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The IRS Might Owe You Money, Senior Citizens Shouldn’t Have to DoorDash & Mayor McCheese Makes an Appearance

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The IRS Might Owe You Money, Senior Citizens Shouldn’t Have to DoorDash & Mayor McCheese Makes an Appearance

We almost didn’t make a single Heated Rivalry reference this week. Almost. You’re welcome.

A calm-ish weekend with nice weather? Don’t have to tell us twice. Even with slight rain/storm chances Sunday night. Getting off the weather rollercoaster is gonna be nice. [NashSevereWx]

Americans are probably happy to put memories of the COVID-19 pandemic behind them, but it may be worthwhile to stir up the past to see if they may qualify for an IRS refund. Any business or individual charged penalties or interest between Jan. 20, 2020, and July 10, 2023, may be eligible to ask for a refund, lawyers said. [USA Today]

Maybe our priority should be making sure people like this senior citizen have some actual golden years without this kind of extreme stress. Since Brittany Smith posted a GoFundMe for a senior delivering for DoorDash, the viral page has raised almost $1 million in only five days. [FOX17]

Is everyone a Dachshund? Is that what’s happening? Why is everyone so obsessed with these tunnels? Dachshunds, crawdads or rabbits, you pick. That’s what you’ve gotta be if this is what you’re obsessed with – spaceman’s pointless tunnels in Nashville and Knoxville. [Tennessean]

Andy Ogles proudly boasted last week on social media of his A+ “remigration score” awarded by a previously unknown group. Now, an exclusive NewsChannel 5 investigation has linked that group – the so-called Providence Society – to an X account that celebrates the “successes” of Adolf Hitler, urges the development of “something resembling” the Nazi’s 25-point party platform for Western countries and suggests deporting Black American citizens to Africa. [Phil Williams]

Despite years of chronic underfunding and past fiscal missteps, Tennessee State University has made a stunning financial turnaround in the last year. To keep this momentum going, the university’s president is exploring new revenue options to help ensure long-term sustainability. [WPLN]

From a vacant site owned by Johnny Cash to a tourist-filled parking lot that sustained a church, a new life could be in store for this rare downtown site. Find out why this church is selling its biggest asset. [Nashville Business Journal]

So much for space man’s worm tunnel not costing Tennessee taxpayers a dime. A new $5 million office has been proposed with legislation and you’re all gonna be on the hook for it. [WKRN]

Vanderbilt hosted German Bundestag member Metin Hakverdi at the inaugural John C. Kornblum Distinguished Lecture. Hakverdi discussed transatlantic relations as part of the “250 Conversations on America: Civil Discourse in Action” lecture series. [Vanderbilt Hustler]

Marsha Blackburn and John Rose take different tacks as frontrunners among the 27 candidates for governor. Blackburn is favored to win the August primary and general election by a wide margin, leading Rose in early polls by anywhere from 29 to 58 points. [Nashville Banner]

We’re not fans of press release “journalism” but this is important and you should pay attention. Check out how many people showed up for Metro Social Services’ second food pop-up giveaway so far this year. This level of food insecurity is staggering in such a wealthy city. [Tennessee Tribune]

We were excited to read this story about Mayor McCheese responding to concerns about insane property tax increases for longtime local businesses. That was short-lived because what did he even say? And what on earth is this article? Are editors a thing anymore? Is punctuation still a thing? [WSMV]

Whyyyy’d you come in here lookin like that?! Back by popular demand, take a symphonic journey through Dolly’s music, life, and legacy, featuring guest vocalists and musicians personally selected by the legendary artist herself. Dolly Parton’s Threads: My Songs in Symphony is playing tonight and tomorrow night at 7:30 at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center. Maybe don’t wear your painted on jeans when you go… [Nashville Symphony]

We deserve sunshine this weekend and so do you. But you can’t stay outside all the time. And if you don’t want to go hear a symphony take on Dolly, you’ll need something else to do. We’ve got the perfect event for you. Saturday. 1:30. The Predators face the Golden Knights at Bridgestone Arena. It’s Ford Military Week and the first 10,000 fans get a fancy trucker hat. Let’s go, girls! Yes, guys, we’re including you when we say “girls” – it’s just fun to ruffle your feathers. [Predators Tickets]

Would Lowly Worm Drive His Applecar in Spaceman’s Subterranean Maze of Tunnels?

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Would Lowly Worm Drive His Applecar in Spaceman’s Subterranean Maze of Tunnels?

Oh, you feel that, too? It’s us rolling our eyes dangerously hard over news that we’re facing more severe weather potential this Sunday. And a massive drop in temperatures. Maybe even cold enough to freeze property tax rates. [NWS Nashville]

A crowd of onlookers erupted in cheers when the insane abortion death penalty bill failed in the state house. Far too many people seem to believe they can override science by forcing their religious beliefs on everyone else. No one likes this. No one. But putting someone to death in the ways these guys wanted? On what planet? [Tennessean]

NES emails show the CEO directed staff to give board members and Marsha Blackburn special treatment during the ice storm. As so many spent their last moments literally freezing, alleged VIPs were the focus of staff effort and energy. [News Channel 5]

You hearing that, Nashville Predators? Jump on this Heated Rivalry bandwagon. The breakout hockey romance “Heated Rivalry” has sparked sold-out raves, political shoutouts and record-breaking ratings not because of its explicit scenes (ed note: they’re not explicit, just suggestive, it’s more tame than soap operas) but because it offers something rarer: emotional equality, vulnerable masculinity and a love story built on mutual desire. [Vanderbilt Hustler]

We’re not gonna preach about this because you can form your own opinion. So make sure you’re well-informed about the space man’s little tunnel mess and how it’s impacting the Volunteer State. Otherwise, we’re assuming everyone is some kind of mole or Dachshund or something. [WPLN Here & Here]

Time may be running out for Antioch’s new Chinatown development, as well as for other South Nashville businesses and homes. The Tennessee Department of Transportation’s toll lane proposal — called “Choice Lanes” — would cut through several properties. [WKRN]

How is Vanderbilt redefining equitable admissions? Allegedly through need-blind admissions and Opportunity Vanderbilt, which expands socioeconomic and racial diversity on campus. [Nashville Sunn]

Following the arrest of journalist Estefany Rodríguez on Wednesday, March 4, attorneys for the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC) filed an emergency habeas corpus petition challenging her alleged unlawful detention. On Sunday night, TIRRC filed an amendment to its petition, alleging that the details surrounding her arrest and detention indicate retaliation against her, in violation of the First Amendment, due to her work as a journalist, including her coverage of ICE, according to a statement released by TIRRC on Monday. [TN Tribune]

Maybe our school board members should also be required to take two credit hours of foreign languages. Maybe that’d open their minds a little bit more to the reality that the world is bigger than this state. The two-credit world language requirement for all Tennessee public school students has been preserved for now. [Nashville Banner]

Here’s what the ‘Fair Rx’ Act does and does not do amid the battle between Tennessee legislators and CVS Health. CVS Health has said passage of the Fair Rx Act would force the company to close more than 130 stores in Tennessee. [WSMV]

Starbucks’ new plans for office space downtown could result in one of the biggest deals the city has seen in years. Before you roll your eyes, we’re talking about 250,000 square feet of space. [Nashville Business Journal]

What are you doing on Saturday from 1:00 to 2:00 P.M.? The Nashville Opera is on tour with a free performance for children and Tennessee State Museum guests in the Grand Hall. Picture hero Forest Ranger Dudley singing about caring for his beloved woodsy environment to the tune of The Barber of Seville’s famous “Largo al factotum!” Little Red’s Most Unusual Day by John Davies is a family-friendly 40-minute production sung in English and set to music from operas by Rossini and Offenbach. [Downtown Partnership & State Museum]

Minnie Pearl Would Have Invited Us to the Cottage This Summer

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Minnie Pearl Would Have Invited Us to the Cottage This Summer

It’s gonna be really warm and messy this weekend. And if you need a reason to get grumpy at work today? You’re about to lose an hour of sleep come Sunday. [NashSevereWx]

‘We did not meet the expectations’: NES CEO admits problems as city begins storm investigation. One month out from the devastating impacts of Winter Storm Fern, a city-formed commission has begun investigating how Metro agencies — and, in particular, the Nashville Electric Service — responded to the storm. [WPLN]

Howdeeeeeeeee! Saturday. 10:30 A.M. Book it to the Tennessee State Museum for an event with Mary Ellen Pethel and Don Cusic. “HOWDY! The Minnie Pearl Story” delves deep into the life of Sarah Ophelia Colley Cannon. Seriously, go to this TN Writers-TN Stories series if you, like us, have tons of childhood Hee Haw memories. [Nashville Downtown Partnership & TN Museum]

Makes sense that all the California people flooding Nashville to make everything more expensive would bring this with them. We always try to find the silver lining. That double-double burger you’ve been craving can soon be ordered in Franklin. In-N-Out has opened. [WSMV]

No, the Predators shouldn’t take playoff hockey for granted. But they probably should take advantage of the Heated Rivalry buzz for as long as possible. Big, big mistake not to be capitalizing upon that fandom. Some of us are out here listening to hockey podcasts and just waiting for y’all to invite us to your cottage. You hear us, Predators social media folks? 1-2-2-1? Probably, yes? [The Tennessean]

We’re pretty sure Radiohead wrote a song about this subterranean situation. Locals turned out for a town hall on Monday night to make their voices heard about space man’s little tunnel from downtown to the airport. Let’s just say we’re proud of the community for stepping up and rolling its collective eyes. [News Channel 5]

Yes, kids, your elected officials can do the right thing when they choose to. Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti has declined to intervene in a lawsuit challenging a state law banning religious charter schools after issuing a legal opinion that the law is likely unconstitutional. [WKRN]

Look, we’ll be honest, it’s impossible to come up with something snarky here. Every time we read that Acme Feed and Seed has a $600,000 property tax bill, we lose our breath. Taxation is necessary and businesses should pay more than homeowners (which isn’t the case very often these days) but… what even? [WZTV]

A Republican astronaut is running for governor. Middle Tennessee’s astronaut Barry E. “Butch” Wilmore is now listed among the candidates to become the state’s next governor. Wilmore joins Marsha Blackburn and John Rose, among many others, to replace Bill Lee. [More WSMV & TN SOS]

Wondering what happens when your state wastes years ignorantly targeting minority communities? Vanderbilt University Medical Center announced it will stop gender-affirming plastic surgeries for adults. According to VUMC, the decision was made due to a lack of resources and surgical coverage for the operations. TL;DR: Surgeons are fleeing the state and you won’t be able to get your facelift when you want it, meemaw. [Vanderbilt Hustler]

How two CEOs helped warm a frozen city. In the aftermath of Winter Storm Fern, Hal Cato and Erica Mitchell mobilized Nashville’s nonprofit network to launch a rapid-response fund. [Nashville Sunn]

Former Council Member-at-Large Sharon Hurt announces that she is running for the office of Davidson County Clerk, emphasizing her experience as a public servant and a proven professional administrator. Hurt was first elected in 2015 to Metro Council, a political unknown who won in a countywide vote. She was re-elected in 2019 as the general election top vote-getter in a large field. She also was the leading Black candidate for Mayor in 2023. [Tennessee Tribune]

Hear us out: maybe we should limit legislators’ access to the internet and technology in general. Sure, we should also make sure kids can’t access heinous garbage while in class. But a lot of our legislators are more gullible than nine-year-old girls watching zombie videos on YouTube. [Nashville Banner]

Do you like it when state legislators try to control your city? Since its creation in 1970, the board of the Metro Nashville Airport Authority has been nominated by the mayor of Nashville and confirmed by Metro Council. For the second time in three years, state Republicans are attempting to oust the board and replace it with one that would have a state majority. [Nashville Business Journal]

Foster Kids Deserve So Much Better. Week’s News Roundup for February 27th.

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Foster Kids Deserve So Much Better. Week’s News Roundup for February 27th.

It’s froggy out there this morning but the weekend is shaping up to be nice. Pretty sure everyone agrees that we’ll gladly take it after the past couple months of weather fun we’ve had here. [NashSevereWx Twitter & NashSevereWx]

Ooof, kinda terrifying that Tennessee is going down the same road as Kentucky by improperly housing and mistreating children in foster care. Fire up your googler if you want to see how that’s played out the past several years. Rep. Aftyn Behn, D-Nashville, is calling for a federal investigation into the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services. [Behn] said the Department of Children’s Services failed to comply with key federal requirements and to create stability for children in its custody. Behn also pointed to issues of segregation that affect children with disabilities. [The Tennessean]

Davidson County judges have created a special court program to help ice storm victims avoid eviction. The Winter Storm Housing Support Docket will meet twice per week beginning March 3. [News Channel 5]

Meet Tennessee House Majority Leader William Lambert. After 14 years as the Republican state representative for the 44th House District, Lamberth says he still wants to keep freedoms high and taxes low. [Nashville Sunn]

In an era before text messages and FaceTime, love traveled by envelope — folded carefully, sealed and signed. Go read the words of one local husband who closed a letter to his bride with “love and kisses to the sweetest wife on earth.” More than 80 years later, those words — and dozens like them — are preserved at the Metro Archives of the Nashville Public Library. [Tennessee Tribune]

Just what everyone wants their elected officials to be wasting time on. Worrying about whether children who aren’t criminals have parents who fled war-torn countries in order for them to survive… so they can lock them up indefinitely in weird detention camps that should be causing everyone to have sleepless nights. All instead of focusing on actual criminals who cause problems. [Nashville Banner]

It’s a little creepy that these insecure men are obsessed with this issue, isn’t it? Tennessee lawmakers recently questioned whether state prisons and jails are following rules limiting the use of taxpayer dollars for gender-affirming care. [WKRN]

When you get loud enough, your elected officials will eventually have to listen. Wilson County leaders are formally opposing a proposed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility along Highway 109 South — and now a U.S. senator says the project will not move forward. [WZTV]

It should be illegal for you to use your chosen religious beliefs to discriminate against another person’s health care decisions. We repeat, it should be illegal. Because it is. A Tennessee woman says Ascension St. Thomas Midtown canceled her scheduled sterilization surgery Friday morning hours after she had been admitted and an IV had been placed. [WSMV]

The Tennessee Performing Arts Center has announced its upcoming Broadway season with eight new shows. They are: The Sound of Music, Death Becomes Her, The Neil Diamond Musical A Beautiful Noise, Phantom of the Opera, The Great Gatsby, Alicia Keys’ Hell’s Kitchen, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Buena Vista Social Club. [TPAC]

There’s no way to sugar-coat this cruelty: Republicans want to lock up Tennessee’s foster children in jail-like facilities. Research shows it is best practice to house foster kids with families or in communities. Senator Jack Johnson, R-Franklin, and Rep. William Lamberth, R-Portland, sponsored the measure. But it is an administration bill — meaning it came from the governor’s office and the Department of Children’s Services. [WPLN]

A cool thing you can do if you have extra money? Go out to eat in Nashville, order takeout, grab lunch. It’s wildly important to support your local restaurants if you want them to continue to exist. [Nashville Buy Local]

We’re not sure if it’s a good thing for a real estate attorney to be leading the Metro Codes Department. But what do we know? This country has definitely never seen someone involved in private sector real estate destroy anything governmental before, right??? [Nashville Business Journal]

Playing Fast & Loose With Campaign Cash Sounds Like a Ton of Fun

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Playing Fast & Loose With Campaign Cash Sounds Like a Ton of Fun

With stormy weather out of the way, we’re all feeling better. Mostly dry for Friday and Saturday but there are low chances for showers late that night. Sunday brings cooler temperatures, so be prepared. [NashSevereWx]

Marsha Blackburn is allegedly neck-deep in some campaign finance shenanigans that plenty of people have gone to prison for? Surely not. Surely someone with such a proud history of not liking people who aren’t WASPs wouldn’t be up to no good in this good old boy world. Marsha, Marsha, Marsh. Tsk, tsk. Marsha Blackburn faces allegations that she and her campaign engaged in “flagrant violations” of federal and state law by using donations from her Senate campaign for her gubernatorial race. If anyone is wondering how this could end poorly, you may want to check out what happened with former Lt. Gov. Steve Henry in Kentucky in December 2009. [News Channel 5]

What do Tractor Supply, peanut butter and the south… you know what, just go read this. That’s wild putting Tractor Supply in the first line. We’re sharing this because someone in Nashville should do something similar but maybe less… what’s the word?… slick? Maybe more slick? Where you at, restaurateurs and food producers? Prime business opportunity here. Space man will probably need a lot of it for that hole he’s trying to drill from downtown to the airport. [The Food Section]

The Tennessee Supreme Court could be about to shrink Metro Council. If you think you should have less accessible representation in elected office, you’re gonna love this. [WZTV]

The annual State of the Child Report released by the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth shows fewer kids are living in poverty. Go read more about it and check the report out for yourself. [WPLN & Govt PDF Link]

If you have an interest in political polling, this might be relevant to your interests. Vanderbilt has been designated as the new U.S. home for the Comparative Study of Election Surveys. CSES is an international organization that collects and analyzes post-election data for more than 60 countries. [Vanderbilt Hustler]

Voting in primary elections is way more important than may seem to think. Here’s a spotlight on Tennessee’s upcoming midterm election, including who is running and what you need to know before you go to the polls this August. [Nashville Sunn]

What is going on in Buchanan with planning and zoning? Hundreds turned out recently to talk about a potential zoning ordinance impacting the Buchanan Arts District in Nashville. Metro Planning Commissioners called it the classic zoning problem — trying to figure out how commercial and residential properties can coexist. [Tennessee Tribune]

There’s just nothing more important than wasting taxpayers’ time and money on attempting to demonize LGBTQ people. The State House just passed HB 1473 saying that same-sex marriages do not have to be recognized. It’s unconstitutional, so it’s only a matter of time until even more taxpayer time and money will be wasted losing in court. [HB 1473 – PDF Link]

At least local electeds are holding people accountable, right? Metro councilmembers are calling for Nashville Electric Service CEO Teresa Broyles-Aplin to be fired after “systemic leadership failures” related to last month’s historic winter storm and the power outage crisis that followed. [Nashville Banner]

The CEO of Nashville Electric Service is clapping back at the mere utterance of accountability. Maybe instead of defending her alleged leadership, Teresa Broyles-Aplin could spend a little time looking in the mirror before chastising a suffering community. A little more humility would go a long way. [Nashville Business Journal]

For this Nashville chef, the Lunar New Year begins with smoke and stories. On Lunar New Year’s Eve in Nha Trang, Chef Dung “Junior” Vo’s coastal Vietnamese hometown, no one slept. Instead, they hovered around flickering fires, cooked the banana leaf-wrapped pork, bean and rice roll called banh tet, and invited in an auspicious new year. [The Tennessean]

Doomscroll Less. Applaud More. Here is our Middle Tennessee Theatre Master List, February-July 2026

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Doomscroll Less. Applaud More. Here is our Middle Tennessee Theatre Master List, February-July 2026

Put the phone down. Sit in the dark. Watch something real happen.

We are living in an age of endless refresh buttons. Notifications that never stop. Opinions that evaporate in twenty-four hours. Entire evenings can disappear into doom-scrolling and autoplay without leaving a single lasting memory.

Live theatre interrupts that cycle.

It demands attention. It rewards patience. It gives you something unrepeatable — a shared, imperfect, human moment that only exists once. Middle Tennessee in 2026 is overflowing with those moments. Here is every one of them (We’re human and not AI so let us know if we missed your show).

FEBRUARY 2026

Fat Ham

Nashville Repertory Theatre – Nashville, TN
February 2026 (Currently Playing)

James Ijames flips Hamlet into a Southern backyard cookout and finds something electric inside it. It is funny, sharp, queer, and deeply contemporary without losing its Shakespearean backbone. Nashville Rep opens the year by reminding audiences that classical theatre can still feel urgent.

Deathtrap

Studio Tenn – Franklin, TN
February 5–22, 2026

A struggling playwright meets a student with a script worth stealing — or worse. Ira Levin’s thriller is built on deception, ego, and perfectly timed reversals. Studio Tenn thrives on tight, intelligent suspense, and this one delivers.

Our Town

Montgomery Bell Academy – Nashville, TN
February 19–21, 2026

Thornton Wilder’s meditation on ordinary life grows quietly devastating by its final act. It asks audiences to notice the beauty in daily rituals before they disappear. MBA students stepping into this piece means young performers taking on one of the most emotionally honest plays in American theatre.

Birthday Candles

Lakewood Theatre Company – Old Hickory, TN
February 20–March 8, 2026

A woman celebrates ninety years of birthdays in one sweeping story. This intimate comedy-drama moves through time with humor and poignancy. Lakewood continues its tradition of character-driven storytelling.

One for the Road

IS Productions – Nashville, TN
February 20–March 1, 2026

A tense political drama centered on power, silence, and control. The writing is spare and confrontational. This is theatre designed to unsettle.

Fairy Tale Courtroom

Ensworth School – Nashville, TN
February 21, 2026

Classic fairy tale characters defend their reputations in court. It’s clever, playful, and built for ensemble fun. Youth theatre at its most creative.

Smart People

Elemental Actors Studio – Nashville, TN
February 26–28, 2026

Four Harvard intellectuals wrestle with race, identity, and bias. The conversations are sharp and uncomfortable in productive ways. Intimate theatre with big ideas.

Hello, Dolly!

Hillsboro High School – Nashville, TN
February 27–March 2, 2026

Golden Age Broadway spectacle filled with big ensemble numbers and bigger personality. Dolly Levi still knows how to command a room. When high school performers commit to the scale, this show shines.

Hadestown: Teen Edition

Goodpasture Christian School – Madison, TN
February 28–March 1, 2026

Mythology meets folk-infused modern music. The Orpheus and Eurydice story never stops resonating. Teen performers tackling this score means real vocal ambition.

MARCH 2026

The Drowsy Chaperone

Williamson County Performing Arts Center – Franklin, TN
March 5–7, 2026

A musical about loving musicals, told by a narrator obsessed with his record collection. Tap shoes meet affectionate satire. It feels like theatre celebrating itself.

Falsettos

Vanderbilt University – Nashville, TN
March 5–7, 2026

A modern musical about family, love, and complicated relationships. Intimate and emotionally layered. College performers stepping into this material means maturity on stage.

Mamma Mia

Hendersonville Performing Arts Company – Hendersonville, TN
March 12–29, 2026

Paternity issues, harmonies, teenage bravado and the music of ABBA. Nostalgia sells, but it only works if the cast brings real chemistry. HPAC rarely plays small.

Mean Girls

Belmont University – Nashville, TN
March 13–14, 2026

Pink glitter meets sharp satire. High school politics never felt so Broadway-ready. Beneath the gloss is real commentary.

We Are The Tigers

Street Theatre Company – Nashville, TN
March 13–28, 2026

Cheerleaders. A murder. Pop-driven chaos. Street Theatre Company leans into bold contemporary work that refuses to be polite.

Disney’s The Little Mermaid

Smyrna High School – Smyrna, TN
March 18–23, 2026

Underwater spectacle anchored by strong vocals. Ariel’s longing fuels the show. When the anthem lands, it lands.

Boeing Boeing

Studio Tenn – Franklin, TN
March 19–April 4, 2026

A farce built on romantic chaos and perfectly timed entrances. Doors slam. Secrets unravel. Studio Tenn understands how to pace comedy.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Stewarts Creek High School – Smyrna, TN
March 20–22, 2026

Massive choral writing and darker themes elevate this Disney adaptation. It demands serious musicianship. When it works, it feels epic.

Into the Woods

Nolensville High School – Nolensville, TN
March 26–29, 2026

Fairy tales collide and unravel. Sondheim refuses easy endings. This one rewards nuance.

Little Shop of Horrors

Hendersonville – Taylor Swift Auditorium
March 26–29, 2026

Boy meets plant. Plant demands blood. Dark comedy wrapped in doo-wop harmonies.

APRIL 2026

Pippin

John Overton High School – Nashville, TN
April 9–13, 2026

A prince searching for meaning in a world selling spectacle. Circus-style staging meets existential questions. Flashy and philosophical.

Sister Act

Tennessee Performing Arts Center – Nashville, TN
April 10–19, 2026

Choir robes meet disco rhythms. Big vocals. Big joy. Broadway energy downtown.

Newsies

Franklin Christian Academy – Franklin, TN
April 16–19, 2026

High-kicking choreography and underdog energy. If the ensemble locks in, this show explodes.

The Normal Heart

Lakewood Theatre Company – Old Hickory, TN
April 17–May 3, 2026

A searing drama about activism and the early AIDS crisis. Raw, urgent, and deeply human. Theatre that insists on remembrance.

MAY 2026

Jesus Christ Superstar

Studio Tenn – Franklin, TN
May 7–31, 2026

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s rock opera still feels volatile. Political tension and betrayal drive it forward. Studio Tenn gives it scale.

Urinetown

Hendersonville Performing Arts Company – Hendersonville, TN
May 8–10, 2026

Absurd satire disguised as musical comedy. Corporate greed and social control wrapped in catchy tunes. Weird and smart.

Bloodsucking Leech

Nashville Repertory Theatre – Noah Liff Opera Center, Nashville, TN
May 14 – 17, 2026

Set against the backdrop of the early AIDS crisis, Bloodsucking Leech blends satire and social commentary with a bite. It examines fear, stigma, and the stories we tell ourselves about who is dangerous and who deserves compassion. Nashville Rep continues its run of bold programming with a production that is uncomfortable in all the right ways and impossible to ignore.

Something Rotten!

Franklin Theatre – Franklin, TN
May 30–31, 2026

Renaissance rivalry meets Broadway parody. Big dance numbers and self-aware humor. A love letter to musical theatre excess.

JUNE 2026

The View Upstairs

Street Theatre Company – Nashville, TN
June 12–27, 2026

A modern man confronts queer history inside a 1970s bar. Glam rock meets cultural reckoning. It demands attention.

Rodgers & Hammerstein’s State Fair

The Keeton – Nashville, TN
June 12–28, 2026

Classic Americana with sweeping melodies. A nostalgic musical about family and ambition. Old-school Broadway warmth.

Ain’t Misbehavin’

Playhouse 615 – Mt. Juliet, TN
June 5–21, 2026

Fats Waller’s music drives this high-energy revue. Jazz-infused joy fills the stage. It swings hard.

Shakespeare in the Park

Nashville Shakespeare Festival – Centennial Park, Nashville, TN
August 20-Sept 20

Blankets. Lawn chairs. Cicadas. Shakespeare under open skies remains one of Nashville’s most democratic theatre experiences.

JULY 2026

Spring Awakening

Mills-Pate Arts Center – Murfreesboro, TN
July 10–19, 2026

Adolescence, repression, and rebellion. Duncan Sheik’s rock score still cuts. It is intimate and volatile.

School of Rock: Young Actors Edition

The Gift of Song – Franklin, TN
July 24–26, 2026

Electric guitars meet youthful defiance. High-energy ensemble work drives this adaptation. Loud in the best way.

Why It Matters

You can stream something tonight. You can scroll until midnight. You can watch highlights of someone else’s life and call it entertainment.

Or you can sit in a dark room with your neighbors while something unfolds in real time.

Live theatre is one of the last places where we experience emotion together. The laughter ripples across rows. The silence before a final line feels electric. The applause is not typed — it’s felt in your chest. No filters. No buffering. No algorithm deciding what you see next.

Yes, seeing a show supports local actors, musicians, designers, and technicians. It keeps stages lit and programs alive. But it also does something else.

It reminds us what it feels like to be present. To share space. To react at the same moment as the person sitting beside you. To feel something live, together, in our own community.

We have more shows coming this fall and winter. We’ll give you that list in the summer.

For now, make a promise to yourself: go see at least one of these each month if you can.

Not just to support the arts.
But to remember what it feels like to be in a room where something real is happening — and you are part of it.

Have You Been a Victim of Widespread Twerking? You May Be Entitled to Compensation

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Have You Been a Victim of Widespread Twerking? You May Be Entitled to Compensation

The rain is coming and your Valentine’s Day dinner date is probably going to be a soggy one. [NashSevereWx]

Are you sitting down with beverages moved safely away? Go read this Bad Bunny story right now. *WHEEZING* Then promptly send us an inhaler. TN Congressman calls for investigation into Bad Bunny Super Bowl performance, citing ‘widespread twerking’. [WBIR]

This is not a drill Pan-Asia Supermarket has opened in Nashville. We repeat, Pan-Asia Supermarket has opened here. Obviously, support the smaller mom and pop shops. But it’s also fine to be excited about new developments like this. It’s no H Mart but we’re still excited. [The Tennessean]

Everybody’s favorite investigative journalist, Phil Williams, has launched a new project called Hate Comes to Main Street. Williams says it’s a continuation of his ongoing journey to explore the rising influence of white supremacists, Neo-Nazis, Christian Nationalists, QAnon conspiracy theories and other political extremists. [Click Right Here]

Davidson County’s Emergency Winter Housing Assistance Program fund has topped a million bucks. Nashville families struggling financially after the recent winter storm received welcome news as an additional $750,000 was added to Davidson County’s Emergency Winter Housing Assistance Program to help cover housing costs. [News Channel 5]

Welp, space man is gonna try to build that 10-mile-long tunnel from downtown to the airport and it’s gotten approval. $34 million across 50 years? Does this smell right? What could possibly go wrong? [WKRN]

If you just pretend something isn’t real, it’ll just go away, right? That’s what Republicans in the state legislature want to do with same-sex marriage. Just pretend it away. This latest moment of gay panic means businesses and individuals won’t have to admit that gay marriage is real. [WZTV & HB1473]

How about we eliminate all tax on non-candy groceries instead of just on fresh fruits and vegetables? Most sane states avoid taxing food, which makes it harder for those earning less to buy what they need to survive in a health manner. But this is a move in the right direction. [WSMV]

Wait. Maybe ignoring things and pretending they aren’t real could actually work. The Tennessee Valley Authority is trying it, too. This time they’ve moved to strike language about renewable and more affordable energy generation, reversed decisions to retire coal plants and had a meltdown over DEI. Surely this will all turn out exceptionally well. Surely. [WPLN]

Another wave of files related to the Department of Justice’s investigation into Jeffrey Epstein and his associates was released Jan. 30. This time the files mention some Vanderbilt professors and a former chancellor. [Vanderbilt Hustler]

We don’t think anyone reading this will believe that town halls should disappear from our public lives. Legislators can be cowardly and refuse to show up to address their constituencies but that doesn’t mean they’re gonna be able to keep their jobs. [Nashville Sunn]

Two Nashville museums have been added to the historic U.S. Civil Rights Trail. In addition to the 17 others already in Tennessee, the Jefferson Street Sound Museum and the Museum of Christian and Gospel Music have been added. [Tennessee Tribune]

Here’s your chance to step up for your neighbors. Even after power restoration, some refugee families are still recovering from Nashville’s winter nightmare. Language barriers, limited access to resources and a general lack of familiarity with cold weather has left many in danger. [Nashville Banner]

Former’s Nasdaq vice chairman David Weild gives Nashville’s startup and venture capital ecosystem a ‘B.’ Here’s what the Nashville resident thinks the city needs and the danger of economic statistics. [Nashville Business Journal]

Protecting Nashville’s Kids from Digital Recruitment by Extremist Hate Groups in Youth Gaming Spaces.

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Protecting Nashville’s Kids from Digital Recruitment by Extremist Hate Groups in Youth Gaming Spaces.

If you have a child who plays online games, you are not behind the times. You are raising a kid in the modern world.

Gaming today is less like sitting alone with a joystick and more like hanging out at Centennial Park after school. Kids build friendships, collaborate, laugh, compete, and create entire social worlds together. For most families, it is a positive space.

But recent reporting and research suggest something important for parents and communities to understand: the same social features that make gaming meaningful for young people can also attract groups looking to influence vulnerable kids.

This is not a cause for panic (let’s not slip into the Heavy Metal Panic of the 1980s here). It is a call for awareness as parents. The kind that strong communities like Nashville have always practiced.

Before diving in, here are the primary sources informing this article: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/11/world/europe/online-extremism-gaming-children.html
Global Network on Extremism and Technology research:

Virtual Worlds, Real Threats: Violent Extremist Exploitation of Roblox and Wider Gaming Ecosystems

NBC News investigation:
https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/extremists-creep-roblox-online-game-popular-children-n1045056

What Experts Are Seeing. Without The Alarmism Most Media Outlets Will Use For Clicks.

The New York Times reports that children now account for 42 percent of terrorism-related investigations, a figure that has tripled since 2021.

Researchers interviewed for the article describe extremist groups adapting to the digital habits of younger generations, sometimes using gaming platforms alongside social apps to connect with minors.

Importantly, experts emphasize that many of these young people are not initially driven by ideology. Instead, some appear to be searching for identity, belonging, or connection — normal developmental needs that every teenager experiences.

The research organization GNET similarly notes that extremists are drawn to gaming platforms because they function as large social ecosystems where users interact freely and build communities.

And NBC News documented instances of extremist imagery and usernames appearing inside youth-heavy gaming spaces, underscoring the moderation challenges created by enormous volumes of user-generated content.

Here is the key takeaway for parents:

Games themselves are not the threat.
Isolation is.

When young people feel connected to friends, mentors, teammates, teachers, youth leaders they are far less likely to be influenced by harmful communities.

Why This Is Showing Up Now

One expert cited in the Times points to a convergence of factors:

  • the first fully digital generation
  • constant smartphone access
  • parents still learning how to supervise online spaces

In many cases, minors move gradually through what investigators call “funnel strategies,” shifting from mainstream platforms toward smaller, less moderated digital communities.

That progression is rarely dramatic. It tends to be social.

A conversation.
A joke.
An invitation to another chat.

Most kids will never encounter this pathway, but understanding that it exists helps parents guide rather than react.

The Encouraging Reality for Nashville Families

Here is the part often missing from national conversations:

Communities are protective infrastructure.

And Nashville has a lot going for it.

Youth sports leagues.
Performing arts programs.
Church and service groups.
After-school clubs (STEM BASED OR JUST FUN).
Neighborhood gatherings.
Mentorship networks.

These are not just activities.

They are buffers against digital vulnerability.

Research consistently shows that young people who experience strong real-world belonging are less likely to seek identity in risky online spaces.

Put simply:

Connection is prevention.

The Five Biggest Risks Parents Should Understand

Not to worry, but to stay informed.

1. Loneliness can make kids more impressionable.

Experts note that some targeted youth appear socially adrift rather than ideologically committed.

2. Gaming platforms function as social networks.

Kids are talking, collaborating, and forming friendships — often with people they have never met in person.

3. Influence tends to be gradual.

Investigators describe pathways guiding young users from mainstream spaces toward more insular communities.

4. Emotional bonding is powerful.

Families have reported situations where online groups formed deep psychological connections with teens.

5. Some networks attempt manipulation.

Authorities have warned about groups pressuring minors into harmful behavior and using it as leverage.

Again, these cases are not the norm.

But awareness helps families respond early if something feels off.

Five Household Practices That Build Digital Resilience

Think of these less as rules and more as family culture.

1. Prioritize human-to-human interaction.

Encourage participation in clubs, arts, athletics, volunteering, and youth leadership. Anywhere friendships grow in three dimensions instead of two.

A busy, connected pre-teen or teenager is a protected teenager.

2. Keep gaming visible.

Shared family spaces naturally create awareness without feeling intrusive.

3. Talk about online life the way you talk about school.

Ask who they play with.
What games they enjoy.
What makes those spaces fun.

Curiosity builds trust.

4. Establish a simple safety norm.

If someone asks them to move a conversation to a private platform, they should check in with a parent first.

Not because they are in trouble, but because guidance matters.

5. Make openness consequence-free.

Children should know they can bring uncomfortable interactions to you without fear of losing privileges.

When kids feel safe talking, small concerns stay small.

Five Signals That Deserve Gentle Attention

No single behavior means something is wrong. But patterns can guide conversations.

  • Increased secrecy around devices

  • Withdrawal from longtime friends

  • Sudden fixation on new online contacts

  • Major mood shifts

  • Loss of interest in previously loved activities

Approach these moments with calm curiosity rather than confrontation.

Connection works better than control.

The Bottom Line

Online games are not going away, nor should they. They provide creativity, teamwork, and genuine friendship for millions of young people.

The goal is not restriction.

It is preparation.

When children feel rooted in real relationships and supported by attentive adults, harmful groups lose their strongest recruiting tool.

Belonging.

So encourage the robotics club.
Drive them to rehearsal.
Sign them up for that service project.
Say yes to the team.

Because the strongest firewall has never been software.

It has always been people.

And Nashville has plenty of those.

Our Politicians Found Common Ground

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Our Politicians Found Common Ground

Could it be? Could the long, frozen nightmare of the past one million days be coming to an end? Let’s all hold our breath and see. [NashSevereWx]

The Predators have entered the Olympic Break but that doesn’t mean rivalries aren’t heating up. They’ll be back in the boy aquarium on February 26 as they face the Chicago Blackhawks here at home. You coming to the cottage with us? We’ll have so much fun. [The Tennessean]

Former State House Speaker Glen Casada and his aide, Cade Cothren, were convicted in a wild bribery scheme involving kickbacks and state-funded constituent mailing services for the Republican House Caucus. After misusing your tax dollars, they’ve somehow managed to finagle pardons from the president and they’re once again walking free. [WTVF]

Not every politician forgets who they represent, however, and these folks in the capitol are considering intervention against Nashville Electric Service. That sound you hear is Republicans and Democrats working together on something that impacts everybody’s daily life. See? They really can work together when they want to. [WKRN]

This Fall 2025 Vanderbilt poll found increased economic anxiety among Tennesseans. The poll results indicate that Tennesseans’ financial worries, ranging from basic monthly bills to car repair expenses, have escalated since the beginning of President Donald Trump’s administration in January 2025. [The Vanderbilt Hustler]

As local discussions once again focus on the space man’s crawdad tunnel from downtown to the airport, it’s probably time to revisit everything we can on the issue. Regardless of the Loop’s cost, efficiency, or legality, Nashville’s geology might make tunneling particularly difficult, and maybe even dangerous. [Nashville Sunn & Peabody Press]

Senate Democratic Leader Raumesh Akbari released a video message addressing what she says is the real state of Tennessee. Her message was a prebuttal to Governor Bill Lee’s final State of the State speech that came Monday. [Tennessee Tribune]

Why are so many people afraid of fancy clowns that tell jokes and sing? And why are so many insecure folks afraid of allowing everyone to become boring married people who do nothing but work on their lawns all weekend? What, y’all don’t want your property values to increase anymore? [Nashville Banner & More Nashville Banner]

Grace and patience are needed now and the people who must learn lessons about the past couple weeks will absolutely learn them. We’re certain none of you will be letting them forget. But we’re also certain our community will continue to grow and support each other so we can weather future storms like this together. [Nashville Business Journal]

So many in our community are struggling among so many others who will never be able to spend all of their millions. So it’d be really cool if everyone who could afford to do so took a moment to toss a few dollars toward the region’s largest food bank. No one should go hungry. [Second Harvest]

Oscar Season as Civic Duty: Three Documentaries That Refuse to Let You Look Away.

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Oscar Season as Civic Duty: Three Documentaries That Refuse to Let You Look Away.

I am one of those weirdos who tries to watch all the movies nominated for the Academy Awards. Right now while buried under a sheet of ice I decided to stack three gut punches back to back because clearly I enjoy self-flagellation.

The Alabama Solution has a 100 percent Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer, which is insane for a film that feels like a two-hour national indictment of something we all pretend does not exist. It rips open the prison system in Alabama and forces you to watch the rot seep out of every corner of it, with inmates smuggling footage out on contraband cell phones to prove what everyone with half a brain has long suspected. You see overcrowding pushed past any humane limit, where bodies are treated like inventory and survival becomes a daily negotiation. The violence that makes you grit your teeth until they ache, and leaders so blissfully ignorant they would defend this instead of calling for real reform. This one hits home because my people come from that part of the country and good leadership there has historically been rarer than a sober politician. Honestly this film feels less like a documentary and more like a civic call to arms. Five stars.

The Devil Is Busy has no official Rotten Tomatoes rating yet but it feels like it deserves one just for the anxiety alone. This one follows clinic workers who deal with constant harassment, threats, and real danger just for doing their jobs. If you think your day is stressful imagine making life and death decisions while people with megaphones and internet mobs are judging your every breath. It captures the fear and fatigue so well that you will find yourself checking over your shoulder long after the credits roll. It is powerful in its quiet terror. Four stars.

All The Empty Rooms also does not have a Rotten Tomatoes rating yet but it feels like every home in this country should have a warning label after watching it. This short documentary looks at school shootings through the hollow silence left in their wake. This is not a gun control lecture. It is a results of doing absolutely nothing lecture, and it is heartbreaking not because it sensationalizes violence but because it shows what silence and inertia look like in real places with real people. In my community school shootings are not an abstraction they are a fear we live with every day because kids should not be practicing lockdown drills like fire drills. This movie forces you to look at that emptiness in the eye. Five stars.

Three documentaries. Three reminders that watching movies nominated for Oscars is not always entertainment. Sometimes it is therapy with bruises.

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