Yearly Archives: 2014

Little Rock Look Back: City Takes Possession of Robinson Auditorium

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10.+citylittlerock-2On January 25, 1940, the City of Little Rock officially took complete possession of the Joseph Taylor Robinson Memorial Auditorium. By assuming custody of the structure from the contractor and the PWA, the City accepted responsibility for any of the remaining work to be completed.

E. E. Beaumont, the Auditorium Commission chairman stated that an opening date could not be set until more work was completed. A major unfinished task was the laying of the front sidewalk which had been delayed due to cold weather.

The night before Little Rock took possession, Robinson Auditorium had been a topic of discussion at the Little Rock Chamber of Commerce annual meeting. The new Chamber president Reeves E. Ritchie (who as an Arkansas Power & Light executive had been engaged in the lengthy discussions about the installation of the steam line and transformers of the building) pledged that the Chamber would work to bring more and larger conventions to Little Rock at the Joseph Taylor Robinson Memorial Auditorium.

Prize winning CLYBOURNE PARK at Ark Rep opens tonight

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ClybourneA few seasons ago, the Arkansas Rep produced Lorraine Hansberry’s seminal work A Raisin in the Sun.  Tonight the Rep opens a production of Bruce Norris’ prize winning play Clybourne Park which explores events which happened before and after Hansberry’s play.

Clybourne Park is a bitingly funny and fiercely provocative play about the volatile combination of race and real estate. Written by Bruce Norris and directed by Rep founder Cliff Baker, its searing wit, intriguing plot twists and hard hitting social commentary make Clybourne Park a theatrical tour de force not to be missed.

In 1959, a white couple sells their home to a black family (the fictional Younger family from A Raisin in the Sun), causing an uproar in their middle-class neighborhood. Fifty years later in 2009, the same house is changing hands again, but the stakes have changed.

As neighbors wage a hilarious and pitched battle over territory and legacy, Clybourne Park reveals just how far our ideas about race and identity have evolved.

The cast includes Shaleah Adkisson, Ryan Barry, Katie Cunningham, Lawrence Evans, LeeAnne Hutchison, Robert Ierardi, Jason O’Connell, and David Tennal.

The creative team includes scenic designer Mike Nichols, costume designer Yslan Hicks, lighting designer Yael Lubetzky, sound designer Allan Branson and properties designer Lynda J. Kwallek.

The play was first performed in 2010 at Playwright’s Horizons. Following that production Norris received the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.  A subsequent production was mounted on Broadway in 2012.  The Broadway production was nominated for four Tony Awards and won the Tony for Best Play.

Clybourne Park is made possible in part by a grant from the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame Foundation, a component fund of the Arkansas Community Foundation.

Ark Rep production of prize winning CLYBOURNE PARK focus at Clinton School today

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ClybourneThe Arkansas Repertory Theatre works in partnership with the Clinton School of Public Service to participate in the UACS’s Distinguished Speaker Series, hosting educational panel discussions on various Rep productions. The latest in these takes place today, Thursday, January 23 at 12 noon at Sturgis Hall in Clinton Presidential Park.

Arkansas Repertory Theatre producing artistic director, Bob Hupp, will host a panel discussion on the upcoming production of Bruce Norris’ Clybourne Park, winner of the 2011 Pulitzer Prize and 2012 Tony Award for Best Play.

Clybourne Park is a bitingly funny and fiercely provocative new play about the volatile combination of race and real estate. In 1959, a white couple sells their home to a black family, causing uproar in their middle-class neighborhood. Fifty years later in 2009, the same house is changing hands again and neighbors wage battle over territory and legacy revealing how far our ideas about race and gentrification have evolved.

Panelists director Cliff Fannin Baker, Jess Porter and John Kirk from the UALR History Department, along with Bob Hupp, will discuss how Clybourne Park relates to issues of race, real estate, history, and legacy in our own community.

Clybourne Park opens tomorrow night (with previews last night and tonight). It runs through Sunday, February 9. Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday evening performances are at 7 p.m., Friday, Saturday evening performances are at 8 p.m. Sunday Matinees performances are at 2 p.m.

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Preserve Our Past Art and Essay Invitational for students in grades 5-8 announced

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ahpp logoStudents in grades five through eight throughout Arkansas are invited to participate in the 23rd annual “Preserve Our Past” art and essay invitational sponsored by the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage, AHPP Director Frances McSwain announced earlier this month.

Students can enter an artwork or essay based on a historic Arkansas property that is at least 50 years old, focusing on how those places reflect Arkansas history or why it is important to preserve the state’s historic sites. All entries must be postmarked by April 1, 2014.

First-, second- and third-place winners in each category will receive a trophy and winners in the art division will have their artwork framed, while those awarded honorable mention will receive ribbons. All students who enter will receive a certificate. Winning entries will be displayed at the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center in Little Rock throughout May, which is Arkansas Heritage Month.

For more information or an entry form, write AHPP Art and Essay Invitational, AHPP, 1500 Tower Building, 323 Center Street, Little Rock, AR 72201, call (501) 324-9786, send an e-mail inquiry to shelle@arkansasheritage.org, or download the form at http://www.arkansaspreservation.com/preservation-services/youth-education/Pop.aspx. Please include your name and mailing address on any phone or e-mail messages.

The Arkansas Historic Preservation Program is the Department of Arkansas Heritage agency responsible for identifying, evaluating, registering and preserving cultural resources. Other agencies are the Arkansas Arts Council, the Delta Cultural Center in Helena, the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, the Old State House Museum, the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission and the Historic Arkansas Museum.

“Miscommunications” at Tales from the South tonight

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talesfromsouthThe Tuesday, January 21 edition of  ”Tales from the South” is themed “Miscommunications.” We’ve all done it.  Tonight will be the chance to hear stories Alan Reese, Jan VanSchuyvel, and Guy Choate. Music is by Jamie Lou and blues guitarist Mark Simpson

“Tales From the South” is a radio show created and produced by 2013 Governor’s Arts Award recipient 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.

The program takes place at Starving Artist Café.  Dinner is served from 5pm to 6:30pm, the show starts at 7pm.  Admission is $7.50, not including dinner.

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 episode will air on January 23.

Finalists for Museum of Discovery Robot Name

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The Museum of Discovery received hundreds of wonderful name suggestions for our robot and narrowed the list down to ten. If we received the same suggestion more than once, we took the person who suggested it first. Here are the name suggestions chosen:Buttons (by Milo Krain)
I MOD (by Campbell Beazley)
Lunchbox ( by Jann Greenland)
Sebastian Razorbot (by Josie Parker)
Hoover (by Patrick Burnett)
AR-D2 (by Whitney Haynie)
Sheldon Tinkerton (by Sherry Berry)
Squeakers (by Sara Kamps)
Clamps (by Matthew Berry)
Sparky (by Sara Drew)

Thank you to everyone who participated by submitting suggestions. Now we need to vote on the above names. Voting will close Friday, January 24. You can only vote once per computer/mobile device.

Name the Robot Contest Survey

Little Rock Look Back: Webb Hubbell, Little Rock’s 64th Mayor

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https://i0.wp.com/www.webbhubbell.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/Webb_0951-240x155.jpgOn January 18, 1948, future Little Rock Mayor Webster “Webb” Hubbell was born. After playing football in high school, he played for the University of Arkansas Razorbacks.  He also received his law degree from the U of A.

At the age of 30, already a successful attorney, Hubbell was appointed to the Little Rock City Board of Directors to fill a vacancy in September 1978.  In 1980, he was elected to a four year term on the City Board.

In June 1979, there was a vacancy in the office of Mayor of Little Rock.  Hubbell was selected by his fellow City Directors to serve as Mayor until December 1980.  In January 1981, he was selected to serve another term as Mayor.  In June 1981, he stepped down as Mayor but continued to serve on the City Board of Directors.

In 1984, Hubbell was appointed to serve as Chief Justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court to finish out the term of Richard B. Adkisson.  Following his service on the court, he returned to the practice of law at the Rose Law Firm.  He later served as the Associate Attorney General in the Justice Department during the Clinton administration.

Hubbell resigned from the Justice Department due to an investigation of his billing practices at the Rose Law Firm, which stemmed from the Whitewater investigation.  Following conviction, he served time in prison.  Since his release he has been an author and management consultant.  His novel, When Men Betray, will be published by Beaufort Books in May 2014.