What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
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LEIGH WOOD KUAF membership director and announcer Leigh Wood had never performed in front of a live audience when she decided to launch "That's What She Said," a story-telling collective, with her friend, Amber Forbus. "I was really nervous," she says of their first show, in October of 2015. "We started with just friends and family, in a very small group. It was more intimate and easier to do." Forbus brought the idea to her friend Wood when she returned from living in North Carolina, where a storytelling group she had discovered thrived. "She thought, 'My friends are just as funny, and their stories are just as good as those in North Carolina,' so she approached me, and I said, 'Sure.' We reached out to our friends who we thought were funny and great storytellers and it's kind of grown from there." Now in the middle of their third season, Wood and Forbus have ample evidence that their instincts were right on the mark. Their shows regularly sell out. "Amber and I have been delightfully surprised at the reaction that it's received," says Wood. "We feel like, obviously, there was a niche here — there was something that was missing. When Amber got here and was looking for it, there were obviously people looking for the same thing." The very personal stories told by the members of the group are (mostly) non-fiction and (mostly) humorous and revolve around a theme — such as "Horrible Bosses," "Strippers" and "Freshman Year" — that are so evocative, they seem immediately universal. Wood confirms that audiences usually find the stories highly relatable. "Even if we shared something embarrassing, people sometimes come up and say, 'Oh my gosh, I did the same thing,'" says Wood. "It's great to share that moment where you're not the only person who has done something so horribly embarrassing." Wood has made another contribution to Northwest Arkansas' entertainment scene by hosting and producing KUAF's "Vinyl Hour," a program that celebrates the purist's love of the classic format. "We often feature a guest host, somebody from the community who brings records from their collection, and we play songs and talk about their collection and music in general," says Wood. "Vinyl Hour" airs on Sundays at 5 p.m. on KUAF 3, the station's digital signal. You can catch the next "That's What She Said" show at 8 p.m. Jan. 13 at Sunrise Stage in Fayetteville. Though the group tapered off on performances this season — Wood says that the performances are a second, sometimes third, job for most group members — they're hoping to expand their reach next year. "We've been saying this for a year and are determined to make it happen," she says. "We want to start doing shows in Benton County and Eureka and in Central Arkansas, either Little Rock or Hot Springs or both. We feel like it's time, and we're ready to expand beyond Fayetteville." HOUSTON HUGHES On the final Saturday of every month (except December) you can attend a variety show featuring Northwest Arkansas singers, comedians, poets, musicians, dancers and just about any other type of performance art — completely free. Since 2013, internationally recognized slam poet Houston Hughes has organized — and served as slam master for — Last Saturday Fayetteville to give artists a stage and audiences free entertainment while hopefully being exposed to something new. "You're going to be entertained so you have nothing to lose by coming to a show," he says, "and if you don't like Symphony of Northwest Arkansas Paul Haas, Music Director Tickets On Sale Now! / sonamusic.org Masterworks II: Mozart & Mendelssohn JANUARY 27, 2018 – 7:30PM Walton Arts Center O'Connor, Appalachia Waltz Mozart, Horn Concerto No. 2 Bruce Schultz, soloist Satie, Gymnopédie No. 2 Mendelssohn, Symphony No. 4, Italian Bruce Schultz 40 WHAT'S UP! JANUARY 7-13, 2018 People Continued From Page 3 COVER STORY Leigh Wood See People Page 41