Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Around The World In Two Semesters
UAFS adds international flair to 38th Season of Entertainment
At first glance, the 2018-19 Season of Entertainment might appear to be more musical than in the past. Stacey Jones, associate vice chancellor for campus and community events at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith, says it’s probably more family friendly, too, but that’s by happy accident, not design.
What Jones set out to do in the 38th year of the arts and entertainment series he founded was to make it more “international.”
“That seems to be more and more what our patrons want and what sells well,” he says.
His audience, he adds, crosses all kinds of demographic lines — college students often sit next to senior citizens, and they come from not just the Fort Smith market but also from Oklahoma, Northwest Arkansas and, like the faculty and student body, from around the world.
Demographic numbers from UAFS show the student body includes those with American Indian, Asian, Hispanic, African-American and Pacific Islander heritage — as do the lists of faculty and staff. So this year, the Season of Entertainment artists will come to Fort Smith from Australia, Israel, Ireland, Texas with a south-of-the-border flair, Scotland and across the UAFS campus, including drama, jazz and vocal music.
The Season of Entertainment was founded on the idea of blending UAFS offerings with touring productions captured as they traveled between longer engagements in cities such as Dallas and Kansas City or St. Louis. Jones said in an earlier interview that it’s a “massive task” to look at what’s available, figure out the “tie-in dates” and schedule around the locally produced plays and concerts. But the plan to bring in audiences has paid off.
“There was a time when I would go to a university production, and I remember seeing more people on stage than there were in the audience,” Jones says. “The kids deserved better than that.”
Now UAFS plays and musical ensembles are winning regional and national acclaim, giving the season “a great balance to it. There’s something for everybody,” Jones says. And with the addition of the Blue Lion at UAFS Downtown, “I think the Season of Entertainment is exactly what it says it is — a season of entertainment with a good mix of everything.”