Hit show moves to Monday evenings beginning September 14

Studio Tenn’s nationally recognized virtual talk show, Studio Tenn Talks: Theater Conversations with Patrick Cassidy, will feature a star-powered fall lineup, including Patti LuPone, Chita Rivera, Debbie Gibson, and more.

The weekly show, viewable for free at StudioTennTalks.com, is moving from Sunday to Monday evening.

The first episode at the new time is Monday, September 14 at 7:00 p.m. CT and will feature a guest appearance by Jennifer Turner, Tennessee Performing Arts Center’s President and CEO.

LuPone, an American musical theatre, film and television icon, will also appear on the September 14 episode.

In 2008, Lupone won the Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance as Madame Rose in Broadway’s Gypsy. Currently, she is starring as Avis Amberg in Ryan Murphy’s new Netflix series, Hollywood.

“I had been a longtime fan of Patti’s, and I was thrilled with the opportunity to work alongside her at the Ravinia,” says Patrick Cassidy, Artistic Director of Studio Tenn. “I have such profound, deep respect for Patti in every way. Not only for her talent, but also for the way she asserts herself to preserve what the theatre is all about. We’re honored to have her on the show this Monday.”

The September – October lineup is:

Patti LuPone
Monday, September 14
7:00 p.m. CT

LuPone is an actress, singer, dancer and author. Some of her best-known roles include Eva Perón in the 1979 original Broadway production of Evita (Tony Award Winner), Fantine in the original London cast of Les Misérables and Rose in Broadway’s Gypsy, for which she won her second Tony Award. TV credits include Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, Penny Dreadful Part 1 and 2 (Critics Choice nomination), American Horror Story: Coven, Glee, PBS Great Performances The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny (Grammy Award for the broadcast’s recording) and PBS’s An Evening with Patti LuPone.

Chita Rivera & Lisa Mordente
Monday, September 21
7:00 p.m. CT

Rivera is dancer, actress and singer who starred in Broadway’s West Side Story, Chicago, The Rink (Tony Award Winner) and Kiss of the Spider Woman (Tony Award Winner). Rivera’s daughter, Lisa Mordente, followed her mother’s footsteps into show business and has an impressive career of her own, earning a Tony nomination for her performance in the 1982 Broadway musical Marlowe.

Debbie Gibson
Monday, September 28
7:00 p.m. CT

Gibson is a pop icon and Broadway star whose career spans more than three decades. A music prodigy, Gibson burst on the Billboard Pop Charts at the tender age of 16 with the self-penned, “Only In My Dreams.” After conquering the pop world with three consecutive albums and world tours, she set her sights on the theatre and starred in 17 musicals in 17 years. Credits include Eponine in Les Miserables, Sandy in London West End’s Grease, Belle in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Gypsy Rose Lee in Gypsy, and Cinderella in Cinderella.

Michael Feinstein
Monday, October 5
7:00 p.m. CT

Feinstein is a Grammy and Emmy-nominated musician and host who has led PBS TV specials, NPR series and concerts spanning the globe. He has appeared at iconic venues such as the White House, Buckingham Palace, Hollywood Bowl, Carnegie Hall and Sydney Opera House. In addition to his outstanding career as a performer, Feinstein’s work as an educator and archivist define him as one of the most important musical forces of modern times.

Adam Guettel
Monday, October 12
7:00 p.m. CT

Guettrel is a renowned composer and lyricist who has won multiple Tony and Drama Desk Awards for music and orchestration in The Light in the Piazza (2005). Most recently, he won a Tony Award for Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre for To Kill a Mockingbird. Other accolades include the Stephen Sondheim Award (1990), the ASCAP New Horizons Award (1997) and the American Composers Orchestra Award (2005). He received an honorary doctorate from Lehman College in 2007.

Studio Tenn Talks: Theater Conversations with Patrick Cassidy take place every Monday at 7:00 p.m. CT and can be viewed at studiotenntalks.com or on Studio Tenn’s Facebook page. The show is free for all viewers, and voluntary donations are accepted.

Studio Tenn is a professional regional theater company and a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization based in Franklin. Its programming centers around innovative, custom-designed presentations of classic plays and musicals as well as an original “Legacy” series of theatrical concerts celebrating the work of time-honored musicians.