Dr. Broadway

When I wrote my last book, I had a little office set up on a makeshift porch in the back of our house. It was perfect at the time, because I could work, while watching my then 5 & 6 year old boys play in the backyard. I remember praying, though, that if I ever got to write another one, I could do it with a view of the mountains from the front of the house. God granted my request, making an office where, in 2019, there was none, and with a view of the “hills,” “from whence cometh my help” (Psalm 121:1).

Thank You, Lord, for letting me do what I do and for caring about the desires of my heart. I will sing to You, for You have dealt bountifully with me (Psalm 13:6).

a full circle moment for me today🥰

As I embark on an exciting new research project, the very first resource I sought out was written by the professor who taught me to love research projects! Thanks to University of Kentucky professor Rhoda-Gale Pollack for her encouragement and guidance both then and now. I’m so grateful to build part of this next work on the work she did.

Can’t wait to share it with you in 2024! 🙌🏻

This Broadway-bound revival of “The Wiz” opens in New York next April. Greenville (SC) audiences got a preview this week - so many great performances turned in by its incredible cast!👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

So excited to see this one come Sunday!

: Greenville is one of only 11 cities to see THE WIZ and its incredible cast before the production goes to Broadway?

The original musical was a groundbreaking twist on The Wizard of Oz that changed the face of Broadway – from its iconic score packed with soul, gospel, rock and finger-snapping '70s funk to its stirring tale of Dorothy's journey to her place in a contemporary world.

Ease on down to see the all new revival of the Tony Award-winning best musical: https://bit.ly/3FPsHtJ

So thankful for so many things - these guys, a job I love, a couple of new writing projects coming due in 2024 ... If I’ve thought it to myself once today, I’ve thought it a thousand times: “I will sing to the Lord, because He has dealt bountifully with me” (Ps. 13:6). Thanks be to God!

🦃Happy Thanksgiving! 🦃

See you December 9, Knoxville!

We are gearing up for December 5 (less than 2 weeks away!) when JLP opens on the Tennessee Theatre stage. Tickets are still available - we hope you'll join us at the Tennessee Theatre for this exhilarating musical based on the work of the iconic Alanis Morrisette!

Get tickets: https://bit.ly/3qOtfwi

For each of the shows in our Broadway season, musical theatre historian Dr. Broadway (Kristin Stultz Pressley), shares fun facts and an in-depth look at how the show was created. You can learn more about this program as well as many of our other free offerings by attending our Thankful for Theatre Open House on Tuesday, November 28.

Head to our website for more information, and be sure to sign up for our next free Dr. Broadway session about Jagged Little Pill!

Tonight’s discussion of kicked off another super season of Broadway at the Tennessee Theatre. I’ll see you again on December 9th, Knoxville! is on the bill!

I couldn’t decide who to be for Halloween until my 9 year old son said, “What about Dorothy Fields?” Oh, yeah! Why didn’t I think of that?

Pencil + Legal Pad + Pearls = Broadway Legend

🎃Happy Halloween, Y’all!🎃

See you Saturday, Knoxville! 👑👑👑👑👑👑

SIX opens tonight at the Tennessee Theatre! 👑👑👑👑👑👑

We are ready for a royally good week filled with eight spectacular performances. Will we see you there? Doors open one hour prior to showtime all week!

Photo by Joan Marcus

Since long before she wrote songs for Broadway, Brandy Clark has been my favorite contemporary songwriter. She’s a brilliant storyteller who writes absolute poetry about the most incredible characters. Last night-after COVID cancellations foiled my previous two attempts-I got to hear her headline for the first time at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. It was was absolutely spectacular and well worth the wait. The moral of the story is GO SEE Shucked Musical WHEN IT TOURS NEXT SEASON … and DM me if you want to hear my “Best of Brandy Clark” playlist 😜

Though it looks like it could’ve been ripped from the set of “Anastasia,” this is the breathtaking lobby of the iconic Tennessee Theatre. I was in Knoxville this morning to record some spots for the Tennessee’s upcoming season, which kicks off with on Halloween night!

As I do every season, I’m looking forward to seeing my Broadway-loving friends on Rocky Top over the next several months! See https://www.tennesseetheatre.com/broadway-at-the-tennessee/dr-broadway/ for more info about each show’s Education Session!

I love working with this top-notch team!

The 2023-2024 Broadway Entertainment Season is about to begin! Elevate your experience when you join The Classic Center Cultural Foundation. Members receive VIP perks such as presale access, dedicated member concierge, exclusive pre-show receptions and socials, and more!

Two times in ten days!

My parents and I first saw “Wicked” right after it opened - in November of 2003. At the end of the first act, when Idina Menzel had belted her way through “Defying Gravity,” I turned, bawling, to my parents and said, “I wish I had a remote control, so I could rewind that and watch it again!”

That’s how I feel about every, single number in “MJ.” I wish I could “rewind that” and watch them all again … and again!

What an unbelievable show! What an incredible cast! I can’t recommend either highly enough!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This sounds awesome!

Calling all Broadway fanatics! See the Broadway at the Tennessee like you never have before on this exclusive Deluxe Tour on Sunday, October 29th. Watch our team prepare the stage for a Broadway load-in and learn all about what it takes to bring Broadway to Knoxville. Visit the link below to sign up today!

https://www.tennesseetheatre.com/visit/tour-the-tennessee/

I spent part of the morning at my alma mater, mentoring a current Furman student. She asked how I came to my career, and I likened it, as I always do when asked, to the theatre game “Yes, And…” If you know the principals of improvisation, then you’re familiar with this one: my journey, post-Furman, has been one God-ordained game of “Yes, And …,” and I’m so grateful for every single bend in the road that’s brought to what I’m so privileged to do.💜

Exciting day in the Classic City, discussing their super Broadway Entertainment Series! Thanks, , for having me!

It’s not often I sit through an almost three-hour musical and think to myself, “Again! Again!” as I clap and cry my way through the curtain call. MJ the Musical is even better than advertised, and Roman W. Banks is absolutely spellbinding in the title role! Already got tickets to see it again in Charlotte in two weeks😜 Blumenthal Performing Arts, I’m comin’ for you 💃🏻🕺🏻

☀️See ya, Summer! You sure were sweet. ☀️

Hey there, Martin Center! You sure are looking ready for your Big Reveal tonight - thanks for letting me be a part of it 😜

I first saw this show a few weeks after it opened on Broadway in 2003. Two decades later, it still packs the same punch. In fact, it’s probably more relevant now than it was then. So happy to share it this time with my favorite ten (and a half😜) year old.💚🖤💚

I love this idea!

Get ready to experience the Tennessee Theatre like never before! Join us on Saturday, August 5th, for an educational open house event in partnership with Muse Knoxville! S.T.E.A.M. On Stage turns the historic halls of the Tennessee Theatre into a playground dedicated to scientific discovery, sensory stimulation, and the power of play.

Take a kid-friendly, self-guided tour of the Tennessee Theatre, feeling its immense history through the walls, curtains, and floors. Hands-on fun is guaranteed with each of MUSE's interactive stations set up around the Theatre. You might even find yourself on a journey into space with an indoor planetarium! There's so much to explore here with S.T.E.A.M. On Stage. We can’t wait to see you there! This event is FREE and open to the public for kids and kids at heart! Click here for more info:

So excited to be a part of this event!

Introducing Kristin Stultz Pressley (AKA Dr. Broadway), one of our presenters for our 2024 Spring Broadway Reveal! Join us on August 25 as Dr. Broadway shares interesting facts and the history of the shows we will be announcing!

Kristin Stultz Pressley is a musical theatre historian and frequent lecturer at theatres and universities across the Southeast. Her first book, “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love, Baby: Dorothy Fields and Her Life in the American Musical Theater” was published by Applause Books in January of 2021. She is currently at work on her second book. Connect with Kristin online at www.DrBroadway.com or via Instagram: .

👸🏾👸🏼👸🏻👸🏽👸🏻👸🏼

Peace Talk tomorrow night at SIX pm!

I’ve often said that “The Sound of Music” and “Annie” were my gateway drugs into the world of musical theatre, so I was thrilled to spend some time this week at the Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, VT.

After their tour of the US in the early 1940s, the Trapp Family Singers settled high on this hillside, because it reminded them of their home Austria. Since then, the family and its descendants have entertained guests at their gorgeous lodge, and I am as smitten with it as I am with Rodgers & Hammerstein’s telling of their story. 🥰

Get ready to learn more about Ain’t Too Proud from our favorite musical theater historian, Dr. Broadway! This special virtual session is FREE but requires advance registration. The link to the session will be emailed out to registered participants during the week of July 17. Click the link below to find out how to register and stay tuned for some great behind-the-scenes fun facts!

https://www.tennesseetheatre.com/broadway-at-the-tennessee/dr-broadway/

Don’t forget to register via the Peace Center app for our upcoming Peace Talk!👸🏻👸🏻👸🏻👸🏻👸🏻👸🏻

Pre-Peace Talk! Tonight we’re discussing Diane Paulus and Jeffrey L. Page’s groundbreaking new production of . Beloved for generations, this show is in through Sunday. Next up? Join us for on July 19th in the Ramsaur Studio!

Many thanks to tonight’s Peace Talk panelists, Jena VanElslander, Heidi Blickenstaff, and Allison Sheppard! Next Talk will feature another show, which, like tonight’s “Jagged Little Pill,” has ties to the American Repertory Theatre and was directed by Diane Paulus - “1776.” To join us on June 14th, register via the Peace Center app.

🎭🎶 Are you ready to experience the magic of Broadway right here in Knoxville?

The 2023-2024 season of Broadway at the Tennessee Theatre is just around the corner, and we've got the perfect Spotify playlist to get you in the mood! Featuring some of our favorite songs from Six, Wicked, Jagged Little Pill, Hadestown, and Beetlejuice, this playlist is the ultimate way to get pumped for these upcoming shows. Click the link below to download the playlist and get ready to sing your heart out! 🎉🎭

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3BqeY62FdTZs40F2CKzQp5?si=f3bb51dc78e04ebc

In a belated celebration of yesterday’s (I didn’t even know that was a thing!), I’ll share this photo of me signing my first book contract (for a biography of songwriter Dorothy Fields), followed by a photo of my desk at the beginning of the project, followed by a photo of my desk at the end of the project😜

I have an ever-growing list of Broadway women I’d like to biography next.

Stay tuned!

A place - and cause - near and dear to my heart.💟

Thanks for my fellow Furman alum Chris Bainbridge for highlighting our alma master’s drive for a much-needed upgrade to its Theatre Arts facility.

The Playhouse at Furman University WLOS News 13 provides local news, weather forecasts, traffic updates, notices of events and items of interest in the community, sports and entertainment programming for Asheville, NC and nearby towns and communities in Western North Carolina and the Upstate of South Carolina, including the counties....

💐Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms - but especially to mine. Thanks for showing me how! ❤️

Broadway’s 2nd-longest running show (and one of my all-time favorites!) concluded this season of Classic Conversations lectures. We talked about the fascinating career of my fellow Kentuckian Maurine Dallas Watkins, whose 1926 play “A Brave Little Woman” (later changed to, simply, “Chicago”) inspired the musical that’s become a two billion dollar Broadway juggernaut!

How’s THAT for “razzle dazzle”?!?

An unbelievable season is on tap for East Tennesseans! The Tennessee Theatre hit another home run with this one! 🎭

The Tennessee Theatre is thrilled to announce the 2023-2024 Broadway at the Tennessee Theatre season, presented by Greater Knoxville Honda Dealers! Current subscribers can renew NOW on the Tennessee Theatre website. New subscriptions will go on sale June 19. Single tickets for each performance will go on sale later this year.

Want to stay in the know? Subscribe to our newsletter and never miss a date!
More info: https://bit.ly/4418j3L

It was such a spectacular thrill to be a part of the Tennessee Theatre’s 2023-2024 Broadway Season Reveal - and what a season it is➡️!

East Tennessee, you’re in for a treat!🎭

It’s been such a privilege to spend this semester teaching Theatre History to the outstanding students of Brenau University, the University of North Georgia, and the . Looking forward to following along as their careers start to start to skyrocket!💫💫💫