Upcoming events and things to do in Asheville, NC. Below is a list of events for festivals, concerts, art exhibitions, group meetups and more.

Interested in adding an event to our calendar? Please click the green “Post Your Event” button below.

Tuesday, April 25, 2023
Auditions for Bat Boy: The Musical
Apr 25 all-day
Asheville Community Theatre

For musical auditions, see specifics below for each show. In general, please prepare 16 bars of music and bring your sheet music to the audition in the key in which you will be singing. We will provide an accompanist. No one may sing along to a CD or other recording.

 


MAINSTAGE

Bat Boy: The Musical

Musical

Book by: Keythe Farley and Brian Flemming; Music and Lyrics by: Laurence O’Keefe

Directed by: Stephanie Hickling Beckman

AUDITION DATES: The evenings of Monday April 24 & Tuesday April 25, 2023. Sign up here for your audition slot.

PRODUCTION SCHEDULE:

Read-Thru MAY 19 6:30-9:30  pm

Rehearsals 2-4 nights per week beginning May 23 6:30-9:30.

Performance Dates: Friday-Sun July 21-August 6 Fri-Sat 7:30 pm and Sundays at 2:30 pm

DIRECTOR SEEKS: All actors over 17 will be considered for all roles with no limitation on gender or race.

CHARACTERS  (17)

NON DOUBLING 

Bat Boy
Meredith Parker
Dr. Thomas Parker
Shelley Parker
Sheriff Taylor

DOUBLING ENSEMBLE

Rick, Lorraine, Mr. Dillon
Ron Taylor, Maggie, Clem
Ruthie Taylor, Ned
Mrs, Taylor, Roy
Rev. Billie Hightower, Institute Man, Bud
Daisy, Pan, Doctor

Crowd/ Chorus  4M 2F

AUDITION MATERIAL:  Audition sides from the play will be provided, and available on the ACT website prior to auditions. Memorization is not expected. This is a rock musical. Please prepare one song selection, in the style of the show, of no more than 45 seconds. Please do not prepare songs from the play itself.

An audition accompanist will not be provided. A speaker will be provided in lieu of live accompaniment. We will have a laptop and aux cord to accommodate your digital backing track (mp3 file, youtube karaoke track, etc.).

AUDITION SIDES:

Bat Boy: Pg 80-81 – Hightower
Bat Boy: Pg 83 – Batboy
Bat Boy: Pg 86-87 – Parker
Bat Boy: Pg 92 – Sheriff
Bat Boy: Pg 15 – Sheriff
Bat Boy: Pg 27 – Rick
Bat Boy: Pg 20 – Meredith and Shelley

THE STORY: Based on a story in The Weekly World News, BAT BOY: THE MUSICAL is a rock musical comedy/horror show about a half boy/half bat creature who is discovered in a cave near Hope Falls, West Virginia. For lack of a better solution, the local sheriff brings Bat Boy to the home of the town veterinarian, Dr. Parker, where he is eventually accepted as a member of the family and taught to act like a “normal” boy by the veterinarian’s wife, Meredith, and teenage daughter, Shelley. Bat Boy is happy with his new life, but when he naively tries to fit in with the narrow-minded people of Hope Falls, they turn on him, prodded by the machinations of Dr. Parker, who secretly despises Bat Boy. Shelley and Bat Boy, who have fallen in love, run away together from the ignorant townfolk and have a blissful coupling in the woods, but their happiness is shattered when Meredith arrives and reveals a secret. Soon the entire town arrives and hears the shocking story of Bat Boy’s origin.

 

Dark City Poet’s Society
Apr 25 @ 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Black Mountain Library

Great news for poets and poetry lovers: Dark City Poet’s Society is returning to the Black Mountain Library. DCPS is a completely free poetry group that is open to poets of all ages and experience levels. Join us at the Black Mountain Library from 6-7:30 p.m. on the first Tuesday of every month for our (respectful) critique group. DCPS will meet at BAD Craft from 6-7 p.m. on the third Tuesday for our monthly open mic Poetry Night. Find out more on Instagram @darkcitypoetssociety or contact the Black Mountain Library.

Wednesday, April 26, 2023
2023 NC Stage Co. Community Tour Auditions
Apr 26 all-day
online w/ NC Stage Co,

Performances are coordinated with and performed for audiences in non-traditional spaces such as homeless shelters, correctional facilities, community centers, low income senior centers and locations throughout rural Western North Carolina.  For schools, the Community Tour offers student workshops with teaching artists from the Ensemble.

The Community Tour also includes a series of ticketed performances for audiences at NC Stage.  Performances at NC Stage are staged in an intimate setting with all the lights on so our audiences may enjoy the performances as it is experienced at each tour location.

Thursday, April 27, 2023
2023 NC Stage Co. Community Tour Auditions
Apr 27 all-day
online w/ NC Stage Co,

Performances are coordinated with and performed for audiences in non-traditional spaces such as homeless shelters, correctional facilities, community centers, low income senior centers and locations throughout rural Western North Carolina.  For schools, the Community Tour offers student workshops with teaching artists from the Ensemble.

The Community Tour also includes a series of ticketed performances for audiences at NC Stage.  Performances at NC Stage are staged in an intimate setting with all the lights on so our audiences may enjoy the performances as it is experienced at each tour location.

Creative Writing Workshop: EcoFiction
Apr 27 @ 11:30 am – 12:30 pm
Fairview Library

In this series, we will write about encounters with the natural world through workshops in poetry, fiction, and autobiography. Drawing from the experiences you bring to class, and using a naturalist’s eye for observation and detail, you will capture encounters with vast mountain ranges and lush forests, garden insects and backyard bears, moon phases and songbird migrations. We will read example texts and practice writing prompts to deepen our relationship with nonhuman nature. We will also discuss how “eco” writing supports climate activism, environmental justice, conservation, and related issues.”

Spring creative writing workshops with Fairview author and teacher, Dr. Beth Keefauver, will be offered the last Thursdays of March, April and May.  The classes may be taken individually or as a series. The April class will focus on Eco Fiction.

Registration is required for these classes.  For more information call 828-250-6484.

This class is sponsored in part by the Friends of Fairview Library.

Friday, April 28, 2023
2023 NC Stage Co. Community Tour Auditions
Apr 28 all-day
online w/ NC Stage Co,

Performances are coordinated with and performed for audiences in non-traditional spaces such as homeless shelters, correctional facilities, community centers, low income senior centers and locations throughout rural Western North Carolina.  For schools, the Community Tour offers student workshops with teaching artists from the Ensemble.

The Community Tour also includes a series of ticketed performances for audiences at NC Stage.  Performances at NC Stage are staged in an intimate setting with all the lights on so our audiences may enjoy the performances as it is experienced at each tour location.

Saturday, April 29, 2023
2023 NC Stage Co. Community Tour Auditions
Apr 29 all-day
online w/ NC Stage Co,

Performances are coordinated with and performed for audiences in non-traditional spaces such as homeless shelters, correctional facilities, community centers, low income senior centers and locations throughout rural Western North Carolina.  For schools, the Community Tour offers student workshops with teaching artists from the Ensemble.

The Community Tour also includes a series of ticketed performances for audiences at NC Stage.  Performances at NC Stage are staged in an intimate setting with all the lights on so our audiences may enjoy the performances as it is experienced at each tour location.

Gatherings of Artists + Writers Coffee
Apr 29 @ 10:30 am – 12:00 pm
Tryon Fine Arts Center

TFAC invites all artists: painters, sculptors, writers, performers & more — to a casual weekly drop-in gathering on Saturday mornings at 9 AM to share your works in progress, alert others, and chat about art and what’s happening in your community.

The first weekly Coffee is Saturday, August 20 at 9 am.

No RSVP needed, just drop by!

Free parking available on Melrose Avenue, behind and alongside TFAC.

Sunday, April 30, 2023
2023 NC Stage Co. Community Tour Auditions
Apr 30 all-day
online w/ NC Stage Co,

Performances are coordinated with and performed for audiences in non-traditional spaces such as homeless shelters, correctional facilities, community centers, low income senior centers and locations throughout rural Western North Carolina.  For schools, the Community Tour offers student workshops with teaching artists from the Ensemble.

The Community Tour also includes a series of ticketed performances for audiences at NC Stage.  Performances at NC Stage are staged in an intimate setting with all the lights on so our audiences may enjoy the performances as it is experienced at each tour location.

Tuesday, May 2, 2023
Auditions w/ Readers Theatre: Office Hours
May 2 @ 10:30 am – 2:00 pm
Asheville Community Theatre

Office Hours

By Norm Foster; Directed by Ellen Pappas

AUDITION DATES: Tuesday, May 2, 2023; 10:30 am-2:30 pm on the Mainstage

PRODUCTION DATES: May 26-28, 2023; All performances at 2:30 pm; Friday and Saturday performances at Asheville Community Theatre, Sunday performance at the Reuter Center on the campus of UNCA

REHEARSALS: Tuesdays & Thursdays May 9, 11, 16, 18, 23, and 25, 2023; 10:30 am-2:30 pm

DIRECTOR SEEKS: 3M, 2W playing 16 characters

Auditions for Twelfth Night
May 2 @ 2:00 pm – 6:00 pm
The Montford Park Players
The Montford Park Players is committed to gender-neutral and race-conscious casting. ALL are welcome and invited to participate! Community theatre is at its best when it fully embraces and engages its FULL community, not just one portion.
BIPOC actors, we need you.
LGBTQIA+ actors, we need you.
Actors with disabilities, we need you.
Actors of all ages, we need you.
Twelfth Night will be performed Fridays through Sundays, June 23rd-July 21st at 7:30 pm. Rehearsals will begin in mid-April and continue until opening.
Actors will be given sides to read at the audition. (available here: https://www.montfordparkplayers.org/abou…/volunteers-page/)
A large cast is needed and the breakdown is as follows:
All characters are open to actors of any race, ability, gender, or age unless otherwise noted. Genders and sexualities of characters will be molded to fit the actors who best suit the role, with consideration of the other actors on stage.
All characters will be asked to sing and dance (nothing hard or complex, its pirate shanties y’all) and play instruments if they are able.
VIOLA (woman, cis or trans) is tossed ashore in a strange land and presents as a cabin boy for safety. She quickly falls in love with Captain Orsino.
CAPTAIN ORSINO is a powerful and noble pirate lord and true ruler of Illyria, despite it technically being the king’s land. He is lovesick for Captain Olivia.
CAPTAIN OLIVIA runs the local inn in the wake of losing her father and brother. She is rich, fearsome, and good with a sword.
SEBASTIAN/SEBASTIENNE (gender depending on casting) is Viola’s twin, and baffled by how many people in Illyria think they know him already.
MALVOLIO is the straitlaced and haughty first mate of Captain Olivia. He pines for her but looks down on her crew.
FESTE is a traveling bard, jester, and clown making his living in Illyria. They enjoys playing tricks on the straitlaced and haughty. They miss their banished lover.
THE BANDMATES are a few lost souls who follow Feste and accompany their antics. Must play Instruments. Don’t have to speak. Can play various small roles.
TOBY BELCH is Captain Olivia’s drunkle uncle. He plots for a marriage for Olivia and is a walking bisexual dumpster fire.
MARIA, part of Captain Olivia’s crew, has a sharp wit and a trickster spirit. She is pining for Toby.
ANDREW AGUECHEEK is a “special friend” of Toby Belch. He tries to woo Olivia at Toby’s request because he lacks the capacity for original thought.
ANTONIO was banished from Illyria due to the king’s antiquated laws on love, but following Sebastian, he returns to the land of his lost lover.
VALENTINE is a member of Captain Orsino’s crew. Also plays GUARD.
CURIO is a member of Captain Orsino’s crew. Also plays GUARD and SAILOR.
Anyone who is interested in a technical role only (stage management, lights, sound, etc.) should send an email to [email protected] and include your background, if any. We welcome all volunteers!

 

Dark City Poet’s Society
May 2 @ 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Black Mountain Library

Great news for poets and poetry lovers: Dark City Poet’s Society is returning to the Black Mountain Library. DCPS is a completely free poetry group that is open to poets of all ages and experience levels. Join us at the Black Mountain Library from 6-7:30 p.m. on the first Tuesday of every month for our (respectful) critique group. DCPS will meet at BAD Craft from 6-7 p.m. on the third Tuesday for our monthly open mic Poetry Night. Find out more on Instagram @darkcitypoetssociety or contact the Black Mountain Library.

Saturday, May 6, 2023
Roundtable Session for Women Entrepreneurs
May 6 @ 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Downtown Asheville

In a collaborative and supportive environment, each attendee will have a chance in the hot seat where all the brainpower at the table is focused on solving your problem, issue, or question.
Roundtable sessions allow us to not only connect, but to harness our collective experience to apply to each other’s pain points. Imagine being able to tap into the knowledge of women with a variety of skill sets, talents, and backgrounds! This is really a great opportunity to level-up your business or figure out how to implement your dream. So whether you need a sounding board for your ideas or some advice on marketing, these sessions will help you tremendously.
Come join other women with vision and energy and let’s work on making your dream a success.
Tickets and more information available at plrconnectevents.com

Gatherings of Artists + Writers Coffee
May 6 @ 10:30 am – 12:00 pm
Tryon Fine Arts Center

TFAC invites all artists: painters, sculptors, writers, performers & more — to a casual weekly drop-in gathering on Saturday mornings at 9 AM to share your works in progress, alert others, and chat about art and what’s happening in your community.

The first weekly Coffee is Saturday, August 20 at 9 am.

No RSVP needed, just drop by!

Free parking available on Melrose Avenue, behind and alongside TFAC.

Tuesday, May 9, 2023
Dark City Poet’s Society
May 9 @ 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Black Mountain Library

Great news for poets and poetry lovers: Dark City Poet’s Society is returning to the Black Mountain Library. DCPS is a completely free poetry group that is open to poets of all ages and experience levels. Join us at the Black Mountain Library from 6-7:30 p.m. on the first Tuesday of every month for our (respectful) critique group. DCPS will meet at BAD Craft from 6-7 p.m. on the third Tuesday for our monthly open mic Poetry Night. Find out more on Instagram @darkcitypoetssociety or contact the Black Mountain Library.

Friday, May 12, 2023
ASHEVILLE: Wanderful’s 10th Birthday Extravaganza
May 12 @ 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Crave Dessert Bar

Celebrate Wanderful’s 10th birthday by getting together with your girlfriends, celebrate sisterhood, and talk all things travel, of course.

Because it’s Wanderful’s 10th birthday, we’ve decided to invite everyone to this event for free. Stop by and say “hi” at our Asheville, NC meet up on Friday, May 12 from 5-7 p.m. at Crave Dessert Bar.

Network with incredible travel-loving women in your local community and maybe even win a fun giveaway (including a Wanderful membership). Attendees will also have access to incredible membership discounts.

Members, to thank you for your friendship (and because we love you all so, so much), you can expect to receive a little something extra at the event.

Non-members, please RSVP to attend, only 50 spots are available: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wanderfuls-10th-birthday-extravaganza-tickets-587803836097

Saturday, May 13, 2023
Gatherings of Artists + Writers Coffee
May 13 @ 10:30 am – 12:00 pm
Tryon Fine Arts Center

TFAC invites all artists: painters, sculptors, writers, performers & more — to a casual weekly drop-in gathering on Saturday mornings at 9 AM to share your works in progress, alert others, and chat about art and what’s happening in your community.

The first weekly Coffee is Saturday, August 20 at 9 am.

No RSVP needed, just drop by!

Free parking available on Melrose Avenue, behind and alongside TFAC.

Tuesday, May 16, 2023
Dark City Poet’s Society
May 16 @ 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Black Mountain Library

Great news for poets and poetry lovers: Dark City Poet’s Society is returning to the Black Mountain Library. DCPS is a completely free poetry group that is open to poets of all ages and experience levels. Join us at the Black Mountain Library from 6-7:30 p.m. on the first Tuesday of every month for our (respectful) critique group. DCPS will meet at BAD Craft from 6-7 p.m. on the third Tuesday for our monthly open mic Poetry Night. Find out more on Instagram @darkcitypoetssociety or contact the Black Mountain Library.

Old Buncombe County Genealogical Society Writers Group
May 16 @ 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm
online

Old Buncombe County Genealogical Society Writers Group: 6:30-8 p.m. via Zoom. Email [email protected] for connection details if you want to join the meeting.

Saturday, May 20, 2023
Gatherings of Artists + Writers Coffee
May 20 @ 10:30 am – 12:00 pm
Tryon Fine Arts Center

TFAC invites all artists: painters, sculptors, writers, performers & more — to a casual weekly drop-in gathering on Saturday mornings at 9 AM to share your works in progress, alert others, and chat about art and what’s happening in your community.

The first weekly Coffee is Saturday, August 20 at 9 am.

No RSVP needed, just drop by!

Free parking available on Melrose Avenue, behind and alongside TFAC.

Sunday, May 21, 2023
Looking Glass Rock Writers Conference
May 21 all-day
Brevard College--Porter Center

 May 18-21. Nationally renowned writers give public readings of their work and lead workshops in fiction, nonfiction and poetry. Begins at 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, May 23, 2023
Dark City Poet’s Society
May 23 @ 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Black Mountain Library

Great news for poets and poetry lovers: Dark City Poet’s Society is returning to the Black Mountain Library. DCPS is a completely free poetry group that is open to poets of all ages and experience levels. Join us at the Black Mountain Library from 6-7:30 p.m. on the first Tuesday of every month for our (respectful) critique group. DCPS will meet at BAD Craft from 6-7 p.m. on the third Tuesday for our monthly open mic Poetry Night. Find out more on Instagram @darkcitypoetssociety or contact the Black Mountain Library.

Wednesday, May 24, 2023
Tom Tenbrunsel Virtual Writers Workshop: Poetry on my Mind
May 24 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
online w/ Carl Sandburg Home

You will find Tom Tenbrunsel a delightfully refreshing poet with a wide variety of subject matter and a style somewhere between Sandburg, Frost and the late Appalachian poet James Wright. Tom challenges one’s whit with a refreshing array of non-conforming rhyme, structure, rhythm and oft made-up words and hidden meanings. Uniquely Tom includes a photo and Author’s Notes with each poem. Join us in May to engage the spirit and myth of poetry with Tom’s “Poetry on my Mind”

Casual Poetry/Poetry on my Mind. Tom will read a couple poems for fun. He will ask guests to write a
short poem from a prompt with feedback from the group. Tom would like guests to feel free to bring short
poems to read and discuss. He encourages questions about writing poetry, about a poem of his or his
journey as a poet or his Self Help Series. So familiarize yourself with his works by scanning his website,
tenbrunsel.com Comments or questions are welcomed. Or feel free to email him in advance at
[email protected].  Check out his website tenbrunsel.com before the workshop. Send in one of your
poems to be commented on by Tom.

This workshop is open to writers of all skill levels and is a fun way to find inspiration from a new prompt or revise current work. It is hosted by the Friends of Carl Sandburg at Connemara and will use Microsoft Teams for the virtual connection. Sign up to attend the workshop here!

A writer and a poet, Dr. Tenbrunsel enjoyed a long successful career in Clinical Psychology. Born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee, Tom graduated from Bellarmine University, obtained his doctorate from St Louis University in 1969. He taught, published and was in administration at Michigan State University and was VP for Advancement at the University of Alabama at Huntsville. He and his wife reside in the Appalachians of Western North Carolina. They have three successful children and eight grand grandchildren. Dr T. enjoys photography, gardening, cycling, hiking, camping and stalking the elusive trout. His writings and publications speak for themselves. He has published numerous books including:  Casual Gardening,  Poetry on My Mind, The Fund Raising Resource Manual,  The Fund Raising Handbook, Fund-Raising and Grantsmanship:  Getting Money from the Community for the Community, The Lansing Area Doctors Directory, 1&2,   Dissertation “A Group Coupon Economy Program in Treating Mental Illness:  An Experiment in Social Innovation”,   A Wrinkle in My Time: My Memoirs (a work in progress)

Saturday, May 27, 2023
Gatherings of Artists + Writers Coffee
May 27 @ 10:30 am – 12:00 pm
Tryon Fine Arts Center

TFAC invites all artists: painters, sculptors, writers, performers & more — to a casual weekly drop-in gathering on Saturday mornings at 9 AM to share your works in progress, alert others, and chat about art and what’s happening in your community.

The first weekly Coffee is Saturday, August 20 at 9 am.

No RSVP needed, just drop by!

Free parking available on Melrose Avenue, behind and alongside TFAC.

Tuesday, May 30, 2023
Dark City Poet’s Society
May 30 @ 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Black Mountain Library

Great news for poets and poetry lovers: Dark City Poet’s Society is returning to the Black Mountain Library. DCPS is a completely free poetry group that is open to poets of all ages and experience levels. Join us at the Black Mountain Library from 6-7:30 p.m. on the first Tuesday of every month for our (respectful) critique group. DCPS will meet at BAD Craft from 6-7 p.m. on the third Tuesday for our monthly open mic Poetry Night. Find out more on Instagram @darkcitypoetssociety or contact the Black Mountain Library.

Saturday, June 3, 2023
Gatherings of Artists + Writers Coffee
Jun 3 @ 10:30 am – 12:00 pm
Tryon Fine Arts Center

TFAC invites all artists: painters, sculptors, writers, performers & more — to a casual weekly drop-in gathering on Saturday mornings at 9 AM to share your works in progress, alert others, and chat about art and what’s happening in your community.

The first weekly Coffee is Saturday, August 20 at 9 am.

No RSVP needed, just drop by!

Free parking available on Melrose Avenue, behind and alongside TFAC.

Tuesday, June 6, 2023
Dark City Poet’s Society
Jun 6 @ 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Black Mountain Library

Great news for poets and poetry lovers: Dark City Poet’s Society is returning to the Black Mountain Library. DCPS is a completely free poetry group that is open to poets of all ages and experience levels. Join us at the Black Mountain Library from 6-7:30 p.m. on the first Tuesday of every month for our (respectful) critique group. DCPS will meet at BAD Craft from 6-7 p.m. on the third Tuesday for our monthly open mic Poetry Night. Find out more on Instagram @darkcitypoetssociety or contact the Black Mountain Library.

Saturday, June 10, 2023
Roundtable Sessions for Women Entrepreneurs
Jun 10 @ 10:00 am
Adler Building

Join us in this inclusive and supportive environment as we all take turns in the “hot seat” where the focus is on getting insight and solving problems.

Not only will your challenge be addressed, but you get to learn from what others are bringing to the table too. And it’s a great way to meet other entrepreneurs who are on a similar journey.

Gatherings of Artists + Writers Coffee
Jun 10 @ 10:30 am – 12:00 pm
Tryon Fine Arts Center

TFAC invites all artists: painters, sculptors, writers, performers & more — to a casual weekly drop-in gathering on Saturday mornings at 9 AM to share your works in progress, alert others, and chat about art and what’s happening in your community.

The first weekly Coffee is Saturday, August 20 at 9 am.

No RSVP needed, just drop by!

Free parking available on Melrose Avenue, behind and alongside TFAC.

Tuesday, June 13, 2023
Dark City Poet’s Society
Jun 13 @ 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
Black Mountain Library

Great news for poets and poetry lovers: Dark City Poet’s Society is returning to the Black Mountain Library. DCPS is a completely free poetry group that is open to poets of all ages and experience levels. Join us at the Black Mountain Library from 6-7:30 p.m. on the first Tuesday of every month for our (respectful) critique group. DCPS will meet at BAD Craft from 6-7 p.m. on the third Tuesday for our monthly open mic Poetry Night. Find out more on Instagram @darkcitypoetssociety or contact the Black Mountain Library.