Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Thespians: Competition creates ecosystem, not drama
The performance arts scene is growing as fast as the population, with productions reflective of the varying tastes in Northwest Arkansas.
The late ’80s and early ’90s had no shortage of theater’s greatest hits on local stages. The Walton Arts Center, Rogers Little Theatre, Arts Center of the Ozarks and University of Arkansas showcased staples from Arthur Miller, Tennessee Williams and Shakespeare along with contemporary hits like Cats. Arts Live Theatre, a nonprofit children’s and youth company, has been around for more than 30 years.
By the mid-2000s, regional professional theater arrived via TheatreSquared. Groups such as Artists Laboratory Theatre, Shakespeare troupe Crude Mechanicals and Opera Fayetteville have since popped up. Rogers Little Theatre became Arkansas Public Theatre. Another community theater, Pilot Arts, began at the end of last year.
The Momentary, a visual and performing arts space affiliated with Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, is set to open in the old Kraft Foods building in downtown Bentonville by early 2020.
The Walton Arts Center’s 30,000-square-foot expansion opened in November 2016 and allows for more lavish productions with a bigger back of the house. An expanded and renovated Starr Theater has made more performances possible, mainly music, and at the same time as shows on the main stage.
TheatreSquared’s $31.5 million building is on track to open by the 2019-2020 season. Designed by Marvel Architects and Charcoalblue, the building will feature two theaters, a rehearsal space, offices, education
and community space, onsite design and building workshops, eight guest artist apartments, three levels of outdoor public spaces and a cafe and bar that will be open beyond production hours.
The university’s Global Campus theater will have its first event April 20 with the ArkType Festival of New Works, a collection of one-person shows and new plays from students, faculty and community members. The $2.7 million renovation put a state-of-the-art black box theater on the downtown square. Performances will be more intimate, with about half the capacity of the 315-seat University Theatre on campus.
Having a satellite venue should open university productions to a larger audience, said Ashley Cohea, business manager with the university’s Department of Theatre. The department has six shows planned for the 2018-2019 season, four of which will take place at the Global Campus stage.
That’s just a sampling of the dramaturgical diversity the region showcases.
RISING TIDE
Northwest Arkansas is rapidly becoming a place where theater is made and where professional artists can live, work and find an audience, said Martin Miller, TheatreSquared’s executive director. The more the ecosystem grows, Miller said, the more everyone in the industry will benefit.
“I think we’ll look back on this moment a decade from now and realize we were lucky enough to be around during the emergence of a new, vibrant theater capital,” he said.
TheatreSquared will soon move from its 175-seat theater at Nadine Baum Studios, which it leases from the Walton Arts Center. Partnerships continue to play a key role in the Walton Arts Center’s operation. Symphony of Northwest Arkansas, Creative Community Center and others have been a staple of the center for years, and now the nonprofit Trike Theatre in Bentonville is serving as an artistic affiliate on education initiatives and professional development.
Two decades of youth outreach seems to have paid off, said Laura Goodwin, vice president of learning and engagement at the Walton Arts Center. The kids who regularly saw performances on elementary school field trips grew up.
“When you look at that, over a 20-year period, and the kind of cultural fabric that is created when the performing arts are part of the pattern of your life, I think you do over time see these smaller theater companies start to bubble up and audiences are then ready to receive that work,” she said.
A diversity in programming promotes the idea that theater can be accessible to everyone, and not just for a certain class of audience. There is an element of competition, yes, but the more interest and enthusiasm gained in the performing arts, the wider an audience there is to tap into, said Scott Galbraith, vice president of programming at the Walton Arts Center.
“All ships rise with the tide,” he said. “If they’re going to Trike in Bentonville one day, they may be coming to see Mary Poppins on the Broadway series the next time.”
That tide is certainly high. The arts made a $131 million economic impact on Northwest Arkansas in 2015, according to the most recent study from the Arts and Economic Prosperity 5 project of Americans for the Arts. The average attendee of an arts or cultural event in the region spent $35.89 in addition to the cost of admission.
The Walton Family Foundation set forth an effort to establish Northwest Arkansas as a national leader in arts and cultural amenities as part of its 2020 Home Region strategic plan. Key partners include the Scott Family Amazeum, Community Creative Center, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Symphony of Northwest Arkansas, TheatreSquared and the Walton Arts Center.
ARTS FOR EVERYONE
The list of new and interesting performing arts options is growing.
Shakespeare troupe Crude Mechanicals wrapped its fourth season in January and plans to perform all over Northwest Arkansas. Pilot Arts in Fayetteville offers classes and holds auditions for its productions at the Fayetteville municipal airport.
The Artist’s Laboratory Theatre, formed in 2010, operates in a former church across the street from the senior center in Fayetteville. Original productions and performances move around to different venues, such as Walker Park or anywhere else they can be arranged.
The nonprofit theater company uses art as a tool to discuss larger social issues, such as housing insecurity, poverty and means of transportation, said Haley Smith, marketing director. Performances often are relevant to issues facing the community on the south side of town.
Artist’s Lab aims to bring people together through outreach while having fun, Smith said.
“Everything is steeped in purpose,” she said.
Arkansas Public Theatre, entering its 33rd season, but only its fourth under the new moniker, may look a little different but still serves as a place for community theater seeking local talent. There is no shortage of talent, said Joseph Farmer, executive director.
Cast lists always have someone new who wasn’t in the last show.
The region’s in a great spot talent-wise, Farmer said. He likened the landscape to that of the burgeoning business startup scene in Northwest Arkansas. It will only thrive if everyone supports each other, Farmer said.
“There are arts for everyone in Northwest Arkansas,” he said. “Different theaters have different shows to offer and, we offer them at different times. You can make a whole weekend and see four different shows, no problem.”