The size of the historic Downtown theater makes it possible to reopen to audiences during the COVID-19 epidemic, said Orpheum president Brett Batterson.

The Memphis-based regional movie chain, with 36 locations across six states, will start reopening its indoor theaters Aug. 21, with significant physical upgrades that involve more luxurious – and reserved – seating. 

We're used to large-scale alterations underway on sites Downtown, but landscapes are also changing at some promising and high-profile properties farther East. 

Elizabeth Rouse, President & CEO of ArtsMemphis, joined Eric Barnes on The Extra Podcast this week to talk about the myriad number of ways that artists are trying to connect with people during the shutdown.

On its 20th anniversary, the Stax Music Academy is using the break from in-person instruction to prioritize solo musicianship over live performance.

Elvis’ popularity may have started this week in 1956. That’s when “Hound Dog” and “Don’t Be Cruel”— constituting two sides of one 45 rpm single — reached the top of Billboard's pop singles chart.

Elvis Week ended with an abbreviated version of the annual candlelight vigil, commemorating the death of the iconic entertainer. 

Expecting to lose $2 million, due to the pandemic, The Orpheum Theatre Group launched a socially distant onstage golf course to earn money during the break from their performance schedule.

About 200 fans are already signed up for the virtual event, but there’s space for 500, says Kat Leache, Novel’s social media and promotions coordinator.

Those who are showing up for the pandemic version of Elvis Week are getting a first look at new interactive exhibits – "Elvis Movie Match Game," "Elvis Yourself" – that will become permanent fixtures at the complex across from Graceland.

This week on The Extra Podcast, Elizabeth Cawein, executive director of Music Export Memphis, joins Eric Barnes to talk about how local musicians are dealing with the coronavirus shutdown.

Memphis is the central focus of the Porretta Soul Festival held in Porretta Terme, Italy, an hour outside Bologna.

This 1969 album established Hayes’ sound and persona. It not only made him a star, but it made him a new kind of star. 

Some of the Memphis figures buried at Elmwood Cemetery star in a film by Willy Bearden that will be streamed Oct. 10. Bearden's documentary includes a key role for himself as a former mayor of Memphis. 

Hassell, who has collaborated with Brian Eno, Talking Heads and Ry Cooder, remembers a transformative introduction to music in his hometown: “You just never forget the things that happened first in your life.”

From 1971 until his retirement in 2012, Chipman served over St. Jude’s communications and marketing sector, while also maintaining a presence first on stage, and later in television and film.

Contrary to early rumors, University of Memphis radio station WYXR – formerly WUMR – will still play jazz, there will be lots of Memphis music but other music as well, and U of M students will continue to be involved in the station.

Some of the brightest stars of “Memphis rap” live on message boards and Twitter threads, instead of the banks of the Mississippi. Skinny Finsta's hometown is Heidelberg but it's the Bluff City sound that inspires him. 

Cerrito’s business was based on friends interacting at preferably crowded indoor spaces. What happens when barroom bonhomie becomes a public health problem? For Cerrito, it meant a screeching halt to his entire business. 

Sous chef Emily LaForce had many jobs before she found her home in the kitchen at River Oaks, but through them all, she’s always had a paintbrush in her hand.

Instagrammable moments will mark Graceland's COVID-19 edition of Elvis Week.

Memphis native Katori Hall created “P-Valley,” a series about a strip club in the Mississippi Delta. 

Since 1997, Devin Steel has been a force in Memphis' rap radio industry and behind the scenes of its thriving hip-hop culture. After being let go from his job of nearly two decades, he is hoping to stay in the mix.

Before this is all over there will be plenty of other songs like Yo Gotti’s "Recession Proof" that comment specifically on the pandemic. Even the tracks that don’t feature bridges about Zoom meetings will still reflect the mood and feelings of this moment.

The Live at the Garden series' home has a new name and a new sponsor.