What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/1401190
8 WHAT'S UP! AUGUST 15-21, 2021 FYI WAC 2021-22 Broadway Season • "Come From Away"* — Oct. 26-31 • "Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Choco- late Factory"* — Nov. 30-Dec. 5 • "Mean Girls"* — Dec. 14-19 • "An Officer and a Gentleman"* — Jan. 4-9, 2022 • "Hamilton" — March 22-April 3, 2022 • "Fiddler on the Roof" — May 10-15, 2022 *Arkansas premiere COVER STORY "It's huge," WAC Public Relations Director Jennifer Wilson says of the venue's success at staying open and keeping most full-time staff through the pandemic. "The organizations that we're working with, the tours that we're working with now, most of the places that they're going to play have been shut down, have not been operational. So when they start coming to us, and we're like, 'OK, we've done stuff throughout this, we've kept operational, we've still been presenting,' that floors them, because that's really unheard of. That was not something that was done for the most part throughout this. So that's our leadership's commitment to staying engaged, and trying to fill the needs that we could fill in the ways that we could fill them, but not leaving a void in the community at a time which was dark anyway. It really forced us to be creative in what we presented and how we presented during that time." (Courtesy photo) Please Take Your Seats WAC joyfully welcomes patrons for 30th anniversary season JOCELYN MURPHY NWA Democrat-Gazette A s the programming team approached building the 2021-22 season at the Walton Arts Center with cautious optimism, the first priority on their minds was previous artist commitments. How many pre-pandemic bookings could be honored as things begin to reopen? Travel restrictions, particularly international, have prevented some rebookings, but Executive Producer and Vice President of Programming Scott Galbraith admits the staff are otherwise thrilled with how many contracts were reissued. Looking to a thematic guiding principle for the WAC's full season back, Galbraith reveals the team leaned heavily into one of the institution's core values: relevance. "The pandemic created space for some important realizations around racial equity and social justice," he begins. "This coming season, roughly 56% of our shows will feature artists of color, with 14% featuring LGBTQ artists and/ or subject matter. And several shows speak to topical issues of the day, including voting rights, LGBTQ self-acceptance and support, immigration stories, and misinformation in government and media. Not all our shows have weighty subject matter, of course, but we're excited to be embracing such relevant concepts." Contracts and availability were also more dependent this year than ever on access, adds Jennifer Ross, WAC programming director. So many of the arts center's partner organizations across the country, including agencies that facilitate artist relations, were forced to close due to the pandemic.