FUN
Hispanic Heritage Celebration
The Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau, in collaboration with Plaza Frida, is celebrating the city’s Hispanic community at River Market Live! Hispanic Heritage Celebration, 5-9 p.m. Saturday at the River Market Pavilions, 400 President Clinton Ave., Little Rock. The celebration will feature “the rhythms, flavors, and artistry of Little Rock’s Hispanic community,” through traditional dances representing Latin American countries; a mariachi band accompanied by dancing horses; salsa lessons; food trucks serving authentic food and drink; and artisan vendors selling handcrafted goods and “cultural keepsakes,” according to a news release. Admission is free. Visit littlerock.com.
PBS Family Day
PBS Kids characters in costume (including Clifford the Big Red Dog, Curious George and Daniel Tiger from “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood”), free healthy snacks for children, food trucks, storytelling, live entertainment, hands-on kids activities, crafts and games, story time, giveaways and prizes are part of Arkansas PBS Family Day, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday at network headquarters, 350 S. Donaghey Ave., Conway, and Nov. 8 at the Jones Center, 922 E. Emma Ave., Springdale. This year’s theme is “K for Kindness.” Admission is free but reservations help organizers to plan ahead; “RSVP” at myarpbs.org/events.
THEATER
‘Death of Kings’
“Death of Kings,” a one-man show by Arkansas native and Army veteran Ben Grimes tracing the journey of an American soldier (played by Quinn Gasaway) from enlistment and deployment to reintegration into society, is onstage at 7 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday in the Performing Arts Theatre at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, 501 E. Ninth St., Little Rock.
For the 55-minute play, Grimes weaves Shakespearean text with modern storytelling. It’s the museum’s first theatrical production specifically recommended for teenage audiences (12-plus).
“This piece is not just about war — it’s about what happens when we don’t create space for healing,” Grimes says in a statement. “It’s about what we carry, what we bury, and what we lift up.”
Post-performance interactive demonstrations “will offer a deeper exploration of techniques designed for healing and coping with trauma,” according to museum officials; mental health professionals will participate in additional post-show discussions following every performance.
There will be a dedicated quiet room “for reflection due to the hard subject matter of the production. Just a place for guests to decompress if needed,” according to a museum spokeswoman.
Admission is free. Visit events.arkmfa.org/series/death-of-kings.
‘Finding Nemo Jr.’
The Arts & Science Center for Southeast Arkansas, 701 S. Main St., Pine Bluff, stages “Finding Nemo Jr.” (music and lyrics by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, book by Lindsay Anderson, adapted from the 2003 Disney Pixar animated film) 7 p.m. Thursday-Friday; 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday; and 3 p.m. Sunday in the center’s Catherine M. Bellamy Theater.
Isaiah T. Austin plays clownfish Marlin, on a quest to rescue his son, Nemo (Avery M. Martin), captured by a fisherman and taken to Sydney, Australia. Allison Carraway plays forgetful blue tang fish Dory with Brandt Lunsford as laid-back sea turtle Crush.
Sponsor is Relyance Bank. Performances are 60 minutes long with no intermission. Tickets are $18, $13 for ARTx3 members, $10 for students when bought in person with a student ID, free for children 3 and younger who can sit in a parent or guardian’s lap. Call (870) 536-3375 or visit artx3.org/all-events/finding-nemo-jr.
(Special to the Democrat-Gazette)
MUSIC
‘Motown & Soul’ celebration
Singers Joel Walker, Bradford Bell and Derrick Hicks bring “UPTOWN: A Celebration of Motown and Soul,” a show “fusing Bruno Mars-caliber stage presence with powerhouse vocals and wall-to-wall choreography,” to Conway, 7 p.m. Thursday at the University of Central Arkansas’ Reynolds Performance Hall, 201 Donaghey Ave. The program will feature songs from Al Green, Prince, Earth Wind and Fire, the Temptations and Mars. It’s part of the university’s Public Appearances series. Tickets are $34.50-$57.50, $11.50 for children/students. Call (501) 450-3265 or (866) 810-0012 or visit uca.edu/publicappearances.
ART
Online exhibition
The Arkansas Committee of the National Museum of Women in the Arts is showing the work of 48 Arkansas women online in the 2025-2027 Juried Artist Registry, via acnmwa.org/artists-25-27. Juror Carey Voss, exhibits curator at Little Rock’s Historic Arkansas Museum, selected the artists for inclusion; applications were open to all artists who identify as women and reside in Arkansas. Submissions included paintings, sculpture, ceramics, photography, contemporary jewelry, textiles, digital media and site-specific installation.
AUDITIONS
Another crack at ‘Idol’
“American Idol” has added an additional date — Monday — for virtual Arkansas auditions via Zoom. It’s part of its sixth “Idol Across America,” a live virtual nationwide search for the next superstar using “custom-built Zoom technology,” according to a news release, with audition days in all 50 states and Washington. Hopefuls can sign up to audition face-to-face in front of producers and receive real-time feedback.
Visit americanidol.com/auditions for more information and specific audition details, locations, full eligibility requirements (including an age restriction — you must have been born on or between June 2, 1996, and Feb. 15, 2011; you must be a legal U.S. resident and you cannot have won in any previous season of “American Idol”), submission forms, terms and conditions.
Argenta ‘Christmas Story’
Argenta Contemporary Theatre, 405 Main St., North Little Rock, will hold auditions for “A Christmas Story: The Musical” (music and lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, book by Joseph Robinette based on the movie screenplay by Jean Shepherd, Leigh Brown and Bob Clark, based in turn on Shepherd’s “In God We Trust: All Others Pay Cash”), 9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Oct. 4 with callbacks 1-3 p.m. Oct. 5, North Little Rock. Production dates are Dec. 10-21.
Prepare a song (approximately 1 minute or 32 bars in length); auditions will also involve readings from the script and a dance combination. Directors Pris Benson and Carol Ann McAdams are on the faculty at North Little Rock High School and the namesakes of the ACT Academy. Leann Jones is the musical director.
Some roles are already cast with actors who appeared in ACT’s 2024 production: Jaydon Clark (Ralphie); Craig Wilson (Old Man); Michele May Clark (Mom); Pate Wilson (Randy); Webb Wilson (Schwarz); Allison Stodola Wilson (Miss Shields); Steven Jones (Santa); and Chris Flowers (Jean/Narrator).
Find additional information on available roles, audition details and an online form at visit argentacontemporarytheatre.org/auditions. Those who had previously signed up for August auditions that had been postponed should fill out the online form again to audition Oct. 4.
‘[title of show]’
The Weekend Theater, 1001 W. Seventh St. at Chester Street, Little Rock, holds auditions at 10 a.m. Oct. 4 and 6 p.m. Oct. 5 for “[title of show]” (music and lyrics by Jeff Bowen, book by Hunter Bell), which involves two struggling writers who have just three weeks to write a musical for a New York festival. Production dates are Jan. 17-Feb. 1.
Auditioners should prepare 16-24 bars of a contemporary musical theater piece; an accompanist and a speaker for recorded tracks will be provided. “Parts are available for all gender expressions and ethnicities. However, we ask that all auditioners be 18-plus at the time of auditions,” according to the theater’s audition website, weekendtheater.org/auditions, where is also located an audition form and a character breakdown. Video submissions will be accepted.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.nwaonline.com ’
