Tennessee Shakespeare Company's Wolfe Coleman and Katherine Jett perform in "Southern Yuletide," which features presentations of "A Christmas Memory" and "The Gift of the Magi." Performances at Dixon Gallery & Gardens continue through Dec. 24 Joey Miller
"Southern Yuletide: A Celebration in Story and Song" is bringing holiday literature and song to the Dixon Gallery and Gardens.
The production by Tennessee Shakespeare Company has rotating presentations through Christmas Eve that include a reading of Truman Capote's "A Christmas Memory" and a performance of O. Henry's "The Gift of the Magi," as well as Mark Twain's "A Letter from Santa Claus," Clement C. Moore's "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" and the letter from Frederick W. Heath describing a Christmas battlefield truce between German and British soldiers during World War I.
A Southern sing-along led by the cast is also part of each performance.
The family friendly series is a new venture for the three-year-old company that has been staging plays around town, mostly by the Bard, but also with an increasing emphasis on classical and Southern works.
Directing "Southern Yuletide" is Stephanie Shine, education director of the company who earlier this year directed "Romeo and Juliet." She was with the Seattle Shakespeare Company for 18 years, 13 of them as artistic director, before coming here this summer.
With this holiday presentation, Shine brings a highly personal notion of how these performances are staged.
"It comes from a nostalgic idea I hold in my heart -- what it was like to gather with people you care about to celebrate a holiday," she says. "In my family, we all sit in a circle and people sing special songs and tell stories."
When Shine first read Capote's "A Christmas Memory," the story of country life, friendship and giving in the South touched her. "I started to include that into my family tradition, to read it out loud because it's such a wonderful aural piece," she says.
"Southern Yuletide" takes that idea to a higher level by performing several beloved works in repertory with a cast of professional actors.
Shine says the pieces were chosen for their inspiration of generosity of what the holiday can offer and their celebration of love.
"I love the holidays and these stories are such amazing classics," she says. "A short story is meant for the eye and yet these really come to life being spoken. The words and wordplay are astonishing, so it's a feast for the ears."
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Southern Yuletide: A Celebration in Story and Song
Performances through Dec. 24 at the Winegardner Auditorium at Dixon Gallery & Gardens, 4339 Park Ave. There are afternoon and evening shows. For the schedule and times, go to tnshakespeare.org or call (901) 759-0604. Tickets: $25 in advance and $30 day-of-show. Seniors receive 20 percent discount; children under 18 free on Thursday during "Free Will Kids' Night."
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