On Saturday, June 28, the Bijou Theatre offers its annual Jubilee celebration and fundraiser presented by the Lawson Family Foundation. Each year the event celebrates the history of our beautiful little jewel box concert hall, delivers some great music, and gives each of us a chance to support this amazing space. The concert and related activities serve as the largest fundraiser of the year for the venue.
The 2025 version of the annual event is all about celebrating a great artist, Mavis Staples, and all things southern soul. Mavis Staples remains a true icon of American Music, starting her professional career nearly 70 years ago as a part of her family band, The Staples Singers. Dancing across gospel, blues, soul, protest, and rock and roll through her storied career, it’s her voice you remember from hits like “I’ll Take You There,” “Respect Yourself” and “Let’s Do It Again.” Much more recently she’s drawn attention for her great song, “You Are Not Alone.”
Long connected to her work in Civil Rights and her family’s relationship with Dr. King, she’s also worked with legends like Bob Dylan (who asked for her hand!) and Mahalia Jackson. She continues to thrive and evolve as she passes timelessly through her 80s and more recently has collaborated artists as diverse as Jeff Tweedy, Gorillaz and David Byrne. She’s won multiple Grammys and has been inducted into most any music-related Hall of Fame you can name, including Rock and Roll, Gospel and Blues. I saw her last time she came to town, and it was a joyful night I’ll forever cherish.
While Mavis’ performance offers the centerpiece to the celebration, that’s just one part of the fun you’ll have supporting this venerable institution in our city. Prior to the show, VIP ticket holders will enjoy two hours of great music with DJ Soularia and the Knoxville Gospel Choir. Perfect cocktails will be served up by Fly By Night (Thanks Ryan Shanley and Jocelyn Morin!) and a meal centered on (what else?) southern barbecue will be delivered by Wells Station BBQ. The event will take place under a big tent on a closed Cumberland Avenue right beside the venue. Party ’til show time and step inside to your reserved seat!
If you can’t make the events that day, you still have a chance to be a supporter in the form of an online auction. “The auction will go live the week of June 23 and will feature items such as a Viking Cruise, autographed guitars and one-of-a-kind regional experiences. The auction will be announced on Instagram and via the Bijou’s mailing list.”
I met with the Executive Director Courtney Bergmeier to learn more about the concert, the Bijou’s past, and its future. I’d heard rumors to the effect that a long-closed section of the Bijou might eventually reopen and asked her about the plans.
Courtney said the concept for a Jubilee celebration began in 2009 in conjunction with the 100th anniversary of the opening of the theater. Larson Jay was president of the board and came up with the idea. “It celebrates the Bijou, helps raise funds for the Bijou, but I think it also raises awareness for the Bijou. A lot of people don’t realize we’re a nonprofit and having an event that talks about the impact of the organization is beneficial for community awareness.”
She said the “big trick” with the Jubilee is finding the perfect artist amid programming about 150 events throughout the year and scheduling them around the right time of the celebration. “We really look for a legendary, marquis headliner and that anchors it.” She mentioned Jason Isbell as an artist they tried and failed to get for the Jubilee, but through those conversations were eventually able to line him up for a performance at the venue. “It often leads to more programming or opportunities (to work with an artist).”
They look for not only artists who can sell the kind of high-dollar tickets they need to move, but around whom they can build a theme or narrative for a larger event. “This year we had the opportunity to work with Mavis and really leaned into ’70s funk-soul, kind of groovy vibe. The theme became ’70s soul revival.”
This will mark the first year the event will be held outdoors, a choice that came largely because of limited space options inside the building. Most recently, the pre-concert VIP event was held in the Bistro at the Bijou, but that limits seating to around 100, whereas they have a much larger capacity under the tent. “We’re vibing out this party lounge with its own live entertainment … It’s going to be really fun.”
I asked about the use of the funds raised and whether any of that might be directed toward a major initiative. “The big initiative is always the building … It’s a special historical landmark … and we’re working toward a renovation in the future. We’ve been working on a feasibility plan, starting in 2018. We hired an architectural firm out of Princeton, New Jersey to do a historical structure report.”
Any historic building is complicated, but as recently noted by Inside of Knoxville writer Paul James, this particular building consists of two buildings blended into one. The front portion includes the 1817 structure, originally the Lamar House, while the theater portion was added in 1909, nearly 100 years later. Additional complications include the fact that the current first floor of the older part originally served as the basement before being exposed in a lowering of that end of Gay Street, while the theater was built to host mixed-race, but segregated, audiences with separate entrances.
“They constructed a second balcony … to serve the African American community in a segregated fashion. They built a separate staircase to access that balcony, that went out to Cumberland Avenue. Separate box office. Separate restrooms. Separate concessions. After integration in the ’60s they didn’t need it anymore … it’s just been sitting vacant. Because it was built to be culturally segregated, it’s still physically segregated from the rest of the theater.”
The second balcony is not “rated for occupancy” and if that was addressed, there is still the issue of access since it isn’t connected to the rest of the building. Adding an elevator to reach the second balcony would also be a major undertaking. It remains a primary goal along with “flying sound off the stage.” She also points out that the lobby, while charming, is also a bottleneck for bathrooms, drinks and entry. “There’s a lot of potential and a lot of square footage in the building and it’s very complicated … to make the best modifications to address modern needs while honoring and preserving its place in history.”
She said studies have continued for the last two years because, as you might suspect, there are no blueprints. They have never been sure exactly what lies behind walls and between floors. “We’ve all kinds of professionals and consultants and subcontractors crawling through every inch of the building. What we’ve realized is that … everything you see on the surface is not as it appears. The floors that you see, the walls that you see, the ceilings that you see, there’s floors on top of floors, walls on top of walls … So, to peel all that back and get to the core of this structure and figure out what we’re working with, how this building is actually constructed, has been our focus for the better part of two years.”
She feels they are getting closer to being able to give architects a green-light to develop more specific plans given their improved understanding of what is there. While the current fundraiser won’t finance the kind of work that will come later, it allows them to continue their work, take care of the building, and pay for the studies that will lead to more specific plans. “All of it at the end of the day goes back into the building.”
In the post-pandemic era, the theater has recovered and is thriving. “We have more shows than ever; our organization is stronger than ever.” She knows executing those extensive plans will be difficult and she doesn’t anticipate that it will be soon, though she feels the work will ultimately need to be completed. She observed that the theater has survived a lot in its history, including near demolition as recently as the 1970s, with the most recent renovation in 2006 and financial difficulties about the same time.
While enough has been put in the building in recent years for it to survive, she feels it may be ready to thrive. “Now that we’ve found our niche and our role in the community, it’s time to make a sizable investment in its future. I think people now know there will be a return on its investment where that may have been less clear in the past.”
Tickets are on sale now and include general admission to the Mavis Staples concert for $55-$80. VIP tickets are available for $250 and include the pre-show soul party and premium seats for the Mavis Staples concert. The Bijou also is offering a soul party only option with no concert for $170. Anyone who has already purchased a general admission ticket may also choose to upgrade and add the pre-show soul party experience for $170. For live updates about this year’s events follow the Bijou on Instagram @bijoutheatre or join the mailing list by visiting knoxbijou.org. Tickets and sponsorships are available now at knoxbijou.org/jubilee.