This month, several of my favorite arts events will happen, and I encourage you to get out and enjoy them. Venues include Oz Arts, Darkhorse Theatre, and 516 Hagan Gallery (formerly Zeitgeist).

Now in its 5th year, the Brave New Works Lab has become one of the most important resources for daring Nashville-based artists working in contemporary performance, inviting them to transform OZ Arts into a laboratory for the creation and premiere of new works and works-in-progress. The 2026 program spotlights four projects that capture the energy and imagination of the local arts scene — three thrilling new dance works by Kindling alumni Eboné Amos, Lenin Fernandez, and Amanda Reichert, plus an electro-futuristic chamber operetta by Nashville newcomers Jennie Liu & Andrew Gilbert. Each evening features all 4 projects, and Artist Community tickets are just $20-$25. Get more details and tickets at: https://www.ozartsnashville.org/brave-new-works-lab-2026/

“As You Are Under a Smile,” Choreographed by Emma Morrison, Saturday + Sunday, May 30-31 at 7:30pm at 516 Hagan Gallery (formerly Zeitgeist). Former New Dialect dancer, current Garage Collective member, and oft-seen dance collaborator Emma Morrison will share the next phase of her piece “As You Are Under a Smile,” previously seen as a work-in-progress at the Animata Arts sharings at CPAS. The movement-based performance explores ritual and the stages of psychic development as they play out in the unconscious mind, and Emma has employed some of the finest dancers in town to bring it to life in the former Zeitgeist space at the end of the month. Tickets are $20 – all revenue goes directly to paying the dancers. Tix at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/as-you-are-under-a-smile-tickets-1988483258956.

Rot at the Root, Nashville Dance Collective, Friday + Saturday, May 29-30 at 7:30pm at Darkhorse Theater (4610 Charlotte Ave). Nashville Dance Collective is back with an evening of intimately related choreography exploring how Southern purity culture and Christian doctrine shape women’s bodily autonomy and agency, and how the construction of white female purity is entangled with histories of racial violence in the American South. Featuring dancers and work from Nashville, Huntsville, and the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, as well as a silent auction at the Saturday show with Arts baskets, workout classes, and more. Tickets are free, with an option to donate as you wish. Tix at: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/spring-split-bill–26.

And, it’s not too early to make sure you get tickets for Nashville’s coolest arts festivals. Kindling Arts Festival 2026 invites you to explore the theme of “Utopias”: an invitation to imagine what’s possible if we let ourselves dream beyond the limits of what is. For their 9th year of radically unique arts programming, they will again feature more than 20 performances and events from July 23-26, 2026 (Thursday – Sunday) at multiple venues across West Nashville. Pre-sale passes are now on sale for their lowest pricing: $85 for a Standard Pass, $120 for a VIP pass. Book today — pre-sale pricing ends May 15th. Tickets available now, at: https://ci.ovationtix.com/35229/store/packages. Or after the pre-sale ends, through: https://www.kindlingarts.com/ and at the Festival website: https://www.kindlingarts.com/2026-festival