Monthly Archives: March 2014

See the 2014 Oscar winning documentary TWENTY FEET FROM STARDOM at the Ron Robinson Theater today

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20feetLast Sunday, the documentary 20 Feet from Stardom won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature.  This Sunday is your chance to see the film.

Yes, you CAN see this film on a TV or computer, but it is a film about music.  It NEEDS to be seen in a motion picture venue with a state-of-the-art sound system.  Luckily, Little Rock has that in the Ron Robinson Theater.

So at 5pm today, the Little Rock Film Festival will be hosting a screening.  The cost is $5 for admission (first-come, first-served general admission) with $1 concessions.

Millions know their voices, but no one knows their names. In his compelling new film 20 FEET FROM STARDOM, award-winning director Morgan Neville shines a spotlight on the untold true story of the backup singers behind some of the greatest musical legends of the 21st century. Triumphant and heartbreaking in equal measure, the film is both a tribute to the unsung voices who brought shape and style to popular music and a reflection on the conflicts, sacrifices and rewards of a career spent harmonizing with others.

These gifted artists span a range of styles, genres and eras of popular music, but each has a uniquely fascinating and personal story to share of life spent in the shadows of superstardom.    Along with rare archival footage and a peerless soundtrack, 20 FEET FROM STARDOM boasts intimate interviews with Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, Mick Jagger and Sting to name just a few.  However, these world-famous figures take a backseat to the diverse array of backup singers whose lives and stories take center stage in the film.

 

Little Rock Look Back: City Park renamed for MacArthur

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GOn March 9, 1942, Little Rock’s first public park was renamed by the Little Rock City Council.  By a vote of fourteen ayes, zero nays and four absent, the alderman approved ordinance 6388 which renamed the park in honor of General Douglas MacArthur.

The text of the ordinance says that “it is fitting and proper that the bravery and glorious deeds of General Douglas MacArthur, a native son of Little Rock, should be commemorated.”  This was passed a few months after the United States’ entry into World War II. Though he was already a well-established military figure, most of the MacArthur legend during the war would take place after this naming.

The park land had originally served as a horse racetrack in the early days of Little Rock.  By 1836, the federal government purchased the land for construction of a military arsenal.  The flagship building, the Arsenal Tower building, is the only remaining structure from that time period.  The land served as a military outpost until 1892.  On April 23, 1892, a land swap took place where in the City of Little Rock was given the property with the stipulation that it would be “forever exclusively devoted to the uses and purposes of a public park.” (Never mind that the federal government took part of the land back for the construction of the Wilbur Mills Freeway.)  In return for giving the City this land, the federal government took possession of land on the north side of the Arkansas River (then part of Little Rock) – that 1,000 acres became Fort Logan H. Roots.

The park opened on July 4, 1893, with the name Arsenal Park. Since it was the City’s first and only park at the time, residents started referring to it as City Park. In time, the designation Arsenal Park fell from use.  In fact, it is referred to as City Park exclusively and officially in City documents throughout the first 42 years of the 20th Century.

The action of the City Council in March 1942, was accompanied by petitions encouraging the action which were submitted by the Arkansas Authors and Composers Society, the Arkansas Engineers Club and the Pulaski County Republican Central Committee.  City records do not indicate if anyone registered opposition to the name change.

It would be another decade before General MacArthur would return to the site of his birth, a place he had not visited since his infancy.

MacPark ordinance

BOY crying WOLF at Ark Arts Center Children’s Theatre

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BoyWolfMarch came in like a Lion.  But at the Arkansas Arts Center Children’s Theatre, it is coming in like a Wolf.  This month, the AAC Children’s Theatre presents The Boy Who Cried Wolf March 7 – 28 with special spring break matinees March 25-28.

“This thrilling adaptation of a popular children’s tale is brought to life by a gifted ensemble of actors,” said Arkansas Arts Center Children’s Theatre artistic director Bradley Anderson.“Audiences young and old are invited to join in on an exciting adventure with this charming production.”

In this familiar tale, a little shepherd boy is tired of watching the flock of sheep all day and wants some excitement in his life. So he decides to make things interesting by raising the wolf alarm just for his own amusement. The villagers come running but discover that the little shepherd boy has pulled the wool over their eyes. The Boy Who Cried Wolf is written by Alan Keith Smith and is based on Aesop’s fable.

The cast for The Boy Who Cried Wolf includes:

  • Jeremy Matthey as Georgie
  • Aleigha Garstka as Jackie
  • Mark Hansen as Orson
  • Moriah Patterson as Gracie
  • John Isner as Old Pops Foley

Bradley D. Anderson is the artistic director. Keith Smith is the production director, choreography by Erin Fowler, composer and musical direction by Lori Isner, costumes are designed by Erin Larkin, technical direction by Drew Posey, lighting design by Penelope Poppers, scenic design by Keith Smith, properties by Miranda Young and Rivka Kuperman is the production stage manager.  Todd Herman is the executive director of the Arkansas Arts Center.

Presenting sponsors are Landers FIAT in Benton, Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield, and in honor of Dorothy and Fallon Davis by Dr. Scott and Shannon Davis. The production is also sponsored by Dr. Loren Bartole, ‘Family Foot Care.’ The Media Sponsor for this production is The Point 94.1.

Recognized by The Drama League as one of the best regional theatre companies in America, the Arkansas Arts Center Children’s Theatre is the only professional company in Arkansas that produces children’s literary works for the stage. Since 1979, Children’s Theatre has been creating unique experiences for family audiences. During the 2012-13 season, nearly 43,000 children and families enjoyed Arkansas Arts Center Children’s Theatre productions which included more than 200 schools across Arkansas.

For more information, visit arkansasartscenter.org or call (501)372-4000. “Like” the Arkansas Arts Center on Facebook for the most up-to-date information on exhibitions, events and educational offerings.

 

WIZARD OF OZ with Ark Symphony this weekend

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ASO_revONE WEEKEND ONLY – FOLLOW THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD TO ROBINSON CENTER and experience THE WIZARD OF OZ like you never have before.

The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, Philip Mann, Music Director and Conductor, presents the fourth concert in its 2013-2014 Acxiom Pops Live! Series: Wizard of Oz with Orchestra on March 8 at 8 p.m. and March 9 at 3 p.m. at the Robinson Center Music Hall.  Media sponsor for the Pops Live! Series is The Point 94.1.

The ASO will screen the entire classic film The Wizard of Oz while the lush score is performed by live symphonic orchestra. The ASO will perform the live score while the film itself is projected on the big screen. Audiences will hear and see Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Frank Morgan, Bert Lahr, Jack Haley, Billie Burke and Margaret Hamilton as well as the rest of the cast from this classic film alongside Arkansas’ own Symphony Orchestra. The ASO will be playing Harold Arlen’s score live as the movie plays overhead.

Single tickets are $18, $34, $47 and $59; active military and student tickets are $10 and can be purchased online at www.ArkansasSymphony.org; at the Robinson Center box office 90 minutes prior to a concert; or by phone at 501-666-1761.  All Arkansas students grades K-12 are admitted to Sunday’s matinee free of charge with purchase of an adult ticket using Entergy Kids’ Ticket, downloadable at the ASO website.

When The Wizard of Oz was originally recorded in the late 1930s, it was a technical marvel for MGM. The orchestral score was recorded separately from the actors voices, giving Emmy-Award winning producer John Goberman (Live from Lincoln Center, A Symphonic Night at the Movies) the inspiration to create Oz with Orchestra, in which audiences will experience Harold Arlen’s lush, live orchestration backing the original 1939 studio recordings of Judy Garland, Roy Bolger and the rest of the characters singing the classic music from the film.

The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra celebrates its 48th season in 2013-2014 under the leadership of Music Director Philip Mann. ASO is the resident orchestra of Robinson Center Music Hall, and performs more than thirty concerts each year for more than 42,000 people through its Stella Boyle Smith Masterworks Series, ACXIOM Pops LIVE! Series and Parker Lexus River Rhapsodies Chamber Series, in addition to serving central Arkansas through numerous community outreach programs and bringing live symphonic music education to over 24,000 school children and over 200 schools.

That’s a Fact, Jack! – STRIPES to be shown by LR Film Fest tonight at Ron Robinson Theater

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stripes-posterAs a tribute to filmmaker Harold Ramis who died last week, the Little Rock Film Festival will be screening his 1981 comedy opus Stripes.  This film melded Reagan Era Cold War and Animal House (which was also a Ramis project) mentalities.

Tonight at 7pm, actor Judge Reinhold (Beverly Hills Cop, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Seinfeld) will be in town to host a tribute to his friend and comic legend, the late Harold Ramis. Reinhold appeared in Stripes with Ramis; it was, in fact, Reinhold’s film debut.

Following the screening Reinhold will talk about the life and career of Harold Ramis, considered by many to be one of the great comedic minds of his generation. This discussion will be moderated by Renee Shapiro.

Admission is $5, and concessions will be available for $1. Please show up early as seating is on a first-come first serve basis.

Sandwich in History at LR’s Christ Church today

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christchurch_scaledOn Friday, March 7 at 12 noon, the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program’s monthly “Sandwiching in History” program will visit Christ Church, Little Rock’s downtown Episcopal church since 1839.

Located at Capital and Scott Streets in downtown, the current sanctuary was built in 1940-41, designed by local architect Edwin Cromwell. That building replaced an 1887 structure which had burned in 1938.  The 1887 edifice itself replaced an 1840-1841 building which had been destroyed by fire in 1873.  A Parish House was constructed in 1928 adjacent to the sanctuary which is still in use today.

The “Sandwiching in History” program is a series of tours that seeks to familiarize people who live and work in central Arkansas with the historic structures and sites around us. The tours take place on Fridays at noon, last less than an hour, and participants are encouraged to bring their lunches so that they can eat while listening to a brief lecture about the property and its history before proceeding on a short tour. A representative from the property is encouraged to attend also and address the group.

The tours are organized by the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage. All tours are free and open to the public.

BARD BALL tomorrow night

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AST_logoFriday is only March’s SEVENTH NIGHT, but tis the appointed evening for the Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre BARD BALL.

Join Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre at this year’s Bard Ball and travel back to the Big Band era for an evening of swing music, savory appetizers and a sneak peek at the upcoming theatrical season.

March 7th, 6:30 p.m.
Junior League Building
401 Scott Street
Little Rock, AR
Cocktail Attire

Dance the night away in the Junior League Building‘s enchanting ballroom to the sounds of Sinatra and his gang, as performed by John Willis. Bid on fabulous live- and silent-auction items while enjoying delicious hors d’oeuvres, wine and beer. Get a glimpse at the 2014 season when Jordan Coughtry, this summer’s Hamlet, plays original music he is composing for upcoming performances of Two Gentlemen of Verona.

Artist Steve Griffith will be doing a live painting at this Friday night’s Bard Ball, and the lucky highest bidder can walk away with this original piece at the end of evening. Special thanks to him and all the other artists who have donated INCREDIBLE work for this event!

Tickets for the Bard Ball–which can be purchased here–are $75 in advance or $650 for a table of 10. Admission is $90 at the door. All proceeds from the night go toward the AST 2014 summer season.

To put you in a mood – some Shakespeare quotes about dancing:

MERCUTIO

Nay, gentle Romeo, we must have you dance.

ROMEO

Not I, believe me: you have dancing shoes
With nimble soles: I have a soul of lead
So stakes me to the ground I cannot move.

Romeo and Juliet, Act I, Scene 4

PROTEUS

For Orpheus’ lute was strung with poets’ sinews,
Whose golden touch could soften steel and stones,
Make tigers tame and huge leviathans
Forsake unsounded deeps to dance on sands

Two Gentlemen of Verona, Act III, Scene 2

LORD POLONIUS

And let him ply his music.

Hamlet, Act I, Scene 2

For more information on the event, contact Liz Parker at 501-450-5092 or lizp@uca.edu.