T2 Presents "Tigers Be Still"

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TheatreSquared Presents the Bold New Comedy
TIGERS BE STILL
By Kim Rosenstock — Directed by Portia Krieger
On Stage February 9 – March 4, 2012


NORTHWEST ARKANSAS—January 20, 2011—TheatreSquared today announced the casting and creative team for Tigers Be Still, the critically acclaimed new comedy fresh from its hit off-Broadway premiere, opening in Fayetteville on February 10, 2012. Through a special partnership with Fayetteville Public Library, playwright Kim Rosenstock will attend the play’s opening weekend performances and host a public event on Saturday, February 11 at 4:30pm. The T2 production is directed by Portia Krieger, who served as assistant director for the play’s premiere at Roundabout Theatre. In Tigers Be Still, Sherry Wickman—heroine for a new generation of underemployed college graduates—returns home to her mess of a family and a part-time gig as a substitute art teacher, desperately trying to get her life in order as an escaped tiger stalks the suburbs. Performances will be held in the 180-seat Studio Theatre at Walton Arts Center’s Nadine Baum Studios, previewing February 9, opening February 10 and continuing through March 4, 2012, with performances Thursdays at 7:30, Fridays at 7:30, Saturdays at 2:00 and 7:30, and Sundays at 2:00 and 7:00. Tickets range from $22-28 ($10/under 30) and can be purchased by calling the Walton Arts Center Box Office at (479) 443-5600 or by visiting theatre2.org. 

“If Diablo Cody and Wes Anderson went on a bender and wrote a play, you’d probably end up with something like Tigers Be Still,” said T2 Managing Director Martin Miller, “though that comparison doesn’t do full justice to the lively heart at the core of this play. It’s quirky, touching, and completely hilarious—and we’re thrilled to bring it to Northwest Arkansas.”

“This is the story of how I stopped being a total disaster,” declares Sherry Wickman, the young protagonist of Tigers Be Still. After graduating and spending several miserable months unemployed, she has just snagged her first part-time job at the local high school, where a tiger’s escape from the zoo has provoked the principal to cancel recess and start toting his rifle to work. Back at home, Sherry’s sister has taken up residence on the sofa with a bottle of Jack Daniel’s, wallowing in grief after her fiancée dumped her for his podiatrist, while their mother has barricaded herself in her room. At once “devastatingly hilarious” (The New York Times) and startlingly moving, Tigers Be Still is a bold new work for the stage.

The cast for Tigers Be Still includes: Lauren Blumenfeld, Quinn Gasaway (Sundown Town) Amelia McClain and Rick Holden (2011 Arkansas New Play Festival).  The creative team includes: Portia Krieger (director), Anna Lucia Dede-Panken (stage manager), Josh Tillotson (production head), Mark Erbaugh (scenic designer), who also serves as Art Director for The Late Show with David Letterman, David Stoughton (lighting designer), Ruby Billig Kemph (costume design), and Asa Wember (sound design).

Through a special partnership with Fayetteville Public Library, TheatreSquared will offer two public events in the Willard and Pat Walker Community Room in tandem with its production of Tigers Be Still.  On Tuesday, January 31 at 6:30pm, Ozarks at Large host Kyle Kellams will moderate a T2 Artists Forum with director Portia Krieger and cast members, including a special ten-minute preview performance of a scene from the show.  On Saturday, February 11 at 4:30pm, playwright Kim Rosenstock will hold a public talk and reception as part of the library’s distinguished visiting author series.

Tickets for Tigers Be Still are on sale now at the Walton Arts Center Box Office, and can be reserved by calling (479) 443-5600 or visiting theatre2.org.

TheatreSquared is Northwest Arkansas’s regional theatre, dedicated to creating exceptional theatrical works and innovative educational outreach. The theatre is the recipient of the 2011 National Theatre Company Grant from the American Theatre Wing, founder of the Tony Awards, recognizing the nation’s ten most promising emerging professional theatres. For further information, contact TheatreSquared at 479.445.6333 or visit the Theatre's website at theatre2.org.

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Major funding for the TheatreSquared Season 6 is provided by The Walton Family Foundation, Inc., and the Arkansas Arts Council, an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Major marketing support for TheatreSquared Season 6 is provided by the Fayetteville Advertising and Promotions Commission. Media sponsors include NWA Media, CitiScapes, KUAF and Mailco USA.

TheatreSquared Launches Schools Tour

School Tour Blog and Photo Gallery >

TheatreSquared Launches Schools Tour
"The Poe Show" Travels to 22 Arkansas Schools, 7,000 Students

Cast, Staff Post "School Tour Blog" from the Road

 

ARKANSAS—November 14, 2011—TheatreSquared has launched a major tour of Arkansas high schools, bringing a newly commissioned 45-minute professional educational production into auditoriums in Northwest Arkansas, the Arkansas River Valley and the Arkansas Delta. The tour, which began November 7, will reach 22 high schools and more than 7,000 students by the time it concludes November 21.

"The Poe Show" features T2 Learning Programs Manager Erika Wilhite (Berthe in Boeing-Boeing); Justin Cunningham (Arkansas New Play Festival 2010, 2011), Thomas Hunter, and Caden Worley. The original script, chronicling the life and works of Edgar Allan Poe, was developed by T2 staff and artists at the 2011 Arkansas New Play Fest. The tour is supported in part by the Arkansas Arts Council Arts-in-Education grants program. 

Cast members and Morgan Hicks, T2 Director of Education and Program Development, are posting  photos, videos and stories from the road to the new School Tour Blog on TheatreSquared's website at the following address:

http://theatre2.org/schools-tour-blog

Northwest Arkansas patrons will come together to support TheatreSquared's educational outreach programs at the 2011 Gala for Education this Friday, November 18 at 6:30pm. Tickets and tables are still available by calling (479) 445-6333 or visiting theatre2.org/gala.

TheatreSquared’s educational outreach programs serve 8,500 students and teachers throughout Arkansas. Outreach programs include the statewide schools tour; the Word/Play in-school literacy initiative, engaging challenged readers through playwriting; the T2 Professional Development Institute, equipping Arkansas secondary educators with proven arts-based learning tools; and at the theatre, an access program to allow students to experience live, professional performances—many for the first time.

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Major support for TheatreSquared's 2011/12 educational programs is supported by the Arkansas Arts Council, an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage and the National Endowment for the Arts. School sponsors include the Happy Hollow Fund at Fayetteville Area Community Foundation and Harps Food Stores, Inc.

TheatreSquared Reimagines "It's a Wonderful Life"

TheatreSquared Reimagines the Enduring Holiday Classic
IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE
Seven Actors to Portray 64 Characters in 45 Scenes
On Stage December 8 through New Year's Day

NORTHWEST ARKANSAS—November 7, 2011—Seven actors will portray 64 characters and 45 scenes in TheatreSquared’s new stage adaptation of Frank Capra’s classic film It’s a Wonderful Life, starting December 8 in Fayetteville. T2 Artistic Director Robert Ford and a professional cast reimagine the love story of George Bailey and Mary Hatch, the crisis that nearly tears them apart on Christmas Eve, and their unexpected redemption. Performances will be held in the intimate Studio Theatre at Walton Arts Center’s Nadine Baum Studios from December 8 through New Year’s Day, with performances Thursdays at 7:30, Fridays at 7:30, Saturdays at 2:00 and 7:30, and Sundays at 2:00 and 7:00.  New Year’s Eve and Christmas Eve performances will include free milk and cookies. Tickets range from $22-28 ($10/under 30) and can be purchased by calling the Walton Arts Center Box Office at (479) 443-5600 or by visiting theatre2.org.  

“I have to admit, I avoided this movie for 30 years,” said Ford. “Maybe I was tired of ‘holiday classics,’ maybe I’d gotten cynical. But when I finally watched it again, I was amazed. The story is both crushing and exhilarating. It’s brilliant, funny, heartbreaking and beautifully crafted. And it asks a deep and, in these times, surprisingly relevant question: who do we want to be as a people? This is a story that earns the term classic but feels as though it could have been written today.”

TheatreSquared’s live adaptation of It’s a Wonderful Life brings Capra’s film to the stage. The story follows George Bailey, who puts his dreams on hold to take over the family business and marry his high school sweetheart—only to see his life’s work threatened by the unscrupulous magnate Mr. Potter, who will stop at nothing to take over the Bailey Building and Loan. As George stands drunk on a highway bridge on Christmas Eve, wishing he’d never been born, a mysterious stranger plummets to the waves and sets in motion a sequence of events that is nothing short of miraculous. For 65 years, critics have hailed It’s a Wonderful Life as a remarkable tale of redemption and old-fashioned holiday magic, reminding even the cynics among us that there’s much to be treasured in life.

The cast for It’s a Wonderful Life includes: Coleman Clark, Andrew Dahl, Bryce Kemph (T2 credits: Moonlight and Magnolias, Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol), Kathy Logelin (Mauritius), Kris Stoker (The 39 Steps, My Father’s War), Sabrina Veroczi (The 39 Steps) and Sarah Behrend-Wilcox.  The creative team includes: Robert Ford (director), Anna Lucia Dede-Panken (stage manager), Josh Tillotson (production head), Sarah Ross (scenic designer), Diana Kaiser (lighting designer), Ren LaDassor (costume design), Mike Tutaj (sound design) and Justin Ashley (props design).

It’s a Wonderful Life is the second production of TheatreSquared Season 6, which launched in September with the hit comedy Boeing-Boeing and continues with Tigers Be Still (Feb. 9-March 4) and The Fall of the House (April 12-May 6).  Three-play season packages for the remaining productions are available starting at $63 and can be reserved by visiting theatre2.org or calling the Walton Arts Center Box Office at (479) 443-5600.  Subscription benefits include a 15 percent discount off single ticket prices, prime reserved seating, free unlimited exchanges, and pre-show dining discounts of up to 30 percent at T2 Partner Restaurants.

Tickets for It’s a Wonderful Life are on sale now at the Walton Arts Center Box Office, and can be reserved by calling (479) 443-5600 or visiting theatre2.org. Performances are scheduled December 8—New Years Day, Thursday through Sunday of each week. New Years Eve and Christmas Eve performances will include complimentary milk and cookies. There is a special additional family matinee scheduled on December 21 at 2pm, and no performance on December 25.

TheatreSquared is Northwest Arkansas’s regional theatre, dedicated to creating exceptional theatrical works and innovative educational programs. The theatre is the recipient of the 2011 National Theatre Company Grant from the American Theatre Wing, founder of the Tony Awards, recognizing the nation’s ten most promising emerging professional theatres. For further information, contact TheatreSquared at 479.445.6333 or visit the Theatre's website at theatre2.org.

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Major funding for the TheatreSquared Season 6 is provided by The Walton Family Foundation, Inc., and the Arkansas Arts Council, an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Major marketing support for TheatreSquared Season 6 is provided by the Fayetteville Advertising and Promotions Commission. Media sponsors include NWA Media, CitiScapes, KUAF and Mailco USA.

TheatreSquared Announces 2011 Gala for Education

THEATRESQUARED ANNOUNCES
2011 GALA FOR EDUCATION
Frank and Sara Sharp to Receive 2011 Arts Advocate Award
Walker Foundation to be Honored on 25th Anniversary
November 18, 2011, 6:30pm at the New Mermaids Restaurant

NORTHWEST ARKANSAS—October 28, 2011—TheatreSquared announced today the 2011 Gala for Education, supporting arts-in-education outreach for 5,000 students and teachers in Northwest Arkansas and the Arkansas Delta. The annual celebration, a sell-out event in 2009 and 2010, will be held in the newly relaunched Mermaids Restaurant. This year's event will feature a command cabaret performance by Chris Crawford, star of the recent T2 hit Boeing-Boeing and winner of the national 2007 Kennedy Center Irene Ryan Award. Frank and Sara Sharp will receive the 2011 Arts Advocate Award, recognizing longstanding dedication to the Northwest Arkansas cultural community, and the Willard and Pat Walker Charitable Foundation will receive a special Distinguished Regional Funder Award on the occasion of the Foundation's 25th Anniversary. The event will be held November 18, 2011, 6:30pm at Mermaids Restaurant, 2217 N. College Ave. in Fayetteville (formerly Savor). Individual tickets are $100, sponsor tickets are $250, and table sponsorships range from $800 to $5,000. Guests are invited to RSVP to TheatreSquared at (479) 445-6333 or online at theatre2.org/gala.

Northwest Arkansas arts patrons serving as honorary co-chairs for the 2011 Gala for Education include: Becky and Bob Alexander, Terrye and Patric Brosh, Lynn and Joel Carver, Roger Collins, Marybeth Cornwell, Sandy Edwards, Denise and Hershey Garner, Susan and Orville Hall, Ellen and Malcolm Hayward, Janet and Jimm Hendren, and Margaret and Dick Rutherford.

"TheatreSquared's outreach to Arkansas middle and high school students brings access to professional theatre to schools where the arts have long been absent," said 2011 Gala Co-Chair Lynn Carver. "But T2 goes further—through professional development for teachers, in-school residencies, and touring workshops, T2's experts also work to equip underserved and at-risk students with proven literacy tools. This is a program that truly deserves our celebration and support."

"I commend T2's focus on educational outreach programs that serve students and teachers throughout the State, engaging them in literacy and learning," said Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe, in his statement congratulating TheatreSquared for its recent 2011 National Theatre Grant from the American Theatre Wing.

Frank and Sara Sharp, 2011 Arts Advocate Award recipients, have been active supporters of the Northwest Arkansas cultural community for more than forty years. Frank served on the Fayetteville City Board from 1979 to 1984 and was instrumental in the creation of the Walton Arts Center—securing funding through a dedicated local sales tax, mediating discussions between the University and City of Fayetteville, and helping to hire the WAC's first executive director. Sara served as the president of the Board for the North Arkansas Symphony Orchestra (NASO) from 1984 to 1986—a time during which she was actively involved in making performances a reality, from fundraising to hauling music stands in the Sharp family truck. More recently, Frank co-chaired the capital campaign to build a new 7,500-square-foot facility for KUAF, and both Frank and Sara served on the Board of Advisors to relaunch NASO in 2011 as the Symphony of Northwest Arkansas (SoNA).

The Willard and Pat Walker Charitable Foundation, recipient of the special Distinguished Regional Funder Award, marks its 25th Anniversary in 2011. Willard and Pat Walker created the Foundation in 1986 to provide support to non-profit organizations that promote healthcare, education, and humanitarian causes. With the legacy of Willard and Pat setting the standard for giving, the Foundation has since touched the lives of thousands of Arkansans, and continues to make grants which enable organizations to afford programming and education to enrich lives and allow individuals to reach their full potential. Selected arts- and education-focused organizations that have benefited from the Foundation's support include Arts Center of the Ozarks, Arts Live Theatre, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Northwest Arkansas Community Creative Center, the Symphony of Northwest Arkansas, TheatreSquared, the Walton Arts Center, and the University of Arkansas.

Chris Crawford, featured entertainer at the 2011 Gala, most recently appeared as Robert in TheatreSquared’s hit comedy Boeing-Boeing. He is the 2007 National Winner of the Kennedy Center Irene Ryan Award for Acting as well as the Mark Twain Award for Outstanding Comedic Performance. He serves as the Producing Artistic Director of The Playhouse Theatre in Tulsa. Selected regional credits include: Edward II in Edward II (Shakespeare Theatre Company—Washington, DC); Moonlight and Magnolias, Shining City, Macbeth, I Love You Because (Playhouse Tulsa); and many others. He is a graduate of the MFA Acting program at the University of Arkansas.

Tickets and tables for the 2011 Gala for Education can be reserved by calling (479) 445-6333 or visiting theatre2.org/gala. Individual tickets are $100, sponsor tickets are $250, and table sponsor levels range from $800 to $5,000. Guests may also take part in the 2011 Sparkling Wine Raffle, awarding one lucky winner a $1,500 gift certificate to Romance Diamond Co., a collection of exceptional wines selected by Bordinos Restaurant, and a private wine tasting for eight guests at The Wine Cellar

TheatreSquared’s education programs serve 5,000 students and teachers each year. Outreach initiatives include: the T2 Professional Development Institute for Arkansas educators, offered in partnership with the University of Arkansas Brown Chair of English Literacy; the Word/Play literacy intervention program, engaging at-risk students in NWA and the Arkansas Delta through in-school residencies and curriculum integration; deeply discounted performances, artist talkbacks, and workshops at the theatre; and an annual tour to bring live educational performances to communities where students lack access to professional theatre.

TheatreSquared is Northwest Arkansas’s regional theatre, producing professional work that is challenging and heartfelt, intimate and entertaining.  More than 10,000 patrons attend the theatre’s 95 annual performances in the 180-seat Studio Theatre at Walton Arts Center’s Nadine Baum Studios.  In addition to its theatrical season, the theatre’s educational outreach programs serve 5,000 students and teachers throughout the region. For tickets and more information, visit theatre2.org.

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Major funding for TheatreSquared Season 6 is provided by the Walton Family Foundation, Inc. and by the Arkansas Arts Council, an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Support for TheatreSquared's educational outreach programs is provided by the Happy Hollow Fund at Fayetteville Area Community Foundation, the Nadine L. Baum Charitable Foundation, and Land O'Frost, Inc.

Media partners for the 2011 Gala for Education include NWA Media, CitiScapes, KUAF, and Mailco USA.

T2 Welcomes Elizabeth France

TheatreSquared Welcomes New Development Officer

Elizabeth France, an Arkansas native, returns to NWA to join T2

TheatreSquared Managing Director Martin Miller and Artistic Director Robert Ford today announced the hiring of a new full-time Development Officer, supported by a three-year grant from the Walton Family Foundation. 

Elizabeth France, a native Arkansan, returns to Fayetteville after Elizabeth Francefive years in Washington, DC, where she attended graduate school and where her professional acting credits include the Kennedy Center Theatre for Young Audiences and the Shakespeare Theatre Company. Most recently, she worked in outreach and communications for a large, DC-based nonprofit organization. She holds a BA in Drama and European Studies from the University of Arkansas and an MFA in Acting from the Catholic University of America.

"I am thrilled to return home to join TheatreSquared," said France. "Before leaving Fayetteville in 2006, I worked on the crew of T2's inaugural production, Bad Dates, and since then, I've admired the company's work from afar. With the theatre's exponential growth over these past years and the recent national recognition from the American Theatre Wing, it's an exciting time to be joining TheatreSquared—and to be back in Northwest Arkansas."

"With the Walton Family Foundation's support, we conducted an extensive search for this new position—and considered more than fifty candidates," said T2 Managing Director Martin Miller. "We're excited to welcome Elizabeth not only because she's passionate about T2's mission, but because she has the skills and commitment needed to help us build community relationships, match great programs with the resources to fund them, and sustain the theatre for the long term."

TheatreSquared is Northwest Arkansas’s regional theatre, producing professional work that is challenging and heartfelt, intimate and entertaining.  More than 10,000 patrons attend the theatre’s 95 annual performances in the 180-seat Studio Theatre at Walton Arts Center’s Nadine Baum Studios.  In addition to its theatrical season, the theatre’s educational outreach programs serve 5,000 students and teachers throughout the region. For tickets and more information, visit theatre2.org.