A Moonshiner Family Reunion With Aerialists, Inside Nashville's Old Woolworth
Aerialists, strongmen and crude moonshine-family comedy share one stage inside Nashville's 1925 Woolworth building, an adults-only evening of about 90 minutes.
Shiners is a variety show built around a fictional family of moonshiners holding a reunion. Between the family jokes come aerial acts, hand-to-hand balancing, contortion, pole work and live singing, all inside the Woolworth Theatre in downtown Nashville.
The show's own site credits country singer Chuck Wicks as its creator, writer and producer, working with the choreography duo Nappytabs. It is an adult show. Plan for about 90 minutes.
This listing sells the 7:30 PM performance, Wednesday to Saturday, for guests 18 and over. Seats come assigned, and all sales are final. The theatre also runs a 5:00 PM show on some Saturdays, which this listing does not sell.
Shiners - Adult Comedy & Cirque Show at Woolworth TheatreA 90-minute adult comedy and cirque show at the Woolworth Theatre in downtown Nashville, 7:30 PM Wednesday to Saturday, ages 18 and up.www.viator.comAerialists, Strongmen and a Moonshine Family Plot
The plot is light. The Shiners gather for a family reunion, and each relative turns out to have a hidden act. The show's cast page lists aerial duos, a hand-to-hand pair, a contortionist, pole and aerial-net work and gumboot dancing, with a host and a singer holding the evening together.
Expect audience participation, especially in the seats near the stage. Travelers describe a host who works the crowd, and one guest seated in the front row ended up pulled into a scene.
The Jokes Are Adult, and the Door Checks ID
The show's content advisory lists adult humor, mature themes, suggestive content and language, and says Shiners is not for the easily offended. Travelers describe sexual jokes and near nudity, and one recalls an opening warning that anyone uncomfortable is free to leave.
Every guest needs a valid government-issued photo ID, and this listing is for ages 18 and up. The theatre does not admit children under 16, infants included, and strollers and car seats are not allowed inside.
Where You Sit Matters More Than Usual
Seats are assigned when you book, and this listing gives you no seat choice. Travelers who booked through listings like this one report seats far to the side, and one couple was split up.
Guests seated far to the side or in the mezzanine boxes report losing sight of acts that move off the main stage. One guest who paid for a box found a folding chair in front and swivel bar stools behind, not the sofas in the photos.
The listing marks the venue as wheelchair accessible. The show's own site says accessible seats are sold through its own ticketing and points questions to info@woolworththeatre.com, so if you need one, email that address as soon as you book.
A 1925 Woolworth Store With a Civil Rights Past
The theatre fills the Woolworth building on Rep. John Lewis Way, which the venue says opened in 1925. The venue calls it a pivotal civil rights site, where student-led sit-ins challenged segregation at its lunch counter. Those Nashville sit-ins began in February 1960.
A photo gallery made with the Nashville Public Library, Beyond the Counter, is open to the public on Fridays from 4 to 5 PM. A Friday ticket leaves time to see it before the show.
📍 Check in at the will-call stand inside the Woolworth Theatre, 223 Rep. John Lewis Way N, at least 15 minutes before showtime.
- Drinks and popcorn are sold at the theatre bar. Outside food and drinks are not allowed.
- Leave oversized bags, laser pointers and professional cameras at home. No flash photos.
- There is no dress code and no coat check. Travelers say the room runs warm.
- Parking is in paid garages and lots around the theatre.
- Sensory bags are available at the box office.
For dinner before or after, the Marquee Supper Club on the theatre's lower level serves a full menu, with a live band from 7:30 to 10:30 PM.