Monthly Archives: August 2014

Red Octopus back with KOCT-O News this weekend and next

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Red Octopus Theater cast members Jason Willey, Sandy Baskin, David Weatherly and Krystal Berry are part of the KOCT-O 8 News Team in KOCT-O News!

Red Octopus Theater cast members Jason Willey, Sandy Baskin, David Weatherly and Krystal Berry are part of the KOCT-O 8 News Team in KOCT-O News!

KOCT-O News!, a new sketch comedy show by Red Octopus Theater, opened this week, continues tonight and plays next weekend August 14-16, 2014 at The PUBLIC Theatre, located at 616 Center Street, in downtown Little Rock, AR.  Doors will open at 7:30PM and the show will start at 8:00PM.  Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for senior citizens, military and students.  No reservations are accepted and there will be refreshments available.  The show is recommended for mature audiences.

Red Octopus Theater will take on politics, current events, social issues and entertainment (the important topic real people care about) in their end of summer original sketch comedy production, KOCT-O News!

News anchors Holly Newday (Sandy Baskin) and Brock Brockington (Jason Willey) will focus on local political mudslinging campaigns in “Now Who’s The One I Like?” as well as the 2016 Presidential race in, “If Only Hillary Wasn’t A Woman.”  Weather will be in the local forefront in “Maybe Ned Perme Is A God?” and local interest story “Is Hillcrest Better Than The Heights?” will be seen during the journalism themed comedy show.  In sports news, a recap of the World Cup comes in the form of “Soccer Players Are Really Pretty” and a special editorial concerning what the city limits of Little Rock should be, “Little Rock: Where Does It End?”

All will be rounded out when the news team at KOCT-O News, channel 8, talks about the pressing issues: Celebrities, Summer Blockbusters and the Clooney Report, live coverage of what George Clooney is doing currently, at this moment, now.

There may not be Peabodys or Regional Emmys adorning the set, but there will be “soft hitting news!”  Blazers, ties and sock puppet field reporters are in store for audiences in the newest sketch comedy show from Arkansas’s oldest comedy troupe.  So join Red Octopus Theater for KOCT-O News! and their coverage of all the important stuff you didn’t need to know.

The cast features Sandy Baskin, Krystal Berry, Alli Clark, Michael Goodbar, Brittany Sparkles, David Weatherly and Jason Willey with special correspondent, Luke Rowlan. Performances are open to all ages, but recommended for mature audiences because of adult language and situations.  No reservations are needed, first come, first sit.

For more information please contact Red Octopus Theater at (501) 291-3896, or RedOctopusTheater@gmail.com.

To contact The PUBLIC Theatre, call 374-PLAY.

 

Second Friday Cinema – September 30, 1955

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OSH MovieTonight at the Old State House’s “Second Friday Cinema” September 30, 1955.  The screening starts at 5pm.

Starring Richard Thomas and future Oscar winner Lisa Blount, the film is about an Arkansas teen’s fascination with his film idol James Dean, and his reaction to the news of Dean’s death in a car wreck. The movie, set in 1950s small-town Arkansas, was written and directed by Arkansan James Bridges.  It was filmed in and around Conway.  At the time much of downtown Conway and the campus of UCA were largely unchanged since the 1950s.

September 30, 1955 is one of Bridges’s more personal films and is in contrast with his more well-known films which include The China Syndrome, Urban Cowboy and Bright Lights, Big City.  The tagline sums it up with: In twenty-four hours, a nice college kid named Jimmy J. robbed a liquor store, got drunk, held a séance, crawled through a cemetery, raided lovers’ lane, dropped the Homecoming Queen, and went to jail. It happened on September 30, 1955, the day that shook up a generation!

Others in the cast include future Oscar nominees Tom Hulce (before Animal House), Susan Tyrrell and Dennis Quaid.  Tom Bonner’s voice is heard as a radio announcer.

Ben Fry, general manager of KLRE/KUAR and coordinator of the film minor at UALR, will introduce the film and lead a discussion after the screening.

Little Rock Look Back: Nixon Resigns

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RMN WDM

Nixon with Mills

Forty years ago today, Richard M. Nixon resigned as the President of the United States.  Five months earlier, in a press conference in Little Rock, Congressman Wilbur Mills predicted that Nixon would resign.  Mills, still chair of the House Ways & Means Committee, predicted that the resignation might be prompted by errors in his tax returns.  As part of investigations into Nixon resulting from Watergate, the President’s taxes were being reviewed by Congress.

Nixon had been the first Republican President since the Reconstruction era to win Arkansas and gain the state’s electoral votes in 1972.  The 1968 election cycle had seen third-party candidate George Wallace win the state’s votes though Nixon handily won that election too.

Little Rock weighed prominently in Nixon’s earlier career.  He was Vice President when Eisenhower sent the troops into Little Rock to ensure the Little Rock Nine would desegregate Central High School.  In a 1960 Presidential debate, he and Senator Kennedy were asked whether they would have sent in the troops.  Kennedy begrudgingly said that he would have, though he would have wished the situation were different.  Nixon did not really answer the question, but instead used it as an opportunity to point out that Senator Johnson, as Kennedy’s running mate, had actively opposed civil rights legislation at the time.

There are many other connections between Nixon and Little Rock.  During his Presidency he both relied up and clashed with Arkansas’ legislative giants: Mills, Senator J. William Fulbright and Senator John L. McClellan.  Hillary Clinton served on the staff of the House Judiciary Committee as it investigated Nixon.  It would be during Bill Clinton’s presidency that Nixon died.

Artful Adventures continue at the Arkansas Arts Center

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arkartsThe Arkansas Arts Center is excited to offer some of the best art classes for children of all ages. Not only are these courses so much fun, but students will learn something too! All classes are taught by area professional artists and educators!

AUGUST 9
Ages 15-18, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. (Bring lunch)
Mix it Up!
Students will use many types of painting materials, such as acrylic and watercolor, and mix them with other types of media like collage and spray paint.
$53 for members and $66 for non-members.

AUGUST 11-15
Ages 10-14, 9 a.m. – Noon
Color! Color! Color!
Students will learn the basics of color theory and paint mixing as they take a closer look at three colorful movements in the history of art: Impressionism, Post-Impressionism, and Fauvism. Tuition is $131 per week for members and $164 per week for non-members. Class is limited to 12 students.

AUGUST 11-15
Ages 10-14, 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.
The Evolution of Picasso’s Selfie
From Realism to the Blue Period to Expressionism, students will spend each day of the week creating their own selfies using one of Picasso’s many art styles.
Tuition is $131 per week for members and $164 per week for non-members. Class is limited to 12 students.

 

For more information, call 501-372-4000 or visit www.arkarts.com

 

Little Rock Look Back: William Ashley – LR’s 22nd & 24th Mayor

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W E Ashley signature

On August 6, 1823, future Little Rock Mayor William Eliot Ashley was born in Little Rock.  He would go on to become the first Little Rock Mayor to be born in Little Rock.  Ashley was the son of Mary and Chester Ashley; his father would later serve as a U. S. Senator from Arkansas.  He was the second of the couple’s seven children.

Though he was raised in Little Rock, he did receive some schooling out of state. The State History Commission has correspondence between eleven year old William, studying in New York, and his father. Part of the letter is a request for money.

LR sealOn October 26, 1846, he married Frances Eliza Grafton at Christ Episcopal Church.  They were the first Little Rock residents to be married in that church.  The couple had five children, including triplets.  Only one of the children, Frances (who was one of the triplets) survived to adulthood.

Ashley was first elected Mayor of Little Rock in 1857. After completing a two year term, he was succeeded by Gordon N. Peay (another scion of a prominent Little Rock family).  In 1861, Ashley returned to the office of Mayor.  He was reelected to a third term in 1863.  In September 1863, following the defeat of Confederate troops by the Union forces at the Battle of Little Rock, the City of Little Rock ceased operations.  On September 21, 1863, Little Rock municipal government closed its doors, stopped collection of taxes and disbanded.  Thus Ashley’s third term ended.

In addition to his interest in local government, Ashley was a member of St. John’s College Board and a director of the newly-formed Little Rock Gas Company.

William Elliot Ashley died on August 16, 1868 at the age of 45.  He was buried in Mt. Holly Cemetery (which sat partially on land that had once belonged to his family). His parents, wife and children are all buried in Mt. Holly as well.

Interestingly, for someone who grew up in a prominent family, there does not appear to be a surviving likeness of Mayor Ashley – either in painting or photograph.  Several exist of his parents, but none of him.

Take Two – After a Rain Cancellation last week – E.T. Closes Out 2014 Movies in Park season

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MitP10 ETWhile federal government officials in full decontamination suits couldn’t stop E.T., Mother Nature did.  So Movies in the Park has extended a week and is screening a movie tonight.

The 10th anniversary season of Movies in the Park closes out with the 1982 classic E.T.  Steven Spielberg’s tale of an extraterrestrial who is trying to get home has been a hit since it debuted.

The film stars Henry Thomas, Drew Barrymore and Robert McNaughton as three siblings who befriend the creature. Dee Wallace is their mom.  Others in the cast include Peter Coyote and C. Thomas Howell.

Bring the Reese’s Pieces, ride your bicycle and plan for a magical evening of glowing fingertips, amazement and the uttering of the name “Elliott.”

E. T. was nominated for nine Oscars including Best Picture.  It took home four trophies: Sound, Visual Effects, Sound Effects Editing and Score. The latter award went to John Williams for yet another iconic masterpiece.

Now in its 10th season, Movies in the Park is a free outdoor film series at the First Security Amphitheater in Riverfront Park.  The move starts at dark (around 8:30).

Movies in the Park has grown to a season of eight films per year, on average, reaching audiences of up to 7,000 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 & Visitors Bureau has been managing Movies in the Park.

Butler Center Legacies & Lunch today at noon: Frank Sata

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legaciesEach month (usually the first Wednesday), the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies hosts “Legacies & Lunch”.  This month the program features Frank Sata discussing Unlikely Foundation: How WWII Internment in Arkansas Shaped a Family’s Life in Art and Architecture.  

Mr. Sata’s appearance is also presented in partnership with the Clinton School of Public Service’s speaker series.

sataAs a young boy, Frank Sata was one of thousands of Japanese Americans who spent time in Arkansas during World War II, imprisoned by their own country merely because of their ancestry. He was eight years old when his family was shipped from their home in California to Jerome, where one of two Arkansas internment camps for Japanese Americans was built by the War Relocation Authority. Mr. Sata’s father, J.T. Sata, was an accomplished artist who documented his family’s time in camps in Arkansas and Arizona in a series of remarkable oil paintings and charcoal drawings. Much of that art is currently on display in Concordia Hall of Butler Center Galleries, as part of Drawn In: New Art from WWII Camps at Rohwer and Jerome, and will remain in the Butler Center’s collection following the closing of the exhibition on August 23, 2014.

Mr. Sata, who lives in Pasadena, California, went on to become an architect. His own work was influenced by his experience of the World War II camps, his father’s art and photography, and famed American architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s fascination with Asian architecture. He will discuss the internment experience, his father’s art, and the ways his work as an architect reflects his memories of his years in Arkansas.

Despite the sadness embedded in the injustice of the World War II camps, Mr. Sata says, “I have since developed a sense of comfort and place for Arkansas.” He says, “Sometimes words do not come easily for me to describe that special meaning, but he is an eloquent interpreter of the power of a harsh experience visited upon a country’s citizens by wartime frenzy and the healing power of creativity to overcome anger and bitterness.

Legacies & Lunch is sponsored in part by the Arkansas Humanities Council. Bring a sack lunch; drinks and dessert are provided. For more information, visit www.butlercenter.org.