News
Good Ol’ Girls
Casting has been announced for the new musical Good Ol' Girls, which will begin a limited engagement Feb. 8 in The Black Box Theatre at The Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre. Directed by Randal Myler, the production will officially open Feb. 14. The cast will boast Sally Mayes (She Loves Me), Teri Ralston (Company), Lauren Kennedy (Spamalot), Liza Vann (Machiavelli) and Gina Stewart ("Dawson’s Creek"). Good Ol' Girls was penned by Lee Smith and Jill McCorkle, adapted by Paul Ferguson and features songs by Nashville hit-makers Matraca Berg (Reba McEntire, Dixie Chicks, Faith Hill) and Marshall Chapman (Jimmy Buffett, Wynonna, Olivia Newton-John). The production, which features a four-piece band, is described as "a musical about love, loss and laughter . . . [which] celebrates childhood through old age with big hair and bigger hearts." The new musical will include sets by Tim Mackabee, costumes by Michael Bevins, lighting by Brian Nason and sound by Lew Mead for Syntonic Design. Bluegrass picker/songwriter Joe Newberry and actress/musician Julie Oliver adapted and arranged the music; Keith Levenson is the musical supervisor.
Show times:
Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 PM, with matinees Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays at 3 PM.
From Matraca: “Wow. I can't believe this is actually happening! We began work on this play YEARS ago and it hit a wall after a small regional run. I am thrilled it has found new life. Lee, Jill, Marshall and I are planning our outfits for opening night! Even if it goes nowhere, I can say I have been a part of an off-broadway production. Something I never thought I would do! ha! Hope to see some of you there...Love, M”
For more information, please visit www.goodolgirls.com
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Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame to Induct Matraca Berg, John Hiatt, and Tom Shapiro
Matraca Berg, Tom Shapiro, and John Hiatt to be inducted on Sunday, October 26, 2008 in Nashville, TN.
Thursday, September 04, 2008 | Staff
The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Foundation (NaSHOF) is pleased to announce this year’s inductees for the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame: from the Songwriter category, hit writers Matraca Berg and Tom Shapiro; and from the Songwriter/Artist category, musical trailblazer John Hiatt.
The three new inductees will be welcomed into the elite songwriting fraternity by their peers at the 39th Annual Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Dinner & Induction Ceremony, being presented this year by AT&T on Sunday, October 26, at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel.
“Like their predecessors, Matraca, Tom, and John have made meaningful and lasting contributions to the music world and deserve to take their places in the Hall of Fame,” said Roger Murrah, Chairman of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Foundation. “We’re delighted to recognize them for their accomplishments.”
Established in 1970, the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame boasts 168 members, including songwriting luminaries such as Johnny Cash, Rodney Crowell, Bob Dylan, Don & Phil Everly, Flatt & Scruggs, Vince Gill, Harlan Howard, Bob McDill, Roger Miller, Bill Monroe, Roy Orbison, Dolly Parton, Carl Perkins, Dottie Rambo, Jimmie Rodgers, Cindy Walker, Jimmy Webb, Hank Williams, Sr. and Hank Williams, Jr. It was announced in September 2007 that the future home of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame will be the historic building at 34 Music Square East, former home of the Quonset Hut, Columbia Studio A, Columbia and Epic Records and Sony Music Nashville. The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame will become the first organization honoring songwriters to emerge from a virtual entity to one with a physical location. The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Foundation, Inc. is a non-profit foundation dedicated to honoring and preserving the songwriting legacy of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. The NaSHOF’s principal purposes are to educate, archive and celebrate songwriting that is uniquely associated with the Nashville music community.
The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Dinner & Induction Ceremony is one of the music industry’s foremost events of the year. The evening features tributes and performances of the inductees’ songs by special guest artists. NaSHOF’s sister organization, the Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI), also presents its annual awards for the year’s best Song, Songwriter and Songwriter/Artist, as well as the Top 10 “Songs I Wish I Had Written,” as determined by the professional songwriters division.
Tickets for the event are $200 each. A limited number of seats are available to the public this year and may be purchased by contacting event director Mark Ford at hoftix@nashvillesongwriters.com or 615-256-3354.
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Wine, Women & Song Tour 2009
What happens when you put three women - three critically acclaimed, award-winning singer-songwriters, three old friends, three artists with three unique voices - on a stage together with some guitars and a bottle of good cabernet? You get Wine, Women & Song. The three women in question are Suzy Bogguss, Gretchen Peters and Matraca Berg, and they’ll be embarking on another UK tour in Spring 2009.
All CMA winners, Suzy (Horizon Award), Gretchen (Song of the Year for "Independence Day") and Matraca (Song of the Year for "Strawberry Wine"), the three friends started talking about taking it on the road after playing several writers' nights together in Nashville. Peters, who has toured the UK extensively, spoke to her UK booking agent about the idea and the response was immediate and overwhelming. The three women have a long history: Bogguss has co-written with both Berg and Peters, and recorded songs by both. The show is billed as "Wine, Women & Song: an evening of song, conversation and laughter with Suzy Bogguss, Gretchen Peters and Matraca Berg". Expect plenty of all three.
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Matraca is in the studio with producer Doug Lancio (Patty Griffin, Gretchen Peters) working on an album on new material – her first in 10 years! Look for updates from the studio and expect an album release in 2009.
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Trisha Yearwood’s current album, Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love, features two Matraca Berg songs – “They Call It Falling For A Reason” and “The Dreaming Fields”