Imagine a theater company that’s thrown its script out the window: Ensemble members hear a story for the first time and act on impulse to create a show right before your eyes. For most companies, this kind of challenge would result in chaos. But the Asheville Playback Theatre welcomes it. Stories seldom told: Asheville Playback […]

Sexuality, manipulation, passion and torture are explored in The Convent of the Devil, a production by the White Dog ProjectX, an international dance company based in Asheville. Cloistered lust: In The Convent of the Devil, the repressed sexual fantasies of a vengeful group of nuns take on a life of their own. Based on the […]

On cold nights, when the wind howls and the house creaks, the imagination comes to life. And no matter how warm and snug the blankets are, one can’t help but wonder about the creatures lurking under the bed. Fright night: Center Stage Dance Ensemble proves what you’ve probably suspected all along: There are few things […]

Of the tragedies written by William Shakespeare, Macbeth is one of the most haunting. Right away, the opening scene sets the stage for the dark, supernatural elements that make this story so affecting. Come what come may: Lady Macbeth (Jenn Miller Cribbs) and Thane Macbeth (Charlie Flynn-McIver) strike a murderous pose. Beginning in a misty […]

There are few people who have influenced the culture of Asheville as much as Thomas Wolfe. His epic, semi-autobiographical books—particularly Look Homeward, Angel—examined the small-town culture of Asheville in obsessive detail. Back to Dixieland: Julia (Carla Pridgen) and Thomas Wolfe (Tom Dalton) in Return of an Angel. For sharing his vision of this city with […]