The Clarence Brown Theatre is offering an exciting eight-play lineup for the 2016/2017 Season, which includes an Arthur Miller drama, two contemporary plays, a new version of our holiday classic, a voyage around the world…and more! Sales for renewing subscribers are currently underway. Season ticket holders enjoy several exclusive benefits, including free ticket exchanges, priority seating, up to 20% off regular single tickets and the opportunity to purchase additional tickets before they go on sale to the general public, special discounts at selected restaurants, and the inside scoop on special events before they are announced to the general public.

“Our new offerings present contrasts between light and shadow, hope and disappointment, adventure and danger. We hope they not only entertain, but also enlighten and inspire. As theatre artists we want to take a good look at our world, to look back from where we came so that we can imagine a hopeful future,” said Calvin MacLean, CBT Producing Artistic Director and UT Theatre Department Head.

The 2016/2017 Season includes:

“Violet”
Music by Jeanine Tesori
Book and Lyrics by Brian Crawley
Based on “The Ugliest Pilgrim” by Doris Betts
August 31 – September 18
Clarence Brown Mainstage

Filled with bluegrass, folk, and gospel tunes from one of the most vibrant composers in modern musical theatre.

Scarred in a farm accident, Violet takes a bus to Tulsa – via Johnson City, Kingsport, Knoxville, Nashville and Memphis – to be healed by an evangelical preacher. On the way, she learns the real meaning of love, courage, and beauty.

Current corporate sponsors include Schaad Companies and The Clayton Foundation. Media sponsors include WBIR, Knoxville News Sentinel, WUOT, WUTK, Knoxville Mercury, B97.5 and The Daily Beacon.


“The Crucible”
By Arthur Miller
September 28 – October 16
Carousel Theatre

“A drama of emotional power and impact.” New York Post

This searing play chronicles the historical events in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The fear and accusations of Salem may be an aberration of the American Dream, but it has lent its name to later witch hunts that recur from time to time in the ongoing American story.

Current corporate sponsors include Merchant & Gould and Pilot Flying J. Media sponsors include WBIR, Knoxville News Sentinel, WUOT, WUTK, Knoxville Mercury, and The Daily Beacon.


“This is Our Youth”
By Kenneth Lonergan
October 26 – November 13
Lab Theatre

Strikingly funny, arrestingly fresh, caustic, and compassionate.

Three wayward adolescents on the cusp of adulthood navigate Reagan-era New York, recreating their broken homes in their dysfunctional friendships and bungled attempts to find love.

Current media sponsors include WUOT, WUTK, and The Daily Beacon.


“A Christmas Carol”
Adapted by Edward Morgan and Joseph Hanreddy
November 23 – December 11
Clarence Brown Mainstage

The tradition continues – anew!

With a BRAND NEW LOOK and a NEW ADAPTATION, we return with a classic holiday favorite. Join us as Ebenezer Scrooge gets one last chance for redemption when he sees his past, present, and the possibilities for the future with four persuasive ghosts.

Current corporate sponsors include Schaad Companies and the UT Federal Credit Union. Media sponsors include WBIR, Knoxville News Sentinel, WUOT, WUTK, Knoxville Mercury, B97.5 and The Daily Beacon.


“Outside Mullingar”
By John Patrick Shanley
February 1 – 19
Clarence Brown Mainstage

From the Tony and Academy Award winning playwright of “Doubt” and Moonstruck.”

Filled with beautiful language and set in the rural hills of Ireland, this romantic comedy reminds us that – early or late – love always arrives on time. Farmers Anthony and Rosemary are clueless when it comes to love. To find it, they will have to overcome a land feud, family rivalries, and their own fears about romance.

Current corporate sponsors include Schaad Companies, Stowers Machinery Corporation and Pilot Flying J. Media sponsors include WBIR, Knoxville News Sentinel, WUOT, WUTK, Knoxville Mercury, B97.5 and The Daily Beacon.


“The Busy Body”
By Susanna Centlivre
February 22 – March 12
Carousel Theatre

A witty and fast-paced farce packed with memorable characters!

A young woman, her handsome lover, and their friends plot to escape a controlling guardian in this hilarious Restoration comedy. Will a nosey nobleman ruin the plan or save the day? Media sponsors include WBIR, Knoxville News Sentinel, WUOT, WUTK, Knoxville Mercury, B97.5 and The Daily Beacon.


“Top Girls”
By Caryl Churchill
March 29 – April 16
Lab Theatre

Love…family…your life… What would you sacrifice to get to the top?

In a world of the “Supermom” and a shattering glass ceiling, this play considers the conflicts that come with the pursuit of success and the desire to “have it all.”

Media sponsors include WUOT, WUTK, and The Daily Beacon.


“Around the World in 80 Days”
Adapted by Mark Brown
From the Novel by Jules Verne
April 19 – May 7
Clarence Brown Mainstage

“Bursting with imagination, this exuberant whistle-stop tour through Verne is a trip worth making.” The Stage

The intrepid Phileas Fogg with his loyal valet, Passepartout, voyage from Victorian London through the Indian subcontinent, to Asia and across the Pacific to America on a wager that he will return in precisely 80 days. Literally, a theatrical tour-de-force.

Current corporate sponsors include Schaad Companies. Media sponsors include WBIR, Knoxville News Sentinel, WUOT, WUTK, Knoxville Mercury, B97.5 and The Daily Beacon.


With a dual mission to train the next generation of theatre artists and to provide top quality professional theatre, like that of a teaching hospital, the Clarence Brown Theatre at the University of Tennessee Knoxville is one of only 13 academic LORT (League of Resident Theatre) institutions in the nation. Under the leadership of Producing Artistic Director Calvin MacLean and Managing Director David B. Byrd, the CBT season runs from September through May and features eight productions ranging from musicals to drama.

For more information, tickets or accessibility accommodation requests including Open Captioning, ASL, and assistive technologies, please call the CBT Box Office at 865-974-5161 or visit clarencebrowntheatre.com/access. Stay Connected to the Clarence Brown Theatre on Facebook, and on Twitter @ClarenceBrown.