Monthly Archives: June 2014

CAROLINE, OR CHANGE continues at The Weekend Theater

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Caroline-or-Change_smWinner of the Laurence Olivier Award and the Lucille Lortel Award for Best New Musical, Caroline, or Change centers its action on the Gellman family and their African-American maid, Caroline. It is now playing at The Weekend Theater.

It is 1963 in sleepy Lake Charles, Louisiana. Caroline is drifting through her life as a single mother of four working in a service job to a white family. A fragile, yet beautiful friendship develops between the young Gellman son, Noah (who has lost his mother), and Caroline. Noah’s stepmother Rose, unable to give Caroline a raise, tells Caroline that she may keep the money Noah leaves in his pockets. Caroline balks, and refuses to take money from a child, but her own children desperately need food, clothing and shoes.

Regardless of the circumstances, whether it is the death of President Kennedy, her daughter’s growing activism and misunderstood dismissal of what she perceives to be Caroline’s choice to remain a maid, her son’s enlistment in Vietnam, a fight with a newly college-bound friend, or a spin with the dryer, Caroline remains unflappable.

The show features a book and lyrics by Pulitzer and Tony winner Tony Kushner (who based it partially on his own childhood in Louisiana) and music by Tony nominee Jeanine Tesori.  It is directed by Matthew Mentgen and features music direction by Lori Isner.

The cast is led by Satia Spencer in the title role with Johnika Wright, Diondre Wright and Daveon Coleman as her kids. The Gellman and Stopnick families are played by Alex Harkins, Mary Ann Hansen, David Weatherly, Erin Martinez, Adam Smith and Drew Ellis. Caroline’s friends, both human and otherwise, are played by Antisha Anderson Scruggs, Katherine Yacko, Adriana Napolitano, Haley Coughlin, Kenneth Gaddie, Steven Young and Sarah Dailey.

The show continues Friday, Saturday and Sunday this weekend and next.

YOU’RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN inaugurates new Studio Theatre in downtown LR

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TST YAGMCBLittle Rock’s newest downtown performance space opens tonight.  The premier production of The Studio Theatre is You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown based on the Comic Strip “Peanuts” by Charles M. Schulz with book, music and lyrics by Clark M. Gesner.  Additional songs were written by Andrew Lippa.

The show is directed by Jeremy Hall and musical directed by Bob Bidewell.  Drew Samuelson is the technical director.

The cast for the show is Mark Burbank-Charlie Brown, Rachel Garrett Bland – Lucy, Sam Barker-Linus, Gabi Baltzley-Sally, Brandon Nichols-Snoopy and Kent Wulf-Schroeder.

The show runs June 12-14, 19-21, and 26-28 at 7:30pm.  There is a special performance on Sunday, June 22 at 5:00pm.

For more information, visit www.thestudiotheatre.org

MAN OF STEEL kicks off Movies in the Park 10th Season

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MitP 10MitP10 ManofSteelMovies in the Park kicks off its 10th season tonight with MAN OF STEEL.  This 2013 movie, a re-boot of the Superman franchise, stars Henry Cavill as the titular hero.  Others in the cast are Amy Adams, Michael Shannon (who has filmed movies in Little Rock), Diane Lane, Russell Crowe, Richard Schiff, Christopher Meloni, Kevin Costner and Laurence Fishburne.

Just before the movie, founders Blake Rutherford, Heather Allmendinger and Ben Beaumont will be honored.  The celebration will be on Wednesday, June 11 at 8:30 p.m. at the First Security Amphitheater, just prior to the kickoff of the 2014 season.

The popular outdoor free movie night, held at the First Security Amphitheater, has been going strong for ten years now.  Movies in the Park has now grown to a season of eight films per year, on average, reaching audiences of up to 3,000 people. It’s a staple event in Central Arkansas. Communities from across the state, and the country, have reached out for guidance as they have tried to implement similar programs in the own communities.

Since 2008, the Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau has been managing Movies in the Park.

To check out more information about the movies being played this year, please visit

http://moviesintheparklr.net.

Pulitzer Prize winning historian Joseph J. Ellis at Clinton Presidential Center tonight

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JJEPortThe Clinton Presidential Center will host a public program at 6 p.m. Tuesday, June 10, featuring Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Joseph J. Ellis, author of “Revolutionary Summer,” which he will be signing copies of afterward.

Joseph Ellis Lecture & Book-Signing
Tuesday, June 10
Great Hall
Program: 6-7 p.m. (Doors open at 5:30 p.m.)
Book-signing: 7-8 p.m.

Joseph J. Ellis is one of the nation’s leading scholars of American history. The author of eight books, Ellis was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Founding Brothers: the Revolutionary Generation and won the National Book Award for American Sphinx, a biography of Thomas Jefferson. His in-depth chronicle of the life of our first President, His Excellency: George Washington, was a New York Times bestseller.

Ellis’ newest book, Revolutionary Summer: The Birth of American Independence was released by Random House in June 2013.

Ellis’ essays and book reviews appear regularly in national publications, such as The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Chicago Tribune, The New Republic, and The New Yorker. Ellis’s commentaries have been featured on CBS, CSPAN, CNN, and the PBS’s The News Hour with Jim Lehrer, and he has appeared in several PBS documentaries on early America, including “John and Abigail [Adams]” for PBS’s The American Experience and a History Channel documentary on George Washington

Ellis currently teaches at the Commonwealth Honors College at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He previously taught at Mount Holyoke College and at the United States Military Academy at West Point.

He lives in Amherst, Massachusetts with his wife, Ellen Wilkins Ellis, two dogs and a stray cat. He is father of three sons. The youngest, Alex is a student at the University of Mississippi.

To pre-order “Revolutionary Summer,” contact Michelle Ross at the Clinton Museum Store by emailing mross@clintonfoundation.org or calling (501) 748-0400.

The program is FREE and open to the public; however, reservations are required. To RSVP, please email operationslr@clintonfoundationn.org  or call (501) 748-0425.

Much Ado about Shakespeare tonight at Arkansas Rep

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william-shakespeare Much Ado about Shakespeare

5:30 p.m. | Meet & Greet

6:00 p.m. | Discussion Begins

Join Producing Artistic Director Bob Hupp as he presents an interesting and humorous abridged history about Shakespeare, his life and his works.

The event is free to Members and $10 for non-members. RSVP to cbays@therep.org.

This is one of a series of events for members of the Arkansas Repertory Theatre that are connected to productions on the Rep’s MainStage.  This is in conjunction with The Compleat Wrks of Wllm Shkspr (Abridged) which opened on Friday and runs through June 29.

Thrice Trice, or Tony Toni Tone

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Last night at the 68th Tony Awards, Little Rock native Will Trice (pictured above at the ceremonynwith his sister Kathryn Pryor and mother Judy Trice) earned his third Tony as a producer, in as many years. Robert Schenkkan’s political drama All the Way was named Best Play. In accepting the award, lead producer Jeffrey Richards paid special tribute to Will.

Last year, Will won a Tony for producing a revival of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, and in 2012 he earned the rotating silver medallion for a revival of Porty and Bess.

There were 26 Tonys handed out last night, Will was a producer of four shows which won Tonys. these accounted for seven of the awards. over one quarter of the Tonys last night went to shows he produced.

Best Play – All the Way
Actor in a Play – Bryan Cranston, All the Way
Actress in a Play – Audra McDonald, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill
Score – Jason Robert Brown, The Bridges of Madison County
Orchestrations – Jason Robert Brown, The Bridges of Madison County
Lighting Design of a Play – Natasha Katz, The Glass Menagerie
Sound Design of a Play – Steve Canyon Kennedy, Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill

ROCKing the TONY AWARDS – Denzel Washington

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Rock the TonysDenzelDENZEL WASHINGTON

Little Rock connection: Played baseball at Lamar Porter Field while filming scenes for A Soldier’s Story.

Tony Awards connection: Won the 2010 Tony for Actor in a Play for his performance in Fences. Currently starring in A Raisin in the Sun which is nominated for five Tony Awards tonight, including Best Revival of a Play.