Category Archives: Theatre

Creative Class of 2015: Erin Martinez

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erin54Moving with ease from a portraying a frustrated actress to an earthy Italian strumpet, Erin Martinez has had a memorable 2015 on Little Rock stages. Along the way, this singer/musician, actor, and music teacher has performed cabaret at various Little Rock night spots as well.

​During her childhood she spent many hours singing, composing, or teaching herself to play various instruments. She has been actively involved in performing in orchestra, band, jazz band, and theatre arts well into her adulthood.

In addition to appearing earlier this year in The Studio Theatre productions of The Last 5 Years and Nine, ​Erin has acted in theatrical productions (sometimes even in shows without numbers in the title) with several Central Arkansas companies such as The Weekend Theater, The Royal Players, The Community Theater of Little Rock. She made her NYC debut in November 2013 at 54 Below with Broadway composer Jason Robert Brown.

​Erin received a Bachelor of Music Performance, Bachelor of Music Education, and a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish from The University of Central Arkansas. She enjoys a career teaching elementary music to children ages 4-12 and is very passionate about the importance of fine arts education.

$1.5M Grant for Pulaski Tech Center for Humanities & Arts announced

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PTC CHARTSThe Windgate Charitable Foundation has awarded Pulaski Technical College Foundation a $1.5 million grant to furnish and equip the college’s new Center for Humanities and Arts which is nearing completion and is slated to open in January 2016.

The grant is the largest private gift in the college’s history.

“This is such an amazing gift and will be a game changer for the students and the entire community,” said Shannon Boshears, executive director of the PTC Foundation. “Many of our students have never seen a play or been to an art gallery. All of our students will benefit from this by enhancing their college experience and keeping them in school.”

The college will receive $1 million to purchase various and much needed items including musical instruments, art supplies, audio-visual equipment for the performance theater, plus tools and materials for the Big Rock Sculpture Park that adjoins the building. The remaining $500,000 will be used as a challenge grant that Windgate will match dollar-for-dollar to create an endowment to support the building’s operations.

Every student who is pursuing an Associate of Arts or Associate of Science degree will utilize the new building.

“We know that this gift will dramatically impact the lives of our students and community, and with its support to our Fine Arts curriculum, will cultivate an arts appreciation and perspective never before imaginable. That is a life gift for our PTC students and their families,” said PTC President Dr. Margaret Ellibee.

The 90,000-square-foot center integrates Pulaski Tech’s humanities and arts offerings including visual and studio arts, theatre, music, English, speech and philosophy. Inside are art studios, gallery and exhibit space, music rooms, a black box theatre with flexible seating, and 500-seat theatre that will be available for campus and community events.

T-o-n-i-g-h-t The Rep opens The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

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Rep Spelling BeeF-U-N is guaranteed at the Arkansas Rep production of the Tony winning The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. This musical comedy opens tonight for a run through November 8.

From William Finn, the composer of Falsettos, A New Brain and Little Miss Sunshine, comes a Tony Award-winning look at the all-too-familiar world of adolescence, told with hilarity, catchy tunes and surprising poignancy. The musical features a Tony-winning book by Rachel Sheinkin.  It was conceived by Rebecca Feldman with additional material by Jay Reiss.  The Rep’s production is directed by Nicole Capri.

The gloves are off in the take-no-prisoners, cold-blooded, dog-eat-dog world of competitive spelling as a menagerie of pre-pubescent misfits vies to d-e-c-i-m-a-t-e their young rivals on the cutthroat path to the national spelling bee championship.

Hormones rage and pulses pound as our awkward adversaries engage in feats of o-r-t-h-o-g-r-a-p-h-i-c prowess. The winner will receive a shining trophy and a luxurious DC hotel room with a big screen TV. The loser – nothing but a broken heart, a pat on the back and a juice box.

“A truly funny, unpredictable night of theatre,” said Bob Hupp. “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Beeis never the same musical twice. The actors’ wit and verbal agility are put to the test night after night as each new audience brings new hilarity to the performance. If you can spell “cow”, then this musical is for you.”

Join The Rep onstage (quite literally, since several lucky audience members will be asked to show off their spelling chops alongside the cast each night) as we bring you this sidesplitting, irreverent, interactive musical comedy hit!

Intended for adult audiences.

C-l-i-n-t-o-n S-c-h-o-o-l hosts program on The Rep production of “SPELLING BEE” today at noon

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Rep Spelling BeeThe 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 24th of these takes place today, Thursday, October 15 10 at 12 noon at Sturgis Hall in Clinton Presidential Park.  It focuses on the Rep’s upcoming production of the musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is a Tony Award-winning look at the all-too-familiar world of adolescence, told with hilarity, catchy tunes, and surprising poignancy. The gloves are off in the take-no-prisoners, cold-blooded, dog-eat-dog world of competitive spelling as a menagerie of pre-pubescent misfits vies to decimate their young rivals on the cutthroat path to the national spelling bee championship. Hormones rage and pulses pound as our awkward adversaries engage in feats of prowess.

The winner will receive a shining trophy and a luxurious DC hotel room with a big screen TV. The loser – nothing but a broken heart, a pat on the back and a juice box. Join the Clinton School for a panel discussion about this production with moderator Bob Hupp, producing artistic director at the Arkansas Repertory Theater.

The play opens officially on Friday evening and runs through Sunday, November 8.

Tales of the Crypt tonight at Mount Holly Cemetery

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talescryptThe ghosts of Little Rock past will arise tonight at Mt. Holly Cemetery for the 21st Annual Tales of the Crypt.

Held the second Tuesday of October, Tales of the Crypt is an annual Mount Holly event.  Founded by Fred Boosey and Judy Goss, it is now under the direction of Tamara Zinck.  Drama students from Parkview Arts & Science Magnet High School are each given a person buried in the cemetery to research. They then prepare short monologues or dialogues, complete with period costumes, to be performed in front of the researched person’s grave.

Award-winning local costumer Debi Manire will once again provide the wonderful historical characters’ costumes.  Audiences are led through the cemetery from grave to grave by guides with candles. Although it takes place around the same time as the American holiday Halloween, the event is meant to be historic rather than spooky.  Many local teachers award extra credit to students who attend.

Student tour guides will escort groups of approximately 15 from grave site to grave site to learn more about those who shaped central Arkansas in to what it is today.

The Mount Holly residents will greet you are:

  • Dr. Isaac Folsom (Peyton Hooks)
  • Mrs. Sallie Folsom (Rahlea Zinck)
  • David O. Dodd (Cameron Minor)
  • Mary Dodge (Delaney Robertson)
  • Dovenia (Dovie) Kirby (Emily Gardner)
  • Samuel B. Kirby (Brock Tittle)
  • Captain Benjamin Shattuck (Micah Patterson)
  • Anne Warren (Isha Horton)
  • Quatie Ross (Michelle Mora Dominguez)
  • Katherine Eller Henderson (Mikala Hicks)
  • Juliet Neill Peay  (Emorie Mansur)
  • Mary E. Gaines Belding (Abigail Mansur)
  • Albert Stocking (Tre’Vaughn Whitley)
  • Mollie Stocking (Taylar Hasberry)
  • George Borland (Harrison Wyrick)
  • Eleanor Counts (Stephanie Schoonmaker)
  • Edward Payson Washburn (Will Frueauff)
  • Lillian Scott (Sidney Kelly)
  • James Robbins (George Patterson)
  • Maria Rebecca Craigen (Angelique Camper)

(The names of the Parkview students portraying the residents are in parentheses.)

The Twenty-first Annual “Tales of the Crypt” is sponsored by Mount Holly Cemetery Association and Parkview Arts-Science Magnet High School.

The event will be held  at Mount Holly Cemetery, 1200 South Broadway, Little Rock, from 5:30 pm until 8:30 pm.  Admission is free to the public, however donations to Mount Holly Cemetery are appreciated and aid in the maintenance of the cemetery.

Creative Class of 2015: Graham Gordy

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Photo by Nancy Nolan

Photo by Nancy Nolan

From his days as a child actor on Little Rock stages to creator and writer of the upcoming Quarry on Cinemax, Graham Gordy has had a varied career in the performing arts.

After his start as an actor, he transitioned to writing while in Los Angeles working with the Groundlings. Though he still makes occasional appearances as an actor (including a stint kissing Reese Witherspoon’s neck in the Jeff Nichols film Mud), the focus of his career now is writing.

His plays have been performed in New York, but it is his work for film and television that has brought him the widest acclaim.  He was screenwriter for War Eagle and The Love Guru. In 2013, he wrote episodes of the Sundance series Rectify.

Gordy is currently at work on the Cinemax series Quarry.  It is set to premiere in 2016, after Cinemax picked it up for a whole season.  Filming took place earlier this year.

When not shooting on location, or doing “industry work” on the coasts, Gordy can often be found out and about in Central Arkansas supporting the local film and arts scene.

 

Monday Musings: Bob Bidewell

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BidewellBob Bidewell is the founder of The Studio Theatre, organist, musical director, musician, singer, actor and theatre director.  In addition to The Studio Theatre, he has long been involved in the Central Arkansas Chapter of the American Guild of Organists and Little Rock Wind Symphony (both of which have upcoming events this week).  He has served in leadership roles of those and many other arts organizations in Central Arkansas.  As an actor, he has shared the stage with Broadway stars Matt Cavenaugh and Kyle Dean Massey.  Later this month The Studio Theatre will be performing the musical satire Reefer Madness.

-My earliest memory was (age and incident):
1-2 years old. Hearing train whistles and begging my parents to take me to see the trains.
-When I was in high school and imagined my adulthood, I thought I would be…
Band Director.
-Star Wars, Star Trek, Battle of the Network Stars, or Dancing with the Stars?
Star Wars.
-I most identify with the Winnie the Pooh character of…
Owl (not because I’m intelligent and brilliant but that I’m older, somewhat wiser and love to teach).
-The performer I’d drop everything to see is…
Carol Burnett.
-My first paying job was…
Mowing Neighbors Lawns.
-A book I think everyone should read is….
A Time to Kill (John Grisham).
-My favorite season is…
Autumn.
-We are all geeks (or experts) about something. My field is….
Musical Theatre.