OZ Arts Nashville Launches New Season of Vital Contemporary Performances by Fearless Artists

The 11th season celebrates the non-profit art center’s second decade of “Brave New Art” with works by cultural icon John Cameron Mitchell, Hip-hop legend Rennie Harris, rising dance star Oona Doherty, and more

Contemporary arts center OZ Arts Nashville announced its dynamic 11th season of groundbreaking performances, featuring thrilling theatrical journeys, urgent confrontations of timely issues and daredevil breakthroughs in creative possibility. Theater, dance, music and multimedia events are highlighted in the compelling 2023-24 lineup of daring local, national and international artists who are shaping contemporary art and culture. 

“Our 11th season builds on OZ’s history of experimentation by further defying the limits of what is possible in the performing arts,” said Mark Murphy, OZ Arts Executive and Artistic Director. “From the mind-blowing multimedia work Pixel that starts the year to the sensational theatrical experience Food with its exclusive two-week run, this is a year packed with can’t-miss events that people need to experience for themselves, not just hear about.”

Kicking off the 11th season, French ensemble Compagnie Käfig brings its high-flying masterpiece Pixel, a thrilling fusion of Hip-hop dance and stunning 3D projections, to OZ on September 6 and 7. 

October’s jam-packed lineup begins with a visit from Little Amal, a captivating 12-foot-tall puppet representing a refugee child from Syria who is traveling the world to share her message of hope for displaced immigrants around the globe. The free community event will take place on October 5 in Centennial Park, and features choreography by celebrated local artist Shabaz Ujima. Later in the month, Tony Award-winning cultural icon John Cameron Mitchell joins forces with international cabaret star Amber Martin to sing for LGBTQ justice in a Benefit for the ACLU of Tennessee on October 20 and 21 at OZ. 

For Halloween, OZ celebrates all things ghoulish with the theatrical noir rockers Fable Cry and their annual Festival of Ghouls, an immersive costume party and over-the-top cabaret embracing the sensual delights of Dante’s Inferno on October 28. 

Returning to OZ Arts after his stunning 2021 Nashville debut, award-winning choreographer Rennie Harris and his company Puremovement present Rome & Jewels, a Hip-hop retelling of Romeo & Juliet, unlike any version you’ve seen before. Featuring dueling DJs and a large company of virtuosic dancers, the story of fear, love and triumph is set in the streets of Philadelphia and deeply rooted in the traditions of Hip-Hop and street dance. Performances run from November 9 to 11.

If Thanksgiving doesn’t leave Nashvillians feeling stuffed, guests can take a seat at a giant, 500-square-foot table at OZ for an unforgettable theatrical evening with Geoff Sobelle’s internationally acclaimed  Food, November 30 to December 10. This “dinner party as a theatrical spectacle” (New York Times) is full of magical stagecraft and illusion as Sobelle explores the human relationship with what we eat. Please note, though: there’s no actual eating at this dinner party, so don’t come hungry.

With the new year comes new dynamic performances on the OZ Arts stage, starting with visionary choreographer Shamel Pitts and a trio of Black performers in Black Hole: Trilogy & Triathlon, February 2 and 3. Through projection techniques and spellbinding movement, the audience is transported into an Afrofuturist dimension for an otherworldly experience. February 29 to March 2, game-changing French dance company Mazelfreten takes audiences on a thrilling journey infused with electro music and dance in Rave Lucid. Nashville audiences get to experience the U.S. debut tour of their “visceral, original, and hard-hitting” (SceneWeb France) choreography.

Raise a glass to celebrate 10 years of OZ Arts Nashville on April 6 with a one-of-a-kind birthday bash. The art-filled benefit will feature special mini-performances celebrating OZ’s first decade, and give hints at the bright creative future ahead.

Visually stunning and family-friendly, Hamid Rahmanian’s enchanting and epic Persian love story, Song of the North, will transform OZ with shadow and light on April 19 and 20. This large-scale, cinematic performance blends shadow puppetry with lush animation and features a cast of 500 handmade puppets alongside a talented ensemble of nine actors and puppeteers. 

May 16 to 18, OZ’s Brave New Works Lab returns for a third year of world premieres by daring Nashville artists who use OZ Arts as a creative laboratory for multimedia experimentation and collaboration across disciplines.

From May 30 to June 1, audiences won’t want to miss the chance to experience the work of rapidly rising dance star Oona Doherty and her distinctive choreography in Navy Blue. 12 dancers bring the Northern Irish artist’s vision to life in a thrilling mash-up of visceral movement, spoken word, and gripping theatrical elements.

Full details and photos for all 2023-24 programming can be found here. OZ Arts remains committed to ensuring its programming is accessible to all audiences. Individual tickets for performances start at $20 and season ticket packages are available for as low as $125.

The 2023-24 season at OZ Arts Nashville is made possible, in part, by funding from the Metro Nashville Arts Commission, the Tennessee Arts Commission, the HCA Foundation, The Hays Foundation and The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee. For more information or to purchase tickets for the upcoming season, visit www.ozartsnashville.org.

About OZ Arts Nashville

Founded in 2013 by the Ozgener family, OZ Arts Nashville has quickly established itself as one of the Southeast’s most influential and respected producers and presenters focused on the creation and presentation of significant performing and visual artworks by diverse cultural visionaries who are making vital contributions to the evolution of contemporary culture. Through performances, exhibitions, and community events, OZ Arts focuses on producing and presenting the work of local and visiting artists who reflect our diverse society, utilize new artistic forms and technology in creative ways, and provide opportunities for meaningful engagement with audiences, students and cultural and civic leaders. OZ Arts’ unique creative warehouse has developed a reputation as a major national and regional laboratory for experimentation and a home for contemporary dance and performance. More than 50,000 audience members have been introduced to adventurous artists from around the world since the organization opened, and hundreds of local and regional artists have used OZ’s 10,000-square-foot warehouse theater to develop new works. For more information, please visit ozartsnashville.org.