Cultural Calendar
Above: Appalachian Dance Ensemble – Photo by Bob Brodd; App Theatre Marquee courtesy of Suzanne Livesay. Home Page: Kruger Brothers at Ashe Civic Center
Performing Arts Groups Rebound from Hurricane Helene with Hundreds of Performances and Dozens of Productions Scheduled
By Keith Martin
One of the oldest and most revered theatre traditions is that “The Show Must Go On,” a phrase meaning that a performance or event continues despite obstacles or difficulties, even if something unfortunate happens… such as Hurricane Helene. CML so admires the resilience of our arts organizations who have rebounded from the autumn challenges to mount full seasons between January and mid-April 2025.
The following is an overview of performing arts offerings on the schedule, including those at our area colleges and universities, listed alphabetically. PLEASE REMEMBER that all performances, dates, and times are subject to change, especially in inclement weather, for artist and patron safety; you are strongly encouraged to contact the box office for the most current information.
See you at the theatre!
Opera fans rejoice! The biggest news during the current season was recently announced by the APPALACHIAN THEATRE OF THE HIGH COUNTRY (ATHC) in Boone with their Metropolitan Opera HD Live Series of eight major works being screened through May 2025. The much-anticipated series began with Offenbach’s Les Contes D’Hoffmann andTestori/Brant’s newest work Grounded, and continues on December 29 with Puccini’s Tosca, January 25 with Verdi’s Aida, Beethoven’s Fidelio on March 15, Mozart’s Le Nozze Di Figaroon April 26, and Strauss’ Salome on May 17, before concluding The Met’s inaugural Boone broadcast season with Rossini’s Il Barbiere Di Siviglia on May 31.
For the second year in a row, audiences are invited to ring in 2025 during New Year’s Eve @ App Theatre on Tuesday, December 31. The noon family-friendly countdown to the new year features a special pre-30th Anniversary screening of the original Toy Story (1995). Following the film, the party continues with a countdown to a mock New Year’s Eve including a photo booth, party favors, a sparkling cider toast and a balloon drop. Soul Benefactor with Mais Céu take to the stage at 9 p.m. to begin a festive evening that includes dancing, party favors, the photo booth, a live viewing of the Times Square Ball Drop, and a midnight champagne toast. January 18 brings fifteen-time Grammy Award-winner Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder to the App Theatre; need we say more? On February 13, the Chatham Rabbits return to Boone with their heartfelt lyrics over guitar and banjo, an instant connection with audiences, and banter that can only come from a married duo that spends way too much time together but still manages to be in love.
Commemorating over 50 years (to the day) of the original March 1, 1973, release date of Pink Floyd’s masterpiece, Deconstructing “The Dark Side of the Moon” with Scott Freimanexplores themes of life, death, and insanity of the iconic rock album. St. Patrick’s Day weekend kicks off on March 15 with The Tan & Sober Gentlemen playing Irish tunes, ballads, and pub songs right next to the Appalachian fiddle tunes of their youth, melding the two into what they call “Irish American hillbilly music.” Rapidly rising on the bluegrass scene, Billboard-charting artists Liam Purcell & Cane Mill Road with The Wilder Flower come home to the Doc Watson Stage on March 23, having performed internationally and stateside winning both industry awards and the hearts of fans who turn out to see them at some of the industry’s most iconic venues. In addition, dozens of movies will be screened this winter and spring. AppTheatre.org.
The vibrant ASHE COUNTY ARTS COUNCIL and the picturesque Town of West Jefferson have programmed a wide variety of events from now through April and beyond. Their popular and well-attended Ed Perzel Chamber Music Series has four concerts on the schedule including the Lysander Piano Trio on January 19 with their “polished and spirited interpretations” (New York Times) in bringing expressive and inventive programming that has thrilled audiences worldwide.They are followed on February 16 by the Appalachian State Faculty Ensemble highlighting masterworks that showcase the ensemble’s dedication to chamber music’s nuanced and collaborative artistry. The Dali Quartet appears on March 2 with its celebrated “classical roots, Latin soul” program blending Western classical and Latin American music traditions, winning the Chamber Music of America’s 2024 Ensemble of the Year award. Closing out the Perzel Series on March 23 is the Poieses Quartet, winners of the 2023 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, presenting a unique approach to the string quartet tradition, introducing new compositions that highlight emerging voices and fresh perspectives within chamber music.
Other events at the Ashe Civic Center include the Heartland Baroque in Concert on January 11 featuring the lively spirit of 17th and 18th century music played on baroque violins, cello, dulcian, bassoon, and theorbo, combining vivid storytelling with masterful technique. The Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration is a community event featuring guest artist and “troubadour of truth” Crys Matthews on January 20, highlighting’s King’s teachings of peace, unity, and equality in our society. Two performances by The Kruger Brothers have been scheduled to meet ticket demand with shows on both February 1 and 2 when brothers Jens and Uwe, along with musical partner Joel Landsberg, blend bluegrass, folk, and classical influences into a uniquely rich sound. The Tray Wellington Band graces the stage just one month later on March 1. Based in Johnson City, TN, and Jefferson, NC, Tray has received a number of awards and accolades, including two from the International Bluegrass Music Association: the 2019 Momentum Instrumentalist of the Year and 2019 Momentum Band of the Year (with Cane Mill Road). AsheCountyArts.org
“Who’s on First?” is the next offering at ASHE COUNTY LITTLE THEATREin the intimate Ashe Civic Center from March 13 – 16. Jack Sharkey’s witty play takes a husband, wife, lover and friend, adds a strange lamp, a gun and a rubber chicken plus a party that begins at 8 p.m., then again at 8 p.m. and then again at 8 p.m. until, obviously, you have a comedic nightmare on your hands. AsheCountyLittleTheatre.org
BARTER THEATRE, “The State Theatre of Virginia,” has announced their entire 2025 season (16 shows!), but let’s focus on the five productions being mounted over the winter and spring months. Their main theatre, the Gilliam Stage, will open on March 8 with The Book Club Play by Karen Zacarias with performances through March 30. The book club started by Ana and her friends has become the subject of a documentary film, and all is going swimmingly… until a new member throws the group dynamic into chaos that’s unfortunately caught on camera. From April 11 – May 11, Million Dollar Quartet, the sleeper hit of the 2009-10 Broadway season, returns to Barter. On December 4, 1956, an extraordinary twist of fate brought Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley together at Sun Records for what would become the greatest jam session of all time; it is a lively reimagining of that legendary night with classics such as “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Walk the Line,” “Sixteen Tons,” “Who Do You Love?,” “Great Balls of Fire,” “Folsom Prison Blues,” “Hound Dog,” and more. The Barter Players take to the Gilliam Stage from March 25 – May 10 with Pete the Cat, for whom life is a musical adventure of friendship, no matter where you wind up, all the way to Paris and back… in a VW Bus. The script and lyrics are by Sarah Hammond with music by Will Aronson and based on the series of books by Kimberly and James Dean.
Across the street on the intimate Smith Theatre stage, folks who missed Mary Lucy Bivins’ star turn in the title role of Grandma Gatewood Took a Walk have a second chance to see her bravura performance from February 6 – March 8. Catherine Bush’s charming play is about Emma Gatewood, a 67-year-old who told her children she was “going for a walk” but failed to mention that it would be over 2,000 miles through 14 states, making her the first woman to solo through-hike what was then the newly formed Appalachian Trail. Indeed, with Hamlet, “something is rotten in the State of Denmark” from March 25 – April 23 (coincidentally, Shakespeare’s birthday) when, on a dark night, the Ghost of Hamlet’s father reveals that his death was the result of murder. Now his murderer sits on the throne and has taken Hamlet’s mother for his wife. This is Shakespeare’s seminal tragedy as you’ve never seen it before. BarterTheatre.com
The next show by BEANSTALK COMMUNITY THEATRE is Ian McWethy’s Too Many Detectives at the Murder Mansion in the Appalachian Theatre from March 20 – 22. It features such great characters as Sherlock Holmes, the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, the Scooby Doo gang, and many more. Sure, you think you’ve seen this type of murder mystery before. A cast of eccentric characters meet at a mansion, only to become suspects of a murder that a singular genius detective will eventually solve. But what happens when all the suspects are the detectives? For info, visit BeanStalkNC.com, but for tickets go to AppTheatre.org.
The many offerings by the CITY OF MORGANTON MUNICIPAL AUDITORIUM (CoMMA) include the Dan Tyminski Band on January 31. Throughout his 30+ year career, Tyminski has left his mark in every corner of modern music. Tyminski’s voice famously accompanies George Clooney’s performance of the Stanley Brother’s classic song, “I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow,” in the film, Oh Brother, Where Art Thou bringing bluegrass into focus for millions of new fans. On February 6 the Jon Lehrer Dance Company arrives from NYC to showcase Jon’s unique choreography and definitive style. His extensive background in both the modern and jazz dance idioms fosters choreography that is organic, athletic, artistic, and often humorous.
The Broadway national tour of the musical Come From Away stops at CoMMA for one night only on March 10. Written by Tony® nominees Irene Sankoff and David Hein, this New York Times Critics’ Pick takes you into the heart of the remarkable true story of 7,000 stranded passengers and the small town in Newfoundland that welcomed them on 9/11. Cultures clashed and nerves ran high, but uneasiness turned into trust, music soared into the night, and gratitude grew into enduring friendships. The Red Hot Chili Pipers—not peppers!—celebrate St. Patrick’s Day on March 17 with what CoMMA describes as “the Number One Celtic Rock Band on the Planet.” Bagpipes with attitude. Drums with a Scottish accent. A blazing, nine-piece rock band and a show so hot, it carries its own health warning (hearing protection is highly recommended). April 4 features the Dallas String Quartet with their Strings Unleashed tour, “A Rock Fusion Experience… brimming with your favorite rock songs – played on electric string instruments.” CommaOnline.org
The DEPARTMENT OF THEATRE AND DANCE AT APPALACHIAN STATE UNIVERSITY continues its 35th Anniversary Season with five productions on their Boone campus, beginning with Emilie: La Marquise du Chatelet Defends Her Life Tonight by Lauren Gunderson from January 22 – 26. Tonight, 18th century scientific genius Emilie du Châtelet, and romantic companion to France’s preeminent literary star, Voltaire, is determined to answer the question—love or philosophy? It is followed from February 26 – March 2 with Beautiful, Useful, True. Conceived and directed by Elizabeth Parks, the play is an ecofeminist story of earth, ears, and heart using the work of Eunice Newton Foote and other female climate scientists, activists, and artists as a springboard to pose questions about climate change, respect for the planet, and respect for one another.
2025 marks the 50th year for the Appalachian Dance Ensemble,whose spring production takes place from March 26 – 30. The concert will feature current and alumnae dancers in collaboration with talented design tech faculty and students with eight different pieces on the program every night. The Appalachian Young People’s Theatre will perform The Fisherman and His Wife by Larry and Vivian Snipes from April 11 – 13. The story is based on the Brothers Grimm tale of the fisherman who catches a magical fish and uses his wishes to bring happiness to his wife. The spring season closes with She Kills Monsters by Qui Nguyen with performances from April 23 – 27. When Agnes loses her younger teenage sister, Tilly, in an accident, she joins Tilly’s Dungeons & Dragons campaign to try and connect with her lost sibling. But instead of simply playing a game, Agnes finds herself catapulted into an action-packed D&D world. TheatreAndDance.AppState.edu
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The DEPARTMENT OF THEATRE AND DANCE AT EAST TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY in Johnson City has three shows on the boards this spring beginning with The Wolves by Sarah DeLappefrom March 6 – 9. A finalist for the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the third most-produced play in the country the next season, the story centers on an elite high school soccer team and follows the development of relationships among nine young women during a series of soccer game warm-ups. Professor Bobby Funk has adapted The Tempest for April 10 – 13 in commemoration of Shakespeare’s birthday month. Thought to be one of the Bard’s last plays, the first scene takes place on a ship at sea during a tempest with the rest of the story set on a remote island, where Prospero, a wizard, lives with his daughter, Miranda, and his two servants: Caliban, a savage monster figure, and Ariel, an airy spirit. On April 27, Theatre and Dance collaborates with the Department of Music on a Sondheim Musical Review based on the works on the late composer and lyricist who is regarded as one of the most important figures in 20th-century musical theater and widely credited with reinventing the American musical. ETSU.edu/cas/theatre
LEES-MCRAE COLLEGE in Banner Elk and their Performing Arts Department are producing Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of MacBeth from February 27 – March 2. This classic play reveals to us the danger of ambition, crafting a terrifying parable in which great people are destroyed by the power of their own success. www.lmc.edu/theatreshows
The MARTIN CENTER FOR THE ARTS AT ETSU is bringing four Broadway national tours to their Johnson City campus beginning with Pretty Woman: The Musical from January 27 – 28. Based on one of Hollywood’s most beloved romantic stories, the musical version of the movie springs to life with a creative team led by two-time Tony Award®-winning director/choreographer Jerry Mitchell, an original score by Grammy® winner Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance, and a book by the movie’s legendary director Garry Marshall and screenwriter J. F. Lawton. ETSU says the show will “lift your spirits and light up your heart,” and asks, “Are you ready to fall in love all over again?” Hadestown, winner of eight 2019 Tony Awards® including Best Musical and the 2020 Grammy® Award for Best Musical Theater Album, performs from March 10 – 12. The show is still running on Broadway and is billed as “a haunting and hopeful theatrical experience that grabs you and never lets go.”
Next up is Dear Evan Hansen running from April 15 – 17. Declared “one of the most remarkable shows in musical theater history” by the Washington Post, it is the first musical to take a groundbreaking look — from the point of view of both the parents and young people—at our complex, interconnected, and social media-filled lives. Finally, the aforementioned Come From Away (see above listing under CoMMA) closes out the series from April 28 – 29 with this intriguing tagline: “On 9/11, the world stopped. On 9/12, their stories moved us all.” ETSUMartinCenter.org
MERLEFEST has announced the initial lineup ahead of their annual event, taking place April 24 – 27 on the campus of Wilkes Community College. This year’s leading acts include two North Carolina-based heavyweights: folk-rock trailblazers The Avett Brothers and Appalachian-rooted duo Watchhouse, as well as legendary singer/songwriter Bonnie Raitt and Canadian folk and bluegrass ensemble The Dead South. MerleFest 2025 will feature a return of the Late Night Jam hosted by Sam Bush, and additional festival performances by Kruger Brothers, Jim Lauderdale, and more. Also set to appear are industry forerunners like Wyatt Flores, The War and Treaty, The SteelDrivers, Asleep at the Wheel, Brent Cobb, Alison Brown, and Della Mae. For newcomers, MerleFest honors the lasting legacy of its founding legend, Doc Watson. MerleFest.org
The award-winning PIONEER PLAYMAKERS AT WATAUGA HIGH SCHOOL (mentioned frequently in this issue of CML) have announced their 2025 spring musical: the high school edition of Mean Girls with performances on April 3 – 5. This rock musical features a book by Tina Fey, lyrics by Nell Benjamin, and music by Jeff Richmond, and is based on the 2004 film by Mark Waters, which was also written by Fey and was in turn inspired by Rosalind Wiseman’s 2002 book Queen Bees and Wannabes. onthestage.tickets/watauga-high-school-theatre-department
The SCHAEFER CENTER PRESENTS performing arts series, presented by Appalachian State University Office of Arts Engagement and Cultural Resources, has an impressive line-up that begins on February 8 with Ballet Hispánico performing CARMEN.maquia. They invite audience members to “embark on a journey through time and emotion as we commemorate 150 years of Carmen in a spellbinding dance performance inspired by the works of Pablo Picasso. Choreographer Gustavo Ramírez Sansano’s quintessential work breathes new life into Bizet’s timeless tale, infusing it with raw passion and visceral energy.” On March 28, Interpreti Veneziani: An Evening of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons will be presented at a limited-seating concert in the Summit Trail Solarium, Plemmons Student Union. The Venice, Italy-based ensemble made their debut in 1987, immediately gaining a reputation for the “…exuberance and all-Italian brio characterizing their performances.”
Gillian Welch & David Rawlings perform on April 4. Welch’s rich and remarkable career spans over 25 years, and she and her musical partner David Rawlings are a pillar of the modern acoustic music world. They have been hailed by Pitchfork as “modern masters of American folk,” and “protectors of the American folk song” by Rolling Stone. The duo recently released their 10th studio album, Woodland. April 12 will bring the Marcus King Band to the Schaefer Center stage. Formed in South Carolina in 2013 by singer-songwriter-guitarist Marcus King, the group is a Grammy-nominated Southern rock and blues band with a devoted fan base. Info and tickets at TheSchaeferCenter.org.
The WILKES PLAYMAKERS at Benton Hall Community Arts Center in North Wilkesboro open their 2025 season on January 18 with a one night only Broadway Revue showcasing talents of some of their well known Playmakers as well as a few new faces celebrating their love of musical theater. From March 27 – 30, James Lapine’s Tony Award®-winning book along with Steven Sondheim’s Tony and Grammy Award-winning score for Into The Woods intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tales, exploring the consequences of the characters’ wishes and quests. A Night with Edgar Allan Poe performs from April 10 – 13 and promises to be “an immersive theatrical experience that delves into the macabre and mysterious world of one of America’s most famous writers, bringing to life some of Poe’s most chilling and captivating works,” such as “The Tell-Tale Heart,” “The Raven,” and “The Fall of the House of Usher” to explore themes of madness, death, and the supernatural. WilkesPlaymakers.com
Alleghany Community Theatre | www.alleghanycommunitytheatre.org
Appalachian State University Department of Theatre and Dance | www.theatreanddance.appstate.edu
Appalachian Theatre of the High Country | www.apptheatre.org
Ashe Civic Center | www.ashecivic.com
Ashe County Little Theatre | www.ashecountylittletheatre.org
Barter Theatre | www.BarterTheatre.com
Beanstalk Community Theatre | BeanStalkNC.com
Blue Ridge Community Theatre | www.blueridgecommunitytheatrenc.com
City of Morganton Municipal Auditorium | www.commaonline.org
Ensemble Stage | www.ensemblestage.com
Hayes School of Music| www.music.appstate.edu
In/Visible Theatre | www.invisibletheatrenc.org.
Jones House Cultural & Community Center | www.joneshouse.org
Lees-McRae College Performing Arts | lmc.edu/pashows | Instagram @lmctheatre
Parkway Playhouse | www.parkwayplayhouse.com
Schaefer Center Presents | www.theschaefercenter.org
Wilkes Playmakers | www.wilkesplaymakers.com