Meet the face behind the Auditorium curtain
USN's High School Theater Director Lillian Palmer, and read all about what's new in HS theater.
By Lisa Usdan, Tiger Arts Patrons chair and Michelle Rosen, USNA Communications Co-Chair
The Tiger Arts Patrons program works year-round to promote and support the visual and performing arts at USN. With the High School musical “Legally Blonde” right around the corner (opening night is Wednesday, November 6), it's a great time to pull back the curtain and learn more about Lillian Palmer, the faculty member making it all happen behind the scenes.
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The Tiger Arts Patrons program works year-round to promote and support the visual and performing arts at USN. With the High School musical “Legally Blonde” right around the corner (opening night is Wednesday, November 6), it's a great time to pull back the curtain and learn more about Lillian Palmer, the faculty member making it all happen behind the scenes.
Although Palmer only started at USN last year, she brings a deep resume of theater experience, having studied theater in college at Birmingham Southern, and performing off-Broadway and in her own improv troop in New York City. After her own performing career, she pursued a teaching career in Costa Rica, and then Florida. But it was the opportunity to teach at USN that brought her back home to Nashville.
While honoring the legacy of her late predecessor, longtime theater teacher Catherine Coke, Palmer has also introduced many new initiatives in the department, including courses in improv, movie production, and screenwriting. She's also instituted a monologue program to help seniors with college theater auditions and scholarships.
In addition to her coursework, Palmer advises the Student Theatre Guild and coordinates students' participation in the Spotlight and Jimmy Awards, two national competitions and award programs for theater students.
But perhaps we are most familiar with her role as the guiding hand behind the dazzling number of USN student productions, including Student Theatre Guild's recent “Scene Night,” the fall musical “Legally Blonde,” the upcoming December production of “Cabaret,” a spring production of “Midsummer Night's Dream,” and a student-directed play later in the year.
Palmer wants students to be professional and also excited about theater because excitement is contagious, as evidenced by her reveal party announcing “Legally Blonde” as the fall musical.
"My goal is to make theater inclusive for all USN students. I will find a spot for anyone who wants to participate," she said.
When asked about what she likes most about teaching at USN, she said, "There's a respect for academia that bleeds into performances. USN kids are truly excited to learn. And for a director and teacher, it's so fulfilling to mold and shape that excitement."
Stay tuned for great things from Palmer and our theater department, and remember: TAP membership comes with free tickets to all performing arts events.
More USN News
List of 3 news stories.
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Divisions come together in exciting printmaking lesson
During a fun cross-division collaboration, students in Third Grade Teacher Cala Millis' class visited HS Art Teacher Chris Cheney's class to learn about printmaking and the inner workings of a USN art studio.Read More -
Grab Music Night tickets February 27
Rodney Crowell, legendary artist and grandfather to USN student Iris ‘26, will perform on Saturday, April 11, for Music Night, our annual adult-only concert in Durnan Auditorium. Tickets will be available soon for this fundraiser, which supports the arts and athletics at USN.Read More -
USN captures Ethics Bowl Championship
For the third year in a row, USN has won the Tennessee Regional Ethics Bowl Championship. Congratulations to Coco Shepard ’27, Alice Littlehale ’26, Alice Cramer ’28, Caroline Stinner ’27, Z Aulino ’26, and Kostas Rokas ’29 for this accomplishment.Read More
Contact
Edgehill Campus
2000 Edgehill Ave.
Nashville, TN 37212
Phone: 615-321-8000
Fax: 615-321-0889
Email: info@usn.org
River Campus
1200 County Hospital Road
Nashville, TN 37218
2000 Edgehill Ave.
Nashville, TN 37212
Phone: 615-321-8000
Fax: 615-321-0889
Email: info@usn.org
River Campus
1200 County Hospital Road
Nashville, TN 37218
USN Mission:
University School of Nashville models the best educational practices. In an environment that represents the cultural and ethnic composition of Metropolitan Nashville, USN fosters each student’s intellectual, artistic, and athletic potential, valuing and inspiring integrity, creative expression, a love of learning, and the pursuit of excellence.
University School of Nashville models the best educational practices. In an environment that represents the cultural and ethnic composition of Metropolitan Nashville, USN fosters each student’s intellectual, artistic, and athletic potential, valuing and inspiring integrity, creative expression, a love of learning, and the pursuit of excellence.