Calendar of Events
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.
Our Town
PLAY
By: Thornton Wilder
Directed by: Robert Arleigh White
Seeking a large cast of all ages, representing our community of Asheville. Tattoos, piercings, and extra-ness are welcome! Be YOU! Actors of all ages, gender identities, races, ethnicities, and disabilities will be considered for any desired role indicated on their audition sheet. The director prefers that you prepare a one-minute memorized monologue of your choosing for your audition.
PRODUCTION DATES: September 30th – October 16th, 2022; Performances Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm, Sundays at 2:30 pm. Cast must plan to arrive at least 1 hour prior to show time.
REHEARSALS: August 8th -September 29th. A printed rehearsal calendar will be available at auditions – you are able to list any conflicts you have with the rehearsal schedule at this time.
DIRECTOR SEEKS: A large cast of all ages, representing our community of Asheville. Tattoos, piercings, and extra-ness are welcome! Bring your weirdness…be YOU!
Actors of all ages, gender identities, races, ethnicities, and disabilities will be considered for any desired role indicated on their audition sheet.
AUDITION MATERIAL: Auditionees – The director prefers that you prepare a one-minute memorized monologue of your choosing. You may additionally be asked to read from sides (pages from the script) at the audition. (Check back for sides here closer to audition date.) Need help finding a monologue? Check out this handy monologue resource!
Directed by: Robert Arleigh White
AUDITION DATES: Monday, July 25th and Tuesday, July 26th, 2022; 5:30-7:30 pm
PRODUCTION DATES: September 30th – October 16th, 2022; Performances Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm, Sundays at 2:30 pm. Cast must plan to arrive at least 1 hour prior to show time.
REHEARSALS: August 8th -September 29th. A printed rehearsal calendar will be available at auditions – you are able to list any conflicts you have with the rehearsal schedule at this time.
DIRECTOR SEEKS: A large cast of all ages, representing our community of Asheville. Tattoos, piercings, and extra-ness are welcome! Bring your weirdness…be YOU!
Actors of all ages, gender identities, races, ethnicities, and disabilities will be considered for any desired role indicated on their audition sheet.
AUDITION MATERIAL: Auditionees – The director encourages you to prepare a one-minute memorized monologue of your choosing, but it’s not required. If you don’t have a monologue, you will be asked to read from sides (pages from the script) at the audition.
Need help finding a monologue? Check out this handy monologue resource!
Scripts are available for checkout from the theatre. Or, borrow the script here from the library. (Disclaimer: The library version may be slightly different from the version we are using.)
SIDES:
AUDITION FORM: Fill out this Audition Form here or at the audition.
CAST OF CHARACTERS:
Primary Characters:
- Stage Manager – a narrator, commentator, and guide through Grover’s Corners. She joins in the action of the play periodically, as the minister at the wedding, the soda shop owner, a local townsman, etc., and speaks directly to Emily after her death.
- Emily Webb – one of the main characters; we follow her from a precocious young girl through her wedding to George Gibbs and her early death.
- George Gibbs – the other main character; the boy next door, a kind but irresponsible teenager who matures over time and becomes a responsible husband, father and farmer.
- Frank Gibbs – George’s father, the town doctor.
- Julia (Hersey) Gibbs –George’s mother. She dreams of going to Paris but doesn’t get there. She saved $350 for the trip from the sale of an antique furniture piece but willed it to George and Emily. Dies while visiting her daughter in Ohio.
- Charles Webb – Emily’s father, Editor of the Grover’s Corners Sentinel
- Myrtle Webb – Emily and Wally’s mother.
Secondary characters:
-
- Joe and Si Crowell – local paperboys. Joe’s intelligence earns him a full scholarship to MIT where he graduates at the top of his class. His promise will be cut short on the fields of France during World War I, according to the Stage Manager. Both he and his brother Si hold marriage in high disdain.
- Simon Stimson – the choir director and church organist. We never learn the specific cause of his alcoholism and suicide, although Joe Stoddard, the undertaker, observes that “He’s seen a peck of troubles.” He remains bitter and cynical even beyond the grave.
- Howie Newsome – the milkman, a fixture of Grover’s Corners.
- Rebecca Gibbs – George’s younger sister. Later elopes with a traveling salesman and settles in Ohio.
- Wallace “Wally” Webb – Emily’s younger brother. Dies of a burst appendix on a Boy Scout camping trip.
- Professor Willard – a rather long-winded lecturer
- Woman in the Balcony – attendee of Editor Webb’s political and social report – concerned with temperance
- Belligerent Man at Back of Auditorium – attendee of Editor Webb’s political and social report – concerned with social justice
- Lady in a Box – attendee of Editor Webb’s political and social report – concerned with culture and beauty
- Mrs. Louella Soames – a gossipy townswoman and member of the choir
- Constable Bill Warren – the policeman
- Three Baseball Players – who mock George at the wedding
- Joe Stoddard – the undertaker
- Sam Craig – a nephew of Mrs. Gibbs who left town to seek his fortune. He came back after 12 years in Buffalo for Emily’s funeral.
- Man from among the Dead
- Woman from among the Dead
- Mr. Carter (Dead)
- Farmer McCarty
Our Town
PLAY
By: Thornton Wilder
Directed by: Robert Arleigh White
Seeking a large cast of all ages, representing our community of Asheville. Tattoos, piercings, and extra-ness are welcome! Be YOU! Actors of all ages, gender identities, races, ethnicities, and disabilities will be considered for any desired role indicated on their audition sheet. The director prefers that you prepare a one-minute memorized monologue of your choosing for your audition.
PRODUCTION DATES: September 30th – October 16th, 2022; Performances Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm, Sundays at 2:30 pm. Cast must plan to arrive at least 1 hour prior to show time.
REHEARSALS: August 8th -September 29th. A printed rehearsal calendar will be available at auditions – you are able to list any conflicts you have with the rehearsal schedule at this time.
DIRECTOR SEEKS: A large cast of all ages, representing our community of Asheville. Tattoos, piercings, and extra-ness are welcome! Bring your weirdness…be YOU!
Actors of all ages, gender identities, races, ethnicities, and disabilities will be considered for any desired role indicated on their audition sheet.
AUDITION MATERIAL: Auditionees – The director prefers that you prepare a one-minute memorized monologue of your choosing. You may additionally be asked to read from sides (pages from the script) at the audition. (Check back for sides here closer to audition date.) Need help finding a monologue? Check out this handy monologue resource!
Directed by: Robert Arleigh White
AUDITION DATES: Monday, July 25th and Tuesday, July 26th, 2022; 5:30-7:30 pm
PRODUCTION DATES: September 30th – October 16th, 2022; Performances Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm, Sundays at 2:30 pm. Cast must plan to arrive at least 1 hour prior to show time.
REHEARSALS: August 8th -September 29th. A printed rehearsal calendar will be available at auditions – you are able to list any conflicts you have with the rehearsal schedule at this time.
DIRECTOR SEEKS: A large cast of all ages, representing our community of Asheville. Tattoos, piercings, and extra-ness are welcome! Bring your weirdness…be YOU!
Actors of all ages, gender identities, races, ethnicities, and disabilities will be considered for any desired role indicated on their audition sheet.
AUDITION MATERIAL: Auditionees – The director encourages you to prepare a one-minute memorized monologue of your choosing, but it’s not required. If you don’t have a monologue, you will be asked to read from sides (pages from the script) at the audition.
Need help finding a monologue? Check out this handy monologue resource!
Scripts are available for checkout from the theatre. Or, borrow the script here from the library. (Disclaimer: The library version may be slightly different from the version we are using.)
SIDES:
AUDITION FORM: Fill out this Audition Form here or at the audition.
CAST OF CHARACTERS:
Primary Characters:
- Stage Manager – a narrator, commentator, and guide through Grover’s Corners. She joins in the action of the play periodically, as the minister at the wedding, the soda shop owner, a local townsman, etc., and speaks directly to Emily after her death.
- Emily Webb – one of the main characters; we follow her from a precocious young girl through her wedding to George Gibbs and her early death.
- George Gibbs – the other main character; the boy next door, a kind but irresponsible teenager who matures over time and becomes a responsible husband, father and farmer.
- Frank Gibbs – George’s father, the town doctor.
- Julia (Hersey) Gibbs –George’s mother. She dreams of going to Paris but doesn’t get there. She saved $350 for the trip from the sale of an antique furniture piece but willed it to George and Emily. Dies while visiting her daughter in Ohio.
- Charles Webb – Emily’s father, Editor of the Grover’s Corners Sentinel
- Myrtle Webb – Emily and Wally’s mother.
Secondary characters:
-
- Joe and Si Crowell – local paperboys. Joe’s intelligence earns him a full scholarship to MIT where he graduates at the top of his class. His promise will be cut short on the fields of France during World War I, according to the Stage Manager. Both he and his brother Si hold marriage in high disdain.
- Simon Stimson – the choir director and church organist. We never learn the specific cause of his alcoholism and suicide, although Joe Stoddard, the undertaker, observes that “He’s seen a peck of troubles.” He remains bitter and cynical even beyond the grave.
- Howie Newsome – the milkman, a fixture of Grover’s Corners.
- Rebecca Gibbs – George’s younger sister. Later elopes with a traveling salesman and settles in Ohio.
- Wallace “Wally” Webb – Emily’s younger brother. Dies of a burst appendix on a Boy Scout camping trip.
- Professor Willard – a rather long-winded lecturer
- Woman in the Balcony – attendee of Editor Webb’s political and social report – concerned with temperance
- Belligerent Man at Back of Auditorium – attendee of Editor Webb’s political and social report – concerned with social justice
- Lady in a Box – attendee of Editor Webb’s political and social report – concerned with culture and beauty
- Mrs. Louella Soames – a gossipy townswoman and member of the choir
- Constable Bill Warren – the policeman
- Three Baseball Players – who mock George at the wedding
- Joe Stoddard – the undertaker
- Sam Craig – a nephew of Mrs. Gibbs who left town to seek his fortune. He came back after 12 years in Buffalo for Emily’s funeral.
- Man from among the Dead
- Woman from among the Dead
- Mr. Carter (Dead)
- Farmer McCarty
The Haunted Trail at the Adventure Center of Asheville is hosting open auditions! The Haunted Trail (brought to you by Asheville Plays) is a family friendly all ages event that features 15 live action story based scenes in an outdoor trail. Actors bring the scenes to life as guests pass through. Actors earn free event tickets based on the amount of nights they have committed to working. Mellow Mushroom provides cast and crew dinner each night! This event raises meals for MANNA food bank, so come have fun and support your community this Halloween season and help us say BOO! to hunger! Volunteer actors should be at least 16 years old. For more information please contact our creative director, Lauren Rivas. [email protected]
Elf The Musical
MUSICAL
Book by Thomas Meehan & Bob Martin; Music by Matthew Sklar; Lyrics by Chad Beguelin
Directed by: Jeff Catanese
AUDITION DATES: Monday, August 15 and Tuesday, August 16, 2022; 5:30-7:30 pm
PRODUCTION DATES: December 2-December 18, 2022; Performances: Fridays December 2, 9, 16 and Saturdays December 3, 10, and 17 at 7:30pm and Sundays December 4, 11, and 18 at 2:30pm. Extra Performance Added for Thursday, December 15 at 7:30pm. Student Matinee: Tuesday December 6th, 2022 at 10am
Cast must plan to arrive at least 1 hour prior to show time.
REHEARSALS: TBA. A printed rehearsal calendar will be available at auditions – you are able to list any conflicts you have with the rehearsal schedule at this time.
DIRECTOR SEEKS: TBA
Actors of all ages, gender identities, races, ethnicities, and disabilities will be considered for any desired role indicated on their audition sheet.
AUDITION MATERIAL: TBA
AUDITION FORM: Fill out this Audition Form here or at the audition.
Elf The Musical
MUSICAL
Book by Thomas Meehan & Bob Martin; Music by Matthew Sklar; Lyrics by Chad Beguelin
Directed by: Jeff Catanese
AUDITION DATES: Monday, August 15 and Tuesday, August 16, 2022; 5:30-7:30 pm
PRODUCTION DATES: December 2-December 18, 2022; Performances: Fridays December 2, 9, 16 and Saturdays December 3, 10, and 17 at 7:30pm and Sundays December 4, 11, and 18 at 2:30pm. Extra Performance Added for Thursday, December 15 at 7:30pm. Student Matinee: Tuesday December 6th, 2022 at 10am
Cast must plan to arrive at least 1 hour prior to show time.
REHEARSALS: TBA. A printed rehearsal calendar will be available at auditions – you are able to list any conflicts you have with the rehearsal schedule at this time.
DIRECTOR SEEKS: TBA
Actors of all ages, gender identities, races, ethnicities, and disabilities will be considered for any desired role indicated on their audition sheet.
AUDITION MATERIAL: TBA
AUDITION FORM: Fill out this Audition Form here or at the audition.
– FULLY SEATED SHOW
THE MOTH resumes their recurring monthly Asheville StorySLAM at The Grey Eagle on the third Thursday of each month through December at 7:30pm! This month’s theme is….
HAPPY: Prepare a five-minute story about smiles and sunshine. Think unbridled joy—landing the dream job, winning the talent show, or bowling a perfect game. The quest for your soul mate or for the perfect cup of coffee. The Midas touch. The good old days. Tales of finding happiness or letting it slip through your fingers.
Elf The Musical
MUSICAL
Book by Thomas Meehan & Bob Martin; Music by Matthew Sklar; Lyrics by Chad Beguelin
Directed by: Jeff Catanese
AUDITION DATES: AUDITION DATES HAVE BEEN CHANGED. NEW AUDITION DATES ARE: Saturday, August 27 5:30-8:30pm and Sunday, August 28 1:00-4:00pm with callbacks Tuesday, Aug 30th 6:30-9:30pm.
AUDITION FORM: Please fill out the Audition Form and sign up for an open time slot. Walk-ups are welcome (just be aware you may have to wait for an open slot). You can fill out the Audition Form at the audition, or save time and fill it out now!
CALLBACK DATE: Tuesday, August 30, 2022; 6:30-9:30 pm
PRODUCTION DATES: December 2-December 18, 2022; Performances: Fridays December 2, 9, 16 and Saturdays December 3, 10, and 17 at 7:30pm and Sundays December 4, 11, and 18 at 2:30pm. Extra Performance Added for Thursday, December 15 at 7:30pm. Student Matinee: Tuesday December 6th, 2022 at 10am. Cast must plan to arrive at least 1 hour prior to show time.
REHEARSALS: Production Calendar. Rehearsals will be held Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 6:30PM – 9:30PM beginning September 18th. A printed rehearsal calendar will be available at auditions – you are able to list any conflicts you have with the rehearsal schedule at this time.
DIRECTOR SEEKS: A cast of 9 principal roles and 10+ ensemble roles. Actors of all ages, gender identities, races, ethnicities, and disabilities will be considered for any desired role indicated on their audition sheet.
AUDITION MATERIAL:
Singing: 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. Acapella is fine if you don’t have sheet music. The music director will also have you sing scales.
Dance: All those auditioning will learn a short routine with choreographer Rose Pillmore. Dances will be modified as needed to ensure accessibility of choreographic content. No need to prepare in advance, just wear something you can move in.
Elf The Musical
MUSICAL
Book by Thomas Meehan & Bob Martin; Music by Matthew Sklar; Lyrics by Chad Beguelin
Directed by: Jeff Catanese
AUDITION DATES: AUDITION DATES HAVE BEEN CHANGED. NEW AUDITION DATES ARE: Saturday, August 27 5:30-8:30pm and Sunday, August 28 1:00-4:00pm with callbacks Tuesday, Aug 30th 6:30-9:30pm.
AUDITION FORM: Please fill out the Audition Form and sign up for an open time slot. Walk-ups are welcome (just be aware you may have to wait for an open slot). You can fill out the Audition Form at the audition, or save time and fill it out now!
CALLBACK DATE: Tuesday, August 30, 2022; 6:30-9:30 pm
PRODUCTION DATES: December 2-December 18, 2022; Performances: Fridays December 2, 9, 16 and Saturdays December 3, 10, and 17 at 7:30pm and Sundays December 4, 11, and 18 at 2:30pm. Extra Performance Added for Thursday, December 15 at 7:30pm. Student Matinee: Tuesday December 6th, 2022 at 10am. Cast must plan to arrive at least 1 hour prior to show time.
REHEARSALS: Production Calendar. Rehearsals will be held Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 6:30PM – 9:30PM beginning September 18th. A printed rehearsal calendar will be available at auditions – you are able to list any conflicts you have with the rehearsal schedule at this time.
DIRECTOR SEEKS: A cast of 9 principal roles and 10+ ensemble roles. Actors of all ages, gender identities, races, ethnicities, and disabilities will be considered for any desired role indicated on their audition sheet.
AUDITION MATERIAL:
Singing: 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. Acapella is fine if you don’t have sheet music. The music director will also have you sing scales.
Dance: All those auditioning will learn a short routine with choreographer Rose Pillmore. Dances will be modified as needed to ensure accessibility of choreographic content. No need to prepare in advance, just wear something you can move in.
Announcing youth auditions for Flat Rock Playhouse and Studio 52’s upcoming holiday productions of
A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS, an adaptation of the 1965 animated television special based on the comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz, and A FLAT ROCK PLAYHOUSE CHRISTMAS.
All cast members must be fully vaccinated, along with the production team and all Flat Rock Playhouse staff. Proof of vaccination will be required upon being cast.
Auditions will be held by appointment on Wednesday, September 14, and Thursday, September 15, between 5 – 8 PM with invited callbacks on Saturday, September 17 from 10AM – 1PM. Actors who are invited to callbacks will receive an email invitation on Friday, September 16.
Auditioning young actors will be asked to sing a minute (16 – 32 bars) of a Broadway song or their favorite holiday song. Actors can sing a cappella or bring sheet music. An accompanist will be provided. We also ask that actors bring a recent photo of themselves and a resume or list of experience, if possible. Please be prepared to list any conflicts at your audition. (Again, Studio 52 classes will not be considered a conflict for casting.)
Flat Rock Playhouse seeks a small Youth Ensemble ages 10-18 for A FLAT ROCK PLAYHOUSE CHRISTMAS, with rehearsals beginning November 13 and the production running November 25 through December 22.
Studio 52 seeks a diverse company of young actors and singers, ages 10 – 18, for the following roles in A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS:
CHARLIE BROWN
SNOOPY
LUCY VAN PELT
LINUS VAN PELT
PIG PEN
FRIEDA
SCHROEDER
VIOLET
SALLY BROWN
PATTY
SHERMY
WOODSTOCK
ENSEMBLE (will also understudy named roles)
Director Wendy Strauss seeks 2 Men and 2 Women for this witty and heartfelt drama that showcases the tension between a father and son and the romance between an introverted dreamer and the woman who wants him! The story is set against the backdrop of a prolonged land dispute between two neighboring Irish farmers. Come on out and audition for this Readers Theatre Showcase show!
Asheville Children Audition for
NUTCRACKER! Magical Christmas Ballet
Saturday, October 8
Local youth are invited to audition and perform in children’s roles in NUTCRACKER! Magical Christmas Ballet alongside an international cast of world class artists from Ukraine, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan and more.
NUTCRACKER! Magical Christmas Ballet is performing in Asheville on Dec. 20, at Harrah’s Cherokee at 4 and 8 p.m. with auditions hosted by local ballet school Center Stage Dance Studio, located at 38 Rosscraggon Road in Asheville on Oct. 8 at 9:30 a.m. The company invites local ballet students to fill children’s roles. In this opportunity of a lifetime, the students are coached by the classically trained Ukrainian soloists who teach them not only the choreography but the beautiful artistry of ballet in a bold and unique rendition of Tchaikovksy’s timeless holiday masterpiece.
Local youth ages six to 17 can audition for the roles of party children, mice, snowflakes, snow maidens, and variations through the “Dance-with-Us ” community engagement program. Auditions will be held in each performance city this fall. The “Dance-with-Us” program has brought more than 100,000 aspiring ballet dancers on stage with the professionals over the past 30 years.
Ukrainian audition director Anna Trafimova will lead the selection process. In this moment of international conflict, these soloists from leading opera houses in Ukraine bring a timely message of peace and harmony to American students.
Children in the cast rehearse for weeks at the local studio, preparing for the performance(s) that will take place under the bright lights of the Harrah’s Cherokee. On the performance day, the youth cast starts early with costume fittings having been assigned classical hand-sewn costumes designed by the highly acclaimed Arthur Oliver. A dress rehearsal will be held on stage with the professional company led by Ukrainian Artistic Director, Nobuhiro Terada, (artistic director of the National School in Kyiv.)
Tickets are available at www.nutcracker.com
Auditions www.nutcracker.com/dance.
See NUTCRACKER! Magical Christmas Ballet Tues., Dec. 20 at 4 and 8 p.m. at Harrah’s Cherokee. Buy Tickets.
Center Stage Dance Studio / Center Stage offers classes in a variety of dance styles for children age three to 18 in Western North Carolina’s top rated dance facility since 1979. Unique among dance studios in the area, all members of our faculty hold degrees in dance or early childhood education, have danced with a professional company or maintain membership in Dance Masters of America. Our founder Michele Lee has remained committed to offering the highest quality dance education to students in western North Carolina for over thirty years. The success of Center Stage lies in maintaining positive relationships with our students and forming a life-long love of dance.
Announcing youth auditions for Flat Rock Playhouse and Studio 52’s upcoming holiday productions of
A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS, an adaptation of the 1965 animated television special based on the comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz, and A FLAT ROCK PLAYHOUSE CHRISTMAS.
All cast members must be fully vaccinated, along with the production team and all Flat Rock Playhouse staff. Proof of vaccination will be required upon being cast.
Auditions will be held by appointment on Wednesday, September 14, and Thursday, September 15, between 5 – 8 PM with invited callbacks on Saturday, September 17 from 10AM – 1PM. Actors who are invited to callbacks will receive an email invitation on Friday, September 16.
Auditioning young actors will be asked to sing a minute (16 – 32 bars) of a Broadway song or their favorite holiday song. Actors can sing a cappella or bring sheet music. An accompanist will be provided. We also ask that actors bring a recent photo of themselves and a resume or list of experience, if possible. Please be prepared to list any conflicts at your audition. (Again, Studio 52 classes will not be considered a conflict for casting.)
Flat Rock Playhouse seeks a small Youth Ensemble ages 10-18 for A FLAT ROCK PLAYHOUSE CHRISTMAS, with rehearsals beginning November 13 and the production running November 25 through December 22.
Studio 52 seeks a diverse company of young actors and singers, ages 10 – 18, for the following roles in A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS:
CHARLIE BROWN
SNOOPY
LUCY VAN PELT
LINUS VAN PELT
PIG PEN
FRIEDA
SCHROEDER
VIOLET
SALLY BROWN
PATTY
SHERMY
WOODSTOCK
ENSEMBLE (will also understudy named roles)
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Interactive workshop for adult beginners wishing for a stage to shine on (or behind), with a scriptwriting lesson and mock auditions using scenes from the feature script ‘BILLIE’S SONG, AN URBAN FAIRY TALE’.
This fun lesson and opportunity to get up perform is an introduction to the ‘BILLIE’S SONG’ Theatrical Readings Project being planned for Spring 2023. The script has half Black characters and half White (with a few roles that can be other). For the theatrical readings we will be recruiting community members from diverse neighborhoods to be both cast and creative team, with wardrobe, props, and set pieces all obtained in a community scavenger hunt or created by community members. The goal will be to rotate performance locations, from an art gallery to a church to a public housing community center to a storefront business, to draw-in people who wouldn’t normally turn out together.
Script Synopsis: Billie, a struggling working-class Black actress estranged from her family, becomes involved with Benjamin, an emotionally conflicted wealthy white man angling to secure a leadership position he has on a probationary basis. Initially, Billie and Ben amuse, then need and support each other. But the differences in their communities—and the personal demons they don’t reveal to each other—eventually put them up against each other in a potentially violent fight for survival (for Billie physical survival, for Ben spiritual vs face-saving survival).
“I think the script is wonderfully written, well-paced, fun, and serious without taking itself seriously. I especially love the ending!” – Erin Clare, Story Parlor founder, formerly Creative Director of the Austin Film Festival and its Writer Conference
Led by Trayce Gardner (Writer/Teacher/Guerilla Filmmaker/Community Organizer) and recent refugee from Brooklyn, NY, where she taught beginning scriptwriting and short filmmaking classes for seven years at New York City College of Technology’s Continuing Ed.
Join us for our monthly poetry event featuring three poets and coordinated by Mildred Barya. This month, we welcome Sarah Cooper, Barbara Costas-Biggs, and AE Hines. This is a hybrid event, meaning there is an option to attend virtually and a limited amount of seats available to attend the event in-store. The event is free but registration is required for both in-person and virtual attendance.
Please click here to register for the VIRTUAL event. The link required to attend will be emailed to registrants prior to the event.
Please click here to register for the IN-PERSON event.
This event includes a book signing. If you are not attending in person but would like a signed book you may request one using the comments field when you order online or by call the store at 828-254-6734 during store hours.
If you decide to attend and purchase the authors’ books, we ask that you purchase from Malaprop’s. When you do this you make it possible for us to continue hosting author events and you keep more dollars in our community. You may also support our work by purchasing a gift card or making a donation of any amount below. Thank you! Feel free to email [email protected] with questions. We look forward to seeing you, whether in-person or online!
Sarah Cooper is the author of two poetry collections: Permanent Marker (Paper Nautilus, 2020) and most recently, 89% (Clemson University Press 2022). Her poems also appear in Lunch, Sinister Wisdom, Iron Horse and other anthologies and literary journals. Currently, Sarah is a PhD candidate in Rhetorics, Communication and Informational Design at Clemson University. Her dissertation project explores how spatial practices intersect with lesbian identity. She is a professor of Gender, Sexuality & Women’s Studies at Clemson University where she received the Holman Award for teaching, was a 2021 LGBTQ+ Faculty Excellence Award winner, a 2022 Gentry Award winner for teaching excellence and the 2022 Tee A. Corrine Fellow at the University of Oregon. For more, visit https://www.sarahcooperpoet.com/poetry
Sometimes, a poem can show us a map of the human heart and all its pumping valves, all the blood it welcomes and lets go. In 89%, Sarah Cooper gives us that map from all angles-the love and loss of a mother, the loss and love of self, the way romantic love can scare us into silence. In this stunning debut collection, Cooper splays open these moments of tenderness with precision and skill. This book is both the carving knife and the soothing balm. These poems have an unflinching eye-they see all the way through us and then swaddle us in whole, critical heartbeat of truth. 89% won the poetry prize for the Clemson-Converse Literature Series.
—
Barbara Costas-Biggs is a poet and librarian from Southern Ohio. Her work has appeared in Appalachian Review, Northern Appalachian Review, The Pikeville Review, 8Poems, and elsewhere. Her chapbook, The Other Shore, was a finalist for the Washburn Prize from Harbor Review. She holds an MFA from Queens University of Charlotte and an MLIS from Kent State University. For more, visit http://stilljournal.net/interview-barbara-costas-biggs.php
“Things can be idyllic and then ugly,” Barbara Costas-Biggs writes. “A basket of pears in ochre, then piss the same color.” In Broken On the Wheel, the familiar is made strange, as it is in dreams. The speaker of these poems is a mother, a griever, a “hope-against-hoper,” so it’s no wonder this collection is packed with epiphanies and memories and crapshoots—“That in-between stuff./ What we, I hope, are mostly made of.” Broken On the Wheel is a perceptive, masterful debut.
—
AE Hines’s debut collection, Any Dumb Animal, received Honorable Mention in the North Carolina Poetry Society’s 2022 Brockman-Campbell Book contest, and was also a daVinci Eye finalist for the Eric Hoffer Book award. His work has appeared in Alaska Quarterly Review, The Southern Review, Rhino, American Poetry Review, Poet Lore, The Greensboro Review, Ninth Letter, The Missouri Review, Tar River Poetry and elsewhere. Born and raised in rural North Carolina, AE resides in Charlotte and Medellín, Colombia. For more, visit https://www.aehines.net
Any Dumb Animal (Main Street Rag, 2021), AE Hines’s poetry collection, presents a memoir-in-verse as told by a gay man raised in the rural South who comes of age during the AIDS crisis. Flashing back and forth in time, a cast of recurring characters and circumstances are woven into a rich tale of survival and redemption, exploring one man’s life as a queer son, father, and husband, over a span of more than thirty years.
Inspired by nature and following the self-published released of How to Heal the Planet from Wherever You Are, Cortina Jenelle introduces Oshanna Church of Spiritual Activism, with Oshanna debuting as a dynamic experience rooted in ceremony and inviting nature as a co-facilitator through theater, art and spoken word. After each production, all ticket proceeds are donated to a mission partner who is doing work in service to Mother Earth while also furthering truth, healing and reconciliation across race, gender and class.
Black Starseed: Immaculate Conception is the second installment of the Black Starseed series, which goes back in time as a prelude to Black Starseed: Revolutionary Reimagination (2020) – a debut partnership between adé PROJECT and PechaKucha Asheville co-creating a storytelling experience in voice of Black women at the intersection of creativity x spirituality. In this prelude, the life story of Cortina Jenelle becomes a moving memoir and an embodiment of a shared story from the matriarchs of Black, indigenous descent in a world where femininity, Blackness, sovereignty and indigeneity were not just criminal, but a threat to society. Black Starseed: Immaculate Conception may appear to just tell the story of one, yet is actually one version of the same story that constantly loops through time. Do you know how purposeful, brilliant and divine you already are, Starseed? This is heart song of the black sheep generation + millennials, and those born torn between ancestral remembrance and playing the game of life to win. Join us in a gathering of art, theater, ceremony (with a bonus book signing post-show) and storytelling and leave reminded of how to heal the planet from wherever you are.
Ticket proceeds benefit cleanup of the French Broad River with our mission partner for this show, Asheville Greenworks.
Auditions taking place on November 22, 2022 from 7pm to 10pm. Please sign up for an appointment here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040945a8a62da4fb6-auditions
The Magnetic Theatre is developing a new folk musical, Riveted, by local playwright and musician Deborah Silverstein. We’ll be presenting a reading on Saturday, January 21st, 2023. These auditions are for the reading only. The full production is tentatively scheduled for April, 2024.
Please prepare a 60 second monologue and 16 bars of a song. An accompanist will be provided – please bring your sheet music!
Synopsis: Riveted is a folk musical exploration of generations of women and how each woman learns from or bucks against the traditions of her mother, and her mother before her. As a family packs up all of the memories in the matriarch’s attic, secrets and history unfold to change their lives and relationships forever.
Character Breakdown:
Rosie – Matriarch of the family, about to move into assisted living. 70s-80s
Betty – Rosie’s daughter. Rebellious spirit. 50s-60s
Emma – Betty’s daughter. Level-headed and smart. 30s
Young Rosie – Rosie as a young woman. 20s
Beatrice Gretzer – Rosie’s best friend. In love with Rosie. 20s
Frank Brennan – Rosie’s husband. Demanding, stoic, in a typical 1950s mindset. 20s
Billy / Will – Billy is Rosie’s brother. 20s. / Will is Rosie’s son. 20s. Both are sent to war, scared, but doing their civic duty as they see it necessary.
Young Betty – Betty as a young woman. Hippie / Protestor type. 20s.
Elliot – Betty’s husband. Hippie / Protestor type. Very strong willed. 20s.
June / Heinz Girl / Receptionist – Young Rosie’s friends and coworkers. 20s
Martha / Heinz Girl – Young Rosie’s friends and coworkers. 20s
Date: 11/22/2022 (Tue.) Location: 375 Depot St.
For more information about The Magnetic Theatre, please visit www.themagnetictheatre.org
callbacks Thursday, December 1 5:30 – 7:30 pm MAINSTAGE
Native Gardens
PLAY
By Karen Zacarías
Directed by: Candace Taylor
AUDITION DATES: UPDATED: Monday, November 28 and Tuesday, November 29 from 5:30 pm- 7:30 pm, callbacks Thursday, December 1 5:30 – 7:30 pm
PRODUCTION DATES: February 10 – February 26, 2023; Performances: Fridays February 10, 17, 24 and Saturdays February 11, 18, 25 at 7:30pm and Sundays February 5, 12, and 19 at 2:30pm. Cast must plan to arrive at least 1 hour prior to show time.
DIRECTOR SEEKS: TBA – check back for more information closer to audition dates!
ABOUT THE SHOW: Tania, a very pregnant PHD candidate, and Pablo, her high-powered lawyer husband, realize the American dream when they buy a house with a backyard in Washington, DC. Living next door to community stalwarts Virginia and Frank is great – until a disagreement arises over a long-standing fence line between their homes. The conflict spirals into an all-out war of taste, class, privilege, and entitlement. With witty humor and engaging real-life drama, Native Gardens showcases conflict – and the worst and best ways to work it out!
Director Candance Taylor seeks a cast of four for this quick-witted and engaging real-life drama. Characters include Tania, a doctoral candidate, her husband Pablo, a rising attorney, and Frank and Virginia, their neighbors – a well-established D.C. couple with a prize-worthy English garden.
callbacks Thursday, December 1 5:30 – 7:30 pm MAINSTAGE
Native Gardens
PLAY
By Karen Zacarías
Directed by: Candace Taylor
AUDITION DATES: UPDATED: Monday, November 28 and Tuesday, November 29 from 5:30 pm- 7:30 pm, callbacks Thursday, December 1 5:30 – 7:30 pm
PRODUCTION DATES: February 10 – February 26, 2023; Performances: Fridays February 10, 17, 24 and Saturdays February 11, 18, 25 at 7:30pm and Sundays February 5, 12, and 19 at 2:30pm. Cast must plan to arrive at least 1 hour prior to show time.
DIRECTOR SEEKS: TBA – check back for more information closer to audition dates!
ABOUT THE SHOW: Tania, a very pregnant PHD candidate, and Pablo, her high-powered lawyer husband, realize the American dream when they buy a house with a backyard in Washington, DC. Living next door to community stalwarts Virginia and Frank is great – until a disagreement arises over a long-standing fence line between their homes. The conflict spirals into an all-out war of taste, class, privilege, and entitlement. With witty humor and engaging real-life drama, Native Gardens showcases conflict – and the worst and best ways to work it out!
Director Candance Taylor seeks a cast of four for this quick-witted and engaging real-life drama. Characters include Tania, a doctoral candidate, her husband Pablo, a rising attorney, and Frank and Virginia, their neighbors – a well-established D.C. couple with a prize-worthy English garden.
The Casting Office, Inc. www.thecastingofficeinc.com is very excited to announce that we are NOW CASTING for Background Performers/Extras for an upcoming Made for Television Movie filming in the Asheville North Carolina area starting January 9, 2023. We are casting all people, all ethnicities, all ages! If you are local to Asheville NC, available, and interested, please send your information and photos via our Website ASAP. We will be booking people immediately. We want to see your face on the big screen!
We are grateful to offer a benefit event again this December, the first since 2019.
This year’s performance will feature Chautauqua performer Carol Kessler, as Emily Dickinson, and the Asheville Flute Choir lending their talents to benefit Our Voice.
In the spirit of inclusivity and equity, PAN HARMONIA offers donation-based, pay-as-you-can community concerts. All are welcome.
Our VOICE serves all individuals in Buncombe County affected by sexual assault and abuse, through counseling, advocacy and education. https://www.ourvoicenc.org/
Advanced reservations are encouraged, as seating is limited. Those planning to attend are expected to be fully vaccinated for the safety of our community.
Email [email protected] or call the office at (828) 254-7123, if you have questions.
panharmonia.org
The Casting Office, Inc. www.thecastingofficeinc.com is very excited to announce that we are NOW CASTING for Background Performers/Extras for an upcoming Made for Television Movie filming in the Asheville North Carolina area starting January 9, 2023. We are casting all people, all ethnicities, all ages! If you are local to Asheville NC, available, and interested, please send your information and photos via our Website ASAP. We will be booking people immediately. We want to see your face on the big screen!
The Casting Office, Inc. www.thecastingofficeinc.com is very excited to announce that we are NOW CASTING for Background Performers/Extras for an upcoming Made for Television Movie filming in the Asheville North Carolina area starting January 9, 2023. We are casting all people, all ethnicities, all ages! If you are local to Asheville NC, available, and interested, please send your information and photos via our Website ASAP. We will be booking people immediately. We want to see your face on the big screen!
The Casting Office, Inc. www.thecastingofficeinc.com is very excited to announce that we are NOW CASTING for Background Performers/Extras for an upcoming Made for Television Movie filming in the Asheville North Carolina area starting January 9, 2023. We are casting all people, all ethnicities, all ages! If you are local to Asheville NC, available, and interested, please send your information and photos via our Website ASAP. We will be booking people immediately. We want to see your face on the big screen!
Punch Bucket Lit, West Asheville’s reading series at Cellarest Beer Project is back for more live readings in our taproom featuring authors Alysia Li Ying Sawchyn and Emily Paige Wilson. While the authors vary month-to-month you can always count on inspiring poetry, moving essays and heartfelt original literary works read aloud in the contemplative company of other lit nerds and creative types alike. We’ll booze, we’ll listen, we’ll feel feelings and we’ll see the world through a different lens for an evening.
The Casting Office, Inc. www.thecastingofficeinc.com is very excited to announce that we are NOW CASTING for Background Performers/Extras for an upcoming Made for Television Movie filming in the Asheville North Carolina area starting January 9, 2023. We are casting all people, all ethnicities, all ages! If you are local to Asheville NC, available, and interested, please send your information and photos via our Website ASAP. We will be booking people immediately. We want to see your face on the big screen!
The Casting Office, Inc. www.thecastingofficeinc.com is very excited to announce that we are NOW CASTING for Background Performers/Extras for an upcoming Made for Television Movie filming in the Asheville North Carolina area starting January 9, 2023. We are casting all people, all ethnicities, all ages! If you are local to Asheville NC, available, and interested, please send your information and photos via our Website ASAP. We will be booking people immediately. We want to see your face on the big screen!