurel Theater with performances running Dec. 16-18. The ...

John Preece knows "Fiddler on the Roof" inside and out. He's performed in the show more than 3,100 times in a variety of roles. He's on his ninth national tour with the successful Broadway play, which will come to Knoxville's ...

When she graduated from college in Utah in April, Nikki Bohne was dreaming big. But as soon as she had her degree in musical theater, she put her dreams into motion. She moved to New York Cityand went to auditions, ...

Brent DiRoma is an accomplished actor used to performing on stage in front of hundreds of people. DiRoma, who's from Seminole, Fla., is making his debut as star in a touring Broadway production of "Avenue Q".

A classic Disney film that enjoyed 13 years as a blockbuster Broadway production has become re-animated for the stage and will come to the Tennessee Theatre next week.

It wouldn't be an overstatement to say that when Hollywood got a hold of "Mamma Mia!" in 2008, it turned what had been a very successful Broadway comedy into a mainstream blockbuster beloved by audiences the world over.

There's no denying the popularity of Irish dance. With Riverdance in the 1990s, co-created by the prolific Michael Flatley, the phenomenon was a part of the national scene and moving faster and faster - much like the dancers themselves.

While actress Cassie Okenka was never swept away in a tornado and transported to a magical land with talking tin men or wicked witches, she's seeing her own version of Oz.

Tradition is old news for the Vienna Boys Choir. For more than half a millennium, these 10- to 14-year-olds have been singing an eclectic range of music, from Medieval to classical performances. But they've come a long way from belting ...

The classic tale of King Arthur has taken many forms through the years, from literature to animation to cinema. The Broadway musical version "Camelot" premiered to critical acclaim in 1960, garnering four Tony Awards and running for 873 performances. Now ...

Blending psychedelic theatrics and suspenseful feats, Cirque Dreams Illumination plans to dazzle Knoxville audiences when it premieres Wednesday and Thursday at the Tennessee Theatre. The brand-new show is on its first tour and follows in the creative footsteps of creator ...

A variety of student-led groups are sponsoring an impressive lineup of engaging speakers, performers and entertainers this fall on the University of Tennessee's campus.

Mix William Shakespeare, a few gangsters, and some toe-tapping show tunes on stage and you'll get a Cole Porter classic that, says the director, will delight audiences.

An area theater company is taking Knoxville to task, poking fun with music and comedy at local personalities, controversies, and, of course, politics. And according to Jayne Morgan, director and writer for the play "Forbidden Knoxville," there has never been ...

Throwing paint cans, banging trash can lids, wearing tractor-trailer inner tubes - it's just another night for Brad Holland. Like others before him, the 29-year-old actor and musician brought his own beat to the rhythm-based stage show "Stomp," which makes ...

For many people, opera can be a little stuffy. Not only are most lyrics sung in Italian, but at shows the audience must dress up, sit down, and keep very still in a confined space.

When "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" first shocked audiences with its 1979 Broadway debut, few could believe Stephen Sondheim's macabre musical could get any darker.

Someone forgot to tell Joe Kolbow to stop clowning around. After studying theatrical clown with his pal Jonathan Niel in France a few years ago, they had the idea to create some characters and put on a show. Now, at ...

In science, charged opposites always attract; in real life, that's not always the case.

Most Christians know the story pretty well. But what if, instead of Bethlehem, Jesus had actually been born in Georgia? And what if, instead of a manger, he was laid in an apple crate? A Knoxville theater company is giving ...

Death. Crisis. Self-doubt. Sure, "The Tale of the Allergist's Wife" features all those brooding themes. But when it premieres at the Oak Ridge Playhouse later this month, Reggie Law, director of the play, is certain those will not be the ...

Marty Dowds has been touring and performing on stage with Riverdance since 1997. In that time, he's traveled the world, played thousands of shows, and entertained millions of people with his iconic Irish dance. But this tour will likely be ...