A behind-the-scenes look into Louisville’s performing arts and entertainment during this unprecedented time of reflection and artistic creation.
magazine
AUGUST 2022
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PNC BROADWAY IN LOUISVILLE A National Debut Inspired by a '90s Rock Album Page 6 LOUISVILLE ORCHESTRA Composers Creating New Works Inspired by Louisville Page 10 KENTUCKY SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL Scenes From Its Longest Season Ever Page 14 ... and more!
TABLE of CONTENTS AUGUST 2022
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WE THINK YOU OUGHTA KNOW
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CREATOR CORPS
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A GREAT RUN
AUGUST FEATURES
18 CRAFT BREWS IN OLD LOU
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FALLS 20 CUMBERLAND STATE RESPORT PARK
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22 ARE YOU READY TO ROCK?
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TICKET
GIVEAWAYS
SPECIAL INVITES
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A behind-the-scenes look into Louisville’s performing arts and entertainment during this unprecedented time of reflection and artistic creation.
PUBLISHER
The Audience Group, Inc. G. Douglas Dreisbach MANAGING EDITOR
Amy Higgs CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Rhonda Mefford SALES & MARKETING
G. Douglas Dreisbach CONTRIBUTORS
PNC Broadway in Louisville Danny Wimmer Presents Kentucky Tourism Louisville Orchestra Old Louisville Brew Fest
To read current and previous Audience playbills and performance guides, go to issuu.com/audience502. On the Cover: A scene from Kentucky Shakespeare Festival's The Merry Wives of Windsor, an Elizabethan farce. Photo by Zachary Burrell. Read more on page 14.
GOT AN ARTICLE IDEA? Audience Magazine is a platform for the arts in Louisville. If you have an article idea or something you think we should cover, email ahiggs@theaudiencegroup.com © Copyright 2022. The Audience Group, Inc. Reproduction in whole or part without written permission is prohibited.
Audience® Magazine is published by The Audience Group, Inc. 136 St. Matthews Avenue #300 Louisville, KY 40207 502.212.5177 | Audience502.com J U L Y
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“We’ll be the caregiver so that you can be the family member.” — Taylor We’ll take care of mom’s medications — you just focus on remembering the names of her new best friends. With weekly Happy Hours, annual retreats, and regular trips into town, you and your loved one will have a lot of celebrating to do — and we’ll be here to support you every step of the way. Our team of clinical experts are proud to offer: • Licensed nurses on-staff 24/7 • Life Enrichment programming • Restaurant-style dining • Community outings • And more! Find a Trilogy community near you at TrilogyHS.com and schedule a tour today!
Where family comes to live.
Taylor
Life Enrichment
AN EXCITING & ECLECTIC SEASON AHEAD The word ‘theater’ comes from the Greeks. It means ‘the seeing place.’ It is the place people come to see the truth about life and the social situation. The theater is the spiritual and social X-ray of its time. − Stella Adler
It’s hard to believe that summer is already winding down, and the kids are headed back to school. With so many choices over the past few months for world-class concerts, theater, and other fantastic live entertainment across the region, we’ve certainly blown our ticket budget and made the most of our summer vacation. We hope you have, too. We know Louisville’s unseasonably hot and muggy temperatures could continue long into September (or even later, ugh). But no matter the weather outside, for us at Audience Magazine, fall officially starts with the first shows of the performing arts season. From national sensations to local superstars, the new season’s performance calendar is packed with an incredible variety of exciting, eclectic shows. We’re delighted to showcase a few of them in this month’s issue.
Amy Higgs Managing Editor
It all starts with the debut performance of Broadway’s Jagged Little Pill at the end of this month. If theater is a reflection of societal truth, then nobody is a better truth-teller than Alanis Morrisette (we dare you to prove us wrong!). We think it’s incredibly cool that the touring show chose to make Louisville its first stop! We’re pleased to be able to highlight the talented composers who have been selected for the Louisville’s Orchestra new residency program, and we can’t wait to hear the sweet sounds that are sure to result. Bourbon & Beyond is one of the most anticipated festival weekends of the year, and we’ve got the inside story from event organizers on what’s new in 2022. Speaking of festivals, if you want to relive some of the best memories of summer, check out pages 14-17 for photos of Kentucky Shakespeare’s stellar performances in Central Park. While main stage plays might be over for now, the company is far from finished for the year. They’ve got a collaboration and an immersive experience up their sleeves this fall. These stories offer up just a taste of the 2022-23 season. Make sure you check out future issues of Audience Magazine for special features and details about what’s still to come. Thank you to our generous advertisers for allowing us to bring you the latest news about the thriving performing arts scene in Louisville free of charge. As the curtain rises,
G. Douglas Dreisbach Publisher
The Audience Group
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PERFORMANCE PREVIEW
WE THINK YOU OUGHTA KNOW
TOURING PRODUCTION OF JAGGED LITTLE PILL MAKES ITS DEBUT IN LOUISVILLE by PNC Broadway in Louisville
PERFORMANCE PREVIEW August 31 - September 1, 2022
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n partnership with Kentucky Performing Arts, PNC Broadway in Louisville is thrilled to announce the national debut of Jagged Little Pill at The Kentucky Center for two nights only — August 31 and September 1 at 7:30 p.m.
We are so excited to host the launch of the national tour of Jagged Little Pill right here in Louisville.
Inspired by the seminal rock album of the same name by seventime Grammy Award winner Alanis Morissette, tickets to the Tony and Grammy awarding-winning production are available at KentuckyPerformingArts.org. “We are so excited to host the launch of the national tour of Jagged Little Pill right here in Louisville,” said Leslie Broecker, President of PNC Broadway in Louisville. “The Kentucky Center has been instrumental in making this opportunity a reality, and we are continuously grateful for their support and collaboration.” “We are so fortunate to have our amazing partners, PNC Broadway in Louisville, who bring the most exciting shows on Broadway right here to our own backyard,” says Kim Baker, President and CEO of Kentucky Performing Arts. “Working together, we were able to attract the launch of the Jagged Little Pill tour, providing the opportunity to shine a national spotlight on the commonwealth.”
ABOUT THE SHOW Directed by Tony Award winner Diane Paulus (Waitress, Pippin), Jagged Little Pill is an “electrifying, visceral, and stunning” (The Hollywood Reporter) musical with an original story by Tony and Academy Award-winning writer Diablo Cody (Juno, Tully),
− Leslie Broecker, President of PNC Broadway in Louisville
about a perfectly imperfect American family that “vaults the audience to its collective feet” (The Guardian). Nominated for a season-record of 15 Tony Awards following its Broadway premiere, The New York Times declared the show “redemptive, rousing, and real... Jagged Little Pill stands alongside the original musicals that have sustained the best hopes of Broadway.” Ignited by Morissette’s groundbreaking lyrics and music — from beloved hits such as “You Oughta Know,” “Head Over Feet,” “Hand In My Pocket,” and “Ironic,” to brand-new songs written for the show — Jagged Little Pill features explosive choreography by Tony Award nominee and frequent Beyoncé collaborator Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui (Apesh*t, Love Drought/Sandcastles Live at The Grammys), and the raw power of an onstage band under the musical supervision, orchestrations and arrangements
Heidi Blickenstaff, Runako Campbell, and Morgan Dudley in the Broadway production of Jagged Little Pill. Photo by Matthew Murphy.
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of Grammy, Tony and Pulitzer Prize winner Tom Kitt (Next to Normal, American Idiot). The Jagged Little Pill creative team includes Tony-nominated Scenic Designer Riccardo Hernandez (Parade), Tony-nominated Costume Designer Emily Rebholz (Dear Evan Hansen), Tony Award-winning Lighting Designer Justin Townsend (Moulin Rouge!), Tony-nominated Sound Designer Jonathan Deans (Waitress), and Tony-nominated Video Designer Lucy Mackinnon (Spring Awakening). Hair, Wig, and Makeup Design is provided by J. Jared Janas (Sunset Boulevard).
AN AWARD-WINNING RUN Jagged Little Pill officially opened on Broadway December 5, 2019, at the Broadhurst Theatre after beginning previews November 3. Prior to Broadway, the show completed a recordbreaking, sold-out run at American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) in Cambridge, Massachusetts. That pre-Broadway world premiere production ran for 79 sold-out performances, from May 5 to July 15, 2018, marking the longest-running and highest-grossing production in A.R.T.’s history. Jagged Little Pill concluded its award-winning Broadway run on December 17, 2021, after playing 36 previews and 171 performances. That same month, the production made its international debut in Australia at Theatre Royal Sydney. The Australian tour is currently playing at Comedy Theatre, in Melbourne. Released on June 13, 1995, the tremendous success of Alanis Morissette’s album of the same name skyrocketed her to become the bestselling international debut artist in history; a title she still holds, with the record’s sales reaching 33 million copies worldwide. Now, 25 years after its release, Jagged Little Pill continues to be one of the Top 20 best-selling albums of all time. With 10 eclectic and acclaimed albums released over the subsequent years, Morissette’s music has garnered seven Grammy Awards (with 14 nominations), a Golden Globe nomination, and total sales of over 60 million albums. 8
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The Broadway company of Jagged Little Pill. Photo by Matthew Murphy. Lauren Patten and the Broadway company of Jagged Little Pill. Photo by Matthew Murphy.
In 2019, Atlantic Records partnered with the Broadway production for the release of its original Broadway cast recording, adding the show to the label’s elite roster of Grammy Awardwinning artists and cast albums. The cast album for Jagged Little Pill was officially released on December 6, 2019 — the day after the show’s opening night on Broadway — and won the 2021 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theatre Album. In the fall of 2020, the musical garnered a season-leading 15 Tony Nominations — including Best Musical — and Grand Central Publishing released a hardcover coffee table book following the journey of Jagged Little Pill to Broadway, with behind-the-scenes photos and stories from Alanis Morissette, Diablo Cody, the cast and more. Following the show’s big Grammy Award win in 2021, Jagged Little Pill also won Tony Awards for Best Book of a Musical (Diablo Cody) and Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Lauren Patten). Don’t miss your chance to see this incredible debut performance! A U D I E N C E
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CREATOR CORPS
TEDDY ABRAMS & LOUISVILLE ORCHESTRA SELECT THREE COMPOSERS FOR NEW RESIDENCY PROGRAM by Louisville Orchestra
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ong praised for his visionary thinking about the role of an orchestra in its community, galvanizing Music Director Teddy Abrams and the Louisville Orchestra (LO) are pleased to announce the inaugural group of creators for their newest initiative, the Louisville Orchestra Creators Corps, which transcends traditional commissioning and composer-in-residence paradigms with a radically new model for collaborating with symphony orchestras in the 21st century. They are Lisa Bielawa, TJ Cole, and Tyler Taylor. Throughout their residencies, the creators will compose new works to be performed by the orchestra and other settings, participate in educational and community engagement activities, and be active, engaged citizens of their neighborhood. The composers will each have a preexisting work performed on the opening night program on September 17. The world premieres of their new works will be performed in Louisville during the 2022-23 season on Classics programs on January 14, March 4 and 11 – the latter two dates as part of the Festival of American Music – and will appear as well on Music Without Borders programs. The Creators Corps is an innovative, first-of-its-kind program that puts artists in the community for deeper integration with the orchestra and the city of Louisville. LO selects three creators in the spring to move to Louisville for the upcoming season and live in the Shelby Park neighborhood for at least 30 weeks, serving as LO staff members with an annual salary of $40,000, as well as health insurance, housing, and a custom-built studio workspace. The program is funded by a three-year, $750,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation and from the generous support of additional individual donors locally and nationally.
Lisa, TJ, and Tyler are examples of consummate 21st-century artist-leaders; their musical talents match their intellects and they all share a remarkable sensitivity to the needs of the world beyond the boundaries of contemporary musical composition. − Teddy Abrams, Music Director, Louisville Orchestra
A COLLECTION OF UNIQUE PERSPECTIVES “I was overwhelmed by the diverse talent of the 186 applicants for the initial year of the LO’s Creators Corps,” says Abrams, who was named Conductor of the Year for 2022 by Musical America and begins his eighth season with the orchestra in September. “I believe this reflects the widespread desire for artists to build deeper and more impactful relationships with civic institutions and the communities they represent. With an extraordinarily dedicated selection committee, we were able to find three exceptional creators to join us in Louisville for the 2022-23 Season. Lisa, TJ, and Tyler are examples of consummate 21st-century artist-leaders; their musical talents match their intellects and they all share a remarkable sensitivity to the needs of the world beyond the boundaries of contemporary musical composition,” he says.
(L-R) As part of the new residency, composers TJ Cole, Tyler Taylor and Lisa Bielawa will move to Louisville and work as LO staff members for 30 weeks during the upcoming season. Photo courtesy of Louisville Orchestra. L O U I S V I L L E
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A genre-defying orchestra in Louisville? Believe it. — Time magazine
“While each creator has a unique background and aesthetic perspective, their collective accomplishments and capabilities will make them a tremendous part of the LO family and the creative fabric of Louisville (and in Tyler’s case, as a Louisvillian, we are honored to offer him the Orchestra’s broad civic platform),” adds Abrams. “This is an historic and immensely consequential moment for the LO, and I can’t wait to begin collaborating with these three outstanding creators.” “The Creators Corps marks a new chapter for innovation and leadership for the Louisville Orchestra, and I am proud that we are demonstrating the most impactful way composers, community leaders, musicians, and civic partners can come together to fundamentally change the conversation around creativity, the creative process, access to and impact from the arts,” says Graham Parker, the Louisville Orchestra’s Interim Executive Director. “The entire LO family is dedicated to delivering on this new model and showcasing it across Metro Louisville, the commonwealth and the country.”
ABOUT THE COMPOSERS Lisa Bielawa Composer, producer, and vocalist Lisa Bielawa is a Rome Prize winner in musical composition. She takes inspiration for her work from literary sources and close artistic collaborations. Gramophone reports, “Bielawa is gaining gale force as a composer, churning out impeccably groomed works that at once evoke the layered precision of Vermeer and the conscious recklessness of Jackson Pollock.” Her music has been described as “ruminative, pointillistic and harmonically slightly tart,” by the New York Times, and “fluid and arresting ... at once dramatic and probing,” by the San Francisco Chronicle. She is the recipient of the 2017 Music Award from the American Academy of Arts & Letters and a 2020 OPERA America Grant for Female Composers. She was named a William Randolph Hearst Visiting Artist Fellow at the American Antiquarian Society for 2018 and was Artist-in-Residence at Kaufman Music Center in New York for the 2020-21 season. Bielawa has established herself as one of today’s leading composers and performers, one who consistently executes work that incorporates community-making as part of her artistic vision. She has created music for public spaces in Lower Manhattan, the banks of the Tiber River in Rome, on the sites of former airfields in Berlin and in San Francisco, and to mark the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall; she composed and produced a 12-episode, made-for-TV opera that featured over 350 musicians and was filmed in locations across the country; she was a co-founder in 1997 of the MATA Festival, which continues to support young composers; 12
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and for five years she was the artistic director of the San Francisco Girls Chorus, bringing the chorus to the NY PHIL BIENNIAL and introducing the young performers to the music of today through numerous premieres and commissions from leading composers. From 2019-22, Bielawa was the founding Composer-inResidence and Chief Curator of the Philip Glass Institute (PGI) at The New School’s College of the Performing Arts. In addition to performing as the vocalist in the Philip Glass Ensemble, Bielawa performs in many of her own works as well as in the music of John Zorn, Anthony Braxton, Michael Gordon, and others. She will have her third residency as a performer/ composer at Zorn’s venue The Stone in November 2022. She recently made her orchestral conducting debut leading the Mannes String Orchestra in a special presentation by the Philip Glass Institute, featuring her music, music by Jon Gibson and David T. Little, and Philip Glass’s Symphony No. 3. Born in San Francisco into a musical family, Bielawa played the violin and piano, sang, and wrote music from early childhood. She moved to New York two weeks after receiving her B.A. in Literature in 1990 from Yale University and became an active participant in New York musical life.
TJ Cole TJ Cole (they/she) is an American composer, originally from the suburbs of Atlanta. They have been commissioned by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Carnegie Hall, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, the Louisville Orchestra, the New Haven Symphony Orchestra, Nashville in Harmony, Intersection, Time For Three, the Sun Valley Summer Symphony, Play On Philly, the Music in May Festival, Music in the Vineyards, the Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival, One Book One Philadelphia, and the Bakken Trio, among others. Their music has been performed by various ensembles, including the Minnesota Orchestra, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the Utah Symphony, Ensemble Connect, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Curtis Symphony Orchestra, the Interlochen Arts Academy Orchestra, the Dover Quartet,the Bakken Trio, and the Nebula Ensemble, among others. They have also worked on numerous projects with Time for Three as an orchestrator and arranger, and served as a composer-in-residence at the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music in 2014. Cole has also been a singer-songwriter, producer, and engineer in the fully electronic synth-pop band Twin Pixie, which focuses on making music at the intersection of queerness, pop culture, and the supernatural. A U D I E N C E
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LO on stage at The Kentucky Center in May 2022. Photo courtesy of Louisville Orchestra.
Cole has participated in composition programs, including the Minnesota Orchestra Composer Institute, the Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival, and the Next Festival of Emerging Artists, and studied with Samuel Adler for a summer at the Freie Universität Berlin. They have won two ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer awards (2014 and 2020), including the Leo Kaplan Award in 2020 for their string sextet Playtime. Cole has also been involved with music-related community outreach projects. They collaborated with bassist Ranaan Meyer as an orchestrator on his project The World We All Deserve Through Music, and with First Person Arts by co-curating and performing in a musical story slam. During a yearlong ArtistYear Fellowship (2016-17), Cole was able to co-run and collaborate in musical performances and songwriting workshops with residents of Project HOME, a Philadelphia-based organization fighting to end chronic homelessness. Cole received their Bachelor's degree in composition from the Curtis Institute of Music, and studied at Interlochen Arts Academy. Their mentors include John Boyle Jr., Jennifer Higdon, David Ludwig, and Richard Danielpour.
Tyler Taylor Tyler Taylor, a Louisville native, is a composer-performer whose work explores the different ways identity can be expressed in musical scenarios. Common among these pieces is a sense of contradiction — sometimes whimsical, sometimes alarming — that comes from the interaction of diverse musical layers. This expression of contradiction likely comes from his being a person of mixed race; being raised on hip hop and R&B while inheriting a European tradition of Western art music as his primary form of musical expression in spite of having little or no other cultural ties to Europe; and pursuing a career in a field that generally lacks representation of his demographic. L O U I S V I L L E
Taylor has recently held fellowships at the National Orchestra Institute and the Bowdoin International Music Festival. During these residencies, he had several works performed, including two premieres, and worked alongside Marin Alsop, Derek Bermel, Andreia Pinto Correia, and many other distinguished artists. His work has been recognized by awards including the BMI Student Composition Award (2019) and the Howard Hanson Ensemble Prize (2017, 2016), and has been featured during the College Orchestra Directors Association Convention (2022), the University of Louisville Annual New Music Festival (2018, 2017, 2016) and the Midwest Composers Symposium (2019). He has recently been commissioned by the Washington and Lee University Orchestra, the Chicago Composers Orchestra, the Albany Symphony Contemporary Ensemble, the Youth Performing Arts School, the Louisville Orchestra, Indiana University New Music Ensemble, and the Indiana Bandmasters Association. In addition to his composition, Taylor is an avid performer of contemporary music, playing horn in many of his own works and those by his colleagues. He has honed his skill as a contemporary performer in groups such as the IU New Music Ensemble, Eastman’s Musica Nova, Ossia New Music, the UofL New Music Ensemble, and more. Taylor holds degrees from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music (Doctorate in Music in Composition, with minors in music theory and horn performance), the Eastman School of Music (Master of Music in Composition and Horn), and the University of Louisville (Bachelor of Music in Composition). His principal composition teachers include Tansy Davies, Aaron Travers, Don Freund, David Liptak, Robert Morris, Krzysztof Wołek, and Steve Rouse. His principal horn teachers include Dale Clevenger, Jeff Nelsen, W. Peter Kurau, Bruce Heim, Steve Causey, and Diana Morgen. O R C H E S T R A
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KENTUCKY SHAKESPEARE WINDS UP LONGEST SEASON IN HISTORY WITH THREE EPIC MAIN STAGE PERFORMANCES by Kentucky Shakespeare
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he Bard has left the building! Well, at least for this summer. The 2022 Kentucky Shakespeare Festival in Central Park delighted Louisville audiences with classic main stage plays and more. The 11-week season featured 60 performances in six productions, all offered free of charge thanks to generous donors.
Main stage performances included Twelfth Night, Shakespeare’s classic romantic comedy of mistaken identity. The reimagined show was set in 1920s New Orleans and featured a live jazz band onstage. It was followed by Richard III, the tale of a charismatic, power-hungry villain and the cataclysmic end of England’s greatest power struggle, the Wars of the Roses. The Merry Wives of Windsor, a hilarious Elizabethan farce featuring the lovable Sir John Falstaff, rounded out the summer season. As you can see from the photos, the atmosphere was family friendly and festive as we celebrated Kentucky Shakespeare’s 62nd season!
Scenes from The Merry Wives of Windsor. Photos by Zachary Burrell. K E N T U C K Y
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Scenes from Twelfth Night. Photos by Bill Brymer.
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Scenes from Richard III. Photos by Bill Brymer.
UPCOMING PERFORMANCES SHAKESPEARE'S R&J
ENTER GHOST. AN IMMERSIVE HAUNTED HAMLET EXPERIENCE
Adapted by Joe Calarco Directed by Matt Wallace August 18-27 Henry Clay Theatre, 604 S. Third St Tickets: $25 kyshakespeare.com/season/rj Joe Calarco’s R&J re-imagines the classic story of history’s famous doomed lovers as a modern coming-of-age tale in this co-production between Kentucky Shakespeare and Pandora Productions, Louisville’s theater dedicated to telling stories of LGBTQ+ communities. The play explores forbidden love, vulnerability, and burgeoning sexuality as students at a repressive all-male school discover a banned copy of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. They steal into the night to recite the prohibited tale of adolescent passion and find themselves immersed in the story that begins to blur with their own lives as truths emerge. K E N T U C K Y
By Diana Grisanti and Steve Moulds Directed by Matt Wallace October 5-30, shows nightly at 7 and 9PM Kentucky Shakespeare, 616 Myrtle St. Tickets: $25 kyshakespeare.com/season/enterghost Continuing our tradition of a site-specific production for Halloween, Kentucky Shakespeare presents an immersive new experience insider our Old Louisville headquarters. Utilizing silent disco headphone technology, audience members will travel throughout an interactive experience inspired by Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
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The event will feature music by Bridge 19
CRAFT BREWS IN OLD LOU The Old Lou Brew Craft Beer Festival Returns on August 26 Picture yourself under a canopy of trees in Central Park on a beautiful summer night with an ice cold beer in hand from your favorite Kentucky brewery. On Friday, August 26, that could be you at The Old Lou Brew Craft Beer Festival. In addition to sipping on brews, patrons will also enjoy local food trucks, summer games for the whole family, and live music by Louisville's own Bridge 19 and Little Band. Bridge 19 offers a sound pallet of moody electric guitars, horns, accordion, and pedal steel — with rhythmic stylings of NOLA jazz meets Americana. Bridge 19 has shared stages with Brandi Carlile, Joan Osborne, Dr. Dog, Langhorn Slim, Sarah McLachlan, Asleep at the Wheel, Richard Thompson, and more. The two bands will play separately and together during the evening. “The Old Lou Brew Craft Beer Festival has been growing in popularity over the past few years because it is so relaxed and set in beautiful Central Park. We have awesome brewers who support our event each year by coming out and showcasing their newest ales. This is truly a local favorite. We love it when people ‘discover’ the beauty and fun in Old Louisville,” says Luanne Maguire, Chairperson of the Old Louisville Neighborhood Council. Admission is only $15. Children (18 and under) are free, and dogs are welcome. 18
Advance tickets can be purchased online. All patrons must wear a wristband to attend the event, even those not drinking beer. Pre-purchased tickets will be available at Will Call. Tickets will be on sale the night of the event inside the Visitors Center in Central Park, 1340 S. Fourth St. Those who are drinking must bring an ID, and dogs have to be on a leash. Ample street parking around the perimeter of Central Park is available. All proceeds from the event support the nonprofit advocacy work of the Old Louisville Neighborhood Council (OLNC), which serves to protect and promote the largest contiguous collection of Victorian mansions in the United States and streetscapes, while advancing artistic and cultural events to build community. The rich architectural heritage draws visitors from all over the world. The OLNC also offers guided walking tours of Historic Old Louisville, a free concert series called Old Louisville Live, and the Old Louisville Holiday Home Tour each December as part of its educational mission. Sponsors for this event include: The 1300 Association, Garvin Gate Blues Festival, Rumpke, and Six Degrees Real Estate. From summer ales to IPAs, lagers to stouts, there is a beer for everyone to love at the Old Lou Brew Craft Beer Festival! For more information, click here or call 502-635-5244.
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Now in its fifth year, the Old Lou Craft Beer Festival brings together 15 of Kentucky’s finest independent breweries including: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Akasha Brewing Co. Atrium Brewing Chimera Brewing Co. Falls City Beer Gallant Fox Brewing Co. Goodwood Brewing Co. Gravely Brewing Co. Holsopple Brewing Hometown Brewing Co. Old Louisville Brewery Milewide Beer Co. Monnik Beer Co. Noble Funk Brewing Co. Pivot Brewing West Sixth Brewing
Click here for tickets and info.
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OLD LOU BREW
CRAFT BEER F E S T I VA L
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CRAFT BREWS... RIGHT IN THE HEART OF OLD LOUISVILLE’S BEAUTIFUL CENTRAL PARK
PRESENTED BY THE OLD LOUISVILLE NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL
Visit oldlouisville.org for more information A U G U S T
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DESTINATION SPOTLIGHT
Rafting at Cumberland Falls
CUMBERLAND FALLS STATE RESORT PARK The more strenuous Eagle Falls Trail may test your fortitude (and calves), but the cool mist from Eagle Falls at the end will surely reward your efforts. Dog Slaughter Falls Trail is another trek where the fern and moss-covered journey is as magical as the destination. Also, it lets you check off the third waterfall from your list in one weekend! While Dog Slaughter Falls itself is on National Forest property, you can pick up the "long trail" to get there from just past the Cumberland Falls Visitor's Center.
Every true Kentuckian has a Kentucky bucket list. Whether that list leans towards distilleries, historic homes, underground adventures, or natural beauty, it certainly includes Cumberland Falls in Corbin. The volume of water pouring over Cumberland Falls is the second greatest east of the Mississippi River after Niagara Falls, thus earning the moniker of "Niagara of the South." Yet, Cumberland Fall's most prominent feature is the Western Hemisphere's only regularly occurring moonbow, similar to a rainbow but only viewable on a clear night during a full moon. Of course, you will need more than one night to take advantage of all this spectacular place has to offer. Plan to stay at the Dupont Lodge, just steps from the Riverview Restaurant. Choose a campsite, or reserve a more private 1-bedroom cabin or a 2-bedroom deluxe cottage, some built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). The CCC played an enormous role in the park's development by constructing everything from trails and picnic shelters to the lodge and cabins. 20
Cumberland Falls Lodge
While lounging on the back patio overlooking the Cumberland River is one way to enjoy an afternoon, a hike on any of the 20 miles of trails is a memorable moment you don't want to miss. The Wildflower Trail will delight yearround with its boulders and broad-leafed flora, but a visit in spring will offer a multitude of prized wildflower photos.
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For those wishing to enjoy this park through water recreation, stop by the Visitor's Center to ask about river paddling and tour opportunities offered by nearby vendors. The Visitor Center also provides ample opportunities for shopping, family entertainment like gem mining, and the ultimate photo op in front of the roaring falls. Learn more about this mountain gem, its moonbow viewing options, and Kentucky's other 44 state parks, including 17 resort parks with restaurants, 30 campgrounds, and 13 golf courses by visiting parks.ky.gov.
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ARE YOU READY TO ROCK? Big Music Returns to Louisville by G. Douglas Dreisbach
Bourbon & Beyond and Louder than Life are two of the region’s biggest music festivals, and both are returning to Louisville in September for back-to-back weekends — and for what will surely be a great time for any music connoisseur.
We were excited to catch up with two of the team members from Danny Wimmer Presents, the company that makes it all happen — Chamie McCurry, who handles marketing and communications, and Del Williams, who is the head of talent. We hope you enjoy the conversation, and we’ll see you there! G. Douglas Dreisbach: Danny Wimmer Presents produces Bourbon & Beyond and Louder Than Life here in Louisville, as well some of the biggest music festivals in the country. We are super excited about the lineup for both festivals this year, and look forward to another two weekends of music and fun. Why did you all decide to land in Louisville for these events, and has the market lived up to your expectations? Chamie McCurry: Danny Wimmer first started visiting Louisville because he wanted to create a bourbon, so that was sort of his entry into the marketplace. After spending time there, he decided that he didn’t just want to create a bourbon, he wanted to create a movement in this city, with live entertainment that pulls in the bourbon, pulls in artists, and pulls in the local community. He wanted to create something for multiple weekends to really highlight and showcase this amazing city and bring in fans from all over the country to experience Louisville and fall in love with it the way that he did. He quickly pivoted from bourbon and started Louder than Life. This company was built on rock festivals, so after a couple years of success with Louder than Life, he added Bourbon and Beyond into the mix, which really was sort of a love letter to the city of Louisville and the state of Kentucky, in terms of mixing bourbon and making that be just as much of a headliner as the artists that play it. GDD: Initially, Louder than Life was held down near the river at Champions Park. Mother Nature didn’t cooperate, creating several challenges due to heavy rain and flooding. 22
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The festival has been moved to a totally new space that you created at the Kentucky Fair & Expo Center that has plenty of parking, and the logistics of getting in and out have been great. How was the transition, and has it been an easier space from a management and production standpoint? Del Williams: It has. And with the former venue, we had some issues we really couldn’t control, and the whole fan experience is the top priority for all the Danny Wimmer Presents festivals. We want the fans to have an incredible experience across the board from every little detail, from individual blades of grass (no kidding) to the way the restrooms are laid out, to the excellence in the entrances, the parking, all the lifestyleoriented exhibits that we have, the festival village, the vantage points for seeing the fans. And the previous venue did have some challenges, but we love where we’re at now, because as you’ve already pointed out, some things are superior to the previous venue. Now, we just feel like we can offer, as with all of our shows, a more complete experience that really is in line with the philosophy of DWP, where people know that when they go to one of our shows, that regardless of the lineup, they’re going to have an amazing time because we have factored in everything that is important to them. And this venue really allows us to do that. CM: To echo what Del was saying, the team at the Kentucky Exposition Center have been incredible partners to us. The infrastructure they have with their full-time staff in developing the grounds and really identifying the best use within the space, they have really been great partners to us, and we’re incredibly thankful for that relationship. GDD: For years, you have brought in the biggest names in the industry to the festivals. For Bourbon & Beyond this year, we’re going to see Pearl Jam, Chris Stapleton, Jason Isbell, A U D I E N C E
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Greta Van Fleet, and many more. These are major household names that a lot of people have either seen before or have listened to a lot. When you find some of the “undercard” bands, or lesserknown names on the bill, how does the hierarchy of booking go? Do you also book them with other festivals as part of the pitch to play? And how does the makeup of the nonhousehold-name-band booking go? DW: We look at several things when we book bands. We look for passion. We look for artists that are great musicians and have great musicianship, as well as showmanship. We love the discovery aspect of a festival, where you go to a show, and you discover an act that you hadn’t heard of, and you come away going like, “Oh, my God, I saw the greatest new artist.” That is just as important to us as it is to the headliners. But every single slot really has a purpose. To mirror the community of Louisville having so much soul and pride, we want to instill that into our festivals in Louisville. So, yeah, every slot’s great, and I’m really glad you mentioned that. Chamie and I talk about this all the time, about why the undercard is so key. There are acts like, for example, S.G. Goodman, who is a Kentucky artist and has a really good following in the state. She’s an up-and-comer, and again, lots of passion and a cool act. A lot of people will walk away having discovered someone they will hopefully start downloading their music and getting A U G U S T
into. Jocelyn and Chris is another set you will see and feel like you just discovered the next big act. Jocelyn’s a superstar just waiting to be embraced. Those are both acts that are earlier in the show, but ones you will want to check out. It’s all about balance, too, where Bourbon & Beyond is about Kentucky and Louisville, in that it’s a combination of elements, personalities, and genres. So, we balance it with classic rock, blues, soul, alternative, Americana, and mix some country crossover in there as well. We kind of blend it all together, so that it is just a really compelling mix of great variety that represents that heart and soul that is indicative of what Louisville and Kentucky are all about. GDD: Festivals like these create a great exposure for the bands, whether big or small. The marketing of music has become more direct with somewhat of a micro-marketing approach. Ultimately, putting them on a stage in front of this many music fans is equivalent to them having to play 20 smaller bars or sets to get that kind of exposure. Does part of your pitch to the bands include helping them get exposure? And do you facilitate any post-festival production and marketing for the bands you discover? CM: We love spotlighting up-and-coming artists, and we love educating our fans who maybe bought a ticket for the top one or two bands in the hopes they discover something new while they’re at the festival. I know I’ve personally discovered a lot of bands by going to festivals, getting there early and being surprised by some of the performances that I’ve seen. 2 0 2 2
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And then, a lot of younger acts who love the opportunity to meet each other and possibly parlay that into some touring together down the road. GDD: Every year, the festivals seem to get bigger and better. What are some of the things fans can expect this year? What’s new? I heard something about a big bourbon bar, which I know will be well-received. Also, are there any differences between the two festivals from an experience, non-music perspective? CM: Yes, at Bourbon & Beyond, we’re going to have the world’s largest, rare-bourbon menu, which is exciting. So, all of the bourbon fans out there could just spend a whole day in our Silver Dollar Hunters’ Club, sampling bourbons. We are also excited about having the Always Sunny podcast on site filming their podcast for the very first time at a live event, right in front of our audience.
PHOTO BY CORA WAGNER
Soon, we will also be announcing our full culinary and bourbon programming. That is the one thing that sets Bourbon & Beyond apart, is that we have a culinary stage. We have a bourbon stage. We have the Bluegrass stage. We have a lot of things going on outside of the main stages and performances for fans to be able to step away and have a more personal experience through some of our activities. We also have speakeasies and other things where fans can have fun and just kind of explore the venue, explore the site, and get lost in the bourbon world for a little bit. We do work on the marketing side with the artists to get access and information about them, to get video and content from them and really try to educate our fans and get them excited about experiencing them. We also have an amazing public relations team that, post-event, works to push up a highlight. We have an onsite content team that does backstage interviews and behind-the-scenes content, and a lot of that is focused on our up-and-coming bands and to put that spotlight on them to all the fans that are at home via our Twitch channel. We push it out on YouTube post-event because our hopes are always that someone that we book maybe in the second or third slot on the third stage is, in five years, a headliner. That’s a Cinderella story, and that’s what we love, when stories like that happen. GDD: Is there much interaction between the bands backstage, as far as the up-and-comers and the superstars? Or do they kind of stay in their own world? DW: It’s like a big family, and we really try to create that environment where there is a big fraternity feel and the artists are getting together. I’ve never seen so much unity, just having the backstage have so much warmth for a show. It’s just really cool because there are some artists that have already collaborated, like for example Chris Stapleton and Brandi Carlile. And there are a number of artists that are really excited about The Doobie Brothers being there with their complete lineup, with Michael being involved with the show, as well. 24
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GDD: Do you have any festival tips for fans to navigate and plan their day or weekend? CM: The best way to plan and navigate your weekend is to download our app, which you can find on iTunes or Google Play, and create your own personalized schedule. We won’t announce set times until about two weeks before, but once that happens, you can actually create your own schedule and get a push notification when a band you want to see is taking the stage, a couple minutes before, so you get that reminder to head to that stage. You’ll be able to get familiar with the map, so you understand where everything is going to be, and you can just really plan your weekend with a very personal touch. I definitely recommend downloading the app for the maximum festival experience. GDD: We can’t wait for another couple of great weekends at Bourbon & Beyond and Louder Than Life. Is there anything else you would like to add about the festivals? DW: I will tell you that Chamie and I and the entire Danny Wimmer Presents team are so proud to bring these shows to Kentucky. We always have the fans in mind for everything we do, we’re very honored to be there, and we’re looking forward to it. We’re excited to bring this program back, and that live events are back in full force. We know they’re going to be amazing shows, and the fans are going to be extremely happy. For tickets and more information, visit BourbonandBeyond.com or LouderthanLifeFestival.com. A U D I E N C E
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EVENTS CALENDAR Audience is your connection to the performing arts and entertainment in Louisville. Below are some of the events we are looking forward to in the coming months and we hope you enjoy them all!
AUGUST 11 Boz Scaggs - Out of the Blues Tour 2022 7:30PM, Iroquois Amphitheater ProductionSimple.com
14 Kansas with Blue Oyster Cult 7:30PM, Iroquois Amphitheater ProductionSimple.com
17-21 The Chicken Coop Theater Company Presents Stephen King's Misery 7:30PM, Bomhard Theater kentuckyperformingarts.org
27 Weird Al — 2022 Return of the Ridiculously SelfIndulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour with Emo Phillips 8PM, Iroquois Amphitheater ProductionSimple.com
27 Southern Momma Tour with Darren Knight 8PM, Brown Theatre kentuckyperformingarts.org
31 The Lumineers 7:30PM, KFC YUM Center Ticketmaster.com
Aug. 31- Sept. 1
Sept. 23- Oct. 2
PNC Broadway in Louisville Jagged Little Pill The Kentucky Center kentuckyperformingarts.org
Kentucky Opera La bohéme Brown Theatre kyopera.org
SEPTEMBER
OCTOBER
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Daughtry: The Dearly Beloved Tour 8PM, The Louisville Palace LiveNation.com
9 Modest Mouse with The Cribs 7:30PM, Iroquois Amphitheater ProductionSimple.com
15-18 Bourbon & Beyond Highland Festival Grounds at Kentucky Expo Center BourbonandBeyond.com
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Judah & The Lion – Happy Again Tour 8PM, Old Forester’s Paristown Hall kentuckyperformingarts.org
15 Louisville Orchestra Teddy Talks Schumann 7:30PM, The Kentucky Center louisvilleorchestra.org
18-23 PNC Broadway in Louisville Fiddler on the Roof The Kentucky Center kentuckyperformingarts.org
Petty Nicks — The Iconic Tribute to Tom Petty & Stevie Nicks 8PM, Bomhard Theater kentuckyperformingarts.org
17 Louisville Orchestra Opening Night Swing, Swagger & Sway 7:30PM, The Kentucky Center louisvilleorchestra.org
For more of our preferred arts and entertainment recommendations, visit Audience502.com/audience-events
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Claude Monet (French, 1840 – 1926) Nymphéas, 1897–1899 Oil on canvas Loan courtesy of Friends of the Speed Art Museum S U B S C R I B L2022.1 E T O A U D I E N C E
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