What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1290149
Junkie," shown via Zoom performances Sept. 10-12. "The Laramie Project" by Moises Kaufman and the Members of Tectonic Theater Company is up next, opening on Oct. 1. "We're doing a unique presentation with that," Riha explains. "Because it's such a long play, we're having conversations with the director and designers prior to curtain on the first three nights, where they'll discuss the play and what the designs might have been had it been presented in a real theater, and they'll take questions from online audience members. Act I will be presented on Oct. 1, Act II on Oct. 2 and Act III on Oct. 3. The second weekend, we'll run it straight through." "The Laramie Project," written in 2000, is about the fallout after the murder of University of Wyoming student Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyo. Kaufman and the Tectonic Theater Project conducted hundreds of interviews with the townspeople of Laramie, and the play uses those interviews, along with company members' personal accounts of the project and newspaper stories of the day to weave a compelling narrative about the brutal hate crime. The next fall show is Jack Heifner's 1976 dramedy classic "Vanities." Opening on Nov. 6, the plot follows the friendship of three Texas women through high school, college and their post-college years. UA MFA playwright alum Rachel Lynett's "I'm F*cking Tired of Writing Plays About This" is next up, opening on Nov. 13. "Rachel is currently in Madison, Wis., working at the University of Wisconsin and heading up her own theater company," says Riha. "We're doing a staged reading of her show and then a moderated talk-back with the playwright." Lynett's timely play takes place after another black man is killed by the police, as a group of old friends "discuss race, gender and the lines that divide us, even amongst our closest friends." "So it looks much different than what we anticipated, but it's engaging students in a way that allows them to explore," says Riha, back to making lemonade. "It's giving us time to work with our brand new cohort of 10 MFA designers before shoving them into production, which I think will pay dividends in year two. They'll be far more comfortable, because they'll know their fellow designers, actors and directors far better through dialoguing and discussing plays and productions without the pressure of production." Riha says he is determined that the restrictions during the 2020-21 season will not be a detriment to the learning experiences of the students under his care. He has big plans to bring in guest directors and lecturers to expose students to as wide a swath of theater professions as possible. "Kevin Adams, the Tony Award- winning lighting designer for 'American Idiot'; Christine Jones, set designer for the 'Harry Potter' show that's on Broadway right now — and many others that we're bringing in," notes Riha. "We hope to bring in 15 guest artists from around the country — including stage managers, road supervisors, the folks who manage tech on the road — so that they can see that there are plenty of professional opportunities out there." And although this fall's theater offerings will be free to audiences, Riha asks that patrons consider that the revenue loss from this season will affect the department. "That revenue is really important in supporting student work and bringing in guest artists," he notes. "Patrons can go to our website and make a donation." An announcement about the spring shows will be made later in the fall semester, says Riha. Go to: facebook.com/BestBranson Like The Best of Branson on Facebook for a chance to win some Really Great Prizes! This week's prize: New contest each week! facebook.com/BestBranson Like our Facebook page before 11:59 pm this Tuesday, sept. 22, to be entered to win... 2 Passes for a "Two-Race Package" at Xtreme Racing Center of Branson Located at 3600 West 76 Country Blvd. in Branson 1-888-270-1720 | XtremeRacingCenter.com 40 WHAT'S UP! SEPTEMBER 20-26, 2020 FAYETTEVILLE Theatre Continued From Page 7