Out & About

Last updated Thursday, March 27, 2008 9:49 PM CDT in Entertainment

By The Morning News

On Stage

April 11-19

SPRINGDALE - Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Beth Henley brings "Impossible Marriage," a modern comedy set in the lush garden of a Savannah mansion, to the Arts Center of the Ozarks on April 11-13 and 18-19. Pandora Kingsley has planned the perfect wedding, but everyone is against it. And when the wedding guests have been sprung from the pen of Henley, the playwright known for putting a ridiculous spin on the Old South's tragic sensibilities, the likelihood of that wedding coming off with a hitch is, well, impossible. Information: 751-5441.

April 11-27

ROGERS - "Brighton Beach Memoirs" by Neil Simon takes the Rogers Little Theater stage April 11-12, 17-19 and 24-27. Part one of Neil Simon's autobiographical trilogy, "Brighton Beach Memoirs" is a portrait of the writer as a Brooklyn teenager in 1937 living with his family in crowded, lower middle-class circumstances. The play captures a few days in the life of a struggling Jewish household that includes Eugene's hard-working father, his sharp-tongued mother, his older and vastly more experienced brother Stanley, his widowed aunt and her two young daughters. Director Kaye Cotton calls it a deeply appealing play that deftly mixes drama with comedy. Information: 631-8988.

On Exhibit

Saturday-Sunday

JASPER - The Nelms Gallery in Jasper holds its grand opening from 9 am. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday in Jasper. The gallery features 150 photographs taken over five years by Don Nelms of Fayetteville.

Monday

FAYETTEVILLE - The works of Amy Edie will be on display Monday to April 30 at Ozark Natural Foods in Fayetteville. A reception for the artist is planned for 2 to 4 p.m. April 13 at the store. Edie, an art education graduate of the University of Arkansas, taught public school art and adult community education, draws portraits at the Fayetteville Farmers' Market and recently donated a mosaic for the children's garden at the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks.

Information: 582-0705.

To April 4

FAYETTEVILLE - Kelsey Felthousen, candidate for a master's degree at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, uses the UA Fine Arts Center Gallery as a "surveillance site" for her thesis exhibition, "My Space," now through April 4.

Felthousen will construct an inverted home on the UA Union Mall, in which she will live during this time period. Gallery visitors can watch the artist in her "home" via an Internet connection and large screen television, set up in the gallery for viewing. The irony of this situation is that the "viewer/voyeur" also can be watched because the gallery is fronted with glass windows and doors.

A reception for the artist will be from 5 to 7 p.m. today in the Fine Arts Gallery and on the Union Mall. Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday to Friday and 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday.

Information: 575-7987

April 4

BENTONVILLE - Fusion Fine Art Gallery in Bentonville holds an artist's reception from 6 to 9 p.m. April 4, highlighting the works of Carol Cooper and Susanna Jones.

Information: www.fusioncenter.com, 273-9278.

April 5-6

ROGERS - About 20 Northwest Arkansas artists will show and sell their original art in an art show at the Living It Green Expo on April 5-6 at Pinnacle Hills Promenade.

Information: 899-6294.

Festivals

April 5-6

ROGERS - Northwest Arkansas' leaders and innovators in sustainable, outdoor and green living will be featured at The Living It Green Expo on April 5-6 at Pinnacle Hills Promenade. Admission to all activities and parking are free to the public. A family-friendly event, The Living It Green Expo features a variety of children's activities, live entertainment and educational attractions, along with more than 50 exhibitors displaying and offering green, outdoor living and sustainable and energy-efficient products and services. Twenty percent of all exhibitor and sponsor fees will be donated to local nonprofit organizations through the newly established Living It Green Expo Grant Program, according to Dan Stiel, president of Stiel Direct LLC and one of the event organizers. Information: 899-6294.

April 11-12

FAYETTEVILLE - Mount Sequoyah is hosting its first Writer and Storyteller Conference on April 11-12. This two-day conference is designed to give writers, both experienced and not, the opportunity to write freely under the influence of great authors, perfecting and learning certain genres and styles. The event will feature readings and workshops by Ellen Gilchrist, winner of the National Book Award for Fiction and three-time recipient of the Thomas Wolfe Award; Roger Armstrong, United Methodist pastor and nationally known storyteller; Clayton Scott, poet laureate of Fayetteville and founder of the Student Poetry Movement; Robert Ford, novelist, playwright, actor, musician and director of the Arkansas Playwrights Workshop; Barbara Youree, freelance writer from Rogers and author of a series of Christian romances and children's books; and Radine Trees Nehring, an Arkansas Ozarks writer since 1986 and recipient of the Governor's Award for Best Writing about the state of Arkansas. Information: (800) 760-8126 or 443-4531.

Just for Funds

April 4

SPRINGDALE - Arkansas Support Network presents Effron White and Susan Shore in the Acoustic Music Showcase at 7:30 p.m. April 4 at the ASN office and conference center, 6836 Isaac's Orchard Road. Tickets: $5; $3, students and seniors; free, children 12 and younger.

Information: 927-4100.

Got Talent?

April 12

WINSLOW - Author Velda Brotherton will present a workshop from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. April 12 at Ozark Folkways. Participants will study the process of writing stories and books, drawing on their own experiences, ideas and fantasies. Registration is necessary; class is limited to 20. Fee is $25. To register, call Connie Wright at 634-3791 or Velda Brotherton at 634-3151 or vebrotherton@gmail.com.

On Film

Today

FAYETTEVILLE - The 112 Drive-In in Fayetteville opens today for its summer season with "Alvin and the Chipmunks" and "27 Dresses." Information: 442-4542.

Sunday

FAYETTEVILLE - The John Harrison Opera Foundation will celebrate the 150th anniversary of the birth of Giacomo Puccini with a series of monthly DVD screenings of Puccini operas. Scheduled at 2 p.m. Sunday is "Tosca"; April 20 is "Madama Butterfly"; and May 18 is "Turandot." All the screenings are free. Information: 571-2222.

Thursday

FAYETTEVILLE - A screening of "Black Gold," about coffee farmers in Ethiopia, will include an appearance by Tadesse Meskela, a manager of the Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union in Ethiopia and star of "Black Gold." The film will be shown at 7 p.m. Thursday in the auditorium of Willard J. Walker Hall on the University of Arkansas campus in Fayetteville.

In Concert

Today

FAYETTEVILLE - The University of Arkansas music department presents Benjamin Pierce in concert at 7:30 p.m. today in the Stella Boyce Smith Concert Hall on the UA campus in Fayetteville. Pierce will perform works by Wendy Wan-Ki Lee, John Williams, Wilhelm von Grunelius, Arild Plau, Jack Stamp and Peter Khristoskov. Lyndon Meyer, UA student, will accompany Pierce on the piano. Pierce teaches applied tuba and euphonium at the University of Arkansas, conducts the UA tuba-euphonium ensemble and plays tuba with the Northwest Arkansas Symphony Orchestra.

Information: 575-4701.

Saturday

BENTONVILLE - Pride of the Ozarks Barbershop Chorus will present its annual spring show, "Harmony for All Seasons," at 3 p.m. Saturday at the Arend Arts Center at Bentonville High School. The 28-member Pride of the Ozarks Chorus is directed by Leland Flickinger, assisted by Bob Frankenfeld. Written and directed by Bob Benson, "Harmony for All Seasons" will include songs that will bring back memories of seasons past. Guest quartets will be "Back in Business," an up-and-coming young group from the Lawrence, Kan., area and "Patent Pending," a quartet known throughout the Midwest for its comedy style. Tickets are available at Arvest banks throughout Benton County, at Delta Trust in Bella Vista and from chorus members. Information: (877) 993-7464 or 855-7980.

Saturday

FAYETTEVILLE - The University of Arkansas music department presents guest pianists Maryse and Seth Carlin in concert at 8 p.m. Saturday in the Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall. A reception follows the concert. They will present piano pieces for two and four hands with works by Mozart, Debussy and Barber.

Information: 575-4701.

Sunday

BENTONVILLE - The Civic Symphony of Benton County presents its spring concert at 3 p.m. Sunday in the Arend Auditorium in Bentonville. This will be a farewell performance for local guest artist and pianist London Meyer, with selections by Rahmaninoff and Bernstein. Cost: $12, adults; $7, students, available at Benton County branches of Arvest Bank, the door or online.

Information: 845-4042, www.civicsymphony.net.

Monday

FAYETTEVILLE -The University of Arkansas music department presents the Boston Mountain Brassworks in concert at 7:30 p.m. Monday at the Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall on the UA campus in Fayetteville.

The Boston Mountain Brassworks quintet includes UA music faculty, Richard Rulli and Brian Glass, trumpet; Marcia Thompson, horn; Gerald Sloan, trombone; and Benjamin Pierce, tuba.

Information: 575-4701.

Tuesday

FAYETTEVILLE - The Washington Regional Foundation presents Righteous Brother Bill Medley as the headline entertainment for the 2008 Gala on Tuesday at the Walton Arts Center. For 20 years, the foundation has donated millions of dollars to the community, from scholarships for nursing students to projects helping seniors live independently. Tickets are still available.

Information: 443-5600.

Wednesday

FAYETTEVILLE - The University of Arkansas music department presents saxophonist Stan Morris in recital at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall on the UA campus in Fayetteville. Morris will be joined by Kristen Harwell, pianist, and UA professor Er-Geng Kahng, violinist.

Information: 575-4701.

April 4-5

FAYETTEVILLE - Young musicians ages 8 to 18 present their best April 4-5 at the 2008 Starr Young Artist Piano Competition. The competition was founded 21 years ago by a UA piano professor Carolyn Hickson.

Seth Carlin, a competition judge and chairman of the keyboards department at Washington University in St. Louis, leads a piano masterclass for noncontestants at 10:30 a.m. April 4 at the Walton Arts Center. Jura Marulis, a judge and associate professor of piano at the University of Arkansas, performs a piano recital at 7 p.m. April 4 at the Walton Arts Center; cost is $10, adults; $5 senior citizens; $1, students and children. Contestants vie for prizes during the finals concert at 5:15 p.m. April 5 at the Walton Arts Center; awards range from $100 to $1,000.

Information: 575-4701, www.fayettevillearts.org.

April 4

BETONVILLE - The guitar club at Bentonville High School presents the 2008 Battle of the Bands from 6 to 10 p.m. April 4 at the Arend Arts Center in Bentonville. Competing bands include Bro Audio, Apollo Riders, Life-Line, Buddha's Love Handles and More Than Conquerors.

Cost: $3 at the door.

April 13

FAYETTEVILLE - The Walton Arts Center's Stars in Northwest Arkansas series continues with Bobby McFerrin, Chick Corea and Jack DeJohnette in concert at 7 p.m. April 13. Tickets start at $28-$45 by calling 443-5600.

April 18

FAYETTEVILLE - The Irish Chamber Orchestra, an internationally acclaimed group of top Irish and international string players, brings a repertoire from classical to modern to the Walton Arts Center for a show at 8 p.m. April 18. Tickets start at $24-$36 by calling 443-5600.

April 19

FAYETTEVILLE - The 2007-08 Starrlight Jazz Series concludes with the Ray Brown Tribute Band performing at 7 and 9:30 p.m. April 19 at Walton Arts Center. The legendary Ray Brown accompanied some of the greatest musicians of his time and influenced an entire generation. Now bassist Christian McBride, pianist Benny Green and drummer Gregory Hutchinson come together to keep the tradition alive. Tickets are available by calling 443-5600.

Gotta Dance!

Today-Sunday

FAYETTEVILLE - Walton Arts Center presents "Traces," a seven-member cirque troupe from Canada. Performance times are 8 p.m. March 28, 8 p.m. March 29 and 2 p.m. March 30. Tickets range from $34 to $10.

Information: 443-5600, waltonartscenter.org.

Saturday

BELLA VISTA - The Bella Vista Big Band presents the Spring Fling Dance at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at Riordan Hall in Bella Vista. Tickets: $10 at the door. Free dance lessons by danceandswing.biz begin at 7 p.m.

Information: 855-8170.

April 4-6

FAYETTEVILLE - Dance Coalition presents its spring concert in performances at 7 p.m. April 4, 7 p.m. April 5 and 2 p.m. April 6 at the Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville. Choreographers and guest artists include Michelle Brekelbaum, Emily Viator, Hannah Pasquinzo, Tamarah Jonason, Anabelle Steleman-Berry, Ana Ayala, Mary Trulock, Amy Kessler and Sally Ashcraft.

Go and Do

April 4

FAYETTEVILLE - TaylorMack Advertising offers its Road Rally Video Scavenger Hunt starting at noon April 4 at the TaylorMack offices, 509 W. Spring St., Suite 450, Faytteville.

Information: 444-7770.

April 5

PRAIRIE GROVE - Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park offers Park Day on April 5 to prepare the battlefield for the 100th anniversary of the park. The Civil War Preservation Trust will help clean and restore the historic properties, and Master Gardeners will plant heritage vegetable and herb gardens.

Meetings & More

April 23

FAYETTEVILLE - The Fayetteville Public Library will host "Foundation Fundraising: An Introductory Course" from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 23. Scholarships for the $125 course are available online at www.faylib.org/services/nonprofit-resource-center.asp. Scholarships will cover $100 of the course fee; recipients are responsible for the remaining $25, due April 18. Course registration is required by calling 571-2222, ext. 4450.

On the Road

April 4-6

EUREKA SPRINGS - Mystery lovers will once again be in for a clue-filled sleuthing weekend April 4-6 when the 1884 Bridgeford House Bed and Breakfast Inn and the 1881 Crescent Cottage Inn host another bed and breakfast murder mystery. The mystery, titled "The Conrail Affair," takes place in 1905 during a party at a Victorian mansion in the "Silk Stocking District" to celebrate the opening of the new railroad. But not everything on this festive evening goes well. For prices and information, call (888) 567-2422 or (800) 223-3246.

Every Friday, the WEEKEND notes section will feature entertainment events throughout Northwest Arkansas, across the state and around the four-state area. To be included, your event must be open to the public. Deadline for the WEEKEND section is noon TUESDAY for Friday publication. To submit an event, write to Becca Bacon Martin, Entertainment editor, The Morning News, P.O. Box 7, Springdale, 72765, send your submission by e-mail to bmartin@nwaonline.net or send a fax to 872-5055. All submissions must be in writing. Questions? Call 872-5054 or 872-5051.

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