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.
THE FANTASTICKS
MUSICAL
Music by Harvey Schmidt, with Lyrics by Tom Jones
Directed by Mark Jones; Music Direction by Rob Blackwell; Choreography by Jessica Garland
AUDITIONS: November 23-24, 2019
Saturday, November 23: 6:00-9:00 pm
Sunday, November 24: 12:00-3:00 pm
PRODUCTION DATES: February 7 – March 1, 2020; Performances Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm, Sundays at 2:30 pm; Additional Thursday night performances February 20 and 27 at 7:30 pm; Cast must plan to arrive at least 1 hour prior to show time.
REHEARSALS: December 15 – February 6, 2020; Rehearsals generally held Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday nights from 6:30-9:30 pm. All actors will not necessarily be needed for every rehearsal or for the entire rehearsal. Full rehearsal calendar available at auditions – you are able to list any conflicts you have with the rehearsal schedule at this time.
DIRECTOR SEEKS: 6-7 men, 1-2 women (Read character descriptions here!) All roles open to actors of any race or ethnicities.
Come on over to Asheville Outlets (ShopAshevilleOutlets.com) November 24th from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and join us for treats, crafts, games, and a complimentary showing of How the Grinch Stole Christmas! This event is free to attend, but RSVP is required. To RSVP please visit: www.eventbrite.com/e/santa-movie-night-tickets-80362477333. Located inside Food Court.
Santa Movie Night
November 24, 2019 – 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. inside Food Court
Join us for treats, crafts, games, and a complimentary showing of How the Grinch Stole Christmas! This event is free to attend, but RSVP is required. To RSVP please visit:
Kids ages 5-12 are invited to join YWCA Aquatics for Float with a Flick: A Parents-Night-Out Indoor Pool Party, Friday, December 13th! Doors open at 5, Movie will start at 5:30pm, when movie ends we will have open swim until 8:45pm. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone will be featured!
Cost is $5.00 per child. Families do not need to be members of YWCA to register!

Saturday, Dec. 14 at 2 p.m.
Benedict Cumberbatch as The Grinch? Yes, please! Your holiday season isn’t complete unless you’ve spent time with this beloved curmudgeon. What will happen in this exciting, suspenseful, and, quite possibly, joyful holiday caper? Join us on Saturday, December 14th at 2pm to find out! This free film is rated PG and runs 90 minutes.

Free Holiday Movie Night
Elf
SANTA! OH MY GOD! SANTA’S COMING! I KNOW HIM!
Show: 7pm
Rated PG
FREE
Fully seated
Come to Fleetwood’s for a sneak preview of the action/comedy feature “Killer Raccoons! 2! Dark Christmas in the Dark!” 8pm
On a cold Christmas Eve, former mild-mannered college student Casey Smallwood is released from prison after serving ten years for underage drinking. Eager to get out of town, he plans to meet his longtime pen pal on a train to Washington, D.C., but after the holiday express enters the winter wilderness, it’s hijacked by an angry gang of domestic terrorists and highly-intelligent, government-trained raccoons! Not one to back down from a raccoon fight, Casey joins forces with a porter on the train to fight the terrorists and help bring down a top secret, raccoon-controlled, military laser satellite!
The long awaited sequel to the Overbites Pictures and Troma Entertainment cult classic “Coons! Night of the Bandits of the Night” is finally here! “Killer Raccoons! 2! Dark Christmas in the Dark” is a send up of several bad action movie sequels, using plot elements from “Under Siege 2: Dark Territory,” “Die Hard 2” and “Speed 2: Cruise Control.”
Tickets $10, will be shown as a double feature with a surprise second film. Also meet and greet with the creators after the screening!
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sneak-preview-screening-of-killer-raccoons-2-tickets-83112873843

Saturday, Dec. 21 at 1 p.m.
It’s that time of the year…for our annual screening of The Muppet Christmas Carol held in our auditorium! We’ll have treats and beverages. Bring your sleeping bag, blanket, or pillow if you want to sit or lie down in the front to watch. Chairs will be out as well. Program is free, all ages are welcome.

The holidays don’t stop at Aloft! Join us on Thursday, December 26 at 8 p.m. to celebrate most wonderful time of the year by watching a holiday classic: Christmas Vacation. Munch on small bites, sip on cocktails and enjoy complimentary popcorn while indulging in the holidays. We hope to see you there!
Auditions will be held at the Education Building located at 1855 Little River Road in Flat Rock on Friday, Jan. 10th and Saturday, Jan. 11th. Participants from all experience levels are welcome, from the young to the young at heart, rookies or seasoned veterans. Roles are both human and animal characters. For more information, including character lists and audition materials, visit www.flatrockplayhouse.org.
Friday, January 10 th 4pm-7pm Saturday, January 11 th 10am-2pm Callbacks will be held Tuesday, January 14th 4pm-7pm
Auditions will be held at the Education Building located at 1855 Little River Road in Flat Rock on Friday, Jan. 10th and Saturday, Jan. 11th. Participants from all experience levels are welcome, from the young to the young at heart, rookies or seasoned veterans. Roles are both human and animal characters. For more information, including character lists and audition materials, visit www.flatrockplayhouse.org.
Friday, January 10 th 4pm-7pm Saturday, January 11 th 10am-2pm Callbacks will be held Tuesday, January 14th 4pm-7pm
Wednesday, Jan. 22 – Documentary Film on the History of Lynching in America
- Always in Season – This 2019 film, produced and directed by Jacqueline Olive, won the Special Jury Prize for Moral Urgency at the Sundance Film Festival. Reporting on four American communities where descendants of victims and perpetrators are working together to heal, the film explores the lingering impact of more than a century of lynching African Americans and connects this form of historic racial terrorism to racial violence today – 7 p.m., Highsmith Student Union Grotto.

Connection. A word that by definition means to join together to establish a link, so as to provide access and communication. Connect Beyond Festival has established that link and is using music, film, and storytelling to create connections. More than just an event, Connect Beyond Festival is a movement to develop a network of people inspired by creative mediums and united in the pursuit of equality and social justice. Our goal is to inspire a sense of community and personal engagement.
Lauded as “Asheville’s version of SXSW” (Ashvegas) this event is perfect for those who are looking for a more dynamic festival experience – one that prioritizes exploration and participation just as much as entertainment. If you’re looking to broaden your horizons, to engage with others, and want to leave a festival with more than just a hangover, Connect Beyond Festival is just the place to be.
Connection. A word that by definition means to join together to establish a link, so as to provide access and communication. Connect Beyond Festival has established that link and is using music, film, and storytelling to create connections. More than just an event, Connect Beyond Festival is a movement to develop a network of people inspired by creative mediums and united in the pursuit of equality and social justice. Our goal is to inspire a sense of community and personal engagement.
Lauded as “Asheville’s version of SXSW” (Ashvegas) this event is perfect for those who are looking for a more dynamic festival experience – one that prioritizes exploration and participation just as much as entertainment. If you’re looking to broaden your horizons, to engage with others, and want to leave a festival with more than just a hangover, Connect Beyond Festival is just the place to be.
Connection. A word that by definition means to join together to establish a link, so as to provide access and communication. Connect Beyond Festival has established that link and is using music, film, and storytelling to create connections. More than just an event, Connect Beyond Festival is a movement to develop a network of people inspired by creative mediums and united in the pursuit of equality and social justice. Our goal is to inspire a sense of community and personal engagement.
Lauded as “Asheville’s version of SXSW” (Ashvegas) this event is perfect for those who are looking for a more dynamic festival experience – one that prioritizes exploration and participation just as much as entertainment. If you’re looking to broaden your horizons, to engage with others, and want to leave a festival with more than just a hangover, Connect Beyond Festival is just the place to be.
Are you ready to be on stage? We’re looking for 10-14 people to be in our next Mainstage play!
This script is adapted from Louisa May Alcott’s novel by Scott Davidson and is directed by Julie Wharton. Copies of the script are available to check out at the ACT Box Office (a $10 deposit is required which will be returned when you bring back the script). The pages you’ll read at the auditions are posted on our website so that you can download and read in advance!
If you’ve never auditioned at ACT before and aren’t sure what to expect, take a look at What to Expect at ACT Auditions!
Are you ready to be on stage? We’re looking for 10-14 people to be in our next Mainstage play!
This script is adapted from Louisa May Alcott’s novel by Scott Davidson and is directed by Julie Wharton. Copies of the script are available to check out at the ACT Box Office (a $10 deposit is required which will be returned when you bring back the script). The pages you’ll read at the auditions are posted on our website so that you can download and read in advance!
If you’ve never auditioned at ACT before and aren’t sure what to expect, take a look at What to Expect at ACT Auditions!
Connection. A word that by definition means to join together to establish a link, so as to provide access and communication. Connect Beyond Festival has established that link and is using music, film, and storytelling to create connections. More than just an event, Connect Beyond Festival is a movement to develop a network of people inspired by creative mediums and united in the pursuit of equality and social justice. Our goal is to inspire a sense of community and personal engagement.
Lauded as “Asheville’s version of SXSW” (Ashvegas) this event is perfect for those who are looking for a more dynamic festival experience – one that prioritizes exploration and participation just as much as entertainment. If you’re looking to broaden your horizons, to engage with others, and want to leave a festival with more than just a hangover, Connect Beyond Festival is just the place to be.
Connection. A word that by definition means to join together to establish a link, so as to provide access and communication. Connect Beyond Festival has established that link and is using music, film, and storytelling to create connections. More than just an event, Connect Beyond Festival is a movement to develop a network of people inspired by creative mediums and united in the pursuit of equality and social justice. Our goal is to inspire a sense of community and personal engagement.
Lauded as “Asheville’s version of SXSW” (Ashvegas) this event is perfect for those who are looking for a more dynamic festival experience – one that prioritizes exploration and participation just as much as entertainment. If you’re looking to broaden your horizons, to engage with others, and want to leave a festival with more than just a hangover, Connect Beyond Festival is just the place to be.
Connection. A word that by definition means to join together to establish a link, so as to provide access and communication. Connect Beyond Festival has established that link and is using music, film, and storytelling to create connections. More than just an event, Connect Beyond Festival is a movement to develop a network of people inspired by creative mediums and united in the pursuit of equality and social justice. Our goal is to inspire a sense of community and personal engagement.
Lauded as “Asheville’s version of SXSW” (Ashvegas) this event is perfect for those who are looking for a more dynamic festival experience – one that prioritizes exploration and participation just as much as entertainment. If you’re looking to broaden your horizons, to engage with others, and want to leave a festival with more than just a hangover, Connect Beyond Festival is just the place to be.
You’re invited to The Collider’s Monthly Movie Night! For our first movie night, we’re excited to partner with Dogwood Alliance to bring you the award-winning documentary, Burned: Are Trees the New Coal?, an exposé of the biomass electric power industry. Come ready to learn about the threats forests across the South are facing from the biomass industry, and the people and policies responsible for its greenwashing. We’ll have snacks, drinks, and a Q+A with Dogwood Alliance’s Conservation Scientist, Sam Davis.
A life-long treehugger, Sam earned a Ph.D. in Environmental Science in 2015 at Wright State University and completed a postdoc at University of California Merced before leaving academia for greener forests. They are thrilled to be translating science into action with Dogwood Alliance.
The award-winning documentary tells the story of the accelerating destruction of our forests for fuel and probes the policy loopholes, huge subsidies, and blatant green washing of the biomass power industry. A dedicated group of forest activists, ecologists, climate scientists, and concerned citizens fight to establish the enormous value of our forests, protect their communities, debunk this false solution to climate change, and alter energy policy both in the US and abroad.
This film is more relevant to North Carolinians than ever before, with Enviva — the world’s largest wood pellet manufacturer — rapidly expanding its polluting, forest-destroying facilities across the state.
Connection. A word that by definition means to join together to establish a link, so as to provide access and communication. Connect Beyond Festival has established that link and is using music, film, and storytelling to create connections. More than just an event, Connect Beyond Festival is a movement to develop a network of people inspired by creative mediums and united in the pursuit of equality and social justice. Our goal is to inspire a sense of community and personal engagement.
Lauded as “Asheville’s version of SXSW” (Ashvegas) this event is perfect for those who are looking for a more dynamic festival experience – one that prioritizes exploration and participation just as much as entertainment. If you’re looking to broaden your horizons, to engage with others, and want to leave a festival with more than just a hangover, Connect Beyond Festival is just the place to be.
A screening of the 2018 documentary “Power to Heal: Medicare and the Civil Rights Revolution,” followed by a group discussion.
This poetic film—shown in 3D—traces choreographer Merce Cunningham’s artistic evolution over three decades of risk and discovery (1944–1972), from his early years as a struggling dancer in post-WWII New York to his emergence as one of the most visionary and influential choreographers worldwide. Introduction and Q&A with Hilary Schroeder, assistant curator.
“What Kovgan’s utterly transporting film does, through a thoughtful and dynamic combination of curated material and new performances, is radiate the rapturous power of dance.”
—The Hollywood Reporter
Connection. A word that by definition means to join together to establish a link, so as to provide access and communication. Connect Beyond Festival has established that link and is using music, film, and storytelling to create connections. More than just an event, Connect Beyond Festival is a movement to develop a network of people inspired by creative mediums and united in the pursuit of equality and social justice. Our goal is to inspire a sense of community and personal engagement.
Lauded as “Asheville’s version of SXSW” (Ashvegas) this event is perfect for those who are looking for a more dynamic festival experience – one that prioritizes exploration and participation just as much as entertainment. If you’re looking to broaden your horizons, to engage with others, and want to leave a festival with more than just a hangover, Connect Beyond Festival is just the place to be.
Connection. A word that by definition means to join together to establish a link, so as to provide access and communication. Connect Beyond Festival has established that link and is using music, film, and storytelling to create connections. More than just an event, Connect Beyond Festival is a movement to develop a network of people inspired by creative mediums and united in the pursuit of equality and social justice. Our goal is to inspire a sense of community and personal engagement.
Lauded as “Asheville’s version of SXSW” (Ashvegas) this event is perfect for those who are looking for a more dynamic festival experience – one that prioritizes exploration and participation just as much as entertainment. If you’re looking to broaden your horizons, to engage with others, and want to leave a festival with more than just a hangover, Connect Beyond Festival is just the place to be.
UNC Asheville will screen the documentary, narrated by Jodie Foster, “Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché,” at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 3, in the Highsmith Student Union Blue Ridge Room. This event, part of the University’s Women’s History Month observance, is free and open to everyone.
UNC Asheville will screen the documentary, narrated by Jodie Foster, Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy-Blaché, at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 3, in the Highsmith Student Union Blue Ridge Room. This event, part of the University’s Women’s History Month observance, is free and open to everyone. A discussion, led by filmmaker, screenwriter and UNC Asheville Senior Lecturer in Mass Communication Anne Slatton, will follow the film.
About the film: This 2018 documentary that screened at the famed festivals in Cannes and Telluride, tells the story of a French pioneer filmmaker, who began her career in 1894, at the age of 21. One of the very first people to make a narrative fiction film, Guy-Blaché produced and directed over 1000 films throughout her career, experimented with sound, color-tinting, interracial casting, and special effects. Even before women had the right to vote, Blaché, in her actions and in her films, expressed female drives, desires and self-determination. But by 1919, Guy-Blaché’s career came to an abrupt end and she and her films were subsequently erased from film history for years. Pamela Green organizes her documentary like a detective story, interviewing over 90 people and tracking down not only some of her films but previously unknown documents and photos.
About the discussion leader: Anne Slatton teaches video production and film studies. Her television production work includes programming for PBS, National Geographic, and TLC. She is the leader of a 48 hour Film Project team which has won multiple awards including Best Film. Scholarly works include co-authoring Video Production Techniques, “Sofia Coppola” Women’s International Screenwriters Guide, “Lorraine Hansberry” Student’s Encyclopedia of Great American Authors. She also writes scripts for theatre and film.
Visitor Parking on the UNC Asheville Campus – Visitors may park in faculty/staff and non-resident lots from 5:00 p.m. until 7:30 a.m., Monday through Friday, and all day on weekends, holidays, and campus breaks. Visitors are not permitted to park in resident student lots at any time.
For more information, please contact Caitlin Manely in UNC Asheville’s Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies Program, [email protected] or 828.251.6634.
AUDITIONS: March 10, 2020, 10:30 am-2:30 pm
PRODUCTION DATES: March 27-29, 2020
REHEARSALS: September 12, 17, 19, 24, and 26, 2020 from 10:30-2:30





