What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1469646
Garland L. Standrod Fayetteville Plays: Three one-acts, "Sunshine No. 11," "Speed of Light in Memphis" and "The Waiting Room" Born in Fort Smith, Standrod was for many years a librarian in Washington, D.C., including for the Smithsonian Institution, and worked as a librarian for two years in Kathmandu, Nepal. He studied the history of theater with G.Wilson Knight at Leeds University. "In the late 1980s, I started writing plays as an avocation because, through friends, I became associated with Source Theatre in Washington, D.C. They produced some of my plays." In "Sunshine No. 11," a coal miner's daughter finds out some uncomfortable truths from a rather mean mother. In "Speed of Light in Memphis," two inmates of a psychiatric ward try to change the past of one of the characters by constructing a time machine. In "The Waiting Room," an older woman in the waiting room of a doctor in Arkansas meets a quite interesting young woman. Showtimes: "Sunshine No. 11" & "Speed of Light in Memphis," 7:30 p.m. June 15; directed by Kathy Forbes and Charles Riedmueller; pre-show music by Dandelion Heart 6:45 p.m.-7:30 p.m. "The Waiting Room," 2 p.m. June 18; directed by Jules Taylor; pre-show music by John Joseph Ray, 1:15-2 p.m. Nathan McKinney Fayetteville Play: "Prisoner of Walls" McKinney is assistant director of the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station. "A friend invited me to attend the Arkansas Playwrights Workshop about 15 years ago. I liked what I saw and heard," he says. "The actors and playwrights were very encouraging and supportive. The APW 'bossman' back then was Bob Ford, and he is a great coach. At best I am a jackleg playwright, but Bob did his best to inspire me and coach me up." "Prisoner of Walls," he says, is set on a cotton farm in Desha County during the closing months of World War II. "First State Bank is threatening to foreclose, and things ain't too good between Bruin and Martha Walls. Then a stranger shows up on their place, but I can't share how he becomes a 'Prisoner of Walls.' That would spoil it for everybody." Showtime: "Prisoner of Walls," 7:30 p.m. June 17; directed by Mark Beasley; pre-show music by Mark Summerlin, 6:45-7:30 p.m. Jules Taylor Fayetteville Play: "Armadillo Man" From Dallas, Taylor moved to Northwest Arkansas in 2004 to teach performing arts (mostly youth theater); act in film, TV and on stage; teach early music education; play children's music as Shaky Bugs; and perform as a member of Phunbags Comdy Improv. Written during the pandemic, which was also just after her mom's death, "Armadillo Man" is "an exploration of relationships and the personal history that makes us who we are now — the ways we figure out who and what is important and makes us happy. The story revolves around Gus Bailey, who has unwanted armadillos in his yard, and the people he meets because of it." Showtime: "Armadillo Man," 7:30 p.m. June 14; directed by Pamela Marks; pre-show music by Still on the Hill, 6:45-7:30 p.m. Jonelle Grace Lipscomb Fayetteville Plays: "Goodnight Gracie"and "Holding On for Dear Life" Lipscomb taught drama and filmmaking at Fayetteville High School for 14 years and before that, was a Resident Artist with the Arkansas Arts Council. "My first passions in theater were acting and directing," she says. "It wasn't until 1984, when I took Playwriting II with Kent Brown, that I realized I loved to write. That summer I was selected for a Fellowship to the Mount Sequoyah New Play Retreat. After that, I went to the University of Georgia where I obtained a M.F.A. in playwriting. My other inspiration was Nancy Umiker. She was the artistic director for Arts Live Theatre, and when I returned to Fayetteville in 1991, she commissioned me to write plays for young audiences. It was an exhausting and exhilarating period in my life." Both of Lipscomb's plays in the festival "deal with aging. 'Goodnight Gracie' is about a man who finally faces the reality of his wife's death. 'Holding On for Dear Life' is about a family dealing with dementia. While these may sound like depressing subjects, I try to infuse my writing with honest humor. Humor, if done respectfully, can save us from despair." Showtime: "Goodnight Gracie" and "Holding On for Dear Life," 2 p.m. June 18; directed by Evan Crawford; pre- show music by John Joseph Ray, 1:15-2 p.m. Hana Mironoff Fayetteville Plays: "Brickman's Comet" and "Adventures in the Skin Trade" From the Czech Republic, Mironoff came to Northwest Arkansas when husband Alex enrolled in the Ph.D. program at the University of Arkansas in 1993. She had numerous and varied jobs, from being a Russian translator for NASA to an accounting job at the UA, from which she retired in 2009. "I started writing skits in elementary school for various school events. Then I took a break of about 40 years during which I learned to speak and write in English and was able to approach writing more seriously." In "Brickman's Comet," Joe Brickman discovers the joys of viewing the night sky through a new telescope. As he becomes ever more immersed in this hobby, he discovers some things he wasn't ready for. In "Adventures in the Skin Trade," a young couple in love share their fondest dreams with the audience. Showtimes: "Brickman's Comet," 7:30 p.m. June 16; directed by Jonelle Grace Lipscomb; pre-show music by Jori Costello 6:45-7:30 p.m. "Adventures in the Skin Trade," 2 p.m. June 18; directed by Pamela Marks; pre-show music by John Joseph Ray, 1:15-2 p.m. Alex Mironoff Fayetteville Play: "The Best Thanksgiving" From Germany, Mironoff grew up in Springfield, Mass., and came to Northwest Arkansas after almost two decades in Houston. "I began writing stories, skits and poems in elementary and secondary schools – mostly to amuse my friends," he says. "I suppose a feedback loop was established then that has kept me involved in literary pursuits to this day." In "The Best Thanksgiving," an unexpected guest turns up at a family holiday celebration. What promises to be a joyful reunion suddenly heads south, and just when you think things couldn't get any worse, they get worse. Showtime: "The Best Thanksgiving," 2 p.m. June 18; directed by Kathy Forbes; pre-show music by John Joseph Ray, 1:15 -2 p.m. Roger Gross (and Will Shakespeare) Play: "A Brief History of Love" These brothers in drama lived in Fayetteville and London. Gross was from Spokane, Wash. "Roger moved to Fayetteville in 1980, to serve as the first chairperson of the Drama Department at the University of Arkansas and work in the theater," explains his wife, Patricia Relph. "Both [he and Shakespeare] spent their lives and talents in the theater. They died on the same day, April 23. "Shakespeare always inspired Roger," Relph goes on. "Roger knew 'Shakespeare wrote the greatest verse plays of all time. He also wrote some very good poems — including 154 Sonnets.' The short play we will see is based on four of Shakespeare's sonnets about the stages of love. Shakespeare's sonnets were probably written during plague years in England, 1593-1600. Roger wrote 'A Brief History of Love' in 1985 for an Arts Live! production." Gross and Relph performed this short play in many schools across Arkansas and at many community events. "It will be a delight to see it again," she says. Showtime: "A Brief History of Love," 2 p.m. June 18; directed by Mark Beasley; pre-show music by John Joseph Ray, 1:15 -2 p.m. Mironoff Lipscomb McKinney Mironoff Gross JUNE 5-11, 2022 WHAT'S UP! 9 COVER STORY