What's Up!

September 6, 2020

What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!

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LIKE our Facebook page before 11:59 pm this Tuesday, Sept. 8 at to be entered to win: 2 All-Day FREE Passes to Branson Big Air Trampoline Park Go to: facebook.com/BestBranson Like The Best of Branson on Facebook for a chance to win some Really Great Prizes! (Monday - Thursday) This week's prize: New contest each week! facebook.com/BestBranson 40 WHAT'S UP! SEPTEMBER 6-12, 2020 and the year after, yes. But I'm hoping some things do change for the better. I'd like to see a theater scene that takes more chances, handles more difficult subjects, is more diverse, one that's able to fail more; fail all the time, if possible. Theater is not nearly as bad as movies are as far as being completely consumed by the economics of the affair, but it's getting there. Just like writers have to be willing to fail in order to write great groundbreaking work, theaters have to be willing to fail, too, for the same reason. If the writers are taking chances, but the theaters can't or won't, then it's a darkness. Q. Do you have any advice for budding playwrights? A. I'd say you really have to love it, if you're going to do it. And I'd say if in your life you've always turned to writing something when you're the most stressed or the most upset about something, you're probably a writer — whether you like it or not. But I'm sure there's exceptions to that. It's one of the greatest things in the world, but it isn't easy. I mean, the life isn't easy. The writing should be easy, come naturally, in my opinion. But the big advice — being a playwright is harder than hitting a 100 mile an hour fastball. In baseball, a hitter is considered great who makes out seven out of 10 times. In playwriting, a playwright is considered great who writes one decent play. There's a lot of failure involved, a lot of bored-looking audiences, which in my opinion is one of the worst sights in all of life. So that being said, trust yourself over everyone else. If you're going to fail, fail as yourself and not as someone else or as someone that others want you to be. And if you do that, then you're not failing at all. Beseth Continued From Page 7 FAYETTEVILLE PRESIDENT Brent Powers EDITOR Becca Martin-Brown 479-872-5054 bmartin@nwadg.com Twitter: NWAbecca ASSOCIATE EDITOR Jocelyn Murphy 479-872-5176 jmurphy@nwadg.com Twitter: NWAJocelyn DESIGNER Deb Harvell 479-872-5029 REPORTER Lara Hightower 479-365-2913 lhightower@nwadg.com WHAT'S What's Up! is a publication of the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. ON THE COVER As infamous as 19th century Judge Isaac C. Parker was his hangman. Larry Foley's new film, "Indians, Outlaws, Marshals and the Hangin' Judge," considers Parker and the "Wild West" where his word was law. COURTESY PHOTO/JAMES BREWER "Trust yourself over everyone else. If you're going to fail, fail as yourself and not as someone else or as someone that others want you to be. And if you do that, then you're not failing at all." — Brendan Beseth Playwright

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