Deana Carter, Ricky Skaggs among 9 acts in Hoover Library Theatre 2019-20 season

Country Music Association Award winner and six-time Grammy nominee Deana Carter and 15-time Grammy Award winner Ricky Skaggs and his band Kentucky Thunder are two of the nine acts in the 2019-20 Hoover Library Theatre season, library officials announced today.

Other big names coming to the 250-seat theater this season include the Grammy-nominated group The Isaacs and The Kingdom Choir from London, which will be the first choir to perform as part of a Library Theatre season, Library Theatre Director Matina Johnson said.

Two other musical groups are included in this season. The Annie Moses Band performs in March, and a unique show called “Live From Laurel Canyon” will close out the season in May with a showcase of 90 minutes of music and stories from a long list of influential musicians who lived and performed in the Laurel Canyon neighborhood of Los Angeles.

Sprinkled in between the musical acts will be four plays.

The first will be a presentation of “Dracula,” part of a national tour by the PUSH Physical Theatre, in October. In December, the Red Mountain Theatre Company will present a play called “Holiday Memories,” adapted from two of Truman Capote’s most famous stories, “The Thanksgiving Visitor” and A Christmas Memory.”

And in February, Hoover Library Theatre guests will get to see two related one-act plays called “Graceland” and “Asleep on the Wind.” That show will be part of the 2020 Southern Voices Festival, providing some variety for the festival, Johnson said.

“I’m really excited about this year’s lineup,” she said, noting that it includes a Grammy Award winner, a national tour and both accomplished and current acts.

She expects tickets to see the headliners will sell out in less than 10 minutes.

Tickets go on sale Aug. 20 for past full-season subscribers and Aug. 22 for new full-season subscribers. Individual shows will go on sale Aug. 23. Tickets cost $27.50, plus a $2.50 processing fee, for a total ticket price of $30.

Once tickets go on sale, library officials encourage people to buy tickets online at thelibrarytheatre.org. However, tickets also can be purchased by phone at 444-7888 or in person at the Library Theatre box office at 200 Municipal Drive.

Here is a bit more about each of the 2019-20 performances and the show dates and times:

DEANA CARTER

Sept. 12-13, 7:30 p.m.

She is probably best known for her hit songs “Strawberry Wine” and debut 1996 album “Did I Shave My Legs for This?” — both nominated for Grammys. But she has had a total of nine albums that feature her own blend of country and retro-rock, sprinkled with a folksy flavor.

Carter also is known for her songwriting ability. She earned a Golden Globe for best original song for “Once Upon a December” in the “Anastasia” motion picture.

She has toured with many artists, including Dwight Yoakum, Alan Jackson, Willie Nelson, Vince Gill, Kenny Chesney and Keith Urban, and was named one of People magazine’s “50 Most Beautiful People” at least twice.

“DRACULA”

Oct. 17-18, 7:30 p.m.

This play is part of the national tour of PUSH Physical Theatre’s adaptation of Bram Stoker’s 1897 horror novel.

Normally, PUSH Physical Theatre’s presentations don’t have dialogue, so this will be something different than what their followers are accustomed to seeing, Johnson said.

Rochester actor and writer Danny Hoskins wrote the play, which tells the story of Renfield, who, in his search for immortality, stumbles upon the Amulet of the Vampire, a lost jewel. Caged in a cell under the watchful eye of a doctor, Renfield uncovers the secrets of eternal life as a mysterious maiden arrives at the asylum.

RICKY SKAGGS AND KENTUCKY THUNDER

Nov. 10, 4 and 7:30 p.m.

Skaggs, a master mandolin player and country and bluegrass musician, has won 15 Grammy Awards and 15 International Bluegrass Music Association Awards. He and his group, Kentucky Thunder, have won IBMA Instrumental Group of the Year eight times in the past decade.

Skaggs was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 1982, the youngest person ever to be inducted at that time. He has been inducted into six halls of fame, including three in 2018: the National Fiddler Hall of Fame, IBMA’s Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Previous inductions included the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame, Gospel Music Association’s Gospel Music Hall of Fame and Musicians Hall of Fame.

“I think people are going to be really, really excited to see him,” Johnson said.

"HOLIDAY MEMORIES”

Dec. 5-6, 7:30 p.m.

This play, inspired by Truman Capote’s experiences growing up in Alabama during the Depression, follows the adventures of a young boy during the holiday season.

It covers two stages of his life, the 7-year-old Buddy and the middle-aged Truman, and shares about Southern traditions, the relationships of family and the importance of shared humanity.

The show is being produced in honor of Jack Mann, a mainstay in the Birmingham theater community who died at the end of 2018. Red Mountain Theatre Company Executive Director Keith Cromwell will direct in collaboration with Mann’s son, Philip Mann, and the Alabama Center for the Arts. Mann’s wife, Suzanne Mann, will be a featured actress.

THE ISAACS

Jan. 16-17, 7:30 p.m.

This family group, based out of Hendersonville, Tennessee, consists of Lily Isaacs and her children Ben Isaacs, Sonya Isaacs Yeary and Rebecca Isaacs Bowman.

The band frequently performs at the Grand Ole Opry and is known for tight family harmonies and multi-genre musical influences of bluegrass, rhythm and blues, folk, country and Southern gospel.

They have been nominated for two Grammys and won eight Dove awards from the Gospel Music Association. Pro Football Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw produced their two latest projects, “Nature’s Symphony in 432” and “Favorites.”

“In January, when it’s really cold, that will be the sweetest sound to warm up to,” Johnson said.

“GRACELAND” AND “ASLEEP ON THE WIND”

Feb. 19-20, 7:30 p.m.

The first of these two one-act plays, “Graceland,” is set at the front entrance of the late Elvis Presley’s mansion three days before the estate is to be opened to the public. Two ardent Presley fans, Bev and Rootie, are determined to be the first to enter the mansion, and they progress from a dispute to growing compassion and shared confidences.

The second play, “Asleep on the Wind,” is a prequel set 10 years prior in a small clearing in Bayou Teche, Louisiana, and shares more about the backgrounds of the characters.

Both will be directed by Henry Scott, a frequent director at the Virginia Samford Theatre in Birmingham. “They’re very touching and moving plays,” Johnson said.

ANNIE MOSES BAND

March 12-13, 7:30 p.m.

This ensemble of songwriters, singers, musicians and Julliard-trained siblings have more than a dozen albums under their belt, blending folk, classical and traditional arrangements.

“From jazz aficionados to bluegrass buffs, they’ll all equally enjoy this music,” Johnson said.

The band has produced Telly-nominated specials on PBS, traveled to Europe and Asia, and performed on stages as diverse as Carnegie Hall and the Grand Ole Opry.

THE KINGDOM CHOIR

April 21-22, 7:30 p.m.

Johnson said she knew she wanted to bring this choir to Hoover ever since she saw it perform at the British royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in May 2018.

The choir’s performance of “Stand By Me” in front of a global audience of over 2 billion people instantly put them in the international spotlight, she said.

The choir was founded in 1994 by conductor Karen Gibson and draws from various Christian traditions.

“LIVE FROM LAUREL CANYON”

May 7-8, 7:30 p.m.

This show, created by master composer Brian Chartrand, shares the music and stories of artists who have lived in the canyon that makes its way through the Hollywood Hills section of Los Angeles.

The music comes from artists such as The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, Carole King, James Taylor, the Mamas & the Papas, Joni Mitchell, The Eagles, Linda Ronstadt, Jim Morrison, and Crosby, Still Nash & Young, all of whom resided in the canyon from 1965 to 1976.

Johnson said she’s eager to hear the stories and learn the origins of the songs to which she’s been singing along for so many years.