THEATER
24 Hour Plays
More than 70 Central Arkansas playwrights, directors, actors, stage managers, musicians, designers and technicians create six brand-new short plays — from blank page to fully staged world premieres — for the fourth annual edition of The 24 Hour Plays: Little Rock, 7 p.m. Monday at Argenta Contemporary Theatre, 405 Main St., North Little Rock. Tickets are $45; 100% of net proceeds benefits Arkansas Enterprises for the Developmentally Disabled. Visit the website.
(Special to the Democrat-Gazette)
‘Celtic Christmas’
A Taste of Ireland brings its touring production “A Celtic Christmas” for Arkansas performances at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 21 at Fayetteville’s Walton Arts Center, 495 W. Dickson St., and 4 p.m. Nov. 22 at Little Rock’s Robinson Center Performance Hall, 426 W. Markham St. at Broadway.
“Direct from New York’s off-Broadway and London’s West End, ‘A Celtic Christmas’ is a breathtaking celebration of Irish culture, Christmas traditions and world-class
Featuring former World Irish Dance Champions and stars of “Lord of the Dance” and “Riverdance,” “the production blends electrifying Irish dance, live music, heartwarming storytelling, traditional ballads, and beloved Christmas carols into a festive experience.”
Tickets — $43.75-$91.50 — for the Little Rock performance go on sale at 10 a.m. Monday via Ticketmaster. And for the Fayetteville show, tickets — $48.65-$123.50 plus taxes, subject to change — go on sale at noon Monday; call (479) 443-5600 or visit the website.
Big 2027 productions
Central Arkansas theaters have announced major productions for early 2027:
◼️ The Royal Theater’s Young Players and Stage 13 will co-produce “The Wedding Singer” (music by Matthew Sklar, lyrics by Chad Beguelin, book by Beguelin and Tim Herlihy, based on the 1998 movie starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore), Jan. 7-24 at the Royal Theatre, 111 S. Market St., Benton, with performers from the Stage 13 Pre-Professional Company and Young Players Second Stage. Dates for auditions, show times and ticket information are forthcoming.
◼️ Wildwood Park for the Arts, 20919 Denny Road, Little Rock, will stage “Les Misérables” (music by Claude-Michel Schönberg, lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer, book by Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg from an original French text by Boublil and Jean-Marc Natel, based on the novel by Victor Hugo, with additional material by James Fenton) Feb. 19-28, the first local production of the Tony Award-winning musical (honored for Best Musical, Best Original Score and Best Book, among others) using local actors in more than a decade. Rights to the show, which had been held up by a Broadway revival, have recently become available. Information on auditions is pending.
Meanwhile, “Les Mis” is also on the schedule for the Royal Theater’s 2026-27 season, with its Young Players staging it at the Royal Theatre Sept. 9-19, 2027.
The rest of the lineup:
◼️ Oct. 15-31: Royal Haunted House
◼️ Dec. 3-13: “Frozen: The Musical” (music and lyrics by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, book by Jennifer Lee, based on the Disney animated film)
◼️ Feb. 11-21: “Steel Magnolias” by Robert Harling
◼️ March 11-20: “How to Train Your Dragon The Musical Jr.” (music by Veronica Mansour, lyrics by Kate Thomas and Mansour, book by Thomas), Young Players production
◼️ April 22-May 2: “Finding Neverland” (music by Gary Barlow and Eliot Kennedy, book by James Graham)
◼️ June 10-20: “Mary Poppins” (original music and lyrics by Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman, new songs and additional music and lyrics by Anthony Drewe and George Stiles, book by Julian Fellowes, based on the Disney film)
◼️ July 8-18: “Beetlejuice JR.” (music and lyrics by Eddie Perfect, book by Scott Brown and Anthony King), Young Players production
◼️ Aug. 12-22, 2027: “Bye Bye Birdie” (music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Lee Adams, book by Michael Stewart).
Visit the theater’s Facebook page.
MUSIC
Sunken Lands lineup
Rosanne Cash will return for the fourth year as the curator and host of the Historic Dyess Colony: Johnny Cash Boyhood Home’s Sunken Lands Songwriting Circle, Sept. 19 in Riceland Hall at Arkansas State University’s Fowler Center, 201 Olympic Drive, Jonesboro.
Joining Cash will be blues and folk singer-songwriter Ruthie Foster and Rhett Miller, a singer-songwriter who has spent more than three decades fronting the rock band Old 97’s. John Leventhal will provide accompaniment. Purchase tickets — $20-$100 — by calling (870) 972-2781 or through Ticketmaster. Proceeds benefit ongoing preservation and operation of the Historic Dyess Colony: Johnny Cash Boyhood Home. Call (870) 972-2803.
The Historic Dyess Colony: Johnny Cash Boyhood Home preserves the 1935 house of the Cash family in Dyess, which was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2018, and celebrates Cash’s life and music. Restoration of the house was made possible through a series of music festival benefits at A-State starting in 2011.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.nwaonline.com ’
