Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Arts Live keeps theater arts alive for kids of all ages
Created in 1983 as a touring company offering educational theater productions to kids throughout Arkansas, Arts Live changed its mission in 2000 when it became a children’s theater, presenting youth-performed plays and musicals and offering classes for kids ages 5 to 18. Today, it has its own theater space in Fayetteville and will perform a whopping 14 shows in next year’s season — and changes the lives of countless Northwest Arkansas youth along the way.
Executive Director Mark Landon Smith says much of the success of the theater can be chalked up to the arts-supportive environment of Northwest Arkansas.
“The whole region is really exceptional, because we’re sharing information and resources and opportunities, and by doing that, everybody is winning,” he says. “We’re helping each other. It’s that creative support that really establishes a community. And we have the support of the city of Fayetteville, our students, our families and the public at large.”
Smith’s knowledge of the benefits of introducing the arts to kids comes from his own childhood experiences. His first memory of his life in theater is his performance as Little Jack Horner in his kindergarten graduation ceremony.
“I was brilliant,” he says, laughing. “They’re still talking about it 48 years later.”
At the time, says Smith, he didn’t realize that getting involved in theater was having a positive impact on his development.
“As a child, you don’t really think in those terms, you know, ‘This is team work, it’s building self-confidence,’” he says. “When I started working for a children’s theater when I got out of college, I thought, ‘Oh, I really have an opportunity to really affect these children in a positive way, teaching elements of teamwork, self-confidence and self-expression.”
The opportunities offered by Arts Live go beyond
acting on stage to writing, directing and learning the technical elements. Kids who have been involved with the theater can list the benefits with little hesitation.
“This organization has done so much for me and helped me grow as a playwright and actor,” says Charlotte McCombs, who has been working with Arts Live for five years. “Thanks to Arts Live, my original play, Independence, is being produced, and I will have the amazing opportunity to see something that I wrote come to life on stage. I also have the opportunity to co-direct the production with one of the fabulous directors, [Director/Teaching Artist] Natalie Lane. I would never have been able to have
such an amazing experience without Arts Live, and I have learned so much about the world of theater through the process.”
Warren McCombs offered his assistance as an assistant stage manager when his sister Charlotte was cast in her first play at Arts Live. He has now been working with the theater for three years.
“I learned so much — not only about technical theater but also about acting,” says
Warren. “I’m now much more knowledgeable and equipped.”
There is also the social aspect of getting involved with a group of like-minded people, says Kayleigh Calaway, who has been involved with the organization since she was 5 years old and has performed in 19 shows.
“It’s an amazing place,” she says. “You build friendships that can last for years. We are all one big family. I try to get my friends involved all the time. Arts Live provides a very inclusive environment.”
Warren agrees, calling it a “second home and a haven to many of the actors and crew.”
“The most beneficial thing about Arts Live is getting the opportunity to connect to a group of people that are completely supportive of you and your ambitions,” says Charlotte.
“[There] is an amazingly positive environment, and it is such a wonderful place for anybody. At Arts Live, it doesn’t matter if you’re shy or bold, young or old, all you have to do is have an open heart for everybody.”
Smith says the upcoming “Arts Live Laugh Out Live” gala on Friday at 6:30 p.m. is one of the primary fundraisers of the year for the organization.
The gala will include a performance by Phunbags Comedy Improv (of which Smith is a co-founder), a three-course meal, an open wine and beer bar and silent and live auctions. Live auction items include four tickets to Disney World with a set of Walt Disney World luggage, memorabilia from the Broadway production of Hamilton and a Branson getaway.
Smith says all proceeds from the evening will help
fund programming for the season and the Arts Live scholarship program.
“We’ve given out around $38,000 in scholarships,” says Smith. “We give them to anyone who needs assistance participating. We don’t want there to be any kind of financial barrier to participation.”
That’s a very good thing, says Charlotte, who hopes that Arts Live will inspire more young people to get involved.
“It is so important for people of our generation to get involved in the arts,” she says. “It makes me feel so wonderful to know that I have affected someone’s life for the better by involving myself in the arts. I have changed my own life by having the experience.”