What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
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2 WHAT'S UP! DECEMBER 31, 2017-JANUARY 6, 2018 The Best Is Yet To Come COVER STORY Wishes come true for arts lovers in 2018 BECCA MARTIN-BROWN NWA Democrat-Gazette A s we proved by looking back at 2017, Northwest Arkansas is rich in the arts. Here are 18 things to look forward to in 2018, most of them right here at home and a few on the road. JANUARY 1. "Joanne Martin: A Life in Miniature" — A film by artist Stephanie Lewis about Lewis' aunt, Joanne Martin, screening at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 27 at Ozark Folkways in Winslow. Born in 1938, Martin fought dyslexia before it had a name, raised two children, started her own business and opened the Miniature Museum of Greater St. Louis. "I love unsung heroes," Lewis says. "There are a lot of heroes everywhere you look — you just don't know it." INFO — Email smmedlrg@gmail.com. 2. "At This Performance…" — For the past 15 years, "At This Performance…" has honored the role of the Broadway standbys and understudies, a surefire way to see the biggest Broadway stars of the future performing songs from their current shows and repertoires, 7 p.m. Jan. 29, Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville. INFO — 443-5600. FEBRUARY 3. "The Producers" — Bialystock and Bloom — names that should strike terror and hysteria in anyone familiar with Mel Brooks' classic cult comedy film — take the stage Feb. 9-25 at Arkansas Public Theatre. If you know the directing work of Ed McClure, one of the founders of APT, you know you're going to get Broadway in Rogers. INFO — 631-8988. 4. "Through the Eyes of Picasso" — Exploring Pablo Picasso's fascination with African and Oceanic art, the exhibition will feature 170 works, with more than 60 paintings, sculptures and ceramics by the 20th century Spanish master and other pieces that were part of his personal collection, through April 8, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City. INFO — nelson-atkins.org. MARCH 5. "RENT" — In 1996, an original rock musical by a little-known composer opened on Broadway — and forever changed the landscape of American theater. And now, this Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning masterpiece returns to the stage in a vibrant 20th anniversary touring production, March 2-4, Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville. INFO — 443-5600. 6. "Pre-Existing Condition for Choir, Piano, and Percussion" — A new work by Stephen Caldwell, debuts March 15, presented by Schola Cantorum. Caldwell, director of choral activities at the University of Arkansas, and wife Mara are the parents of William, who faces the challenges of congenital heart defects, and "Pre-Existing Condition" honors his battle. At not quite 18 months old, "he's not out of the woods, but he's hiking in the right direction," Caldwell says. During heated healthcare debate, the piece, Caldwell says, "started to morph a little from a work about kids with CHDs specifically, to a piece about parents who are challenged with raising kids with pre-existing conditions. I was writing from the first person, and the emotions were very real. I found myself banging on the piano in a way that I never had before. It was anger. It was frustration. It was a scream in the dark. We start rehearsal first thing in January." INFO — Email stephenc@uark.edu. 7. "Vietgone" — By Qui Nguyen, it's the classic boy meets girl — except this boy and girl are refugees from the Vietnam War newly settled in a relocation camp in Fort Chaffee, March 14-April 8 at TheatreSquared. Nguyen's parents met and fell in love in an Arkansas refugee camp, he grew up in El Dorado, and he was a featured playwright at the T2 Arkansas New Play Festival in 2015. INFO — theatre2.org. APRIL 8. Time Traveler — Designed by Mack Rides of Germany, it's the latest addition to world-renowned roller coasters at Silver Dollar City in Branson, Mo., and it breaks several records, according to Brad Thomas, president of Silver Dollar City. But mostly, it's a double launch with spinning cars. And at an investment of $26 million, Time Traveler is Silver Dollar City's biggest attraction ever. Opening date for the ride is spring 2018. INFO — silverdollarcity.com. 9. "Beautiful: The Carole King Musical": A 2014 Tony-nominee for best musical, "Beautiful" tells the true story of King's remarkable rise to stardom set to the soundtrack of a generation, April 24-29 at the Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville. INFO — 443-5600. File Photo Joshua D. Jones played the lead in "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" when it was presented by Rogers Little Theater 14 years ago. The musical returns in 2018 to the now Arkansas Public Theatre.