Penny4Arts
Penny4Arts gives every child in Knox and surrounding counties an opportunity to attend arts and culture events/activities at the maximum cost of ONE PENNY (or FREE) when accompanied by a paying adult. See below for more details, or call us at 865-523-7543 for help. New events are added throughout the year, so please check back!
Many thanks to the employees of Messer Construction for their support of this program!
Click here to view year-round events
Tennessee Stage Co: Shakespeare on the Hill – The Winter’s Tale
May 8-18 (Thu-Sat at 7:30 PM, Sun at 2 PM)
1711 Dandridge Ave
Performed in the gazebo of Mabry-Hazen House. The Tennessee Stage Company and their Shakespeare program, Knoxville Shakespeare, are excited to announce a continued partnership and program with Mabry-Hazen House.
Family, fairytale, and forgiveness entwine in this lyrical, late-Shakespearean Romance. When King Leontes wrongfully accuses his wife of adultery, he unleashes a storm of tragedy upon the kingdom of Sicilia. His libeled queen, Hermione, succumbs to sorrow, and their newborn child is left to perish in a foreign land. Sixteen years later, a young prince and a mysterious peasant girl elope to Sicilia, leading to an extraordinary reunion that just might give everyone a happily ever after.
The Winter’s Tale begins on the steps of the historic Mabry Hazen Home. Following intermission, the story moves to the gazebo, just across the lawn. The final act comes following a brief second intermission, during which the audience and the tale finish just where the show began. Doors open thirty minutes before curtain. Individual tickets are $15 with other discounts (group, zip code). Children 6 and under are free. We urge all attendees to bring a folding chair or a blanket since the performances will be at various locations on the grounds of the Mabry-Hazen House.
Contact: (865) 546-4280 or tennesseestage@comcast.net
https://www.mabryhazen.com/shakespeare
Knoxville Symphony Orchestra: New World Symphonies
MoxCar Marketing + Communications Masterworks Series
Thu-Fri May 15-16, 7:30 PM
Tennessee Theatre, 604 S. Gay Street, Knoxville, TN 37902
Aram Demirjian, conductor; Indigenous Vibes, drums
FLORENCE PRICE: Colonial Dance
DERRICK SKYE: New African Drum Concerto – KSO commission & world premiere
ANTONIN DVORAK: Symphony No. 9 (“From the New World”)
Advance reservations required? YES – we stop giving out seats/admissions for Penny4Arts at 5 PM the day of the show for Masterworks performances.
Contact: KSO Box Office, 865-291-3310, boxoffice@knoxvillesymphony.com
https://knoxvillesymphony.com
Marble City Opera: Pagliacci
Thu-Sat Jun 5-7, 7 PM
Three locations (Knoxville, Vonore, Oak Ridge)
Marble City Opera closes its 2024-25 mainstage season with three performances of Ruggero Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci. The renowned opera will be staged at the Tennessee Amphitheater in World’s Fair Park on Thursday, June 5; at the Sequoyah Birthplace Museum in Vonore on Friday, June 6; and in the pavilion at A.K. Bissell Park in Oak Ridge on Saturday, June 7. In Pagliacci, a comedy troupe comes to town for a performance but the lead actor discovers that his wife and co-star is in love with another man. His jealous rage erupts during their show with devastating results.
Advanced reservations required: YES
Contact: Frank Murphy; frank@marblecityopera.com; (865) 281-1879
https://www.marblecityopera.com/events/pagliacci-2025-06-05-19-00
The following guidelines apply to every Penny4Arts event:
+ Open to Knox and surrounding County residents (with a few exceptions);
+ All children ages 5-15 must be accompanied by a paying adult (age 18 and older) in a ratio not to exceed three children per one adult.
+ Proof of Knox and surrounding County residency may be required;
+ At least one in a group of up to four students ages 16-18 must purchase a regular adult admission/ticket (if applicable) for the group to be able to participate in Penny4Arts.