Tennessee Shakespeare Company Presents Andrew Lippa In VIP Concert Oct. 26

Tennessee Shakespeare Company will present Broadway Stories and Songs: An Intimate Evening With "Big Fish" Composer Andrew Lippa on Saturday, Oct. 26 at 6:30 p.m. at a private residence in East Memphis. Attendees to the VIP event will enjoy a piano and vocal performance by Lippa, along with a buffet dinner, drinks and personal conversation with the award-winning musical composer.

Lippa is renowned for writing the music and lyrics to the hit Broadway musical, "Big Fish," based on the Daniel Wallace novel and the acclaimed Tim Burton-directed film. He also wrote the music and lyrics for the musical comedy, "The Addams Family," starring Nathan Lane and Bebe Neuwirth in the original Broadway production. He wrote the music for Aaron Sorkin's Broadway play, "The Farnsworth Invention, and his 2000 musical, "The Wild Party," won the Outer Critics Circle Award for best Off-Broadway musical of the season, earning him the 2000 Drama Desk Award for best music. Lippa also wrote additional songs and orchestration for the 1999 Broadway revival of "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown," which won the Drama Desk Award for outstanding revival of a musical and merited a Tony Award nomination for best revival of a musical.

Outside of composing, Lippa has served as music director for singer Kristin Chenoweth's concerts since 1999, performing at the Metropolitan Opera House, Carnegie Hall and several other notable concert halls across the country. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan and serves as counsel of The Dramatists Guild.

TSC's event provides a rare opportunity for Memphians to share company with a Broadway icon. Lippa will perform hits from his Broadway musicals, other beloved songs from the American musical songbook, and perhaps one or two of his works in progress. Attendees will also hear the backstage stories from Lippa's illustrious career. The evening begins with cocktails and appetizers at 6:30 p.m., dinner at 7 p.m., Lippa's performance at 8 p.m. and concludes with dessert.

Tickets are $500 each, or $1,000 per couple, and can be purchased by visiting www.tnshakespeare.org or calling Tennessee Shakespeare Company's box office at 901-759-0604. The location will be disclosed to ticketholders only.

About Tennessee Shakespeare Company

Tennessee Shakespeare Company is a professional, not-for-profit theatre and education organization in Memphis dedicated to live, diverse performances of William Shakespeare's plays, as well as works of social significance by classical, Southern, and modern writers/composers; and to providing innovative educational and training programming.

Founded in 2008 by Producing Artistic Director Dan McCleary, Tennessee Shakespeare Company is Memphis' first and only professional, classical theatre. In 2017, TSC purchased its first performing arts facility, which is being renovated into the state's only permanent home for professional, year-round Shakespeare performance, education, and training. The company is in the midst of its $6 million Brave New World capital campaign.

TSC has engaged its community with 45 site-specific plays and events for over 50,000 patrons. Its ground-breaking Education program has reached 120 schools across nine states, totaling over 250,000 student interactions.

The Education Program has achieved a high regional and national profile, partners annually with all local school systems, and this year is a recipient of two National Endowment for the Arts/Arts Midwest's Shakespeare in American Communities grants: one for The Romeo and Juliet Project in underserved local schools, and the other for expanded residencies with local incarcerated youth (TSC is one of just seven U.S. theatres to be awarded).