Monthly Archives: September 2015

Now running at The Weekend Theater – Neil LaBute’s THE SHAPE OF THINGS

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twt Shape-of-Things-PosterNeil LaBute’s The Shape of Things opened last night at The Weekend Theater.  It continues tonight, October 2 & 3 and 9 & 10.

This modern day retelling of the fall of man challenges our most deeply entrenched ideas about art and love. “In The Shape of Things”, Evelyn, a sexy, aggressive artist, and Adam, a shy, insecure student, become embroiled in an affair after meeting in a museum. Before long, Adam, under Evelyn’s steady influence, goes to unimaginable lengths to meet her approval, and the show veers into the kind of dangerous, seductive territory that LaBute does best.

Directed by Byron Taylor, it stars Ryan Heumier, Katie Choate, Rod T. Watts and Hannah-Leigh Baker.

Curtain time is at 7:30pm. Tickets are $16 for adults and $12 for students and seniors.

 

 

Grieg’s Piano Concerto marks start of 2015-16 Masterworks Season for Arkansas Symphony Orchestra

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ASO NewThe Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, Philip Mann, Music Director and Conductor, presents the first concert of the Stella Boyle Smith Masterworks Series: Grieg’s Piano Concerto, 7:30 PM Saturday, September 26 and 3:00 PM Sunday, September 27, 2015.

 Featuring Jon Kimura Parker on piano, the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra will take the stage with Mendelssohn’s concert overture, Fingal’s Cave, Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A minor and Borodin’s Symphony No. 2 in B minor.  The Masterworks Series is sponsored by the Stella Boyle Smith Trust. The concert is sponsored by Metal Recycling Corporation.

Concert Conversations – All concert ticket holders are invited to a pre-concert lecture an hour before each Masterworks concert. These talks feature insights from the Maestro and guest artists, and feature musical examples to enrich the concert experience.

Shuttle service is available – The ASO provides shuttle service from Second Presbyterian Church in Pleasant Valley to the Maumelle Performing Arts Center and back after the concert. For more information and to purchase fare, please visit www.ArkansasSymphony.org/shuttle.

Tickets are $19, $35, $49, and $58; active duty military and student tickets are $10 and can be purchased online at www.ArkansasSymphony.org; at the Maumelle Performing Arts Center box office beginning 90 minutes prior to a concert; or by phone at 501-666-1761, ext. 100. All Arkansas students grades K-12 are admitted to Sunday’s matinee free of charge with the purchase of an adult ticket using the Entergy Kids’ Ticket, downloadable at the ASO website.

 

Artists

Philip Mann, conductor

Jon Kimura Parker, piano

Program

  • Mendelssohn – The Hebrides, Op. 26 “Fingal’s Cave”  
  • Grieg – Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16
  • Borodin – Symphony No. 2 in B minor

Program Notes:

Grieg’s legendary Concerto boasts one of the most familiar openings in the entire concerto repertoire, owing much to its simplicity. Grieg composed the work while sharing a house with pianist Edmund Neupert, who advised him on the solo part and to whom the piece was eventually dedicated in gratitude. Fingal’s Cave evokes the majesty and mystery of the sea. Mendelssohn composed the work after touring the Hebrides, including the flooded grotto known as Fingal’s Cave. The piece influenced later compositions on similar subjects, such as Wagner’s opera, The Flying Dutchman, and Debussy’s symphonic work, La Mer.

About Arkansas Symphony Orchestra

The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra celebrates its 50th season in 2015-2016, under the leadership of Music Director Philip Mann. ASO is the resident orchestra of Robinson Center Music Hall, and performs more than sixty concerts each year for more than 165,000 people through its Stella Boyle Smith Masterworks Series, ACXIOM Pops LIVE! Series, River Rhapsodies Chamber Music Series, and numerous concerts performed around the state of Arkansas, in addition to serving central Arkansas through numerous community outreach programs and bringing live symphonic music education to over 26,000 school children and over 200 schools.

Late Night at South on Main – SeanFresh and The Nasty Fresh take the stage

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som seanfreshTonight at 10, South on Main welcomes SeanFresh to the stage.  His melodic and sultry voice is backed by his electric and energetic band, The Nasty Fresh.

Doors open at 4:00 PM, show begins at 10:00 PM. Wristbands can be purchased for $10 after doors open.

SeanFresh (voted as a finalist by the Arkansas Times for 2015 Artist of the Year) is a Little Rock native and has been working on the musical and visual part of his latest project, The Teshuvah Project, for the past 3 years. The Teshuvah Project is a series of three musically pieces and visual components that tell a story of love, lust and pain that is sure to be one of the best albums of the year.

Little Rock Look Back: Roswell Beebe receives Little Rock land title

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Map showing boundaries of original City of Little Rock

Map showing boundaries of original City of Little Rock

On September 25, 1839, businessman Roswell Beebe received title to all of the land in Little Rock.

Starting in the 1810s, there had been much dissension as to who had title to land in what would become Little Rock.  As the settlement developed into a town and city, these disagreements became greater. Often land speculators would sell land to settlers without having the right to do so.

Coming to Little Rock in 1835, Beebe was a witness to the continued uncertainty over land ownership.  In early 1839, he acquired 240 acres which had the only incontestable title in town. This acreage comprised most of Little Rock. He went to Washington DC in 1839 and, on September 25, received the original patent for the town of Little Rock, signed by President Martin Van Buren. It is recorded in the Pulaski county recorder’s office Book L, page 312.

Upon his return, Beebe gave all the people who had bought lots from a certain real estate developer, whom he considered to be fair and honest, title to their land for a dollar. In December 1839, he drew up a plan for Little Rock, laying off blocks and streets. He deeded the streets and alleys to the city for a dollar. He gave the state the title for the land on Markham Street, where the new capitol building (now the Old State House Museum) was located.  He also donated part of the land for Mount Holly Cemetery, the other portion came from his brother-in-law Chester Ashley.

Little Rock Look Back: The Little Rock Nine finally enter Central High

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101st_Airborne_at_Little_Rock_Central_HighIt was 58 years ago today that the Little Rock Nine entered Central High School and stayed. On one hand, this brought to the end a nearly month long standoff between segregationists and those who wanted to obey the U.S. Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board decision.

In the bigger picture, the struggle did not end that day.  Throughout the remainder of the school year, the Little Rock Nine were subjected to threats, isolation and hostility.  Outside of the school, while the crowds may had dispersed after September 25, the raw feelings did not subside.

This was evidenced by the fact that the following year the high schools were closed to avoid having them integrated.

But September 25, 1957, was an historic day in the United States. Under guard of members of the 101st Airborne Division of the Army, the Little Rock Nine were escorted into Central High School. This action by President Dwight Eisenhower was the result of the intrusive efforts of Governor Orval Faubus who had used the Arkansas National Guard to keep the nine students out.

The City of Little Rock was largely a bystander in this issue. The form of government was changing from Mayor-Council to City Manager in November 1957. Therefore Mayor Woodrow Mann and the entire City Council were lame ducks. Mann, whose son was a senior at Central, tried to focus on keeping the peace in Little Rock. Most (if not all) of his Council members sided with the Governor.

Congressman Brooks Hays, a Little Rock resident, had tried to broker an agreement between the President and the Governor but was unsuccessful.  Following that, Mayor Mann was in discussions with the White House about the ability of the Little Rock Police Department to maintain order.  Finally, in the interest of public safety, the President federalized the National Guard and removed them. This paved the way for the Army to come in.

Though the school year was not easy, the nine youths who became known worldwide as the Little Rock Nine were finally in school.  They were Minnijean Brown, Elizabeth Eckford, Ernest Green, Thelma Mothershed, Melba Patillo, Gloria Ray, Terrence Roberts, Jefferson Thomas and Carlotta Walls.

In 1997, President Bill Clinton, Governor Mike Huckabee and Mayor Jim Dailey, famously held open the doors of Central High for the Little Rock Nine on the 40th anniversary.  Ten years later, Clinton, Huckabee and Dailey returned joined by current Governor Mike Beebe and Mayor Mark Stodola to host the 50th anniversary events.

Today the school is a National Historic Site, while still functioning as a high school.

Tonight at 8 at South on Main – Oxford American presents Lera Lynn

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oaamer lera

Tonight at 8pm, the Oxford American magazine welcomes Lera Lynn to the South on Main stage to kick off our 2015 – 2016 Americana Series!

Doors open at 6pm, with dinner and drinks available for purchase at that time. This series is made possible by our presenting sponsor, Ben E. Keith Foods Mid-South Division, and in part by the generosity of The Summer Foundation.

Tickets are $13 (General Admission), $17 (Reserved), and $22 (Premium Reserved).

Born in Houston, Texas, Nashville-based, and Georgia-bred, singer-songwriter Lera Lynn creates music that may be hard to categorize, but that is exactly why she appeals to so many. While the music business likes to wrap everything up in neat little packages, that isn’t always possible. Lera’s music has frequently been filed under “Americana,” “Folk,” and “Country.” But those categorizations tell only part of the story. “I just want to stop thinking about music as a marketing campaign,” Lera says. “Ray Charles went from jazz to R&B to country. Paul McCartney will do a ballad next to ‘Helter Skelter’ and not think twice. The most successful and lasting artists let inspiration steer them, not genre or marketing pitch. I’m just doing what moves me as it comes.”

Lynn’s album, The Avenues, produced by Joshua Grange, was released in September 2014. With The Avenues, Lynn created a mature album that resolutely defies pigeonholing. There is respect and nostalgia for the past while still pushing towards the future. “Where does my music fit?” says Lynn, “it’s the hardest question to answer. It’s something I’m constantly thinking about, and something people ask. I haven’t found an answer. I think it’s sexy. It’s sophisticated.”

“[The] album is the culmination of a life spent in music. Performing has been pretty constant for me my whole life,” she says. If you catch Lera performing live these days, she may be with a band—or playing as a duo with Joshua Grange on pedal steel. Either way, you’ll see a natural in action.

Sanderia Faye reading from MOURNER’S BENCH tonight

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The UALR Institute on Race and Ethnicity and UALR Public Radio tonight are sponsoring a reading by Arkansas native Sanderia Faye  at 7:00 p.m. at the UALR Ottenheimer Library.

Originally from Gould, Faye will read from her debut novel, Mourner’s Bench, and take questions from the audience. A book signing will follow and copies of Mourner’s Bench will be available for purchase at the event.

Parking is available in Lot 4, just north of the Ottenheimer Library, or in the lot to the east of the parking deck on the east side of the UALR campus on 32nd street.

Related Event:

Mourner’s Bench is also the book we are discussing during KUAR’s Readers Review on October 7.

In partnership with the Central Arkansas Library System, KUAR introduces community conversations for book lovers, called KUAR’s Readers Review.