What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/1421135
OctOber 24-30, 2021 What's up! 37 President Brent A. Powers editor Becca Martin-Brown 479-872-5054 bmartin@nwadg.com twitter: nWAbecca AssociAte editor Jocelyn Murphy 479-872-5176 jmurphy@nwadg.com twitter: nWAJocelyn rePorter Lara Hightower 479-365-2913 lhightower@nwadg.com designer Deb Harvell ! UP WHAT'S On The COVeR asked to tell the story of the planes and passengers diverted to a tiny Newfoundland town on sept. 11, 2001, playwrights David hein and Irene sankoff created "a New- foundland kitchen party, where everyone brings over their instruments and their stories and their songs, and they invite everyone from the community and come together to get through this together." "come From away" opens Oct. 26 at the Walton arts center. (Courtesy Photo/Matthew MurPhy) What's Up! is a publication of the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Playwright nia Vardalos "very much gives you the message of encouragement and empowering, and there's a belief that everyone can endure whatever is handed to them, and you believe it, too," adds rebecca harris, who plays sugar in the t2 production of "tiny beautiful things." (courtesy photo/Wesley hitt for t2) T2 Continued From Page 6 Fayetteville stage. So they narrowed down the number of questions and answers, and they also group some things that are similar and gave it an interesting pace and rhythm. And the arc of it is sort of about Sugar discovering her voice and moving through that — and in that we get to see a remarkable number of stories and people and meet them. It's beautiful." "I have never experienced a show quite like this," says Forman, referring back to the previous production they were in. "We often talk about how an audience's heart rate syncs, when they're in a room together watching something. As an artist, you see the audience, you feel the audience. But with this show — I had never experienced such a strong connection with an audience. You heard people laugh, and you heard people talking back to you. You heard people wailing in the audience from some of these letters, audience members breaking down." But, cast members are quick to say, though there are some heavy emotional moments in the play, it is, ultimately, an uplifting community experience that motivates and inspires. "I don't want an audience to feel like, 'Oh, boy, here we go.' Because it doesn't feel like that at all. I don't feel like they should walk in — or not walk in — because it's going to be 'hard'," Harris says, adding that one of the messages of the play is "it's on you to reach and grow and heal and want and find and succeed. It's about self- reliance. And that's a good message, too, at this time when we're all kind of slugged out. It's good to be reminded, 'OK, no, I have to energize and move myself forward, too.'" "You'll experience laughter, you'll experience extreme moments of joy, you will experience heartbreak, you'll experience all of the scope of humanity," says Clavery. "Most importantly, you are taken care of. When you go through these experiences, we're not going to just throw you out. We're going to laugh together, we're going to do all the things together, and then you'll have a moment to really know that you can get through this, because you have a community at the end of this." "I feel it's so poignant, especially now," says Muñoz. "We're all still here. We all came out of this horrible time, and we're still here. The human race is strong, your mind is strong, and just the ability to keep going, day by day, one foot in front of the other — just keep moving. I think it's very important and telling for right now."