Monthly Archives: August 2014

Still Time to Purchase Tickets for Oxford American’s Jazz on Main

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oa_jazz_series_logo_hi-resJoin the Oxford American magazine for the inaugural 2014-15 jazz series at South on Main for four concerts featuring acclaimed artists! Doors for each show open at 6:00pm, with dinner and drinks available for purchase at that time. Concerts begin at 8:00pm.

The series includes:

Ticket packages for the entire jazz series range from $120 to $80. Purchasing a series package provides a discount on service charges. Single tickets to individual concerts are available beginning September 1 at noon at $30 for reserved seats at tables and $20 for general admission.

Additional information:

  • Doors open at 6pm, show at 8pm.
  • Reserved seating assigns you to the same table for all 4 shows. Choice of chairs at those tables is first-come-first-seated.
  • Seating at tables is “family style.” If you do not purchase all the seats at your table, you will be seated with other patrons.
  • General Admission seating is barstools and standing room only, no tables. General admission seating is first-come-first-seated.
  • The venue does not have an on-site box office. Tickets will only be sold at the venue on the night of the show, if any remain.
  • Will Call tickets will be available for pickup only on the night of the show.
  • Shows are all ages. Everyone must have a ticket to attend.
  • Free surface lot parking is available.

THE BEAUTY QUEEN OF LEENANE continues at Weekend Theater

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Beauty-Queen_smThe Lortel and Tony winning dark comedy The Beauty Queen of Leenane continues its run at the Weekend Theater tonight.

Written by Oscar winner Martin McDongah, this play is set in the mountains of Connemara County, Galway, Ireland and tells the darkly comic tale of Maureen Folan, a plain and lonely woman in her early forties, and Mag, her manipulative aging mother, whose interference in Maureen’s first and possibly final chance of a loving relationship sets in motion a train of events that leads inexorably towards the play’s terrifying dénouement.

Director, Deb Lewis, explains that she chose to direct The Beauty Queen of Leenane because, “It’s a very intriguing story; it touches people on a lot of emotional levels. Everybody has experienced some kind of abuse in their lives . . . this play will resonate with people. Abuse is sadly pervasive, and my hope is that through this story people will be more aware of what’s going on.”

“It’s got love, comedy, violence, tragedy, sex . . . There’s everything in this show. ” Explains actor Tommie Tinker. “It’s like a dark, absurdist thriller,” adds actor Jacob Sturgeon. In summing up the play and the struggles the characters face, actress Amy Young says, “No matter how bad things are, it can get worse.”

The cast features Amy Young, Elizabeth Reha, Tommie Tinker and Jacob Sturgeon.

The show plays at 7:30 tonight.  It will also be performed on Friday, September 5 and Saturday, September 6.

Ben Nichols in concert tonight at the CALS Ron Robinson Theater

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ben_nichols2Fans of gritty alt-country band Lucero may flock to the Central Arkansas Library System’s (CALS) Ron Robinson Theater, 100 River Market Ave., to see the band’s front man Ben Nichols perform for the Arkansas Sounds concert series on Friday, August 29, at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20, general admission, and available at www.arkansassounds.org and Butler Center Galleries, 401 President Clinton Ave. The Ron Robinson Theater’s entrance may be accessed from the Main Library’s parking lot, 100 Rock Street.

Singer, songwriter, and guitarist Ben Nichols has earned critical praise for his emotive, whiskey-soaked vocals. The Austinist has described him as “a blistering diesel train of a singer and a songwriter of rare versatility.” During breaks from Lucero, Nichols has recorded acoustic-based material, including an EP featuring Nichols on acoustic guitar, Rick Steff (of Cat Power) on accordion and piano, and Todd Been (of Glossary) on pedal steel and electric guitar. This EP, The Last Pale Light in the West, comprises songs based on characters and situations from Cormac McCarthy’s novel, Blood Meridian.
This concert is presented by Arkansas Sounds, a project of the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies focusing on Arkansas music and musicians both past and present. For more information, call 501-918-3033 or visit www.arkansassounds.org.

 

Clinton School Speaker Series Kicks Off Friday

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clinton-school-logo“The Cost and Rewards of European Union Membership to Candidate States: What Does it Mean to be ‘European’?” 
Clinton School visiting scholar Dr. Dorian Jano

Dorian Jano is currently the executive director of the Albanian Institute of Public Affairs and Lecturer of European Studies at University Marin Barleti in Tirana, Albania. Dr. Jano’s work focuses on European politics and the Europeanization and its impact on the Western Balkan states.

During Dr. Jano’s public program, he will discuss the pressures that EU candidate states have in anticipation of EU membership, the cost and rewards of such pressures, what is lost by becoming a European state, and what is gained. He will also talk about the capacity of Western Balkan states, such as Albania, the newest EU candidate state, to meet the demands of the EU as well as the EU’s transformative power in the region.

Friday, August 29, 2014 at 12:00 p.m.
Clinton School of Public Service, Sturgis Hall

*Reserve your seats by emailing publicprograms@clintonschool.uasys.edu or calling (501) 683-5239.

Batter Up! – Science after Dark focuses on Baseball tonight at the Museum of Discovery

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science baseballTake me out to the ballgame and Science After Dark at the Museum of Discovery to learn the science of baseball!  We have an all-star lineup including:
Tonight at the Museum of Discovery, it is the monthly Science After Dark feature for adults.  This month explores the Science of Baseball.  Learn about the science of pitching, hitting and catching tonight.

Among the features are:

In addition, Damgoode Pies will sell pizza by the slice (to benefit the museum) and have a special ballpark pizza.  Stone’s Throw Brewing and Juanita’s Cantina will also be selling refreshments of the liquid variety.

The program runs from 6pm to 8pm at the Museum of Discovery. It costs $5, but is free to Museum Members.  If you attend several of these a year as well as visit the museum once or twice, you MORE than make up your membership fee.

Though school is back in session, don’t forget to take your kids to the museum.  If you don’t have kids, borrow some from a friend, neighbor or relative — you’ll be their hero.  Or just go by yourself – the Museum of Discovery offers activities and exhibits designed to engage literally all ages.

Learn COMMUNICATION SKILLS at Tonight’s Tales from the South tonight at Stickyz

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talesfromthesouth“What we’ve got here is a failure to communicate!” So goes the line from the Paul Newman classic film Cool Hand Luke.  Tonight’s Tales from the South looks at Communication Skills.

The featured storytellers are Amber Hood, Danny Powell, and Grant Rollins.  Live music is provided by Brad Williams and bluesman Mark Simpson.

“Tales from the South” originates tonight from Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack in the heart of the River Market district.

“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.
Dinner is served from 5pm to 7pm, the show starts at 7pm.  Admission is $10.  Dinner cost is additional and ordered off the menu.

You MUST purchase your ticket before the show.

Previous episodes of “Tales from the South” air on KUAR Public Radio on Thursdays at 7pm.  This program will air on September 11.

Arkansas Vietnam War Project launched by Butler Center for Arkansas Studies

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cals_int_sponsor_butlerDuring the Vietnam War over 58,000 Americans were killed, including 592 Arkansans. The Butler Center for Arkansas Studies, a department of the Central Arkansas Library System (CALS), has launched the Arkansas Vietnam War Project to gather and share personal stories of Arkansans from the war.

The project collects letters, photographs, and diaries from Arkansans who served during the conflict, from family members of veterans, and from civilians who want to share memories of the war. The Arkansas Vietnam War Project seeks to record oral histories, allowing veterans, family members, and civilians to voice their recollections of the war. More information may be found at www.butlercenter.org/arkansas-vietnam-war-project, where participants’ contributions will be highlighted in coming months.

Thursday, August 7 marked the 50th anniversary of a significant incident, the passing of the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. This congressional resolution gave President Johnson the power to continue to escalate United States military involvement in Vietnam without a formal declaration of war.

The Arkansas Vietnam War Project follows the award-winning FORGOTTEN: The Arkansas Korean War Project, accessible at www.butlercenter.org/koreanwarproject, and demonstrates the Butler Center’s continued commitment to collecting Arkansans’ military history. For more information about the project, call 501-320-5700 or email Brian Robertson, project director, at brianr@cals.org.