FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: Robin Conklin
Marketing/PR Director
865-974-2497
rconkli1@utk.edu
Who: Clarence Brown Theatre
What: Ain’t Misbehavin’
When: Sept. 4-21, 2008, 7:30 p.m. and 2 p.m.
Tickets: Preview: Adult $20, UT Fac/Staff, Seniors $17, Students $12, UT Students Free with ID
Opening: Adults $33, Students $20, UT Students $10 with ID
Wed/Thursday: Adults $22, UT Fac/Staff, Seniors $19, Students $12, UT Students $5 with ID
Weekends: Adults $27, UT Fac/Staff, Seniors $22, Students $15, UT Students $5 with ID
Box Office: 974-5161 or www.clarencebrowntheatre.com

Photo Caption:
l-r bottom:
Willena Vaughn,
Ashei Dabney,
Tracy Copeland Halter
l-r top:
Gary Vincent,
Drummond Crenshaw
Clarence Brown Theatre Opens Season with Ain’t Misbehavin’
KNOXVILLE The Clarence Brown Theatre joint will be jumpin’ with the season
opener Ain’t Misbehavin’ on September 5 at 7:30 p.m. on the mainstage.
A tribute to the black musicians of the early 1900s, Ain’t Misbehavin’ is a
vibrant musical revue and features music from Thomas “Fats” Waller, one of
the most prolific musicians of the time. Bold, bright, and told with the
cheeky humor for which Fats Waller was known, this Tony Award winning
musical has become a theatre classic. Five performers present an evening of
rowdy and humorous songs that encapsulate the various moods of the era.
This production is appropriate for all ages.
Director Ron Himes is the Founder and Producing Director of the Saint Louis
Black Repertory Company and the Henry E. Hampton, Jr. Artist-in-Residence at
Washington University. The Black Rep has developed a national reputation for
staging quality productions from an African-American perspective. He
founded the company in 1976 while still a student at Washington University,
where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. The
Black Rep began touring to other college campuses and, in 1981, found a home
in the former sanctuary of the Greely Presbyterian Church in north St. Louis
City, which the company converted and renamed the 23rd Street Theatre.
The cast for this LORT production will consist of five professional actors.
Drummond “Drum” Crenshaw received his formal training at the University of
Missouri/St. Louis. A veteran of the St. Louis Black Repertory Company
stage, he has regional, Broadway and international credits, including “the
Lion” in The Wiz, for which he received the Woody King Award for best
performance in a musical.
Ashlei Dabney earned her BFA from Howard University. She has appeared in several
productions, including Godspell, Breath Boom, Into the Woods, Eyes, Abbysinia,
and most recently Little Shop of Horrors.
Tracey Copeland Halter is a member of the UT Theatre Department faculty and the
Clarence Brown Theatre Company. She has performed both on Broadway and on
stages across the country.
Gary E. Vincent’s national tour and stage credits include Dreamgirls, Guys & Dolls,
Once on This Island, Sophisticated Ladies, Pippin, Godspell and The Great Men of
Gospel.
Willena Vaughn has performed on stages around the world in productions such as
Dreamgirls, Crossin’ Over, Cotton Club, A House Divided, and Meeting at the
Elder’s Circle.
Musical director, Charles Creath, also is an arranger, keyboardist,
producer, and songwriter. Educated at Yale and Webster College, he has
worked with Motown and Capitol, and has produced commercial jingles for
Daimler-Chrysler and Coco-Cola. He has been musical director for local and
national touring productions including Ain’t Misbehavin’, Don’t Bother Me I
Can’t Cope, Dreamgirls, and more.
The band will consist of Doug Rinaldo on saxophone, Jay Miller on percussion,
Scott Pederson on trumpet, and Dave Peeples on bass.
Designers for the production include: Morgan Matens, scenic design; Bill
Black, costume design; Catherine Girardi, lighting design; Mike Ponder,
sound design; and Casey Sams, choreography.
Preview for Ain’t Misbehavin’ is Thursday, September 4, followed by Opening
Night Friday, September 5. The show runs through Sunday, September 21. For
tickets, call the Clarence Brown Theatre box office at 865-974-5161, Tickets
Unlimited at 865-656-4444 or click online at http://www.clarencebrowntheatre.com
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