What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1294363
4 What's up! OctOber 4-10, 2020 FYI TheatreSquared 2020-21 Season "We resolved at the outset of the crisis not to cancel any performances," says Martin Miller, TheatreSquared executive director. "We've postponed, rearranged schedules, and even pivoted to film and live streaming — but we are committed to producing every play we'd announced before we had to pause performances in March. We've even added a title, the brilliant and timely 'Pass Over' by Antoi- nette Nwandu. Everything else is still very much in the cards, from 'Designing Women' to 'American Mariachi' and 'Matilda' and so much more. "While preserving and expanding our live theater lineup, we've also added a number of exciting, purely digital opportunities to stay engaged with our artists and audiences who've remained at home. From the upcoming full-length Zoom production of 'Russian Troll Farm: A Workplace Comedy' to the brand-new musical, 'Weightless,' which we'll stream in December, there's even more going on at TheatreSquared than usual this fall and winter!" Oct. 7-Nov. 1 — "Ann": Starring the incomparable Sally Edmundson, the "fiery, funny, salty, and brash" former governor of Texas returns after a sold-out engagement in the spring. Filmed live at T2 with four high-definition cameras, this performance is available to stream at home. Oct. 18 — The T2 Season Kickoff: Music, masks, and merriment fill the streets of Spring and West for a one-of-a-kind block party as T2 celebrates the beginning of its 15th (and maybe most) remarkable year. Oct. 20-Nov. 1 — "Russian Troll Farm: A Workplace Comedy": The full, online production of the play developed last month at the Arkansas New Play Festival. Nov. 18-Dec. 13 — "The Half-Life of Marie Curie": Fresh from its New York debut, the newest play from the author of "Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley" — the country's top produced playwright in 2019 — features science, scandal, comedy and heart as it profiles two rock-star scientists at the heights and depths of their lives and careers. In person and streaming at home. Dec. 1- Dec. 27 — "A Christmas Carol": The revival of last season's new script by Amy Herzberg and Bob Ford. In person and streaming at home. Dec. 11 — "Weightless": An online, live musical created by the acclaimed musical duo, The Kilbanes. An Arkansas New Play Festival Premiere, streaming at home. Jan. 20-Feb. 14 — "School Girls or the African Mean Girls Play": Paulina, the reigning queen bee at Ghana's most exclusive boarding school, has her sights set on the Miss Global Universe pageant. But the arrival of Ericka, a new student with undeniable talent and beauty, captures the attention of the pageant recruiter — and Paulina's hive-minded friends. This buoyant and biting new comedy by Jocelyn Bioh, twice extended in its acclaimed New York debut, is sweeping the nation's stages and has become a cultural phenomenon. In person and streaming at home. April 14-May 16 — "Designing Women": A world premiere by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason brings the megahit television series to life for our current age. In person and streaming at home. Spring 2021 — "Pass Over" by Antoinette Nwandu: Moses and Kitch stand on the corner — talking smack, passing the time, and hoping that today a miracle will come. Allegorical and immediate, humorous and chilling — a provocative mashup of "Waiting for Godot" and the Exodus saga, "Pass Over" probes the unquestionable human spirit of young Black men who dream about a promised land they've yet to find. In person only. April 28-June 13 — "At the Wedding": A rough-edged new comedy by Bryna Turner, developed at TheatreSquared and now premiering in Northwest Arkansas immediately following its Lincoln Center debut. Carlo is going to be really well behaved today. She's not going to get drunk. She's not going to give any long-winded speeches. And she's definitely not going to try to steal the bride back. In person and streaming at home. June 16-July 18 — "Matilda: The Musical": A riotously acclaimed, five-time Tony Award winner, "Matilda" is an international phenomenon. Fresh from its hit Broadway run, TheatreSquared reimag- ines for Northwest Arkansas the story of an extraordinary girl who, armed with a vivid imagination and a sharp mind, dares to take a stand and change her own destiny. In person and streaming at home. Aug. 11-Sept. 5 — "American Mariachi": A hilarious and heartwarming new music-filled comedy by José Cruz González about the freedom to dream big. It's the 1970s, and Lucha spends her days caring for her ailing mother, but longs to shake up her life. When a forgotten record album sparks her mother's memory, Lucha and her cousin strike upon a radical idea: to create an all-female mariachi band. Infused with live music played by a live mariachi band, this "big-hearted, musical tug at the heartstrings" (Denver Post) reminds us how music and love can make just about anything possible. Fall 2021 — "Twelfth Night": Shakespeare's gender-bending comedy of mistaken identities, desperate passion and drunken hijinks is bursting with vitality and romance. When a shipwreck separates Viola and her twin brother, each fears the other dead. On unfriendly shores, Viola disguises herself as a page boy to a mysterious Duke — only to find herself in an unlikely triangle of unrequited love. Over- flowing with music and swordplay, TheatreSquared's reimagining of Shakespeare's most wonderful romantic comedy is a singular live theatre experience. In person and streaming at home. Fall 2021 — "Violet": From the Tony Award-winning composer of "Fun Home" comes a powerhouse Broadway musical — winner of the Lucille Lortel, Obie, and Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Musi- cal and a five-time Tony nominee. It's 1964. When Violet hops onto a Greyhound bus traveling across Arkansas towards a miracle in Tulsa — the healing touch of a TV evangelist who will make her beau- tiful — it turns into the journey of a lifetime. In person and streaming at home. INFO — theatre2.org COVER STORY T2 Continued From Page 3 T2 commissioned local artist Octavio Logo to create a new work of art in honor of the theater's 15th season, said the theater's artistic director, bob Ford, at a March 1 ceremony announcing the new slate of shows. the 15th season begins again Oct. 7. (courtesy Image/theatresquared) making the live theater experience — when it happens — feel safe. "The most important parts of any effective safety plan for covid-19 are masks and outside air," says Bell. "Our patrons and staff are all being asked to adhere to a sensible mask policy, and we benefit from our brand-new building, which has a state-of-the-art HVAC system supplying a much higher level of outside air than you'll find at a grocery store, shop or office. We've also added electrostatic disinfection, regular cleaning of all high- contact surfaces, and a weekly testing protocol for our performers — all of which has been cleared by a team of medical experts and the actors' union." "Patrons are asked to wear a mask at the theater and stay home if they're feeling sick or may have been exposed," adds Miller. "We'll waive all exchange fees or offer a livestream to anyone who can't make it. We'll also be preserving social distance in the theater to meet state and CDC recommendations, so there are several layers of protection." See T2 Page 40