Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Sister Act opens Wednesday; Muses celebrate Spring
A cabaret singer who has witnessed a murder hides out in in an urban convent where she helps her “sisters” find their voices as she rediscovers her own in Sister Act (music by Alan Menken, lyrics by Glenn Slater, book by Bill Steinkellner and Cheri Steinkellner, based on the 1992 film), Wednesday-April 20, Murry’s Dinner Playhouse, 6323 Colonel Glenn Road, Little Rock.
The buffet opens 90 minutes before curtain time — 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday (with 12:45 p.m. Wednesday matinees only, this week and March 20 and 27), 12:45 p.m. and 6:45 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $35 Tuesday-Thursday, $37 Friday-Saturday, $33 for matinees and preview nights, $25 show-only and for children 15 and younger.
Call (501) 562-3131 or visit murrysdp.com.
‘Celtic Spring’
The Hot Springs-based Muses Creative Artistry Project’s “Celtic Spring” showcases the charm and tradition of Irish, Scottish and English ballads:
■ 3 p.m. today, Muses Cultural Arts Center, 428 Orange St., Hot Springs. Tickets are $35 (free for performers, students and teachers through a sponsorship provided by the Windgate Foundation — register in advance with the Muses Project). Call (501) 609-9811 or visit themusesproject.org.
■ 7 p.m. Monday at Trinity Presbyterian Church, 4501 Rahling Road, Little Rock. Admission is free; a love offering will be taken to benefit Family Promise of Pulaski County, whose mission is to help homeless families achieve independence. Sponsors are Legacy Termite & Pest Control and Muses Project patrons Al and Betty Kate Carney of Hot Springs.
The first concert of the Muses’ 2019 “Seasons in Art & Song” subscription concert series features professional Irish dancer and Little Rock native Michael Roberson alongside the organization’s professional musicians, dancers and a mixed-voice ensemble of Muses’ Young Artists and Vocal Apprentices.
Architecture lecture
Rick Joy, principal of Studio Rick Joy in Tucson, Ariz., will give a lecture titled “Taking the Time,” exploring notions of place seeking, place reading and place making through descriptions of his core values and examples of his studio’s works, 6 p.m. Tuesday in the lower-level Lecture Hall, Arkansas Arts Center, MacArthur Park, 501 E. Ninth St., Little Rock. A 5:30 reception will precede the lecture. It’s part of the Architecture and Design Network’s June Freeman lecture series. Admission is free. Call (501) 952-7274 or (501) 8406171 or email popitz@polkstanleywilcox.com or lhendrix@ polkstanleywilcox.com.
Navy band
The U.S. Navy Concert Band will give two Arkansas performances this week:
■ 7 p.m. Wednesday, Alma Performing Arts Center, 103 E. Main St., Alma. Admission is by free ticket. Call (479) 6322129 or visit almapac.org.
■ 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jones Performing Arts Center, Ouachita Baptist University, 410 Ouachita St., Arkadelphia. Admission is by free ticket. Call (870) 245-5555 or visit obu. edu/boxoffice.
Spring break camps
The Acansa Arts Festival of the South is offering springbreak arts camps on topics from visual arts and hip-hop to film acting and screen printing, March 18-22 while most central Arkansas youngsters are out of class.
Collaborators include Ballet Arkansas, the Argenta Community Theatre, Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub, the Faulkner Chamber Music Festival, the Arkansas Repertory Theatre, the Arkansas Arts Center, Big Piph, Cranford and Co. and Zinse Agginie.
Admission to the camps is free. Thursday is the deadline for parents to register their youngsters; they can enroll in more than one camp but space is limited. Students must arrange their own transportation. Find a list of camps and a registration form at acansa. org/2019-spring-break-artcamps.
Meanwhile, Wildwood Park for the Arts, 20919 Denny Road, Little Rock, will host a Junior Naturalist Spring Break Camp for youngsters age 7-12, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. March 18-22. Campers will hike Wildwood’s trails, play outdoor games and engage in hands-on instruction on lake ecology, Arkansas native reptiles and insects and how to stay safe in the woods. Cost for the week is $180 (including a $50 nonrefundable registration fee) or $45 per day. Email a letter of request to info@wildwoodpark.org. Visit wildwoodpark.org/education/classesandcamps.
TempleLive country
Country singer Jerrod Niemann performs at 8 p.m. Thursday at TempleLive, 200 N. 11th St., Fort Smith. Tickets are $15, $20 for pit standing room. Call (479) 222-6186, email boxoffice@templelive.com or visit templelive.com.
Awards luncheon
The Arkansas Arts Council honors the recipients of its 2019 Governor’s Arts Awards at a luncheon and ceremony, noon Tuesday at the Arkansas Governor’s Mansion at 1800 Center St., Little Rock. The program recognizes Arkansas artists, arts patrons, arts educators and businesses for outstanding contributions to the arts community.
This year’s awardees:
■ Arts Community Development Award — Steve Clark, Fort Smith
■ Arts in Education Award — The Center for Children and Youth, Fayetteville
■ Corporate Sponsorship of the Arts Award — Murphy USA, El Dorado
■ Folklife Award — Oxford American, Little Rock
■ Individual Artist Award — Marjorie Williams-Smith, Little Rock
■ Judges Recognition Award — Anthony Tidwell, Hot Springs
■ Patron Award — Jim and Joyce Faulkner, Little Rock
■ Lifetime Achievement Award — Billie Jo Starr, Fayetteville
Tickets are $35. Call (501) 324-9767 or email cheri. leffew@arkansas.gov.
Mamma Mia!
The Arts Center of the Ozarks, 214 S. Main St., Springdale, will hold auditions for
Mamma Mia!, 2-5 p.m. March 30-31 (with callbacks on April 2). The auditions will consist of singing excerpts from the show, a dance combination (wear comfortable clothes and shoes) and cold readings from the script; for more details, visit acozarks.org/mammamia-auditions. Provide a photo or head shot and list all conflicts on the audition form; no one should attend both days of auditions. Production dates are July 12-28. Call (479) 7515441.