Studio Tenn Theatre Company

Our Mission: 

Studio Tenn exists to captivate and inspire with Broadway-quality musicals, plays, and concerts while educating the next generation to create and delight in the experience of live theatre.

Who We Are: 

Established in 2009, Studio Tenn Theatre Company is a professional regional theatre company based in Middle Tennessee. Each year, we bring world-class, professional theatre productions and artists to our region, earning our place as one of the most celebrated and well-attended theatre companies in the southeast. We also have a range of educational and community offerings, many of them offered in partnership with other community organizations. We reach approximately 23,000 patrons and students annually, generating an estimated $3.2M in community revenue and an estimated 72 FTE jobs according to the Americans for the Arts’ Economic Prosperity Calculator. 

What We Do: 
Each season, Studio Tenn presents 5 mainstage theatrical productions, a suite of community and education programming, paid internship opportunities, and events. 

Mainstage productions change each season, although we maintain a focus on elevating local artists and playwrights when possible. That focus is balanced with a strong repertoire of classic and acclaimed productions and bringing in renowned talent from across the country. Our educational and community programming each season includes: 

• One Short Day Mini Showcase Workshops: 6th-12th grade students are grouped by age and taught various musical theatre pieces by professionals. The workshop includes vocal and physical warmups, technical instruction, and rehearsal preparation. Family and friends are invited to watch the students perform their group pieces and one combined piece with all students. 
  
  
• Summer Camps: These camps allow 3rd-12th grade students to work with ST theatre staff to rehearse and produce a full-book musical, teaching them professional technical and acting skills. Through their camp experience, students gain real-world professional theatre experience.
  
  
• Masterclasses: Opportunities for secondary students to sharpen audition skills in acting, voice, and dance. Students rotate between 3 theatre professionals to observe and critique each student’s audition performance (consisting of a monologue, 16-32 bars of a song, and short dance choreography). Targeted feedback and advice set students up for success at real auditions. 
  
  
• Workshops: Individual 1-night classes for ages 15+ providing a curriculum of theatre throughout ST’s season. These workshops are low-cost to ensure broad accessibility.
  
  
• Look-Ins: Sunday before mainstage performances, open audience members are invited to a behind-the-scenes “look-in”. This 1.5-hour cost-free experience includes a conversation with the Artistic Director, the director of the show, and at least one other designer (costume designer, set designer, lighting designer). The audience gains insight into the scope and elements of presenting a mainstage show and also observes tech rehearsal for 20-30 minutes.
  
  
• Internship Program: Post-secondary student interns rotate through different departments, learning various aspects of running a theatre company from marketing to stage management to operations, and more. Students largely come from local colleges, although students from any university may apply. 
  
  
• Performance Talk-Backs: We hold a free “talk-back” for each production, giving patrons a chance to ask questions, talk with the actors and Artistic Director, and occasionally hear from a subject matter expert. 
  
  
• Sensory-Friendly Performances: This season, we will offer 5 sensory-friendly performances associated with each of our 5 season productions. These performances will feature altered lighting, softened noise/music, “calm rooms”, assistive technology, and more. 

The common thread running through all programs and mainstage productions is a commitment to making theater as accessible for as many people as possible. We do this by keeping costs low, offering need-based financial assistance/scholarships, working with community partners like schools and universities, and offering accessibility-friendly accommodations. In the past 2 years, we have served a total of 39,205 patrons/students, offering hundreds of performances, events, programs, and more that have bettered our local communities. Our education programming is also undergoing planned expansion to serve more participants and add new programming opportunities/facets.