October is Arts and Humanities Month nationally and in Little Rock. Americans for the Arts has identified a different arts topic to be posted for each day in the month. Next up is Animals. And what better place to see animals than the Little Rock Zoo?
Here are a few photos the Culture Vulture has taken at the Little Rock Zoo over the past few years.
Arkansas Repertory Theatre’s production of Million Dollar Quartet will wrap up its extended this Sunday, October 13. Tickets are available online at TheRep.org or by calling the Box Office at (501) 378-0405.
Million Dollar Quartet, a Tony Award-winning smash hit Broadway musical, is the current production in The Rep’s 2019 Season.
Based on the book by Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux, Million Dollar Quartet chronicles the epic 1956 recording session of young rock ‘n roll stars Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins.
“It’s more than just a jukebox musical,” said Director Hunter Foster. “It’s a dramatic play. But, the music is still the star and by the end people are usually dancing in the aisles.”
Showcased hit songs include “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Fever,” “Walk the Line,” “Sixteen Tons,” “Who Do You Love?,” “Great Balls of Fire,” “Folsom Prison Blues,” “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On,” “Hound Dog,” and more.
“All the music that audiences will hear is actually being played by the actors,” Foster said. “Most audiences can’t believe they are playing because they are so good! We’re bringing some of the best actor/musicians in the country to Arkansas.”
The Arkansas Rep cast includes Trent Rowland (Elvis Presley), Bill Scott Sheets (Johnny Cash), Skye Scott (Carl Perkins), Brandyn Day (Jerry Lee Lewis), Karack Osborn (Sam Phillips), Alyssa Gardner (Dyanne), Brian Wolverton (Jay Perkins) and David W. Lincoln (W.S. “Fluke” Holland).
The design and creative team includes Lauren T. Roark, costume designer; Erin Reed, associate costume designer; Adam Koch, set designer; Steven Royal, associate set designer; James Barry, music supervisor; Kirk Bookman, original lighting designer; Steve O’Shea, lighting designer; and Luke Mitchell, sound designer. The stage manager is Colin JB and Merit Glover is the assistant stage manager.
Tickets start at $20. Discounts are available for full-time students, season subscribers, seniors and military personnel. For complete information, visit TheRep.org.
Tickets
May be purchased online at TheRep.org, by phone at (501) 378-0405 or by visiting the Box Office at 601 Main Street in Little Rock. Performances run now through Oct. 13.
Tim Rabolt is the Executive Director for the Association of Recovery in Higher Education (ARHE). In his role with ARHE, Rabolt oversees all operations, including but not limited to: the national conference, membership, external relations, partnerships and collaborations.
Prior to joining ARHE, Rabolt worked in the D.C. area as a Project Manager with Altarum, a public health research and consulting organization. He graduated from The George Washington University in 2015 with his bachelor’s degree in business administration, and then again in 2017 with his master’s degree in education and human development. He’s been in recovery since April of 2011 during his senior year of high school in Wilmington, Del. He currently resides in Minneapolis, Minn.
All Clinton School Speaker Series events are free and open to the public. Reserve your seats by emailing publicprograms@clintonschool.uasys.edu or by calling (501) 683-5239.
O
n October 8, 1867 in Panora, Iowa, future Little Rock Mayor Warren E. Lenon was born. He was one of eleven children of John D. and Margaret M. Long Lenon.
Lenon came to Little Rock in 1888 after finishing his schooling in Iowa. He helped set up an abstract company shortly after his arrival. In 1902 he organized the Peoples Savings Bank. Among his other business interests were the City Realty Company, the Factory Land Company, the Mountain Park Land Company, and the Pulaski Heights Land Company.
From 1895 to 1903, he was a Little Rock alderman, and in 1903, he was elected Mayor of the city. A progressive Mayor, he championed the construction of a new City Hall which opened in 1908. At the first meeting of the City Council in that building, Mayor Lenon tendered his resignation. His duties in his various business interests were taking up too much of his time.
Mayor Lenon had been a champion for the establishment of a municipal auditorium. He had wanted to include one in the new City Hall complex. But a court deemed it not permissible under Arkansas finance laws at the time. He also worked to help establish the first Carnegie Library in Little Rock which opened in 1912.
Mayor Lenon continued to serve in a variety of public capacities after leaving office. In the 1920s, he briefly chaired a public facilities board for an auditorium district. It appeared he would see his dream fulfilled of a municipal auditorium. Unfortunately the Arkansas Supreme Court declared the enabling legislation invalid.
In 1889, he married Clara M. Mercer. The couple had three children, two of whom survived him: a son W. E. Lenon Jr., and a daughter Vivion Mercer Lenon Brewer. Together with Adolphine Fletcher Terry (also a daughter of a LR Mayor), Mrs. Brewer was a leader of the Women’s Emergency Committee.
Mayor Lenon died June 25, 1946 and is buried at Roselawn Cemetery. Lenon Drive just off University Avenue is named after him..
Little Rock is blessed to have many artisans and craftspeople making everything from pottery to jewelry to glasswork to woodwork.
While there are many different places which could be featured, today’s focus on crafting is another opportunity for a reminder that the Arkansas Arts Center Museum School is continuing to offer classes while the MacArthur Park location is closed for renovations. Most of the classes are offered at the Riverdale location, but a few classes are being offered at various branches of the Central Arkansas Library System.
Here are scene from just a few of the AAC’s Museum School classes and other educational programs.
Join the CALS Ron Robinson Theater for HITCHCOCKTOBERFEST! They will be screening FIVE classic Hitchcock films throughout October, and continue the series off tonight (October 8) with Rear Window.
The screening starts at 7pm.
The 1954 film is the second collaboration between Alfred Hitchcock and Jimmy Stewart. It also featured Grace Kelly (another in the long line of cool, attractive blondes which Hitchcock cast in his movies), Raymond Burr, Thelma Ritter, and Judith Evelyn.
Professional photographer L.B. “Jeff” Jefferies (Stewart) breaks his leg while getting an action shot at an auto race. Confined to his New York apartment, he spends his time looking out of the rear window observing the neighbors. He begins to suspect that a man (Burr) across the courtyard may have murdered his wife. Jeff enlists the help of his high society fashion-consultant girlfriend Lisa Freemont (Kelly) and his visiting nurse Stella (Ritter) to investigate.
The movie was nominated for four Oscars: Director, Screenplay, Color Cinematography, and Sound. Surprisingly none of the cast were nominated. At the time, Ritter was nominated almost every year in the Best Supporting Actress category, though she never won.
Tales of the Crypt – Spend an evening in Mount Holly Cemetery meeting its residents!
No, they aren’t ghosts. No, they don’t rattle chains or scare anyone. These residents are students from the Drama Department of Parkview Arts & Science Magnet High School in Little Rock.
Drama students research a person buried in Mount Holly. Then, on the second Tuesday evening of October, they dress in period costumes and deliver short monologues or dialogues to highlight the history and lives of their character.
Audiences are led through the cemetery by guides with candles, stopping at the graves where student actors are stationed. Many local teachers award extra credit to students who attend.
Over a thousand people attend Tales of the Crypt every year.
The fun starts at 6:00pm and runs until 8:00pm.
Admission is free to the public. We gladly accept donations!
Little Rock Culture Vulture 