Events

Crosstown Arts Summer 2023 resident artists present artist talks.

Growing up in Boston Massachusetts, Peter Janson listened to his father, an accomplished amateur guitarist, play solo guitar every day. Peter started playing by the age of seven, and starting doing pop gigs at age 15. For the last twenty-five years he has performed in venues large and small, much as a touring studio guitarist would - in a variety of styles; pop, rock, fusion, folk, Celtic, classical, and jazz. His sound is a melding of all these, and it presents as crossover jazz fusion.

One of the most searing romances of the 1990s, Wong Kar Wai’s emotionally raw, lushly stylized portrait of a relationship in breakdown casts Hong Kong superstars Tony Leung and Leslie Cheung as a couple traveling through Argentina and locked in a turbulent cycle of infatuation and destructive jealousy as they break up, make up, and fall apart again and again.

Interactive, experiential theater performances. 

Where does voguing come from, and what, exactly, is throwing shade? This landmark documentary provides a vibrant snapshot of the 1980s through the eyes of New York City’s African American and Latinx Harlem drag ball scene.

In 2022, Anthony Q released his highly anticipated singles, “Cut Ties” and “No Handouts.” The singles showcased his growth as an artist and received widespread praise for his honesty, vulnerability, and artistic merit. With its soulful melodies, thought-provoking lyrics, and impeccable production, “Cut Ties” and “No Handouts” solidified Anthony Q’s position as a rising star in the R&B/hip-hop landscape as he became a viral sensation overnight.

Indie Memphis & Crosstown Arts are excited to present our next Shoot & Splice: Screen Acting hosted by Akono Dixon. Akono will lead a presentation and discussion on the craft of acting; from building a character and working with a director, to script analysis, auditioning technique, and more. A Memphis native, Akono is a rising filmmaker with credits including DOLEMITE IS MY NAME, EUPHORIA, and the lead role in the upcoming Hallmark film, SPRING BREAKTHROUGH directed by Mykelti Williamson. 

As she has so eloquently accomplished over the past 25 years, acclaimed singer-songwriter Mary Gauthier has used her art once again to traverse the uncharted waters of the past few years. Her eleventh album, the first record in over 8 years consisting of all her own songs, Dark Enough to See the Stars, follows the profound antidote to trauma, Rifles & Rosary Beads, her 2018 collaborative work with wounded Iraq war veterans. It garnered a Grammy nomination for Best Folk Album, as well as a nomination for Album of the Year by the Americana Music Association. Publication of her first book, the illuminating Saved by a Song: The Art and Healing Power of Songwriting, in 2021, amplified the specific yet relatable world view that makes her work beloved. 

Fassbinder’s biggest international box-office success and the first part of his “postwar trilogy,” The Marriage of Maria Braun is a heartbreaking study of a woman picking herself up from the ruins of her own life, as well as a pointed metaphorical attack on a society determined to forget its past.

The Ukuleles in the Heartland series visits the Crosstown Concourse, featuring the Nashville-based Webb-Tigert Ukulele duo, Ray Cygrymus (veteran of Pittsburgh bands Maxwell Switch, Tangent, and the Ukuholicks), and Huntsville, Alabama, ukulele performer and teacher Kirk Jones (also known by his adorable stage alias/YouTube handle, “Orangutan Or Lion”).

Join Grammy-winning saxophonist Kirk Whalum for Kafé Kirk, an ongoing jazz series in Crosstown Theater featuring musical and spiritual collaborations with special guest artists. This iteration’s performance will feature Keia Johnson and Kevin Whalum.