Walton center to host night with hitmaker McDonald
Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Michael McDonald performs “This Christmas — An Evening of Holiday and Hits,” 7 p.m. Tuesday at Fayetteville’s Walton Arts Center, 495 W. Dickson St., part of the center’s 2015-16 Popcorn Indiana American Music Series.
Tickets are $42-$72. Call (479) 443-5600 or visit waltonartscenter.org.
Candlelight Carols
The Hendrix College Choir and director Andrew Morgan will hold their annual annual Candlelight Carol Service at 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 4 p.m. Dec. 6 in Greene Chapel, Hendrix College, 1600 Washington Ave., Conway.
The program will include the world premiere of “A Christmas Lullaby” by Edmund Jolliffe, winner of the inaugural Hendrix College Candlelight Carol Competition; Jolliffe’s work beat out more than 85 other submissions by composers worldwide to win a $1,000 prize. Also on the program: “Adam lay y-bounden” by Howard Skempton, “The Lamb” by John Tavener, “Weihnachten” by Felix Mendelssohn, “Huron Carol” by Susan LaBarrand, “Gabriel’s Message” by Philip Ledger. Admission is free but reservations are required. Call (501) 450-1495.
The choir will then take the show on the road for two free performances, at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 17 at Germantown United Methodist Church in Germantown, Tenn., and at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 18 at Asbury United Methodist Church, 1700 Napa Valley Drive, Little Rock.
Peter Pan prequel
Fayetteville-based theater company TheatreSquared will open its production of Peter and the Starcatcher, a five-time Tony Award-winning “grown-up prequel to Peter Pan” by Rick Elise, based on the novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, with music by Wayne Barker, at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Walton Arts Center’s Nadine Baum Studios, 505 W. Spring St., Fayetteville.
Shows are at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Friday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday through Jan. 3, with special 2 and 7:30 p.m. performances on Christmas Day, with free cookies and hot cocoa at intermission (no shows Christmas Eve, Dec. 24). Tickets are $15-39. Call (479) 443-5600 or visit theatre2.org.
After it closes in Fayetteville, the show will move to Little Rock as part of a co-production with the Arkansas Repertory Theatre,
Jan. 22-Feb. 14.
‘Holiday Memories’
The Fort Smith Symphony and conductor John Jeter will be celebrating “Holiday Memories” in a pops concert, 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the ArcBest Corp. Performing Arts Center, 55 S. Seventh St., Fort Smith. Concertmaster Elizabeth Lyon, saxophonist Don Bailey and singer Grant Nesbit will solo in sacred and popular selections, including “Sleigh Ride,” excerpts from The Nutcracker, “Ave Maria” and “The Christmas Song”; the Fort Smith Chorale will sing popular choruses from George Frideric Handel’s
Messiah.
Tickets are $43 and $38, $20 and $15 for students. Call (479) 452.7575 or visit fortsmithsymphony.org.
SoNA Christmas
The Symphony of Northwest Arkansas will offer its annual “A Very SoNA Christmas” pops concert at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in Fayetteville’s Walton Arts Center, 495 W. Dickson St. Soprano Donna Rollene, harpist Caroline Jorgensen, the SoNA Singers, the Central Junior High School Chantez choir and the University of Arkansas Schola Cantorum will join the orchestra and conductor Paul Haas for a program of seasonal favorites. Tickets are $28, $39 and $50.
The orchestra and soprano Mallorie Spielmaker will also perform the soundtrack for the animated film The Snowman at 2 p.m. Dec. 6 at the center. Tickets are $8.
Call (479) 443-5600 or visit sonamusic.org.
Bus Stop auditions
Community Theatre of Little Rock will hold open auditions for Bus Stop by William Inge, 2 p.m. Saturday and 6 p.m. Dec. 6 at the Studio Theatre, 320 W. Seventh St, Little Rock. Director Tamara Boggs will cast, via cold readings from the script, four men, age early 20s to 50s, and three women, age 17-40s. Production dates are Feb. 1121. Call (501) 410-2283 (ACT3) or visit ctlr-act.org.
‘Act Up’
The Weekend Theater will hold “Act Up,” an educational seminar led by Candrice Jones and Steven Juain Young showcasing acting tips, confidence and esteem building, theater etiquette and “script science: goals, obstacles, and tactics” for young performers 10 to 24, 9 a.m.-noon Saturday at the Weekend Theater, 1001 W. Seventh St., Little Rock. Register online at weekendtheater.tix.com; the seminar is limited to the first 40 applicants. Fee is $10. A snack will be provided.