Category Archives: Literature

Expect “The Unexpected” at Tales from the South tonight at Stickyz

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talesfromthesouthTonight, Tales from the South examines the lessons of “Learning Curve” at the Stickyz Rock N’ Roll Chicken Shack. The storytellers for this edition include Karen Hayes and Bill Hall.

Music is by The Salty Dogs  as well as blues guitarist Mark Simpson.

“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 6:30pm, the show starts at 7pm.  Admission is $15 in advance.  Dinner can be purchased separately.

You MUST purchase your ticket before the show. Any tickets available at the door will be $20.

Previous episodes of “Tales from the South” air on KUAR Public Radio on Thursdays at 7pm.  This program will air on July 16.

A Pound of Flesh and Unstrained Mercy – MERCHANT OF VENICE at Ark Shakes

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AST 2015 MoVComedy and tragedy collide in this story of lovers united and families torn apart.  At the center is Shylock, the Jewish moneylender. When the Venetian merchant Antonio is forced to seek a loan from Shylock, a man he despises for his religion and profession, he is asked to enter into an impossible contract: he must give a pound of flesh if unable to pay back the borrowed sum. What follows is a complex and challenging exploration of love, mercy, integrity, and justice that reminds us that, “all that glisters is not gold.”

The Merchant of Venice continues the 2015 season of the Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre.  Performances are at 7:30 tonight, Saturday, June 20 and Tuesday, June 23.  Matinees are at 2pm on June 20, June 27 and June 28.  All performances take place in the Reynolds Theatre on the UCA campus.

The cast is led by Chad Bradford, Peter Kevoian, Paul Kiernan and Jocelyn Vammer.  Others in the cast are Jordy Neill, Taylor Galloway, Jeff Gonzalez, Hannah Moulder, Ferginho Philippe-Auguste, Hunter Ringsmith, Matthew Schmidli, Tanner Berry, Mattie Bogoslavsky, Mark Fox and Harrison Trigg.  Members of the Youth Ensemble are Anna Caroline Greg, Ethan Marotte and Olivia Marotte.

Arkansas Author Round Up at Hillary Rodham Clinton Children’s Library & Learning Center

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READThe Central Arkansas Library System’s (CALS) Hillary Rodham Clinton Children’s Library & Learning Center, 4800 W. 10th Street, will hold an Arkansas Author Round Up on today, beginning at 10 a.m.
Five Arkansas children’s book authors will give attendees an opportunity to listen and interact with them about their children’s books.  The Arkansas Author Round Up is free and open to the public.

Authors participating in the Arkansas Author Round Up include: Carol Dabney, Bows and Butterflies; Sharrol Frederick, Pickles Play Baseball; Misti Kenison, The Tiny Travelers Series: Egypt and France; Erica Taylor, Figler, My Imaginary Friend; and Ebony White, Mr. Colors Saves the Day.

CALS’ Hillary Rodham Clinton Children’s Library & Learning Center is one of fourteen CALS branches serving Pulaski and Perry counties.  The Children’s Library is open Monday-Thursday from 10 a.m.-7 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m.-6 p.m., and Sunday from 1 p.m.-5 p.m.  For more information, call 978-3870 or visit www.cals.org.

 

Merry Wives and Falstaff kick off 2015 Arkansas Shakespeare Theater season

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AST 2015 MWWLove and deception are the name of the game in the small town of Windsor when Shakespeare’s famous larger-than-life anti-hero Falstaff comes for a visit.  Falstaff sets out to woo the Housewives of Windsor for some quick cash, but finds himself outfoxed by the wise Windsor Wives, becoming the buffoon instead of the leading man in his own ambitious tale of romance.  The entire family will laugh their way through this energetic and charming farce.

The Merry Wives of Windsor kicks off the 2015 season of the Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre.  Performances are at 7:30 tonight, Friday, Saturday, June 11 and June 13 at the Hendrix Village.  It will be performed at the Argenta Farmer’s Market space on June 25, 26 & 28.

The cast is led by Paul Kiernan, Chad Bradford, Stacy Pendergraft, Paige Reynolds, Courtney Bennett, Matthew Duncan, Jordy Neill, Jeff Gonzalez, Jenna Hokanson, Austin Larkin, Ferginho Pilippe-Auguste, Ricky Pope and Matthew Schmidli.  The youth ensemble consists of Aaron Eley, Jack Ghormley, Sarah Guinee, Ethan Hemphill, Anna Beth Jeane, Camille Lambert, Madeline Leicht, Simon Marotte, Maddie Meek, Kate Parrack, Anna Reynolds, Henry Whisenhunt and Zeke Whisenhunt.

All performances are “pay what you can,” with a suggested donation of $15.

Today at Clinton School – Ark Rep production of AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY

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THEREP_AUGUST (no credits)-page-001The 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, June 4 at 12 noon at Sturgis Hall in Clinton Presidential Park.  It focuses on the Rep’s upcoming production of Tracy Letts’ August: Osage County.

Arkansas Repertory Theatre producing artistic director, Bob Hupp, will host a panel discussion on the upcoming production of August: Osage County, winner of the 2008 Pulitzer Prize, Tony Award for Best Play, New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play, and virtually every other theatre award possible.

The play focuses around the large Weston family when they unexpected reunite after dad disappears and their Oklahoman family homestead explodes in a maelstrom of repressed truths and unsettling secrets. Mix in Violet, the drugged-up, scathingly acidic matriarch, and you’ve got a major new play that unflinchingly – and uproariously – exposes the dark side of the Midwestern American family.

August: Osage County opens officially on Friday evening and runs through Sunday, June 21.

Legacies & Lunch Commemorates Roosevelt Thompson

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roosevelt_thompson_fRoosevelt Thompson was a gifted young man who had a bright future in public service before his death in an automobile accident in 1984. In honor of the 35th anniversary of Thompson’s graduation from Little Rock Central High School, the Butler Center, a department of the Central Arkansas Library System (CALS), will present a special Legacies & Lunch program, co-hosted by the Clinton School of Public Service, on Wednesday, June 3, from noon-1 p.m. at the CALS Ron Robinson Theater, 100 River Market Ave.

At Central High School, Thompson was student body president, an All-Star football player, and a National Merit Scholar. Thompson went on to attend Yale University, which has established a prestigious prize in his honor. While at Yale, he was selected as a Rhodes Scholar.

At this special Legacies & Lunch program, co-hosted by the Clinton School of Public Service, historic video footage featuring Thompson, Bill and Hillary Clinton, and others, will be shown. A panel, including Elaine Dumas, one of his teachers and mentors; Lee Thompson, his brother; and Beth Felton, his classmate at Central and a staff member at the CALS Roosevelt Thompson Branch Library, will discuss how his memory lives on today. Following this discussion, attendees may share memories and ask questions. After the program, all are invited to send their thoughts to RememberingRosey@cals.org.

Legacies & Lunch is free, open to the public, and sponsored in part by the Arkansas Humanities Council. Attendees are invited to bring a sack lunch; drinks and dessert are provided. For more information, call 501-918-3033.

Brian Whelan headlines a special singer-songwriter edition of Tales from the South tonight at Best Impressions

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talesfromthesouthA very special Tales from the South will take place tonight.

Dwight Yoakam’s MVP sideman, Brian Whelan plays the pedal steel, electric guitar, the occasional mandolin (primarily when Dwight wanted to change an arrangement into a bluegrass tune), keys/piano and spot-on harmonies. Brian was both in Dwight’s touring and recording band, and played on the critically acclaimed, 3 Pears (#1 on the Americana charts), and is also currently featured on Dwight’s current release, Second Hand Heart (debuting #2 on the Billboard charts).

Brian recently left Dwight’s band to focus on his own music. With instrumental abilities that made him a key member of Dwight Yoakam’s band, a voice reminiscent of Jackson Brown, and a lyrical streak that makes him seem like he’s been writing hook-laden hits for years, Brian Whelan is poised for a much wider attention with the release of his second album. Produced by fellow Yoakamite drummer Mitch Marien, the new record throws Whelan’s hat into the a ring crowded with the likes of John Fullbright, Sturgill Simpson, Mike Stinson, and Jason Isbell. When Brian Whelan is not touring, he can be found in a Los Angeles studio playing on someone’s album or even producing.

Tonight’s program will take place at Best Impressions restaurant at the Arkansas Arts Center.  Music will be provided by The Salty Dogs and bluesman Mark Simpson.

“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.

Dinner is served from 5pm to 6:30pm, the show starts at 7pm.  Admission is $15.  Dinner can be purchased separately.

You MUST purchase your ticket before the show.  Any tickets still available at the door can be purchased for $20.

Previous episodes of “Tales from the South” air on KUAR Public Radio on Thursdays at 7pm.  This program will air on June 25.