Following overwhelming critical reception and sold-out performances, ALIEN: The Musical, written by local songwriter and playwright Gregg D. Garner and produced by The Center Street Theatre Company (Old Hickory), will be performed in the Tennessee Performing Arts Center’s James K. Polk Theater on July 23-26, 2015.
Tickets for ALIEN: The Musical are on sale now at TPAC.org, by phone at (615) 782-4040, and in person at the TPAC Box Office, 505 Deaderick Street, in downtown Nashville. The four-performance engagement includes 7:30 p.m. shows on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday; as well as a 3:00 p.m. show on Sunday.
Beginning in the late 1800s, when Irish immigrants lived on average only six years after arriving in the new world, ALIEN: The Musical tells the story of the Dolan family during their initial years in New York. When the narrative continues to present-day California, their story collides with “Mexican” immigrants who work in the kitchen at O’Neil’s Irish Pub and Restaurant. An unexpected twist plunges Irish and Latinos into a conflict that makes us question what it means to be human, and what it means to love and create a hospitable world for those alienated by our ideals and need for security.
“I wanted to explore the difficult issues related to race, immigration, labor, and discrimination, but not with a typical response. This story is my contribution to the discussion,” Garner said. “Societies’ historical amnesia is the disease that causes us to repeat the mistakes of our past. Our failure to remember is our refusal to accept our vulnerable condition as human beings – that we’re all the same, and we all need a chance – to have life.”
In three acts, a cast of 43 players animate this dynamic story that spans over 100 years and examines the political issues and social realities connected to migration. Themes of class struggle, race, power, and generativity come to life in the intersecting stories of the two families, said Garner, who wrote ALIEN: the Musical on a plane to Nashville from Africa, composing songs by quietly singing into his iPhone.
Performed in Nashville and Columbus, OH, this heartwarming and challenging story has received overwhelming critical reception for its charismatic cast and its subject matter, with audiences describing it as “life-changing” and leaving the theater emotionally charged to make a better world. ALIEN features over a dozen original songs in four different musical styles (Irish, Folk, Latino, Pop), written and composed by Garner.
About The Arts at Center Street
The Arts at Center Street, based in Old Hickory, TN, is committed to producing work that is “Local, Original and Meaningful.” As a performing arts venue known for featuring local playwrights and original works, it has produced four of Garner’s original one act plays. Since opening its doors in [Year], The Arts at Center Street has hosted musical theatre, poetry readings, dance competitions, and music festivals. Now in their third season, The Arts at Center Street Theatre Company has produced seven well-received productions.
For more information, visit: http://www.TheArtsAtCenterStreet.com
Institutional sponsors for TPAC include Nissan North America and Coca-Cola. TPAC is funded in part by support from the Tennessee Arts Commission and the Metropolitan Nashville Arts Commission. TPAC reminds ticket buyers that the only official place to buy tickets online is TPAC.org.