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Art
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Art EXHIBIT
THE CENTER FOR THE ARTS will host a photography exhibit called Hues of the Heart, featuring photography by Ashleigh Newnes, through July 29.
The collection includes 135 photographs on display, encompassing nature, theater, music, portrait, landscape and action shots.
Viewers can check out the exhibit prior to upcoming Center for the Arts theater showtimes, which include 6–7:30 p.m. on July 8, 9, 15, 16, 22 and 23 and from 1–2 p.m. on July 10, 17 and 24.
The Center for the Arts is located at 110 W. College St., Murfreesboro. For more on Ashleigh Newnes, find Ashleigh Newnes Photography on Facebook.
Portrait of a Young Man
Murfreesboro writer Kyle Thomas performs original monologue at Rogue Theater Festival in New York City
HOBBIES THAT WILL LAND SOMEONE ONSTAGE IN NEW YORK CITY are unusual, but Kyle Thomas has earned a chance to show off his own piece in the New York City theater scene.
Thomas, a 38-year-old Murfreesboro resident and Middle Tennessee State University graduate, writes stage and screenplays in his free time. The Rogue Theater Festival in New York City selected his work Portrait of a Young Man to be performed on June 30.
Thomas works full-time for Marelli Automotive Systems in Shelbyville and has written and sent in many original screenplays to Hollywood entities and various theater and fi lm festivals over the years. The Rogue Theater Festival is the fi rst to pick up his writing and present it in a public performance.
“My words were chosen to be in this festival and my words were chosen to be spoken aloud in New York City,” said Thomas, “It remains surreal to me as an aspiring writer—this is like the mecca.”
Thomas is more of a writer than an actor, but he wanted to take this opportunity to act in this very personal piece that has been years in the making.
Portrait of a Young Man is a piece that Thomas has worked on for over seven years. Written originally as a screenplay, Thomas was inspired to write this story based on personal experiences in his life.
“One of the opening parts of the story is very autobiographical,” Thomas said, “There used to be a bookshop in Murfreesboro called Hastings and I was in there one day thumbing through books and found an old boarding pass in one of them and it was cool to think about how that book went on a trip with someone.”
After several years of different edits and breaks from the story, Thomas fi nally reached this version that he is performing in New York City, now a 17-page monologue.
“In a monologue, there are no gunfi ghts, and no one is getting poisoned,” Thomas chuckled, “it’s just me telling you a story and, as a writer, I have to try to keep you engaged.”
The monologue’s narrator, Greg, is a history teacher and father to a 16-year-old named Bryce. The story begins at the end, with him and his teenage son in Florence, Italy, on a father-son trip. The details of what surrounded the trip and how it is going to affect them both is revealed much later in the story. The father-son relationship in Portrait of a Young Man closely mirrors that of Thomas’ own life. His father sparked his interest in theater from a young age. Thomas is now a father himself as well, with a 3-year-old son. Thomas has been an avid lover of theater and fi lm his whole life. He grew up in Shelbyville, and fi rst heard Phantom of the Opera when he was just 4 years old.
“My dad got the soundtrack [to Phantom] and I fi rst loved it because he loved it. He was my hero . . . and at four, I was learning all the words and had no clue what they meant. Then years later I thought ‘That was some pretty heavy [stuff],’” Thomas recalled.
Thomas acted during all four years of high school and went to MTSU to study communications with a minor in theater. He was always interested in what went into the writing and script building of plays, TV shows and movies.
He works for Marelli remotely since the COVID-19 pandemic began and has since gotten his “unoffi cial MFA,” as he puts it, in his free time. He studies classic English playwrights, literature and scripts of all kinds. He is a lover of history as well, which he incorporates in several of his works, including Portrait.
The Rogue Theater Festival took place June 30 to July 1, and Thomas closed out the fi rst night of the fest as the last act to take the stage.
The Players Theatre is located off Broadway in Greenwich Village and has been a theater since the late 1950s. For more information, visit theplayerstheatre. com and roguetheaterfestival.com. — ETHAN PICKERING
going to affect them both is revealed much later in the story. The father-son relationship in Portrait of a Young Man mirrors that of Thomas’ own life. His father sparked his interest in theater from a young age. Thomas is now a lover of theater and fi lm his whole life. He grew up in Shelbyville, and fi rst heard Phantom of the Opera was just 4 years old.
“My dad got the soundtrack [to
Matilda: The Musical Plays at Arts Center of Cannon County July 8–23
THE ARTS CENTER OF CANNON COUNTY presents Matilda: The Musical, opening on July 8 and running through July 23, directed by Renee Robinson, with musical direction by Amy Massengill and choreography by Amy Royer.
Inspired by the book by Roald Dahl and the movie that later followed, this Tony Award-winning musical tells the story of Matilda, a special little girl with an extraordinary imagination who, armed with a wonderful spirit and a sharp mind, dares to take a stand and change her destiny. Packed with high-energy dance numbers and memorable tunes, Matilda is a joyous girl-power romp.
Originally cast in 2019, Ashleigh Chambers takes on her dream role as Matilda Wormwood in a production three years in the making. Chambers will be playing opposite of David Cummings, an Arts Center veteran who is taking on the intimidating role of Miss Agatha Trunchbull, the tyrannical headmistress at Matilda’s school who believes that “all children are maggots.”
Miss Honey, Matilda’s kindhearted teacher, will be played by Lindsey Mapes Duggin, no stranger to the Arts Center stage, having formerly starred in Singin’ in the Rain, Mamma Mia and Hairspray. Matilda’s neglectful parents, Mr. and Mrs. Wormwood, will be played by Brad McCrary and Kerri Kairdolf, with Jillian Jakoby taking on the role of the older brother, Michael Wormwood.
Performances for The Arts Center of Cannon County’s Matilda: The Musical are at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, July 8, 9, 15, 16, 22 and 23 and at 2 p.m. Sundays July 10 and 17.
For tickets, call 615-563-2787 or visit artscenterofcc.com/tickets.
