Tag Archives: Arkansas Arts Center

Pay What You Can Weekend as Arkansas Arts Center Children’s Theatre on Tour presents two shows in Riverdale

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A Christmas CarolThe Children’s Theatre on Tour is stopping by the Arkansas Arts Center’s Riverdale location for a weekend of Pay What You Can performances December 20–22.

Children’s Theatre on Tour will hold four performances of A Christmas Carol throughout the weekend and one performance of Wynken, Blynken and Nod: A Play for the Very Young. While the Arts Center’s MacArthur Park building undergoes a transformational renovation, the Children’s Theatre has expanded its touring program, which will feature four shows throughout the 2019–2020 season.  

A Christmas Carol will be performed at 7 p.m. on Friday, December 20, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Saturday, December 21, and 2 p.m. on Sunday December 22. Clever, comedic, and kid-friendly, A Christmas Carol breathes new life into Dickens’ heart-warming classic. Schooled by a team of magical Christmas Eve visitors, Ebenezer Scrooge, the most miserable of all misers, rediscovers the true spirit of the season—one of love, generosity, and family. With these touchstones of happiness revived in him, he wakes Christmas morning to find himself “light as a feather, happy as an angel, and merry as a schoolboy!” There will be a pre-show holiday party at 5:30 p.m. on December 20 with art activities, a hot chocolate bar, cupcakes, shopping and more. The holiday party is free for Friday evening ticket holders.

Wynken, Blynken, and Nod: A Play for the Very YoungWynken, Blynken and Nod: A Play for the Very Young will be performed at 10:15 a.m. on Saturday, December 21. Toddlers and preschoolers will delight in the enchanting and whimsical journey of Wynken, Blynken, and Nod as they sail away one magical night and meet the mystical Moon! Inspired by Eugene Field’s poem, this interactive musical for early-childhood audiences explores the fantasy world of dreams. When the Moon asks, “where are you going, and what do you wish?” the night sky becomes the sea and stars become fish as audience members see, touch, and participate throughout the play.

Pay What You Can tickets can be purchased by phone at 501-372-4000 or in person at the Arkansas Arts Center’s Riverdale location (2510 Cantrell Road). Ticket desk hours are 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. Monday – Friday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Saturday, and noon – 5 p.m. Sunday.

A Christmas Carol
Friday, December 20, 7 p.m. | Saturday, December 21, 2 p.m. & 4 p.m. | Sunday December 22, 2 p.m.
Clever, comedic, and kid-friendly, this holiday show breathes new life into Dickens’ heart-warming classic. Schooled by a team of magical Christmas Eve visitors, Ebenezer Scrooge, the most miserable of all misers, rediscovers the true spirit of the season—one of love, generosity, and family. With these touchstones of happiness revived in him, he wakes Christmas morning to find himself “light as a feather, happy as an angel, and merry as a schoolboy!”

Wynken, Blynken, and Nod: A Play for the Very Young
Saturday December 21, 10:15 a.m.
Toddlers and preschoolers will delight in the enchanting and whimsical journey of Wynken, Blynken, and Nod as they sail away one magical night and meet the mystical Moon! Inspired by Eugene Field’s poem, this interactive musical for early-childhood audiences explores the fantasy world of dreams. When the Moon asks, “where are you going, and what do you wish?” the night sky becomes the sea and stars become fish as audience members see, touch, and participate throughout the play. Join Wynken, Blynken, Nod, and the Moon on this 45-minute multi-sensory adventure for the very young. 

First Beaux Arts Bal raised money for fine art acquisition in Little Rock on December 12, 1958

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Snow covered highways throughout the state on Friday, December 12, 1958.  However, the 400 guests at the Fine Arts Club’s first Beaux Arts Bal braved the roads and made their way to the blue drape bedecked ballroom of the Country Club of Little Rock. (Note, the event used the French spelling of Ball using only one “l.”)

Proceeds from the evening would be used by the Fine Arts Club to build up an acquisition fund for the Museum of Fine Arts. At the time, the club was in the process of launching an effort which would lead to the creation of the Arkansas Arts Center.

With the theme “bal de tete” (or “Head Ball”) guests were encouraged to come in their finest evening wear while sporting elegant and/or creative chapeaus atop their crowns.

Gege Darragh

Among the revelers were:

  • Elsie Stebbins, president of the Fine Arts Club, wearing a papier-mache silhouette of Arkansas adorned with the five flags which had flown over it
  • Howard Stebbins, president of Ducks Unlimited, wearing a replica of a duck blind complete with Mallard ducks
  • Daisy Jacoway, beneath a white Christmas wreath
  • Cooper Jacoway, clad in a black and white bear’s head with eyes flashing on and off
  • Carrie Dickinson, wearing a hat made of pink and red roses
  • Mayriann Hurst, bedecked in an epergne holding Christmas ornaments and fresh white orchids (as befitting the owner of Tipton Hurst florist)

Gege Darragh won a prize as “Most Artistic” hat which included lighted candles on a styrofoam base intermingled with white glitter oak leaves and silver balls. Her prize was a portrait by noted Arkansas artist Edwin Brewer.

The Hamiltons (as Marie Antoinette and her executioner) and the Kreths (as Siamese dancers)

Dr. and Mrs. K. M. Kreth won the prize for “Best Hats” which were a matching pair of elaborate gold peaked headdresses in the style of Siamese dancers. Their prize was a trip to Nassau.

The “Most Creative” prize went to Jeane and Jim Hamilton who wore hats depicting Marie Antoinette and her executioner.  They received a Swedish crystal masque.

The headgear was judged by a triumvirate of notables: Little Rock hotelier, restaurateur, and raconteur Sam Peck; future Arkansas First Lady Jeannette Rockefeller, and architect Edward Durrell Stone.

Among the many women serving with Elsie Stebbins on the planning committee were Jane McGehee, Daisy Jacoway, Raida Pfeifer, Buff Blass, and Kula Kumpuris.

Just as the Museum of Fine Arts made way for the Arkansas Arts Center, so too did this event change.  In 1971, the annual Beaux Arts Bal was replaced by Tabriz. In 1976, it became a two night event which took place every other year.

Peck, Rockefeller, and Stone judging the head wear

Birth of Diego Rivera

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Today is the birthday of Diego Rivera.  He is one of my favorite artists, so any excuse to discuss him and his relationship with the Rockefeller family is greatly appreciated.

One of Rivera’s masterpieces is 1914’s Portrait of Two Women which is part of the permanent collection of the Arkansas Arts Center. Once the AAC reopens in MacArthur Park in 2022, I look forward to seeing it again!

The official name is Dos Mujeres.  It is a portrait of Angelina Beloff and Maria Dolores Bastian.  The former was Rivera’s first wife.

This oil on canvas stands six and a half feet tall and five and a half feet wide.

Influenced by cubists such as Picasso, Rivera adopted fracturing of form, use of multiple perspective points, and flattening of the picture plane.  Yet his take on this style of painting is distinctive.  He uses brighter colors and a larger scale than many early cubist pictures. Rivera also features highly textured surfaces executed in a variety of techniques.

The painting was a gift to the Arkansas Arts Center by Abby Rockefeller Mauzé, sister of Arkansas Governor Winthrop Rockefeller.  At the 1963 opening of the Arkansas Arts Center, James Rorimer, the director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, remarked several times to Arts Center trustee Jeane Hamilton that the Met should have that piece. Jeane politely smiled as she remarked, “But we have it.”

Of all her brothers, Abby was closest to Winthrop. The other brothers, at best ignored, and at worst, antagonized the two.  Given the complicated relationship of Rivera with members of the Rockefeller family, it is not surprising that if Abby were to have purchased this piece, she would donate it to a facility with close ties to Winthrop.

(Though the Rockefeller brothers had Rivera’s mural at Rockefeller Center destroyed, he maintained a cordial relationship with their mother Abby Aldrich Rockefeller — well as cordial as an anti-social but eminently charming Communist could be with the doyenne of capitalist NYC Society.)

Studio Gang was announced as Arkansas Arts Center architect on Dec. 6, 2016

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On December 6, 2016, the Arkansas Arts Center (AAC) announced the selection of Studio Gang as design architect for its upcoming building project.

The five firms selected as finalists were Allied Works (Portland, Ore./New York), Shigeru Ban (New York/Paris/Tokyo, Japan), Studio Gang (Chicago/New York), Thomas Phifer (New York) and Snohetta (Oslo, Norway/New York/San Francisco).

Studio Gang was deemed the best fit for the project due to the firm’s elegant and smart approach to architecture, their understanding of the issues posed by the AAC’s current facility, their vision for the center as a cultural beacon for Central Arkansas and their commitment to sustainability and strength as urban planners.

Founded by MacArthur Fellow Jeanne Gang, Studio Gang is an award-winning architecture and urbanism practice based out of Chicago and New York. A recipient of the 2013 National Design Award, Jeanne Gang was also named the 2016 Archiitect of the Year by the Architectural Review and the firm was awarded the 2016 Architizer A+ award for Firm of the Year.

Studio Gang is recognized internationally for a design process that foregrounds the relationships between individuals, communities and environments. The firm has extensive knowledge in museum, theatre and artist studio spaces, with projects ranging from the Writers Theatre in Glencoe, Ill. to the Aqua Tower in Chicago to the expansion of the American Museum of Natural History in New York.

Since their selection, Studio Gang has brought on a variety of other members of the consultant team including:

In February 2018, Studio Gang released their first designs for the project.  On October 1, 2019, ground was broken and construction officially commenced.

Bradley Anderson retires after 40 years leading Arkansas Arts Center Children’s Theatre

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Longtime Children’s Theatre Artistic Director Bradley D. Anderson will retire at the end of the year. In 40 years as Artistic Director for the Children’s Theatre, Anderson’s leadership and vision has built a theatre company that entertains, educates and engages thousands of Arkansas families, students and teachers every year.

Recognized by The Drama League as one of the best regional theatre companies in America, the Arkansas Arts Center Children’s Theatre is the only professional company in Arkansas that produces children’s literary works for the stage. Since 1979, when the professional company was established under Anderson’s leadership, the Children’s Theatre has been creating exceptional theatre for family audiences.

“I am so proud of the work we’ve done in the Children’s Theatre over the last 40 years,” Anderson said. “I know the Children’s Theatre legacy will continue to flourish for many years to come.”

Anderson wrote, adapted and directed numerous plays in his time at the Children’s Theatre, including crowd-favorite Main Stage shows as well as experimental Studio Shows for young audiences. In 1985, Anderson and the Children’s Theatre participated in the renowned Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston, S.C. In 1986, he received the National Governor’s Association Excellence in the Arts Award. Before coming to the Children’s Theatre, Anderson served as the founding director of the County Stearns Theatrical Company in St. Cloud, Minn. and was the Director of Studio Theatre of the Children’s Theatre Company in Minneapolis.

The Children’s Theatre is dedicated to the creation and presentation of high-quality adaptions and original plays for young people and their families. Inspired by classic and contemporary sources, their works provide an honest, relevant, and challenging artistic experience for audiences throughout the state.

“The Children’s Theatre has such a significant impact on youth and families throughout Arkansas – and so much of that is thanks to Bradley’s tireless dedication to creating magical theatre experiences,” Executive Director Victoria Ramirez said. “Thanks to Bradley’s excellent leadership, the Children’s Theatre will continue to be dedicated to providing educational and engaging live theatre for years to come.”

Associate Director Katie Campbell will serve as Interim Artistic Director. Campbell joined the Arkansas Arts Center Children’s Theatre in 2007 as a director, performer and puppet artist. She has performed in and directed numerous shows at the Children’s Theatre. Campbell was the recipient of the 2017 Puppeteers of America Jim Henson Award for Innovation, and her devised and directed shadow puppet play, The Ugly Duckling received a 2015 Jim Henson Foundation Family Grant. She is also a board member of TYA/USA, a national membership organization that strengthens the artistic and cultural impact of theatre for young audiences. Katie earned a Master’s in Directing Theatre for Young People from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and a Bachelor’s degree in Theatre Arts from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Campbell will continue to lead the Children’s Theatre’s creative programming while the MacArthur Park building is under renovation. During the Arts Center’s transition period, Children’s Theatre has expanded its touring program, which has allowed the Arts Center to reach even more students and families across the state with professional, educational live theatre experiences. Through Children’s Theatre on Tour, literary-based theatre productions travel to schools, community centers and libraries across Arkansas. The 2019–2020 Children’s Theatre on Tour season continues this winter with, A Christmas Carol (November 12 – December 20), The Arkansas Story Porch (January 14 – February 28), and The Wind in the Willows (April 7 – May 15). Main Stage shows will resume in the Arkansas Arts Center’s renovated theater in the fall of 2022.

“The Children’s Theatre has an incredible legacy of creating new and inspiring work for youth and families,” Campbell said. “I’m honored to have the opportunity to build on this legacy, and I look forward to envisioning the future of theatre for young audiences with our community.”

Children’s Theatre programming while the Arts Center’s building is under construction is just one piece of the Arts Center’s commitment to remaining accessible to the community while its MacArthur Park building is under construction. The Arts Center is committed to working with cultural partners across the region to expand access to performing and visual art programming while increasing programming reach.

Birthday of Hall High alum David Auburn, Tony and Pulitzer winning playwright

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November 30 is the birthday of Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning playwright David Auburn. A 1987 graduate of Hall High School, he participated in the Arkansas Arts Center Children’s Theatre while he spent his teen years in Little Rock.

Born in Chicago, he grew up in Ohio. He moved to Arkansas when his parents took jobs here, first in Jonesboro then Little Rock. After graduating from Hall, he returned to Chicago to attend the University of Chicago, where he graduated with a degree in English literature.  While there he was involved with a performance group and also wrote theatre reviews.

In 1992, he went to New York to take part in Julliard’s playwriting program.  In 1997, his first Off Broadway play was produced, Skyscraper.  In May 2000, Manhattan Theatre Club produced his play Proof at one of its Off Broadway theatres. Following the success of that run, it transferred to Broadway in the autumn of 2000.

In 2001, Proof won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, the Tony Award for Best Play, the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best American Play, and Best Play awards from the Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and Drama League.

That spring he also served as a script consultant for tick…tick…BOOM! a musical written by the late Jonathan Larson. He was asked by Larson’s family to write the book based on the several different drafts Larson had written prior to his 1996 death.

Subsequently, Auburn has moved between writing plays and movies as well as directing. He has also served as a teacher and playwright in residence. His plays include The New York Idea, The Columnist, and Lost Lake.

He wrote the story for the new Charlie’s Angels movie, in theaters now.