Monthly Archives: April 2014

ROCKing the TONYS – Rocco Landesman

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Rock the Tonys

Rocco Landesman on stage at the Arkansas Rep

Rocco Landesman on stage at the Arkansas Rep

Rocco Landesman

Little Rock connection: Visited Little Rock in 2012 in his capacity as chair of the National Endowment for the Arts for the Obama Administration.

Tony Awards connection: As a Broadway producer, won Tony awards for the musical Big River (which opened on this day in 1985), The Grapes of Wrath (1990 Best Play), City of Angels (1990 Best Musical), Guys and Dolls (1992 Best Revival), Angels in America: Millennium Approaches (1993 Best Play), Angels in America: Perestroika (1994 Best Play), Love! Valour! Compassion! (1995 Best Play), The King and I (1996 Best Musical Revival), Titanic (1997 Best Musical), Death of a Salesman (1999 Best Play Revival), Proof (2001 Best Play), The Producers (2001 Best Musical), 42nd Street (2001 Best Musical Revival), Into the Woods (2002 Best Musical Revival), Jersey Boys (2005 Best Musical), Hair (2009 Best Musical Revival) and Kinky Boots (2013 Best Musical).  He has been nominated for 33 additional Tony Awards.

Ballet Arkansas MOMENTUM this weekend

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Photo by Lily Darragh featuring Ballet Arkansas artist Amanda Sewell and Toby Lewellen

Photo by Lily Darragh featuring Ballet Arkansas artist Amanda Sewell and Toby Lewellen

With the hiring of Artistic Director Michael Bearden, a growing company of professional dancers, and plans to move studio space to Main Street, “momentum” is definitely a word to describe the activities of Ballet Arkansas these days.  Therefore it is fitting that the professional dancers of Ballet Arkansas will grace the stage of the Arkansas Repertory Theatre with a new concert, Momentum, April 25-27.

Ballet Arkansas’ Momentum will be a celebration of the beauty of ballet with Gerald Arpino’s Birthday Variations, a brand new work to the music of Bolero by Pacific Northwest Ballet Soloist Kiyon Gaines, and new works by Shayla Bott, Houston Ballet’s Melody Mennite and Ballet Arkansas Artistic Director, Michael Bearden.

“From the classic beauty of Arpino’s Birthday Variations to the raw, dynamic energy of Gaines Bolero, this program has something for everyone,” said Bearden. “It is a testament to Ballet Arkansas’ momentum and to the city’s blossoming arts community on Main Street.”

This production will be the second collaboration between Ballet Arkansas and The Arkansas Repertory Theatre. “The partnership between the ballet and The Rep has proven to be an invaluable asset to our growing company,” said Lauren Strother, Ballet Arkansas’ Executive Director. “With our new home right across the street from The Rep we look forward to many more opportunities to bring new and innovative experiences through collaboration with our neighboring arts groups in The Rep and Symphony.”

Tickets for Momentum are available through The Rep box office at (501) 378-0405 or online at http://www.balletarkansas.org. Tickets are $35 for Orchestra and First Mezzanine seating and $30 for Second Mezzanine seating. Momentum will open Friday, April 25, 2014 with an evening performance starting at 7:30 p.m. followed by a champagne reception in The Rep lobby.

Other show times include an evening performance on Saturday, April 26 at 7:30 p.m. and a matinee on Sunday, April 27 at 2:00 p.m.

Ballet Arkansas programming is made possible through the support of season sponsors Parker Audi, Footlights Dancer Store and the Arkansas Arts Council a department of Arkansas Heritage.

2014 Sculpture at the River Market this Weekend

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Sculpture at the River MarketHundreds of sculptures and thousands of visitors will again populate the River Market Pavilions when Sculpture at the River Market returns for the seventh year on April 26 and 27.

The sculptures will be on display in the River Market Pavilions and in the adjacent area of Riverfront Park. The works featured will include all types of media, style, subject matter, and size.

Admission to Sculpture at the River Market is free. Sculpture at the River Market Market will run from 9AM to 5PM on Saturday, April 26 and from 10AM to 4PM on Sunday, April 27.

This evening there will be a preview party where patrons will get the first chance to see the artwork, visit with the sculptors, and purchase sculptures. Tickets for the preview party are $100.   The entertainment will be provided by Dizzy 7.  Following the preview party, “Bronze and Brewskis” will take place beginning at 8:30.

On Saturday at 1PM and 3PM and again on Sunday at 2PM, Segway tours of the Vogel Schwartz Sculpture Garden will be offered.  There will also be food trucks set up in a special Food Truck Plaza next to the River Market pavilions.

The sale and show is sponsored by the City of Little Rock and the National Sculptors’ Guild. Proceeds from the sale of artwork will fund upgrades in Riverfront Park and the River Market.

Among the artists are Lori Acott, Virginia Annett, Terry Bean, Gregory Beck, Hunter Brown, Shelly Buonaiuto, Kathleen Caricof, Tim Cherry, Dee Clements, Merrilee Cleveland, Darrell Davis, Jane DeDecker, Clay Enoch, Steve Frank, Jim Green, Denny Haskew, Damian Jones, Rollin Karg, Ana Lazovsky, Bryan Massey, Ryan Mays, Julie McCraney-Brogdon, Ken Newman, James Paulsen, Ed Pennebaker, Merle Randolph, Kevin Robb, Dale Rogers, Timothy Roundy, Emelene Russell, Wayne Salge, Ted Schaal, Valerie Schafer, Adam Schultz, John Sewell, Stephen Shachtman, Kim Shaklee, Gene Sparling, Pati Stajcar, Charles Strain, Tod Switch, Darl Thomas, Michael Warrick and C.T. Whitehouse.

Arkansas Literary Festival continues today with panels and Author! Author! party

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AR Lit Fest 2014The 11th annual Arkansas Literary Festival continues today and runs through Sunday. Unless otherwise specified the events are free.

 

Highlights for today are:

11 a.m. – Pulaski Technical College Wills Lecture Hall
“Complex Glories of Love in Varied Forms” featuring Charlotte Pence (The Branches, The Axe, The Missing) and Adam Prince (The Beautiful Wishes of Ugly Men). Sandy Longhorn will be the moderator

 

12 noon – Arkansas Arts Center
“Crafty Allure” – Amy Azzarito (Past and Present) with Brian Lang as moderator

 

12 noon – Clinton School of Public Service at Sturgis Hall
“Shaping Dixie” – Angie Maxwell (The Indicted South) with Skip Rutherford as moderator.

 

12 noon – Darragh Center at CALS Main Library
“Kill ‘em Clean” – Catherine Coulter (The Final Cut) – Paid event

 

6:30 pm – Darragh Center at CALS Main Library
“Penning in Piggott, Eureka!” – Adam Long and Linda Caldwell. Stephanie Vanderslice as moderator

 

8:00 pm – 5th Floor of CALS Main Library
“Author! Author!” – Paid event, reception to meet authors and moderators for the weekend.

 

The Cox Creative Center will be having a used book sale on Friday from 9am to 5pm. In addition there will be a used book sale in the CALS basement from 10am to 4pm.

ROCKing the TONYS – Mikhail Baryshnikov

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Rock the Tonys

At the 1989 Tony Awards, photo by Anita & Steve Shevett

At the 1989 Tony Awards, photo by Anita & Steve Shevett

Mikhail Baryshnikov

Little Rock connection: Danced in an event produced by Ballet Arkansas in 1983 at Robinson Center Music Hall.

Tony Awards connection: Nominated for Actor in a Play for his performance as a man turned into a cockroach in a stage adaptation of Kafka’s Metamorphosis.

To see what Ballet Arkansas is currently producing, attend Momentum this weekend (Friday, Saturday and Sunday). The Ballet Arkansas company will be performing on the Arkansas Repertory Theatre’s stage.

Little Rock Wind Symphony – Pictures at an Exhibition

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lrwindsymphonyThe Little Rock Wind Symphony wraps up the 2013-2014 season tonight.  The program is entitled “Pictures at an Exhibition” and features Alisa Coffey, harp.

The selections with will feature the Little Rock Wind Symphony are:

  • Rimsky-Korsakov / Leidzen: Procession of the Nobles
    Claude Debussy Wyman: Danses sacrée et profane
    Mussorgsky / Patterson: Pictures at an Exhibition

Founded in 1994, the Little Rock Wind Symphony has been under the baton of Dr. Karen Fannin since 2006.  The Little Rock Wind Symphony is composed of over 40 full-time members and guest artists.

The concert tonight will be at 7:30pm at Second Presbyterian Church.

11th Annual Arkansas Literary Festival Gets Underway Today

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AR Lit Fest 2014The 11th annual Arkansas Literary Festival gets underway today and runs through Sunday, April 27. Unless otherwise specified the events are free.

 

Highlights for today are:

12 noon – Cox Creative Center
“Painting Forgiveness” featuring author Kathy Sanders (Now You See Me). The session will be moderated by Ann Nicholson.

 

12 noon – Oxford American Annex
“Cash” featuring author Robert Hilburn (Johnny Cash: The Life) and Rhett Miller. Maxwell George will be the moderator.

 

5:30 pm to 7:00 pm – Hearne Fine Art
“Words & Pictures” – Illustrated works by Kadir Nelson

 

6pm – Arkansas Arts Center
“Art & Food I” featuring Mary Ann Caws (The Modern Art Cookbook) with Brad Cushman as moderator. The author session is free. But at 7pm, a paid event will take place involving Ms. Caws and some foods inspired by art and artists.

 

6pm – Clinton School of Public Service at Sturgis Hall
“True Gratitude” featuring David Finkel (Thank You for Your Service) with Skip Rutherford as moderator.

 

8pm – South on Main
Rhett Miller will be in concert at South on Main. This is a paid event.

 

The Cox Creative Center will be having a used book sale on Thursday from 5pm to 7pm.