What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
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APRIL 21-27, 2022 WHAT'S UP! 5 Arts Alive! Youth theater growing strong in 2022-23 season BECCA MARTIN-BROWN NWA Democrat-Gazette W e like to provide as many opportunities as possible for young actors and technicians," Mark Landon Smith says of Fayetteville-based Arts Live Theatre. "In our 2022-23 season, we have six second- stage productions and two main-stage musicals plus two mini-shows at the Amazeum which will be 20 minutes each. And two podcast productions. "One season we did 14 productions between main-, second-stage and mini- productions. This season is two less than that season, but six more than last," he adds. "We are always looking for new ways to engage young artists and their families." ALT was first established as company that created theater for youth with adult actors, Smith recounts. Then, in 1991, it became theater for youth by youth. Smith joined the company 20 years ago, and there's been nothing but skyrocketing growth ever since. "When I started with the organization, we were doing two shows a year and 12 classes and camps," he remembers. "We are now averaging eight to 10 shows a year and over 52 classes and camps with over 500 participating families and 10,000 patrons!" And that's just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. "We've also established several partnerships including Crystal Bridges, Amazeum, Rockhill Studios, CACHE, Fayetteville Public Library, Shiloh Museum, University of Arkansas Theatre Department, Arkansas Arts Academy and others providing programming and special events," Smith enumerates. "The partnership with Actors Casting Agency has provided professional opportunities for young actors and their families in feature film, television and commercials. Our playwriting program has given student playwrights the opportunity to have their original work developed and produced by Arts Live, and several ALT scripts have been published and are produced around the world. "We also were provided by the city of Fayetteville our own dedicated 6,000-square-foot space which allowed us to increase our season and offer more opportunities. "It's not about being on stage, the number of lines you have, etc. It is about the experience of creating something wonderful together." Smith loves nothing more than to point to the successes achieved by Arts Live students. "During the pandemic, Jae Hurd wrote 'In The Year 2525,' and Avery Batson wrote 'The Ada Project,' both of which were produced virtually," he says. "This season Avery is writing our first show ['The Nobody Academy of Misfit Magic'] and last season wrote 'Yikes! Somebody's Haunting My Holiday Pageant!'" Then he ticks off more than a dozen original adaptations from "Jane Eyre" to "Plan 9 From Outer Space" that have started with an idea, been crafted by a student playwright and an adult mentor and produced, along with the names of half a dozen students who have gone on to theater success. "Reed C. Carson and Enosa Ogbeide are in Los Angeles working in film and produced their award-winning film 'Good Gorgeous Hell' in Fayetteville last summer — which featured several Arts Live Theatre actors," he says proudly. "Coleman Ray Clark recently directed 'Only Place I Belong' in New York; Nilufar Zaifi recently graduated from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire; and Madison Carey works with the Oklahoma Children's Theatre. "Arts Live Theatre has outstanding production quality from acting to design," Smith adds. "The constant comment we hear from patrons is they had no idea youth theater could be done so well. We believe in our students being able to rise to a standard, and they do. We are very proud of our students not only as artists, but more importantly the people they become and the confidence and empathy they gain. Youth theater is inspiring because when kids come to see one of our shows they see someone their age up on stage, and that excites them and gives them the courage that they can do that too." "In our 2022-23 season, we have six second-stage productions and two main-stage musicals plus two mini-shows at the Amazeum, which will be 20 minutes each. And two podcast productions," says Mark Landon Smith, executive director of Arts Live Theatre. (Courtesy Image) FAYETTEVILLE FYI Arts Live Theatre 2022-23 Season Sept. 29-Oct. 1 — "The Nobody Academy of Misfit Magic" Oct. 21-22 — "Charlotte's Web," in partnership with the Amazeum Nov. 10-13 — "Peter Pan Jr.: The Musical" Dec. 8-11 — "It's a Wonderful Life, Right?" Feb. 2-5 — "The Outsid- ers" March 2-5 — "The Most Fabulous Spectacular Twelfth Night Extrava- ganza" April 19 — "Winnie the Pooh," in partnership with the Amazeum April 20-23 — "Happily Ever After" May 4-7 — To be announced June 22-25 — "The Worstest Play Ever" Spring 2023 — "War of the Worlds" podcast Spring 2023 — "The Red Badge of Courage" podcast INFO — 521-4932 or artslivetheatre.com