"Arts on the Side" Free Meal & Arts Activities

Athens Area Council for the Arts (AACA) is pleased to welcome patrons to Arts on the Side on Tuesday, November 18, for anyone and everyone to enjoy a community meal, visual arts activities, and interactive play reading (“table read”).

The soup supper (with vegan option), catered by ARAMARK, begins at 5:30 PM in the Peggy Dow Performance Center with arts activities starting at 6:00 PM in the Peggy Dow Center and Visual Arts Wing. At 7:00 PM, Athens Community Theatre’s Table Read of “Mean Girls The Musical” (Rated PG-13) starts in the Sue E. Trotter Black Box Theater at The Arts Center. 

“We hosted a community meal and Pickin’ Party in September that was so enjoyable, we wanted to build on the momentum of that gathering. Some patrons may remember Arts on the Side, a lunch program AACA offered about a decade ago. The tagline was ‘you bring lunch, the arts on us.’ In shaping this new community meal series, we wanted to return to the spirit of that program - a shared meal as the focus, and an arts experience as an added bonus,” said AACA Executive Director, Lauren Brown.

“We’ve chosen a soup supper for the November event because - well, it’s soup season -  and, more significantly, because the church soup suppers of my youth are the main inspiration for this program. When I was around ten, our church had weekly soup suppers during the Lenten season leading up to Easter. Enjoying the fellowship of the many generations in my congregation, and playing in the church yard with my peers, is one of my earliest memories of feeling a strong sense of belonging. I looked forward to those suppers each week and each year and still miss them,” Brown continued.

“Even though AACA has been active for more than forty-five years, and we’ve had our home at The Arts Center for twenty, we’re still a hidden gem in our community. I am hopeful that Arts on the Side will encourage folks who have never been to The Arts Center to come share a meal with us and learn more about what happens here,” said Brown.

“Gatherings at The Arts Center are not unlike a church soup supper. Everyone is welcome here. Plus, there is a lot of data about how sharing arts experiences and doing creative things helps create unity and a sense of community. Instead of sharing statistics, we’re sharing this invitation with the hope that people will come to feel that fact for themselves.”

This quarter’s offering includes three visual arts activities: clay handbuilding with Patricia Shook, a guided acrylic painting exercise with Nancy Kyzer, and collage fun with Holly Doucette and Jan Burleson. At 7:00 PM all are welcome to join ACT's Table Read of Mean Girls, led by Michael Webb.

Adapted from Tina Fey's hit 2004 film, Mean Girls was nominated for a staggering 12 Tony Awards. This fiercely hilarious musical is from book writer Tina Fey (30 Rock), lyricist Nell Benjamin (Legally Blonde) and composer Jeff Richmond (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt). Parents be advised: Mean Girls is rated PG-13.

Participation in a table read is a great way to “dip a toe in” to see what it’s like to work with Athens Community Theatre. The play is read casually: A participant can read a part or simply listen, and change their mind at any time. ACT members host these opportunities for fun, to preview plays and musicals for consideration, or for more niche titles. They are always free and open to the public. 

Anyone who wants to learn about future table reads can email operations@athensartscouncil.org to be added to the notification list.

All AACA programs are supported by the City of Athens and premier sponsors Discover McMinn and Willsonthropic, Inc. and Mintie C. Willson. Additional support comes from presenting sponsors: Arasmark Collegiate Hospitality, Denso, Friendly City Festivals, Muddy Waters Two Wine and Spirits, and Wolfenden Family Pharmacies. All other sponsors are recognized on AACA’s website. 

More information about AACA programs is available at athensartscouncil.org, or over the phone at 423-745-8781. Staff is available via phone, or in person, at The Arts Center.  Office hours are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The Arts Center is located in Historic Downtown Athens, Tennessee, in the Main Street District, at 320 North White Street.