Elsewhere in entertainment, events and the arts:
THEATER: Argenta ‘Producers’
The Judy Kohn Tenenbaum Argenta Community Theater episodes “The Producers” (music and lyrics by Mel Brooks, book by Brooks and Thomas Meehan, adapted from Brooks’ 1968 film of the same name), opens Wednesday at the theater, 405 Main St., North Little Rock. Curtain times are 7:30 pm Tuesday-Saturday, 2 pm Sunday through March 4. The production contains mature humor and references and the theater does not recommend it for younger audiences. Wednesday and Thursday’s shows are previews. Tickets are $25-$35. Visit ArgentaCommunityTheater.org.
Max Bialystock (P. Jay Clark), the one-time king of Broadway producers is now reduced to squeezing pennies from little old ladies, and Leo Bloom (Michael Klucher), a milquetoast accountants, accidentally discover that they can be richer by making a flop than a hit and work to find the worst possible show, the worst possible director and the worst possible actors to make the best possible flop. They did their job well — the result, “Springtime for Hitler,” turned out to be a resounding success.
More ‘Convenience’
TheatreSquared in Fayetteville extends the run of “Kim’s Ease” by Ins Choi through seven performances, 7:30 pm Tuesday-Friday, 2 and 7:30 pm Saturday, 2 pm Sunday through February 26 at the West Theatre, 477 W. Spring St., Fayetteville. Tickets are $20-$54. Call (479) 777-7477 or visit theatre2.org.
First Period
Actors Theater in Little Rock will perform six plays and musicals in its inaugural full season, beginning with William Shakespeare’s “As You Like It,” adapted and directed by the theater’s producing artistic director, Mark A. Burbank, and a co-production with Henderson State University, April 6-9 at the University of Arkadelphia.
The rest of the lineup (locations to be announced):
- ◼️ May 4-7: The Central Arkansas premiere of “Tiny Beautiful Things,” adapted for the stage by Nia Vardalos from the book by Cheryl Strayed
- ◼️ June 8-18: The Arkansas Premiere of “Bright Star,” music, book, and story by Steve Martin, lyrics by Eddie Brickell
- ◼️ Aug. 10-13: The regional premiere of “The Glorious World of Crowns, Kinks, and Curls” by Kelli Goff, monologues and scenes that explore the complex relationship women have with their hair. In collaboration with A Black Space
- ◼️ September 28-Oct. 8: “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, book by Hugh Wheeler
- ◼️ December 7-17: A reprise of “Black Nativity” by Langston Hughes, staged by the company on December 15-18, 2022, as part of “Season Zero.”
Visit actorstheatrelr.org.
PLAN: Haiku competition
March 11 is the deadline for Arkansans to submit entries for the second annual Hot Springs Sister City Program. Arkansas Cherry Blossom Festival Haiku Competition, in two categories, adult and 18 and under. A published haiku poet will select the top entries for cash prizes; poets will be invited to read their winning haiku at the Arkansas Cherry Blossom Festival on April 2. Limit two haiku per person; submit online through HotSpringsSisterCity.org.
Acappella, which is celebrating 40 years of singing ministry, is making three Arkansas stops on a 12-city tour in support of its new album, “40.” (Special to the Democrat-Gazette) MUSIC: Places called Acappella in Arkansas
Acappellawhich is celebrating 40 years of singing ministry, is on a 12-city tour in support of its new album, “40,” with three Arkansas stops:
Tickets to each concert are $29.99.
UALR wind
The University of Arkansas at Little Rock Wind Ensemble performs at 7:30 pm Tuesday at Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall, Fine Arts Building, UALR, 2801 S. University Ave., Little Rock. The program: “The Miller’s Dance” from Manuel De Falla’s ballet “The Three-Cornered Hat,” with soloists Geoffrey Sims, French horn, and Al Farmer, English horn; an arrangement of “Interludium” in E-flat major from Paul Hindemith’s “Ludus Tonalis”; three movements from “Sea Pieces” by Edward MacDowell; and “His Honor March” by Henry Fillmore. Michael Underwood directs. Entry is free. Call (501) 916-3291 or email gegalloway@ualr.edu.
Jazz trio in Lyon
Atlanta-based jazz trio Jerry Fields and the Jazz Journey, with “special guests” Eric South and Tim Crouch, performs at 7:30 pm Monday in Sloan Auditorium, Brown Fine Arts Building, Lyon College, 2300 Highland Road., Batesville. Entry is free. Call (870) 307-7259 or email Michael.Oriatti@Lyon.edu.
CLASSES AND CAMPS: Ballet classes
Ballet Arkansas offers Spring Break and summer camps, workshops, and intensives for recreational and semi-professional dancers, ages 4-21. Register at balletarkansas.org/spring-summer-camps.
Spring Break Camps:
- ◼️ Carnival of the Animals, Little Rock Zoo, 1 Zoo Drive, Little Rock, for children 6-12, 8 am-4 pm March 20-24. Campers participate in themed activities and games, meet animal ambassadors, receive an introduction to the basics of dance from professional ballet company dancers and learn animal-themed activities that inspired by Camille Saint-Saens”https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2023 /feb/19/theatresquared-extending-convenience/”Carnival of the Animals.” No prior dance training is required. The campers must bring their own brown-bag lunch Tuition is $300, plus a $100 nonrefundable registration deposit, due March 10.
- ◼️ Spring Break dance workshops, sponsored by Acansa, for beginner/intermediate dancers ages 9-18, 9 am-noon March 21 and 23; for intermediate/advanced dancers, 10 am-2 pm March 20, 22 and 24. Classes in ballet, pointe/variations, pas de deux, contemporary/jazz, pilates/yoga and choreography, Ballet Arkansas studio, 501 Main St. , Little Rock. Workshops are free; registration is required by March 10.
Summer camps:
- ◼️ Story Time Dance Camp, for children 4-6, 9-11 am June 12-16 and 1-3 pm June 19-23. The first week focuses on “Heroes & Villains” in classical ballet (including sequences from “The Nutcracker” and “Sleeping Beauty”); the second featured “Birds of Ballet!” (sequences from “Swan Lake” and “The Firebird”), with an in-studio showcase for families and friends. Attend a week or both. Prior dance training is recommended but not required. Tuition (per week) is $125, plus a $50 nonrefundable registration deposit, due May 31.
- ◼️ Junior Intensive, for dancers ages 7-9, noon-3 pm June 12-16 and 9 am-noon June 19-23 at the Ballet Arkansas studio. Dancers may attend for one or two weeks; a minimum of two to three years of dance training is recommended. Tuition (per week) is $150, plus a $100 nonrefundable registration deposit.
- ◼️ Summer Intensive Boot Camp, for intermediate/advanced-level dancers ages 10-21, 9 am-3 pm July 10-14 at the University of Arkansas at the Little Rock Center for Performing Arts, 2801 S. University Ave. , Little Rock. Classes in ballet, pointe/men’s technique, variation, pilates/yoga, conditioning and contemporary/jazz. A minimum of three to five years of dance training is recommended. Tuition is $275, plus a $100 non-refundable registration deposit, due May 31.
- ◼️ Two-week Summer Intensive, for intermediate-advanced level dancers 10-21 with a minimum of three to five years of dance training, 9 am-4 pm Monday-Friday, July 17-28, at the UALR Center for Performing Arts. Classes and workshops in ballet, pointe/men’s technique, variation, conditioning, contemporary, pilates/yoga, choreography & improvisation, repertory, nutrition, stage makeup, acting and production, culminating in the July 28 showcase. Tuition is $650, plus a $150 nonrefundable registration deposit, due May 31.
Email education@balletarkansas.org for more information.
Summer art camp
The University of Arkansas at Little Rock art and design department will host “artWAYS 2023,” a residential summer intensive art camp for rising high school juniors and seniors, June 17-24. Admission, all art materials, food, housing costs and evening activities are free thanks to a grant from the Windgate Foundation. Students will live in an on-campus residence hall with professional residential counselors. The deadline to apply is March; Applicants must submit a letter of recommendation from a visual arts teacher and a digital portfolio with at least five original images of their artwork. There is a limit of 45 students. Register and get more details at tinyurl.com/6aur6rzh. Call (501) 916-5107 or email amtompkins@ualr.edu.
ETC.: MacArthur film
As part of its “Movies at MacArthur” series, the MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History, 503 E. Ninth St., Little Rock, is screening “The Great Burning,” a documentary that focuses on how a group of Black American soldiers helped change attitudes about race as a result of their peacetime service fighting the 1910 wildfires, 6:30 pm Tuesday. It is adapted from a PBS”https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2023/feb/19/theatresquared-extending-convenience/”American Experience” episode. Admission, drinks and popcorn are free. Call ( 501) 376-4602.
