From a distance
Ideas for staying safely away from others while staying busy.
There are only so many walls to stare at in the average family home. Are you so bored you’ve resorted to counting the grains of rice in your pantry? It’s not just you. Social distancing is not easy, but there are ways to to keep everyone entertained. We’ve have been bombarded by ideas to pass the time, and we’re sharing them here and online in daily posts.
So find something to do and make it work, like a group of employees did Wednesday in Bentonville. They’re all working from home, but the day’s nice weather was too much to resist. So, they congregated safely in the Clorox Company parking lot. Cars parked more than 6 feet apart, they sat on their tailgates and visited.
ISOLATION IS A DRAG
People are really showing what they’re made of these days. Almost everyone is working from home, and entertainers who are used to having people come to them are now finding ways to go home with their audiences instead. Reba Douglas wants to come over.
Just like musicians and other entertainers, drag queens work mostly for tips in bars and other venues. Unless you’re lucky enough to be RuPaul or one of the winners of his Drag Race TV series, boys who will be girls are not often flush with cash.
Arthur Severio, a photographer and entertainer in New Orleans’ French Quarter, is isolated from his usual audience, friends and family. He has only his alter ego, Reba Douglas, to consult with, along with her arsenal of wigs, heels, costumes, music tracks
and a camera.
With his regular show at the Golden Lantern bar in the Quarter on hiatus, Reba is performing her regular Sunday night drag Jubilee from the living room and broadcasting it on Facebook Live at 5 p.m. Sundays.
Jubilee is a show that reflects Severio’s Deep South upbringing with hints of gospel and irreverence. He’s often joined by performers, and the show is always a hit with locals and tourists.
Severio will have his Venmo details and Cash App address on the page so viewers can send tips. Check out Severio’s photos on his website, arthurseverio.com.
To watch the show follow either link: Follow either link: facebook.com/Reba-Douglas-701834703174894/ or https://www.facebook.com/ arthur.severio.
ARTS CENTER AT WORK
The Arkansas Arts Center on Little Rock’s Ninth Street is closed for renovations and the temporarily relocated location in the former Walmart Neighborhood Market on Cantrell Road is now closed because of covid-19.
That’s not going to stop the Arts Center from serving Arkansans, according to news release from the center.
“The Arkansas Arts Center launched Arkansas Arts Center Amplified, a new Facebook group featuring artist demonstrations, highlights of artworks from the Arkansas Arts Center Foundation Collection, Children’s Theatre performances and episode of Our Work Continues, an original web series,” the release says.
It goes on to say that Museum School instructors have filmed videos from their homes offering “step-by-step art projects.”
To join the Facebook Group, visit the Arkansas Arts Center Facebook page or just follow this link: facebook.com/groups/AACAmplified.
When you’re in, you can take part in activities like this: “Looking for opportunities to be creative? Museum School instructors have devised a series of drawing (or painting or sculpture — we’re not trying to limit your artistic expression) prompts for you to tackle at home. Leave a photo of your ‘portrait of the mundane’ in the comments!”
Mundane things are easy to come by right now so this should be simple and fun. Or scroll down and find another one. “Can you turn art-making into a game? Museum School Associate Director Miranda Young (and a special guest) show you how to play the scribble game — using materials you can find around your house.”
In addition, to keep the community engaged, the Arts Center release says it has donated gloves, masks and respirators from its supplies to local hospitals, including 800 masks and 900 pairs of gloves to University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. Staff members are also using fabric supplies to sew masks at home for the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System.
For more information or to find more activities, visit arkansasartscenter.org, or call (501) 372-4000.
LAMAN ALIVE
Our Arkansas libraries are working overtime to keep people engaged. North Little Rock’s Laman Library is not only offering a full range of online alternatives, library cardholders can always take advantage of a service called Hoopla.
It works with a smartphone app that’s free to download, or visit hoopladigital.com to start checking out thousands of titles. Instantly stream or download for later. Sign-up is simple and there’s no waiting for popular films, TV shows, albums and audiobooks. You won’t incur late charges because everything returns automatically.
BRAIN FOOD
You might as well learn something while you’re at home. The Central Arkansas Library System has available The Great Courses Library Collection, “the leading global media brand for lifelong learning and personal enrichment, with hundreds of courses spanning thousands of in-depth video lectures on subjects like Science, Health & Wellness, and much more,” according to a news release.
There are topics for everyone. Listen to 12 lectures from Michael Finke on “Money Management Skills.” Or Stephen L. Durfee can teach “Baking Pastries & Desserts” in six lectures. Go with “Master Tai Chi,” or “English Grammar Boot Camp,” or if you’re really desperate, “Algebra I.”
Just browse the courses, click on one to learn more then check it out for full access. Follow this link to get started: centralarkansas.rbdigital.com/service/browse/ greatcourses
NEWSEUM LIVES
Contributing writer Jack Schnedler contributed this time-killer. “Although its building in D.C. closed at the end of 2019, the Newseum is still posting hundreds of newspaper front pages each day. For news junkies, it’s fascinating to see the variety of ways in which this apocalyptic pandemic is being presented. And it can help our shelter-in-place time pass.”
The site is newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/
LOVE NOTES LIVE
Tony and Golden Globe winner Linda Lavin (Alice) is staying relative. On Friday, her new album Love Notes was released.
A news release describes it as “an elegant and swinging mix of timeless standards, jazz classics and gems of the pop/rock era,” and its first single is “Stars Would Fall.” Longtime collaborator Billy Stritch, a producer of the album, and Lavin are marking the album’s release with a Facebook Live concert series featuring special songs and anecdotes. It airs at 2 p.m. our time Wednesday at facebook. com/bstritch.
LAUGH OUT LOUD
Laughter really can help calm the nerves, so here comes Laugh Aid for some levity. Comedians including Ray Romano, Iliza Shlesinger, Howie Mandel, Nikki Glaser, Bill Burr, Marc Maron and Patton Oswalt are signed on for the four-hour livestream to benefit the Comedy Gives Back Covid-19 Emergency Relief Fund.
“Comedians will be creating content specifically for Laugh Aid, be it a special edition podcast, an interview, or a peek into their family life during this crazy time, and we will bring it to your homes, from their homes,” according to a news release.
Also on board are The Sklar Brothers, Tom Papa, Dane Cook, Anthony Jeselnik and Big Jay Oakerson. Visit comedygivesback.com for the entire lineup.
The livestream takes place at 2 p.m. Saturday. Download the Laugh Lounge app and stream it there, through Twitch, Twitter, Comedy Central’s YouTube channel and Facebook. An audio version will air on Spotify and SiriusXM after the livestream.
Have an idea for Alternative Entertainment or want your event listed? Email alternativeentertainment@adgnewsroom.com