Winner of Nashville Scene's Best of Nashville 2023
"Best Revival of a Holiday Tradition" Writer's Choice Award
This treasured Nashville holiday tradition has David Alford telling two classic Truman Capote short stories in the historic Grand Salon of Belmont Mansion, decorated for a Victorian Christmas. Performed with original music by Paul Carrol Binkley, this is a highlight of Nashville’s end-of-year celebrations.
After nearly a decade away from appearing on local stages, in 2022 the Nashville actor revived the one-man performance to captivated audiences. It is an emotional evening perfect for the holiday season as audiences, new and returning, connect to the poignancy of Capote’s writing.
David Alford —“Being away from the piece for a while has made me appreciate how fortunate I’ve been; first, just to say Capote’s words, but also to be a part of something that’s meant so much to so many people. It’s really humbling and gratifying. I’m enjoying doing it again now with a few more years under my belt.”
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Selections, recorded in a studio, from David and Paul's performance are featured here.
Dates: December 14, 15, 16, 20, 21, & 22
Time: 7:30 PM CT
Ticket prices: $45
The restored Grand Salon of Belmont Mansion is the setting for Mr. Alford's performance of Truman Capote's beloved and poignant stories.
David appeared as Bucky Dawes in the television series Nashville for its six seasons. Other screen credits include The Good Fight (CBS) The Blacklist (NBC), The Last Castle (DreamWorks),  A Death in the Family  (PBS/Masterpiece Theatre), Stoker  (Warner Bros), and the web series Local Air.
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Recent stage credits include Mr. Marshall in the Broadway revival of "Little Foxes" (Manhattan Theatre Club), Billy in the workshop production of Donald Margulies’ "Long Lost" (Illinois Theatre), and the title role in "The Columnist" (Tennessee Rep). His one-man performance of Truman Capote’s A Christmas Memory was a holiday staple for Nashville audiences for over a decade.
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David’s writing credits include two historical plays produced annually in his hometown: Spirit: The Authentic Story Of The Bell Witch Of Tennessee; and Smoke: A Ballad Of The Night Riders. Other credits include a stage adaptation of Alan Lightman’s Einstein’s Dreams (with Brian Niece), the documentary theatre piece Boycott: Pulaski, Tennessee and the Legacy of the Ku Klux Klan, the screenplays On Music Row (MTV Networks), and the independent releases Prisoner, Adrenaline, and Deadbox.
His book Living The Dream: The Morning After Drama School (with Brian Horner) is available through Kendall Hunt Publishing.
Paul Carrol Binkley -- “I remember when David first gave me a copy of 'A Christmas Memory.' His idea was that he could simply tell the story, and I should compose underscoring music and accompany him. I remember reading it on an airplane with tears streaming down my face. We have since performed the piece together hundreds of times, and I still fight back tears (sometimes unsuccessfully), though I’m also guilty of laughing out loud. Whether you know the story or not, you will never experience a better telling than David Alford’s.”
About David Alford
A native and resident of Adams, Tennessee (pop. 600), David Alford is a graduate of the Juilliard School for Drama. He was the founder and Artistic Director of Mockingbird Theatre in Nashville, and later Executive Artistic Director of Tennessee Repertory Theatre (now Nashville Rep). He is currently serving as Visiting Assistant Professor of Acting at Baldwin Wallace University in Berea, Ohio.
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About Paul Carrol Binkley
Paul Carrol Binkley has been playing the guitar and composing his own music since he was nine years old. He trained at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Austin Peay State University, and Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt. His solo recordings have received national recognition on such broadcasts as “Music from the Hearts of Space” and NPR’s “All Things Considered” and he has performed his original music worldwide from the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville to the Singapore Jazz Festival. His performances and recordings span a wide range of musical styles for a diverse group of artists including Percy Sledge, The Fifth Dimension, Lorrie Morgan, Jim Nabors, Nashville Opera, Nashville Jazz Orchestra, Nashville Symphony, Modern Jazz Tuba Project, Cosmic Jazz Faculty, Conversation, Nexus Chamber Orchestra, Marty Raybon, Lari White, Mandy Barnett, the McCarters, and spent five years performing with country super group Alabama.
Paul has music directed, sound designed and composed for over 25 years for theatre companies including Tennessee Repertory Theatre, Nashville Shakespeare Festival, Nashville Children’s Theatre, Vanderbilt University Theatre (Artist in Residence, 2011-2014), Iowa Theatre Artist Company, Coterie Theatre (Kansas City), Hudson Theatre (Hollywood), and Falcon Theatre (Burbank). He also worked with Jerry Lewis and Rupert Holmes during the world premiere production of Marvin Hamlisch’s last musical, The Nutty Professor at the TN Performing Arts Center. His original musical Jack’s Tale (co-written by Scot Copeland) enjoyed its 2015 world premiere at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. to much critical acclaim.