Yearly Archives: 2013

Ben Piazza focus of Old State House Brown Bag program

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piazza“Ben Piazza: Becoming the American Dream” is the title of a discussion at the Old State House today at 12 noon.

Piazza was a Little Rock native who starred on Broadway as well as appeared in movies and TV from the 1950s through the 1990s. Throughout his career he acted with Gary Cooper, Tom Hanks, Jane Fonda, Robert DeNiro, Cher, Dan Akroyd, John Belushi and Walter Matthau among others.   Ben was also a friend of playwright Edward Albee and appeared in many of his plays throughout the 1960s, including The American Dream and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

During his career Ben saw seismic shifts in the acting profession.  He experienced the theatrical, TV and movie industries turned on their heads because of radical changes which few could have foreseen.

This discussion looks at Ben Piazza’s life and career as Broadway and Hollywood underwent drastic changes in the second half of the 20th Century.  It also discusses his career as a writer – most notably the novel The Exact and Very Strange Truth and the Off Broadway play Lime Green/Khaki Blue.

The program is being held in conjunction with the Old State House Museum’s exhibit Lights! Camera! ARKANSAS!

 

 

Tales from the South: Games Children Play

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talesfromsouthTonight’s edition of  ”Tales from the South” is Games Children Play. It will feature stories by Brooke Burger, Newton Jones and Bill Scott. Music is by Amy Garland Angel and blues guitarist Mark Simpson

“Tales From the South” is a radio show created and produced by Paula Martin Morell, who is also the show’s host. The show is taped live on Tuesday. The night is a cross between a house concert and a reading/show, with incredible food and great company. Tickets must be purchased before the show, as shows are usually standing-room only.

“Tales from the South” is a showcase of writers reading their own true stories. While the show itself is unrehearsed, the literary memoirs have been worked on for weeks leading up to the readings. Stories range from funny to touching, from everyday occurrences to life-altering tragedies.

The program takes place at Starving Artist Café.  Dinner is served from 5pm to 6:30pm, the show starts at 7pm.  Admission is $7.50, not including dinner.

You MUST purchase your ticket before the show

Previous episodes of “Tales from the South” air on KUAR Public Radio on Thursdays at 7pm.  Tonight’s episode will air on September 19.

Art comes to life at Arkansas Arts Center tonight

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Rembrandt van Rijn Portrait of the Artist, ca. 1665 Oil on canvas Kenwood House, English Heritage, Iveagh Bequest (88028836) Photo courtesy American Federation of Arts

Rembrandt van Rijn
Portrait of the Artist, ca. 1665
Oil on canvas
Kenwood House, English Heritage, Iveagh Bequest (88028836)
Photo courtesy American Federation of Arts

In conjunction with Rembrandt, Van Dyck, Gainsborough: The Treasures of Kenwood House, London the Arkansas Arts Center and Arkansas Festival Ballet are presenting “Stepping off the Canvas: A History of Dance from Rembrandt to Turner.”

Dancers from Arkansas Festival Ballet will bring the masterpieces to life in a way which shows the evolution of both dance and visual art through the past centuries.

The program begins at 7pm with a complimentary wine reception at 6pm.

Tickets are $25 for non-members and $20 for Arkansas Arts Center members. Ballet ticketholders will receive a complimentary visit to the exhibition at a later date.

Now through September 8, 2013, the Arkansas Arts Center is hosting the exhibition: Rembrandt, Van Dyck, Gainsborough: The Treasures of Kenwood House, London. From one of the greatest country houses in England, a treasure trove of Old Master paintings is in Little Rock. This summer, the Arkansas Arts Center in Little Rock is one of only four institutions in North America hosting this special exhibition.

The Arkansas Arts Center is an art museum with a children’s theatre and a studio school. Opened in 1963, its mission is to ensure that learning, inspiration and creative expression in the arts flourish throughout Arkansas, for people of all ages and backgrounds. The AAC realizes this mission by developing, preserving and exhibiting its outstanding permanent collection, offering a rich variety of art from other collections and presenting programs for the education and cultural benefit of the public. Dr. Todd Herman is the Executive Director.

Arkansas Festival Ballet, Rebecca M. Stalcup, Artistic Director, is a repertory dance company dedicated to classical ballet training and performance. The company was founded in 2000. Arkansas Festival Ballet’s seasonal programming includes enchanting storybook ballets and mixed-bill productions featuring fresh, new choreography by local and guest artists, along with excerpts from beloved ballet classics.

 

Little Rock Zoo celebrates Adelina’s first birthday on Saturday

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Little-Rock-zoo-logo-4-c-with-tagadelinafosseyOn August 19, 2012, Adelina was born at the Little Rock Zoo.  To celebrate her first birthday (a couple of days early), the Little Rock Zoo is throwing a Birthday Party for Adelina.

Zoo staff and docents have been preparing gifts for Adelina as well as her family.  She was born last year to Sekani (mom) and Fossey (dad).  A western lowland gorilla, she has quickly become Arkansas’ most popular primate — complete with her own Facebook page.

The birthday party will begin at 10am at the Little Rock Zoo.

This weekend will be a great time to get in one final visit to the Zoo before the start of the school year.

adelinapartyThe Little Rock Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Look for the AZA logo whenever you visit a zoo or aquarium as your assurance that you are supporting a facility dedicated to providing excellent care for animals, a great experience for you and a better future for all living things. With its more than 200 accredited members, AZA is a leader in global wildlife conservation and your link to helping animals in their native habitats. For more information, visit http://www.aza.org.adelina

48 Hour Film Project this weekend in Little Rock

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48HFP-Poster-1024x724

Little Rock will be overrun with filmmakers this weekend as the Little Rock Film Festival hosts its fourth annual 48 Hour Film Project from August 16 – 18.

From conception to post-production, participating teams have only 48 hours to make movie magic.  Filmmakers must write, cast, produce and edit a four to seven minute film in two days. Each team is given a genre, a character, a prop and a line of dialogue that must be used. The story is up to them.

“[The] 48Hour is a great experience for filmmakers and film fans alike who want to get a taste of what it’s like to complete a short film from scratch,” said Levi Agee, producer of the LRFF 48 Hour Film Project. “You’ll never participate in anything like it. This is Little Rock Film Festival’s fourth year supporting the film festival and we are all very excited to see what Little Rock puts up on the big screen.”

At the end of the weekend, each team will submit their completed film, which will be screened on August 29 – 31 at the Bank of America Building in downtown Little Rock.

Registration is $160. Anyone interested can register here.  For more information, visit the Little Rock Film Festival website.

Tonight: “Mission to Mars: My Vision for Space Exploration,” Dr. Buzz Aldrin and Leonard David

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Buzz AldrinLegendary astronaut Dr. Buzz Aldrin and Leonard David, veteran space journalist and co-author of Dr. Aldrin’s new book, “Mission to Mars: My Vision for Space Exploration” will be in conversation this evening at 6:00pm at Robinson Center Music Hall.

Selected into the NASA in 1963, Dr. Aldrin developed docking and rendezvous techniques for spacecraft in Earth and lunar orbit, which was critical to the success of the Gemini and Apollo programs, and are still used today. He pioneered underwater training techniques, as a substitute for zero gravity flights, to simulate spacewalking and during the 1966 Gemini 12 mission, he preformed the first successful spacewalk. On July 20, 1969, Dr. Aldrin, along with Neil Armstrong made their historic Apollo 11 moonwalk, becoming the first two humans to set foot on another world.

Leonard David has been reporting on space exploration for nearly five decades. Mr. David is the 2010 winner of the prestigious National Space Club Press Award, presented this honor during the Club’s annual Robert H. Goddard Memorial Dinner in April 2011 that was held in Washington, D.C. Currently, Leonard is SPACE.com’s Space Insider Columnist, as well as a correspondent for Space News newspaper and a contributing writer for several magazines, specifically Aerospace America, the membership publication of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). This program is sponsored by the Clinton Foundation and Clinton School of Public Service.

*This lecture has limited seating available. Invitation is non-transferrable. Reservations are required. Reserve your seats by emailing publicprograms@clintonschool.uasys.edu or calling 501.683.5239.

Following the lecture, Dr. Aldrin and Leonard David will be available for a book signing of their new book, “Mission to Mars: My Vision for Space Exploration.” To reserve a copy, please contact Michelle Ross at the Clinton Museum Store at mross@clintonfoundation.org or 501-748-0401.

Little Rock Look Back: Mayor Tom Prince

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Mayor PrinceFuture Little Rock Mayor Tom Prince was born on August 13, 1949.  After graduating high school in 1967 (where he was on the state championship golf team), he attended the United States Naval Academy.  He later received his law degree from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and began practicing law in Little Rock.

In 1984 he ran for the City of Little Rock Board of Directors and was elected.  In January 1985, he was selected by his fellow City Directors to serve as Mayor of Little Rock.  He served as Mayor until January 1987.  During his term in office, Arkansas celebrated its Sesquicentennial. Mayor Prince oversaw the City’s participation in the celebratory activities.  As Mayor he was also a strong advocate for expanding the city’s involvement in quality of life issues through enhanced parks and arts while maintaining a commitment to public safety and public works issues. After the completion of his four year term on the City Board, he did not seek a second term.

City of Little Rock races are non-partisan.  After leaving office, he became involved in Democratic Party politics.  In 1992, he campaigned for Bill Clinton’s presidential bid in Iowa and other Midwest states.  When his law partner, Sheffield Nelson, ran for Governor in 1994 as a Republican, Prince resigned from his Democratic Party positions and worked on the Nelson campaign.  In 1997, he was elected chair of the Pulaski County Republican Committee.  In 1998, he ran for the United States Senate as a Republican.

In 1999, Prince experienced a family tragedy and took a sabbatical from practicing law. In 2000, he moved to St. Louis to become general counsel for a securities firm located there.  Following several years with the securities firm, he joined a St. Louis law firm in private practice.  He remained in private practice in St. Louis through 2012.

A St. Louis Business Journal profile of Prince in 2010 highlighted his interests in single action shooting and in horseback riding.