What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1495137
www.malco.com www.malco.com www.malco.com March 19-25, 2023 What's up! 37 On The COVeR the queen of rock 'n' roll's heroic story comes to the Walton arts center in "tina: the tina turner story," Dec. 12-17. (Courtesy Photo/Matthew Murphy for MurphyMade) President Brent A. Powers editor Becca Martin- Brown 479-872-5054 bmartin@nwaonline. com twitter: nWAbecca rePorters Monica Hooper mhooper@nwaonline. com April Wallace awallace@nwaonline.com (479) 770-3746 twitter: @nWAApril designer Deb Harvell What's Up! is a publication of the northwest Arkansas democrat-gazette. the script for 'Survival of the Unfit' because it had terrific roles for both of us. "I love playing complicated women, so this role is right up my alley," she adds. "I think we all justify why we do what we do. Shirley's actions are just a lot more extreme than the rest of us. When I work on her, I remind myself that she is motivated by what she believes is best for her family — but unfortunately, she is unconsciously doing what is best for her, not them, so it gets very messy and twisted." Kris Isham, who appeared in Safdie's "Things To Do in Munich," is their son, Samuel, "someone who has struggled to become his own person." "His mother works very hard to bring order to a chaotic world full of surprises and pain, but in doing so she is often cold and alienating to those who are closest to her," Isham says. "Samuel's father desperately wants to see love and light in everything and everyone around him, but his avoidance of conflict means he has lost much of his own agency over time. To an extent, Samuel appreciates both of these qualities in his parents, but he does not understand how to bring these two qualities into harmony within himself, and that has probably caused him to stall out in his emotional maturity. "Without giving too much away," Isham adds, "I think it's fair to say this script depicts what might be one of the most catalytic evenings in the lives of each of these characters." Setting the cataclysm in motion is Mallory, who was first Samuel's therapist and is now his girlfriend. She is, says APT newcomer Rissa Webber, "a lot." "She seems put together on the outside but … she has a lot of trauma from her past that she overshares with the family." So is Shirley a monster? "I know the audience will want to strangle Shirley for her ruthless meddling, but I hope they can also see her side in the push and pull between all four of the characters in this play, even if they don't agree with her choices," Vaughan says. "This script poses a lot of questions about love, loss, loyalty, betrayal, and what 'family' really means. I hope folks will be thinking about all of that on the way home and for weeks after the show is over." RLT Continued From Page 5 RogeRs Terry Vaughan is Shirley, the matriarch, in the arkansas public theatre world premiere of Oren safdie's "survival of the unfit." "shirley is a very complex person," Vaughan says. "she is a fierce, domineering, strong willed, successful woman who runs her household with an iron fist and bluntly expresses exactly what she thinks and feels without any 'polite' buffers. she is incessant." (courtesy photos/chad Wigington for apt) Rissa Webber is Mallory, the girlfriend. "Mallory likes to talk, a lot, in this show," Webber says. "trying to learn the lines and convey the variety of emotions behind them has been a challenge for me. Getting to work with such seasoned actors has been the biggest reward for me. they are all so supportive and encouraging." Kris Isham is Samuel, the son trying to break free of his parents. "I love working on a show with a small cast," he says, "because it leaves more room for discussion and exploration of the characters and their smaller interactions during the performance. I think working together like that adds so much more depth and texture to the characters and their stories." Tim Gilster is John, the patriarch of the family. "the challenge for me in this play is balancing John's charming personality while fulfilling his internal motivations throughout the play — it is easy to get carried away! the reward is that the character (John) is so much fun!"