Calendar of Events

Let your little light shine for The SPARC Foundation as we sparkle and glow (feel free to wear your boldest and brightest) along the French Broad River! Hosted by Asheville Affiliates, SPARC After Dark will light up the night to raise funds for programs working to keep people out of institutional care. Modern Strangers will fill the autumn air with high-energy music… and the event will overflow with tasty local food and drinks from Urban Orchard, Roots Hummus, Catabaw Brewing, Mellow Mushroom, and more. Expect spectacular raffle packages and local prizes.

The SPARC Foundation

Venue: Lounge

Genre: Acoustic, Bluegrass, Jazz, Swing

A troupe of traveling actors are desperate to find their way home after many days on the road. Stranded and down on their luck, this commedia dell’arte troupe finally encounter a wealthy patron who promises them the money, but only if they improvise a play, to his liking, on the dauntingly large subject: The History of Man. The problem is the troupe is dysfunctional and has lost their ability to improvise. Nonetheless, they soldier on starting with the Garden of Eden through Everyman in birth, adolescence, marriage and death. Along the way they enact other wayward adventures such as the assassination of Julius Caesar and the homecoming of Odysseus. It is during the performance, the troupe rediscovers themselves and their art through a series of comical and sometimes heartwarming scenes.

Show Dates: October 3rd – 5th @ 7:30 pm; October 6th @ 2 pm. 

Nobuntu — Thursday, October 3, 2019, 8 p.m. The five voices of Nobuntu echo with power and intensity, emanating pure joy while embodying the spirit of the artists’ Zimbabwe home. An all-female a cappella vocal quintet, Nobuntu draws international acclaim for its inventive performances that are accompanied by minimalistic percussion, traditional instruments and organic, authentic dance movements

Venue: The Main Stage

Genre: Blues, Folk Rock, Pop/Rock

Underwear Comedy Party is a night of nearly nude laughs. All the comedians will be performing in their underwear and we encourage the audience to strip down too!

doors at 8pm, show at 9pm

Tickets $10
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/underwear-comedy-party-avl-tickets-70332354967

Underwear Comedy Party is a night of nearly nude laughs. All the comedians will be performing in their underwear and we encourage the audience to strip down too! doors at 8pm, show at 9pm.

 
Asheville Improv Collective presents
AICFest 2019
October 4, 2019 • 5 PM, 7 PM & 9 PM
Tina McGuire Theatre
Asheville Improv Collective Website

This event takes place in the Tina McGuire Theatre at the Wortham Center for the Performing Arts.

5 PM Block
The lineup, in order of appearance: Harriet (Lexington, KY), Mabel’s Baby (Asheville), Syndication (Greenville, SC)
Seated show, 18+
Price: $15

7 PM Block
Headliner: Messing With A Friend
Opening (in order of appearance): Hardy Boys + Sichuan Pepper Daddies + Abraham
Seated show, 18+
Price: $25
Show info:

AIC is very proud to present, and Western North Carolina is very lucky to host, the legendary Susan Messing as she, plus a special guest, perform the critically-acclaimed Messing with a Friend. See below for more background info on Susan Messing.

Susan Messing wrote and performed in two mainstage revues at the legendary Second City, and directed their National Touring Company. Messing is a founding member of the infamous Annoyance Theatre where she has created roles in over thirty original productions, including “Co-Ed Prison Sluts”, “The Miss Vagina Pageant”, and “Your Butt”. In addition, she conceived, co-adapted (with Mary Scruggs) and directed the critically acclaimed “What Every Girl Should Know…An Ode to Judy Blume” for the Annoyance stage, where she also continues to teach.

You can see Messing’s critically-acclaimed show, “Messing with a Friend” every Thursday night at The Annoyance. Messing has been an adjunct professor for Loyola University, DePaul University’s Theatre School, and The University of Chicago, and The School of Steppenwolf. Her standup act with her puppet, Jolly, has been featured at the HBO/US Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, and on Comedy Central’s Premium Blend and NBC’s Late Fridays. You can hear her voice on radio and tv ads. Susan has been cut from several blockbuster films, but her recent movie role in “Let’s Go to Prison!” as a bad stripper in a halo brace, made her very happy. Her daughter, Sofia Mia, is very twelve, very ridiculous, and very awesome.

Opening will be San Diego’s Hardy Boys, Washington, DC’s Sichuan Pepper Daddies and Greenville, SC’s Abraham!

9 PM Block
Headliner: Mamas Boy
Opening (in order of appearance): Soggy Naan + Co-Workers + Aftermath
Seated show, 18+
Price: $25
Show info:

AIC is very proud to present Mama’s Boy, the all-female improv super-group featuring the overwhelmingly talented Maribeth Monroe, Jaime Moyer, Stephanie Courtney and Celeste Pechous! Here’s some more background info on each performer:

Jaime Moyer is an alum of the University of Detroit-Mercy, The Second City-Detroit, and is a current member of the acting unions SAG-AFTRA and AEA. She is also a former Artistic Director of Planet Ant and current Home Team member. Jaime was awarded the sole prize of Maestro at The Out of Bounds Comedy Festival in Austin, Texas in 2011. She has appeared on Parks and Recreation, 2 Broke Girls, Jennifer Falls, and has a recurring role on Disney’s KC Undercover. Jaime is the creator of the viral hit “Fancy Catz” which can be seen on YouTube at the Second City Network, and has appeared in several short and feature length films. She can be seen performing weekly at The Second City Hollywood and iO WEST in Los Angeles, California.

Stephanie Courtney is an actress and improviser and a long time performer at The Groundlings Theater in Los Angeles. Her TV credits include recurring roles on The Goldbergs, Nobodies, You’re The Worst, Mad Men, and The Comeback. On the film side she can be seen opposite Bob Odenkirk in the Netflix feature Girlfriend’s Day, and other credits include The Heartbreak Kid, Christopher Guest’s For Your Consideration, and Melvin Goes to Dinner directed by Bob Odenkirk. She also appeared opposite Nathan Fillion and Adam Tudyk on the popular web-series Con Man. Stephanie is well known for playing “Flo” in the Progressive Insurance commercials. Ad Age recently named her one of the top female ad icons of all time, on a list that included Rosie the Riveter and Betty Crocker.

Celeste Pechous (SAG/AFTRA) has improvised around the world with some of the most distinguished improv theaters. An alumna of the Second City Chicago, Pechous has trained and performed at the Second City Chicago/LA, iO Chicago/LA, and The Annoyance Theater. She was honored Best Actress for her work in The Clan at the Midwest Film Festival and received a Best Actress nominee from the Downtown LA Film Festival and was awarded the Outstanding Performance from The SNAFF Film Festival for her work in the dark-comedy short, Past Due, based on her short story. TV credits include HBO’s Sharp Objects, NBC’s The Kenan Show, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, USA’s Pearsons, Amazon’s Upload, Showtime’s Masters of Sex, Netflix’s One Day at a Time, Epix’s Get Shorty, Comedy Central’s Workaholics,Review and TV Land’s Hot in Cleveland. She appeared in Work in Progress, which debuted to accolades at Sundance 2019. See her next in the feature film Against All Enemies. You can also see her improvise at Second City LA and on tv in one of her many national commercial spots. Pechous teaches Improv at Second City Hollywood and for UCLA’s Extension Studies. She is the founder of Dosage Improv Workshops in Los Angeles.

Opening will be Charlotte’s Soggy Naan, Dallas’s Co-Workers and Asheville’s very own, Aftermath!

Please join us on October 4, from 5 to 8 pm for the opening party. Performance of “Nona’s Cooking Show” marionette show is at 6:30.

Exhibit open 10 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday, at 207 Coxe Ave, downtown Asheville, through October 25.

“Street Creatures and Dancing Beasts” will celebrate Asheville’s vibrant puppetry scene as an Asheville Area Arts Council exhibit. It will display puppets made by local artists showing diverse styles and forms in a range of sizes and materials. A menagerie of animals, both real and imaginary, will  dance around the gallery. Puppetry is often relegated to the world of children’s entertainment, but this art form is ancient, multi faceted and almost limitless in scope. It requires the skills of an artist, tinkerer and performer, writer, musician and dancer.

Curator and artist Jennifer Murphy is one of the founders of Street Creature Puppet Collective, and “den mother” of the Puppet Clubhouse, a bright and lively community art space in North Asheville. Her work brings nature and myth together in ecological pageants. The other artists included use diverse visual styles and approaches.

Represented are long time puppetry master Hobey Ford, winner of puppetry’s highest honor, the UNIMA Citation of Excellence; Luce Romaldini, who’s rough charming cardboard figures tell uncomfortable truths; Edwin Salas, international puppeteer and dancer who conjures strange creatures of the dark side; Jim Julien, graphic designer and co-director of the Asheville Fringe Arts Festival; Chris Eizember, creative tinkerer and bamboo sculptor; Geneva Bierce-Wilson, fiber artist, inventor and maker of small dragons and large worms; and Street Creature Puppet Collective, a community of collaborative parade puppet makers.

Prepare for what will be a very special evening with Random Rab at the Pack Square Amphitheater, hosted by StarTribe. This will be a dance journey to remember!

– Opening ceremony 6pm. Dance is from 6:05-9pm. Arrive early!

– $17 presale, $20 at door. Get your tickets early to guarantee entry and save a few bucks too$

– Location: Pack Square Amphitheater, Asheville NC

– Kids 12 and under come for free!

– 22 Speaker StarTribe Sound System

– Find out more about Random Rab at www.randomrab.com

– Raw chocolate delights will be provided by Silvermoon Chocolate.

– Hot chai provided by Infinity Greens – www.infinitygreens.com

– This is an alcohol free event.

Thousands of people have participated in StarTribe, and for the real spirit of dance. There’s something especially moving and powerful about an entire community of people coming together for such an experience, and you are warmly invited.

The StarTribe Vision:

For thousands of years, cultures all over the world have revered dance as a way of opening doorways of the mind, revealing an ancient power unlike anything else. This is why, for StarTribe, dance is a path of personal development, making it an invaluable part of life.

In much of the Western world, the scope of dance has become narrow and limited with the theme often being of noisy, unnatural nightclubs and bars. Even music festivals—doling out processed sugar and alcohol—aren’t exactly empowering, relative to what’s possible. But there’s a revival of late towards more meaningful dance—dance that takes place in outdoor settings in beautiful environments within a real sense of community, much like it was for millennia. This is StarTribe.

Burnsville Can’t Miss! Traditional polka music and dance on the covered deck. Dinner served 5pm-8pm inside at Garden Deli. Snap Dragon will have regular hours. Enjoy great food and super fun entertainment!

Live music, family fun and delicious food!

Join us on October 4th for the Trusty Hucksters, an Asheville duo and brain child of Mark Toolan of Halo And The Harlots. This past December Toolan self released “Highways and Area Codes” an album of acoustic driven folksy blues rock.

About our Food:

During the show we serve a complete spread of delicious farm-to-fork dinner options using our own pasture raised meats and locally sourced produce. Meals are prepared fresh by our in-house culinary team and are available for an additional cost along with alcoholic (beer/wine) and non-alcoholic beverage options.  The menu typically consists of 3 meats and 4 sides. The full menu will be advertised on the event Facebook page a few days in advance of the concert.  Be sure to follow us online for the latest updates!

? ASHEVILLE CONCERT THIS FRIDAY!

I am STOKED to bring this transformational music and movement concert experience to the Asheville Community at Violet Owl Wellness in Downtown Asheville!

Asheville was an oasis for me growing up in East Tennessee. I could just drive over the most beautiful mountains to find myself in a fresh new perspective on life. I saw some of the best concerts in Asheville while in high school and it is full circle for me to now bring my music to this beautiful city.

RSVP now @ Cornflower at Asheville NC and tag (or invite) your Asheville friends in the comments below!

See you on the Dance Floor!
ALL LOVE, Cornflower

MPP’s funniest, most-original and most-FREE show has been getting RAVES!

A firecracker of talent that powers one of the hottest shows in any genre of music! World Class Musicians, and an Award Winning Voice seamlessly set the stage for a breath-taking, one-of-a-kind, must-see performance; that reaches beyond the boundaries of bluegrass music. Written words can give you but a glimpse of the artist known as The Queen of Bluegrass, as deemed by the Wall Street Journal. But it’s only when you see this artist, that you can feel the energy and experience the excitement of her music, to truly know why she and her amazing band are the “Most Award Winning Band in Bluegrass Music History, with over 100 awards.” Breaking a stereotypical image, Rhonda Vincent takes the stage in designer gowns, stiletto heels, in a take-charge manner, far from the type set that Hollywood has portrayed as the image of acoustic music. “We’re changing the landscape of our music in many aspects; to show we are sophisticated, educated, and hold a deep respect for the tradition of our music, keeping the roots embedded within the perimeters of our songs, to create a balance of tradition mixed with a contemporary flare, and present our own unique brand of music,” Rhonda explains. “We want our listeners to hear with their hearts,” says Rhonda. “Music is a business, but I hope we don’t let it show that much,” she continues, “The business part is a necessity; but most of all it’s the love of the music, that keeps us doing what we do.” Rhonda Vincent & The Rage are one of the HOTTEST TICKETS in any genre of music!
Ticket Prices: $23, $28, $32 Priority Seating

It’s not too early to make your plans to travel down the yellow brick road to the merry old land of Oz! We’re deep into the rehearsal process, are building the sets and the costumes, and are hearing LOTS of super cool ideas from the artistic team!

• Opening Weekend and Thursday night tickets are cheaper than other performances ($26 for adults vs $30)
• Tickets for children 17 and under are $15 for any Wizard of Oz performance!
• Keep up with what’s happening in rehearsals with the “We’re Off to See the Wizard” blog series written by our Cowardly Lion, John O’Neil!

A troupe of traveling actors are desperate to find their way home after many days on the road. Stranded and down on their luck, this commedia dell’arte troupe finally encounter a wealthy patron who promises them the money, but only if they improvise a play, to his liking, on the dauntingly large subject: The History of Man. The problem is the troupe is dysfunctional and has lost their ability to improvise. Nonetheless, they soldier on starting with the Garden of Eden through Everyman in birth, adolescence, marriage and death. Along the way they enact other wayward adventures such as the assassination of Julius Caesar and the homecoming of Odysseus. It is during the performance, the troupe rediscovers themselves and their art through a series of comical and sometimes heartwarming scenes.

Show Dates: October 3rd – 5th @ 7:30 pm; October 6th @ 2 pm. 

The history of country music has no shortage of characters hit by hard luck: the hard-working man who can’t seem to make ends meet, the heart-of-gold drunk who just can’t seem to put down the bottle, the woman who wants to do right but ends up, time and again, doing wrong. No matter the tragedies at the center of the songs, in most cases those characters come off like just that — characters; inventions of either a particularly gifted songwriter looking to spin a tall tale or a lazy one looking to pad out an album. But in the case of Whitey Morgan, those characters — the drinker, the troublemaker, the struggling, hard-working man — all seem arrestingly real.

That’s largely because the stories on Sonic Ranch — a big, nasty, whiskey-slugging, bare-knuckle bruiser of a country record — are pulled from Morgan’s own back pages.

A native of the economically depressed city of Flint, Michigan, Morgan practically bleeds straight into each of the album’s 10 songs, making for a kind of rough-and-tumble honky-tonk noir record that can pack the dance floor while doing Bukowski proud. Morgan opens the record at a loss — “I gave up on Jesus/ When momma gave up on me/ So much for the family life/ It’s just me and the whiskey,” he growls in the album’s opening moments — and spends the rest of it fighting to keep the rest from being wrenched away, bottle by his side, fists clenched. “If I’m going down tonight,” he defiantly sings, “I’m going down drinkin.’”

The parents are out of town and the kids (local comedians) are running the show!
Come out to LaZoom for a night of comedy from Asheville’s best comics.

Tickets $10 advance, $12 day of
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/moms-out-tonight-local-comedy-showcase-tickets-71017628639

The Lunsford Festival is an all-day festival celebrating regional music and dance traditions. The event is the second oldest folk festival in Western North Carolina and was named in honor of cofounder Bascom Lamar Lunsford. Lunsford was a musician and folklorist who dedicated his life to collecting and promoting the music of the Southern Appalachians. Through his work he became known as the “Minstrel of the Appalachians.” The festival, which is now in its 52nd year, brings out the region’s finest musicians and dancers.  It happens on the same day as the Madison Heritage Arts Festival, so downtown will be abuzz. Join us in honoring the rich cultural traditions of the Southern Appalachians!

10:00-5:00: Concert on the Upper Quad
11:00: Presentation of the Lunsford Award
12:00-1:00: Fiddle, Banjo, Guitar, Dulcimer, Shaped Note Workshops
1:15-2:00: Open jam (Sunken Garden)
1:30-3:30: Ballad Swap (Blackwell Hall)
5:30-7:30: Community Dance (Chambers Gym)

Swannanoa Valley Montessori School (SVMS) is excited to bring the Inaugural Creekside JamFest to Pisgah Brewing Company (PBC).  This event will be a day filled with great music featuring Larry Keel, Dangermuffin and the Get Right Band in addition to fun family-friendly activities to include Mountain Circus Arts, Asheville Hoops, and Asheville Plays.  There will be food trucks, refreshments for all ages, and craft vendors on site for all your festival needs!

Every year SVMS raises funds to support our scholarship program because our school is committed to diversity and inclusion in the classroom. SVMS believes a school should be reflective of its community. SVMS strives not to turn away students due to socioeconomic status or different learning styles. Over the last 5 years, SVMS has been able to grant financial assistance to a number of families seeking alternatives to public education. With smaller class sizes, individualized attention, and alternately paced curriculum,  SVMS is able to meet their needs and support them as they thrive.

MPP’s funniest, most-original and most-FREE show has been getting RAVES!

The Blue Ridge Orchestra opens its 2019-20 season with The Young Masters, featuring compositions by Bach, Beethoven and Weber, written while in their 30’s. This all German program spans across the Baroque, Classical and Romantic musical eras. The program includes Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2, Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto  No. 5 and Webers Oberon Overture.

It’s not too early to make your plans to travel down the yellow brick road to the merry old land of Oz! We’re deep into the rehearsal process, are building the sets and the costumes, and are hearing LOTS of super cool ideas from the artistic team!

• Opening Weekend and Thursday night tickets are cheaper than other performances ($26 for adults vs $30)
• Tickets for children 17 and under are $15 for any Wizard of Oz performance!
• Keep up with what’s happening in rehearsals with the “We’re Off to See the Wizard” blog series written by our Cowardly Lion, John O’Neil!

A troupe of traveling actors are desperate to find their way home after many days on the road. Stranded and down on their luck, this commedia dell’arte troupe finally encounter a wealthy patron who promises them the money, but only if they improvise a play, to his liking, on the dauntingly large subject: The History of Man. The problem is the troupe is dysfunctional and has lost their ability to improvise. Nonetheless, they soldier on starting with the Garden of Eden through Everyman in birth, adolescence, marriage and death. Along the way they enact other wayward adventures such as the assassination of Julius Caesar and the homecoming of Odysseus. It is during the performance, the troupe rediscovers themselves and their art through a series of comical and sometimes heartwarming scenes.

Show Dates: October 3rd – 5th @ 7:30 pm; October 6th @ 2 pm.