Tag Archives: Jim Spencer

Discover Mystery and History along the SCOTLAND ROAD at UALR Play

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ScotRoad1000UALR’s third theatre production of the 2014-15 season opens tonight and runs through February 15.  Jeffrey Hatcher’s Scotland Road plays at 8pm tonight through Saturday and 2:30pm on Sunday in the University Theatre on the UALR campus.

Mystery, history, and human obsession plot the course of Scotland Road.  Reality is called into question when a simply dressed young woman is rescued from a small iceberg in the North Atlantic. All evidence, including her one word to the rescuers, “Titanic,” points to her being a survivor of the world’s worst sea disaster 80 years before.

The play navigates its way through several unexpected twists and turns as the woman is questioned by John Jacob Astor V, great-grandson of one of the Titanic’s most celebrated victims and a man preoccupied with every aspect of the event. Each meeting both unravels and deepens the mystery, and forces Astor to embark on his own voyage of soul searching.

Highly stylized and rich with imagery, the play examines the depths of who we are and brings to the surface the realization that few things, and fewer people, are what they seem.

The show’s director is Dr. Jay E. Raphael, professor and chair of UALR Department of Theatre and Dance.  The cast features Keaton Duersch, Ashley Mahan, Heidee Alsdorf and Stacy Pendergraft.  The creative team includes William Marshall (scenery and lighting), Yslan Hicks (costumes), Jim Spencer (sound) and Karen Harris (props).

Ticket prices are $10 for the general public and $5 for UALR students, faculty, staff, and seniors.  For more information, tickets, and reservations call 501.569.3456.

The Band of Brothers: HENRY V at Arkansas Rep

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The Arkansas Repertory Theatre kicks off its 37th season with William Shakespeare’s Henry V.  Directed by Producing Artistic Director Robert Hupp, this production is the first of Shakespeare’s History plays to be produced at the Rep.

The production reunites Hupp with actors Avery Clark and Nikki Coble from the Rep’s widely acclaimed production of Hamlet in 2010.  The cast is an amalgam of seasoned Rep veterans and newcomers.  It includes Jason Collins, Jason Guy, Peter Leake, Joe Menino, Irungu Mutu, Richard Prioleau, Paul Romero, Mitch Tebo, Ed Lowry, DC Wright, Bill Jones, Sheila Glasscock, Fang Du, Ashton Crosby, Michael Bartholmey, Nate Washburn and Andrew Curzon.

Other members of the creative team include scenic designer Mike Nichols (beginning his 30th season at the Rep), costume designer Marianne Custer, lighting designer Michael J. Eddy, props by Lynda J. Kwallek and sound designer Jim Spencer.  Ellen Mandel returns to the Rep as composer of the show’s original score.

Henry V runs through September 23.

On September 10, the “Reel Classics with the Rep” series at Laman Library will feature the Kenneth Branagh film version of Henry V at 6pm.

The Rep will also host a Student Actor Workshop with the cast from 1pm to 4pm on September 15.  This workshop for high school and college students ages 15-22. The Student Actor Workshop will cover on-stage combat, blocking and dissecting the language of Shakespeare’s Henry V for a modern audience. The workshop will be led by professional actors Avery Clark and Nikki Coble who play the roles of Henry the Fifth and Katherine in The Rep’s production of Henry V.The workshop is free and space is limited. 

Arts & Humanities Month: UALR Theatre & Dance presents ONCE UPON A MATTRESS

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The UALR Theatre and Dance season kicks off with the whimsical musical fairy tale Once Upon a Mattress.  This marks UALR’s first musical in several years and comes after the theatre and dance program have been revitalized.  The production of this Mary Rodgers, Marshall Barer, Dean Fuller, Jay Thompson musical opens tonight at 8pm.  Other show times are Friday, October 7 at 7pm; Saturday, October 8 at 2:30pm and 8pm; and Sunday, October 9 at 2:30pm. Tickets can be obtained by calling the UALR Box Office at 569-3456.

Rhythm McCarthy is serving as director and choreographer.  Designers are William Marshall, Yslan Hicks, Jim Spencer and Karen Harris.  Michael Heavner is serving as musical director.

The 2011/2012 season has the tagline: Where Your Imagination Is Our Reality.  Other productions are:

  • Senior Dance Projects, November 17-20
  • Jeff Baron’s Visiting Mr. Green and Jane Martin’s Criminal Hearts presented in repertory, February 22-26
  • Spring Dance Concert, April 19-22