WAITRESS

Book by
JESSIE NELSON 

September 13 - 22, 2024
TPAC’s Polk Theater

Featuring original music and lyrics by six-time Grammy nominee Sara Bareilles and a book by acclaimed screenwriter Jessie Nelson, Waitress is the story of Jenna, a server and expert pie maker, who is stuck in a small town and a loveless marriage. Faced with an unexpected pregnancy, Jenna fears she may have to abandon her dream of opening her own pie shop…until a baking contest in a nearby county and the town's handsome new doctor offer her a tempting recipe for happiness. Supported by her quirky crew of fellow waitresses and loyal customers, Jenna summons the secret ingredient she's been missing all along — courage. Nominated for four Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and cherished by audiences and critics alike, Waitress offers a special recipe for finding happiness in unexpected places.

OUR TOWN

by
THORNTON WILDER

October 25 - November 3, 2024
TPAC’s Johnson Theater

This Pulitzer Prize winning play, one of the most popular of all time, tells the story of two young neighbors, George Gibbs and Emily Webb, whose childhood friendship blossoms into romance, and then culminates in marriage. Guided by an amiable stage manager, the occurrences of everyday life reveal universal truths and celebrations about love, family, and community. Our Town reminds us that there is beauty in the ordinary and brings a sense of wonder through our shared humanity.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL

by
CHARLES DICKENS

December 6 - 22, 2024
TPAC’s Polk Theater

Back by popular demand, the magic of the yuletide season comes to life once again with the return of Nashville Rep’s adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. The ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future will lead the miserly prosperous curmudgeon Ebenezer Scrooge on a journey of transformation and redemption. Through these encounters, Scrooge learns the true meaning of Christmas and the importance of kindness and generosity. This heartwarming and spectacular production features stunning sets and costumes, dazzling special effects, and glorious music that transport the audience to Victorian England. A Christmas Carol is a timeless story that is sure to be loved by audiences of all ages.

THE MOUNTAINTOP

by
Katori Hall

February 14 - 23, 2025
TPAC’s Johnson Theater

This new play by Tennessee playwright Katori Hall is a gripping re-imagination of what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s last night on earth could have been. On April 3, 1968, Dr. King returns to his room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis after delivering his historic “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech to local sanitation workers. While waiting for room service, he is visited by a mysterious maid with whom he begins a humorous and flirtatious conversation that progresses into a soul-searching discussion about their mutual hopes and fears. As a lightning storm rages outside, the legacy of America’s most revered civil rights leader is laid bare to reveal his profound humanity.

SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE

Music and Lyrics by
STEPHEN SONDHEIM

April 4 - 23, 2025
TPAC’s Polk Theater

Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s masterpiece Sunday in the Park with George is a musical celebration of the art of making art. Inspired by Georges Seurat’s famous painting, “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte,” this Pulitzer-Prize winning musical peeks into the life of the artist and his journey of finding inspiration to create his greatest work. In the play, Seurat is struggling to make meaningful art while maintaining a relationship with his lover, Dot. Amid the scorn of the artistic community, Seurat's artistic ability thrives while his love diminishes. A century later, Seurat's descendant – also named George and also an artist – finds himself burnt out and in search of what artistic path to follow, but he finds the answer to his future in the past. Sunday in the Park with George merges past and present into a poignant and glorious exploration of what it takes, and what it costs, to be an artist.