Category Archives: Lecture

Learn about “The Scottish Curse” today at 5pm as part of Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre enrichment series

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Image may contain: 1 person, smiling, closeupMackers. The Thane of Cawdor. Lady M.

There are many euphemisms used (including by the author of this blog) to avoid saying the name of the character or the given name of The Scottish Play.

What has caused theater companies to close, untimely accidental deaths, and burns to Charlton Heston?

Could it be simply saying the word “Macbeth” while in a theater? Why is this famous play is so cursed? And why do so many actors fear the title?

Actor Nick Narcisi explores both the play and the history books for answers. WEDNESDAY, JULY 3rd, McAlister Hall’s Mirror Room. The lecture starts at 5pm.

It is part of the ongoing series of events sponsored by the Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre in conjunction with their season.

Narcisi is a Chicago-based actor who is appearing as Banquo in The Scottish Play as well as Nathan Detroit in GUYS & DOLLS this summer.

Hear Jay Jennings discuss nonfiction writings of Charles Portis today at noon as part of CALS Legacies & Lunch series

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Jay Jennings is the foremost expert on the writings of Charles Portis. (And a very talented writer himself!)  Today (July 3) at noon, he will speak about Portis at the CALS Butler Center Legacies & Lunch series.

Charles Portis is well known for his novels, such as the classic True Grit, but his journalism, travel writing, and other short works—many of them touching on his Arkansas roots—remained largely unknown until the collection Escape Velocity was published by Butler Center Books in 2013. Author/editor Jay Jennings, editor of that tome, will discuss the process of bringing together this miscellany and how it relates to Portis’ career.

The program starts at 12 noon in the Darragh Center of the CALS Main Library Branch.

Legacies & Lunch is a free monthly program of CALS Butler Center for Arkansas Studies about Arkansas related topics. Program are held from noon to 1 pm on the first Wednesday of the month. Attendees are invited to bring a sack lunch; drinks and dessert are provided. A library parking discount is available for attendees.

Arkansas Outhouses focus of Old State House Museum Brown Bag Lecture today

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“Crescent Moons, Catalogues, and Corn Cobs: A Contemplative Look at Arkansas’s Privies and Outhouses”

No matter what they’ve been called — an outhouse, privy, necessary, loo, or even other, more vulgar names, the outhouse has long been the “butt” of puns and jokes.

And because in the post-World War II era they were often associated with rural and poor regions of the country, for many years pairing Arkansas (as well as much of the South) with outhouses was an easy source for a joke or a barb.

Of course, the history of the outhouse goes a lot deeper than that, so join us on Thursday, June 27, from Noon – 1:00 pm, as Rachel Whitaker, a research specialist with the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History in Springdale, shares a lighthearted, yet informative look at this most “necessary” structure!

Admission is free. Bring your lunch; we’ll provide soft drinks and water. Parking is available in the garage beneath the DoubleTree Hotel.

“It’s Good to be King: Staging and Status in Shakespeare” is topic of Chad Bradford talk for Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre

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How does Shakespeare seek to convey status onstage?

Join AST Artistic Collective member Chad Bradford in an interactive talk about stage directions and status in the Elizabethan era.

Originally from Little Rock, Chad is a director, actor, and composer based out of New York City. Chad is a member of Actor’s Equity Association and has had the privilege to work all across the country.

Chad is currently the Associate Artistic Director for Shake on the Lake Shakespeare in Western New York.  During his time there he has directed RICHARD III, TWELFTH NIGHT, A MISDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM, THE SANTALAND DIARIES, and ROMEO AND JULIET.

The discussion will take place in McAlister Hall’s Mirror Room, UCA. The program starts at 5pm.

Future of Academic Medicine focus of UAMS Chancellor Cam Patterson talk at UA Little Rock Downtown;

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UAMS Chancellor Cam Patterson will be giving a talk at UA Little Rock Downtown about the history of academic medicine, the current challenges facing the field, and what he sees as the path forward.

The program will begin at 12 noon in the UA Little Rock Downtown location.  Copper Grill is providing sandwiches and salads.

It is free and open to the public.

“Loesser is Morer” – Learn more about GUYS & DOLLS composer Frank Loesser at Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre

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Frank Loesser, a composer most well-known for Guys and Dolls and How To Succeed in Business without Really Trying, penned a large body of work that spanned many styles and genres. He wrote for the stage, the screen, and singers.

AST Music Director Robert Frost takes a look at his most popular material, while also delving into his lesser-known works, pieces which signal a significant departure from his commercial hits.

The program is at McAlister Hall’s Mirror Room, UCA and starts at 5pm.