Tony nominee and Emmy Award-winning actress Liz Callaway to star in 'Every Brilliant Thing'

On-Stage At TheatreSquared January 16–February 10, 2019

NORTHWEST ARKANSAS—October 2, 2018—TheatreSquared today announced that Liz Callaway—a veteran Broadway performer, Tony® nominee and Emmy® Award-winner—will take the stage in Northwest Arkansas for Every Brilliant Thing in January 2019. This moving, insightful, and often hilarious one-person play was a New York Times Critics’ Pick, and will feature Callaway in a limited four-week run at TheatreSquared January 16 through February 10, 2019. Tickets are currently available only to current and new season subscribers, and will go on sale to the general public on November 14 at 10am.

“We are so lucky to have Liz Callaway joining us to tell this wonderful story, “ said Bob Ford, Artistic Director. “It’s a play that brings together the audience in a way that I’ve never seen, and to help do so, we’re completely reimagining the setup of our theatre. Liz brings deep pathos, a mischievous sparkle, and profound talent to this heart-wrenching, funny, and deeply hopeful play about our beautifully imperfect world”

“I love this play,” said Callaway. “From ‘people falling over’—number 7—to ‘cycling downhill’—number 997—it’s about recognizing how small, ordinary things can add up to something extraordinary, if you’ll just let them.  When I traveled here for TheatreSquared’s Gala last year, I really fell for Northwest Arkansas. This play will be a wonderful reunion.”

Every Brilliant Thing is an immersive experience, and the creative team will completely transform T2’s theatre space into an in-the-round, intimate setup for the production.  Performances begin on January 16 in Northwest Arkansas and the engagement is strictly limited. The final performance is February 10.

“This is an unusual opportunity for Northwest Arkansas audiences, and we know there will be a lot of interest,” said Executive Director Martin Miller. “Those who are interested in subscribing to the 18/19 Season can call now to reserve seats for Every Brilliant Thing as part of their package.  Single tickets will go on sale to the general public in November.”

Subscriptions for the rest of the season start as low as $85, with prime seats reserved for subscribers at a 15% discount.  New subscribers can call (479) 443-5600 or visit theatre2.org to arrange for seats.

Tickets available to the general public on November 14, 2018 at 10am, and are priced from from $17-$54.50 at (479) 443-5600 or theatre2.org.

Critical Acclaim

“Heart-wrenching, hilarious-and possibly one of the funniest plays you’ll ever see, full stop.” — The Guardian

“Sincere but not sentimental, Every Brilliant Thing shines gentle theatrical light on the way sweetness and sorrow are both magnified by tragedy.” —Los Angeles Times

Performance Schedule

Performances are scheduled January 16 through February 10, Tuesdays through Sundays, at Walton Arts Center’s Nadine Baum Studios.

Tuesday–Friday: 7:30 pm

Saturday: 2:00 pm; 7:30 pm

Sunday: 2:00 pm

Ticket & Subscription Info

Tickets range from $17-$55 and are available at (479) 443-5600 or online at theatre2.org.

Through T2’s Lights Up! For Access program, supported by the Walmart Foundation, SNAP benefit recipients can purchase $5 tickets and patrons under the age of 30 can purchase $10 tickets. For more information, visit theatre2.org/lights-up.

TheatreSquared’s production is made possible in part with support from lead show sponsors Margaret and Dick Rutherford along with show sponsors Tod Yeslow and Jackie Telfair.

About Liz

Liz Callaway is a Tony nominee and Emmy Award-winning actress, singer and recording artist. She made her Broadway debut in Stephen Sondheim’s Merrily We Roll Along, received a Tony Award nomination for her performance in Baby, and for five years, won acclaim as Grizabella in Cats. She has also starred in the original casts of Miss Saigon, The Three Musketeers, and The Look of Love.

Off-Broadway she received a Drama Desk nomination for her performance in The Spitfire Grill (Playwrights Horizons), and also appeared in Brownstone (Roundabout), No Way to Treat a Lady, Marry Me a Little, and Godspell. Other New York appearances include the legendary Follies in Concert at Lincoln Center, A Stephen Sondheim Evening, Fiorello! (Encores!), and Hair in Concert.  Regionally, she starred as Venus in the Chicago Ovations! production of One Touch of Venus, in Elegies at Reprise! in Los Angeles, and Fascinating Rhythm at Hartford Stage. She also played Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard at Pittsburgh CLO.

Ms. Callaway has also established a major career as a concert and recording artist. The award-winning Sibling Revelry (created with sister Ann Hampton Callaway) was presented to great acclaim at the Donmar Warehouse in London. Boom!, a celebration of the music of the 60’s and 70’s, also created with her sister was recorded live at Birdland and has toured the country. She had the pleasure of singing "Chances Are" with singing legend Johnny Mathis, co-starred with Jimmy Webb & Paul Williams in their critically acclaimed engagement at Feinstein’s in New York and joined Burt Bacharach, Dionne Warwick, and Stevie Wonder at Hal David’s 90th Birthday Celebration Concert at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles.  Her extensive US symphony work includes appearances at The Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, Ravinia, and The Hollywood Bowl. Worldwide, she has performed in China, Australia (with Stephen Schwartz), New Zealand, Vietnam, Iceland, Estonia, France (Theatre du Chatelet, Paris), South Korea, and Barcelona’s Gran Teatre del Liceu where she premiered a new concert featuring the music of Stephen Sondheim.

Liz sang the Academy Award®-nominated song “Journey to the Past” in the animated feature Anastasia and is the singing voice of Princess Jasmine in Disney’s Aladdin and the King of Thieves and The Return of Jafar. Other film work includes the singing voice of the title character in The Swan Princess, The Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride, Beauty and the Beast, Lyle, Lyle the Crocodile and The Brave Little Toaster Goes to Mars.

She received an Emmy Award for hosting Ready to Go, a daily, live children’s program on CBS in Boston.  Other TV credits include In Performance at the White House, Inside the Actor’s Studio: Stephen Sondheim, Christmas with the Boston Pops, The David Letterman Show, and Senior Trip (CBS Movie of the Week).

Liz has released six solo recordings: Passage of Time, The Beat Goes On, The Story Goes On: Liz Callaway On and Off-Broadway, Anywhere I Wander: Liz Callaway Sings Frank Loesser, Merry and Bright and her newest album The Essential Liz Callaway.  Her numerous other recordings include Sibling Revelry,  Boom! Live at Birdland, The Maury Yeston Songbook, Dreaming Wide Awake: The Music of Scott Alan, A Stephen Sondheim Evening, Hair in Concert, the original cast album of A Christmas Story and the complete recording of Allegro produced by the Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization.

Every Brilliant Thing  at TheatreSquared will be directed by Dan Foster. Dan Foster is a co-founder of Hudson Stage Company. He has directed several productions for the company including Shining City, You Will Remember Me (American Premiere), Outside Mullingar, 4000 Miles, Talley’s Folly,  A Number, Stones in his Pockets, Murderers, Mary’s Wedding, Love Song, Boston Marriage,  and Rabbit Hole. He has also produced, directed, and appeared in productions on Broadway, off-Broadway, regionally, and internationally.

Opportunities to Engage

Through a special partnership with the Fayetteville Public Library, Callaway will participate in several free public events on January 22nd, including a limited-seating Master Class at 3 p.m. and a free public Artists’ Forum at 6 p.m., featuring a moderated conversation led by Ozarks at Large producer Kyle Kellams. Those interested to RSVP for the workshop can sign up at www.faylib.org beginning November 14.

About T2

TheatreSquared is Northwest Arkansas’ professional regional theatre, offering an intimate live theatre experience for more than 45,000 patrons each year in its 175-seat space and in schools throughout the state. TheatreSquared was recognized by the American Theatre Wing, founder of the Tony Awards, as one of the nation’s 10 most promising emerging theatres. TheatreSquared has experienced remarkable growth in recent seasons, expanding its audience tenfold during the past five years. The theatre recently broke ground on a new 50,000-square-foot facility to be completed in mid-2019, and launched the $34 million Our Next Stage Campaign to support construction and a sustainable transition. Designs and campaign information are online at ournextstage.org.

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Major funding for the TheatreSquared Season 13 is provided by The Walton Family Foundation, Inc.; the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Arts; the Willard and Pat Walker Charitable Foundation; the Walmart Foundation; the Windgate Charitable Foundation; and by 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 13 is provided by Experience Fayetteville, the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Fayetteville Flyer, Cox Communications, KNWA, CitiScapes, KUAF, and MailCo USA.