Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
From The Few To The Many
UA Theatre adds innovative offerings to next season
Michael Riha, chairman of the University of Arkansas department of theatre, is passionate about and proud of the students and faculty in his department.
“We’ve had national recognition in our design and acting programs,” he says. “We are being invited to national portfolio reviews that are typically focused on the top four or five programs in the country. Now we’re in those conversations because of what our faculty has done to elevate the expectations for our students in the industry.”
Riha says Saturday’s Departmental Season Preview, Awards and Scholarship Reception is the perfect opportunity to bring patrons, the UA family and faculty and students together to recognize those accomplishments.
“It’s a chance for us to celebrate the work that our students have done and the artistry that they’ve developed over the course of the year,” says Riha. “It’s also a chance to honor our undergraduate students by presenting them with the 2017 undergraduate scholarships. We have a number of scholarships that are endowed by former students or families.”
This year, the celebration will also include something new.
“We’re implementing a distinguished alumni award,” explains Riha. “We identified an alum, Sarah Colonna, who graduated in 1996, who was a great candidate. She has a national presence in the entertainment industry.”
Colonna is a Los Angeles-based actor, comedian and author who appears in the Bentonville Film Festival competition film “Parker’s Anchor,” has written two best-selling books and co-stars in the CW comedy “Insatiable.”
The evening will also feature the announcement of the University Theatre’s planned productions for the 2017-18 season, which run the gamut from classic to contemporary and include Tennessee Williams’ “The Glass Menagerie,” the hit Broadway musical “Avenue Q” and “Life Is a Dream,” a Spanish-language play written by Pedro Calderón de la Barca in 1635.
“For ‘Avenue Q,’ we’re licensing the Broadway and Off-Broadway set that was designed by Anna Louizos,” says Riha. “The set is so iconic, and we really wanted to pay homage to the original designer.”
‘Avenue Q’s’ director is faculty member Morgan Hicks.
“The aesthetic of the show is a grownup (and very adult) version of ‘Sesame Street,’ where the puppets are learning important life lessons about themselves and about how the world works,” says Hicks. “I think the show is absolutely hilarious but also has a lot of heart. And the music is wonderful.”
Meanwhile, “Menagerie” and “Life Is a Dream” will be directed by third-year MFA directing students Cole Wimpee and Jeremiah Albers, respectively.
The last production of the year is an innovative departure for the department; Riha says the plan is to present all new work in a new undertaking titled “ArkType.”
All productions will be presented on the University Theatre mainstage while the UA Global Campus Theatre, which has become the department’s second space, undergoes renovations. Riha says if the funding works out, the renovations will kick off in June.
Spring will see the department sponsoring even more innovative theater as Riha plans on bringing “Theatre for One” to Fayetteville. Conceived by Tony Award-winning set designer Christine Jones, the mobile theater has room for just one audience member and one performer.
“We hope to take it to the [Fayetteville] Farmers’ Market and to Crystal Bridges,” says Riha. “We’re hiring our graduate students to create pieces for our performers, and Christine Jones will do a public talk about why and how she developed it. We’re really excited about this new venture for our closing production in 2018.”