T2 begins "Matilda" performances June 23 at FPL
Leanne Parks and Piper Wallace will be alternating in the role of Matilda this summer at T2.
TheatreSquared Presents the Must-See Musical Event of the Summer
Roald Dahl’s
MATILDA THE MUSICAL
book by Dennis Kelly
music and lyrics by Tim Minchin
In-person performances begin June 23
Marks the start of a partnership between the professional theatre company and Fayetteville Public Library that opens ‘magical’ possibilities for the newly expanded facility
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press images of Matilda: The Musical can be found HERE.
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS—June 17, 2021—TheatreSquared’s Matilda: The Musical takes the stage at the brand new Fayetteville Public Library (FPL) Event Center beginning June 23. Matilda marks two firsts: with a 33-member cast, nine-member orchestra and more than 15 crew members behind the scenes, it is the company’s largest-ever production as well as the first professional theatre production on FPL’s new stage.
Based on the beloved children’s book by Roald Dahl, the five-time Tony Award winner Matilda is an international phenomenon. Matilda tells the story of an extraordinary girl who dares to change her own destiny. A classic underdog story, Matilda’s journey sets an incredible example of how to stand up for what is right—no matter your stature. Directed by Aimée Hayes and starring young actors Leanne Parks and Piper Wallace alternating in the role of Matilda, this will be a riotous, inspiring experience for the whole family.
“As Matilda says, ‘to change the world, it takes a little genius,’” said T2 artistic director Bob Ford. “Partnering with the library to showcase this award-winning musical felt like a stroke of genius. With the amount of sheer joy, musicality, humor and action in this show—not to mention sticking it to the authority—every human being in this audience will feel something they haven’t felt in far too long.”
“To see this space lit up for a spectacular musical that celebrates the adventure of reading and the power of imagination—it exemplifies the dream for this space that began almost a decade ago,” said David Johnson, Fayetteville Public Library executive director. “And, in keeping with our mission to provide free and public access to a variety of experiences, our patrons and community members can check out one of ten free tickets to any show.”
“We couldn’t ask for a better partner than the Fayetteville Public Library,” added T2 executive director and producer Martin Miller.
With song, dance and a little magic, Matilda tells the story of a young Matilda Wormwood, a bookworm born into a family that does not understand her. Matilda soon learns that it’s more than her love of literature that makes her different: she has the power to move objects with her mind. Matilda’s life is changed by one incredible teacher, Miss Honey, who takes a special interest in her many gifts. Together they unite against the evil headmistress Miss Trunchbull to discover that love and acceptance can conquer all.
Matilda the Musical has received widespread critical acclaim and box office success, winning seven Olivier Awards, including Best New Musical—currently tied with Hamilton for the most Olivier awards ever won by a single show. The musical also won five Tony Awards for the Broadway production, including the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical for Dennis Kelly.
Matilda joins a full summer of productions for TheatreSquared after its return to live performance, with productions of My Father’s War by artistic director Robert Ford on stage through June 20 and American Mariachi by José Cruz González beginning August 4. This full-force return to in-person performance comes after a year of streaming work featured among the “Top Theatre of 2020” by The New York Times along with recognition as an “outstanding drama company” by The Wall Street Journal.
The creative team for Matilda includes Jason Burrow (music director), Kenny Personett (choreographer), Martin Andrew (scenic designer), Margaret Weedon (costume designer), Weston Wilkerson (lighting designer) and David Rigamer (sound designer).
Taking the lead role of Matilda are Leanne Parks, most recently seen with the First National tour of School of Rock, and Arkansas' own Piper Wallace, who recently performed in a national streaming production of Les Miserablés. Broadway veteran Elisabeth Evans (T2’s Once the Musical, Sound of Music—First National Tour) joins the cast as Miss Honey and Drew Johnson (T2’s Peter and the Starcatcher, A Christmas Carol) plays the classic villain Miss Agatha Trunchbull. Completing the cast are 15 adult national and local actors as well as 16 youth actors. Each performance is accompanied by a live, nine-member orchestra.
Matilda: The Musical also marks an expansion of T2’s long standing collaboration with The University of Arkansas’s Department of Theatre. In order to accommodate a professional musical production of unprecedented scale in the venue, the theatrical lighting system of the Fayetteville Public Library Event Center has been augmented by numerous state-of-the-art automated lighting fixtures, control system components, and rigging equipment on loan from the University of Arkansas Department of Theatre’s recently renovated U of A Blackbox Theatre. “We are thankful to the Fulbright College of Arts & Sciences for their collaboration and vision in this project,” Miller said, “We especially want to acknowledge the support and leadership of Todd Shields, Michael Riha, and Weston Wilkerson.”
Tickets
Tickets for Matilda: The Musical range from $17-$58. All fees are included, with no additional charges at checkout. Reduced-price tickets are available through the Lights Up! Program, as well as to students and patrons under 30 years of age. Ten free tickets per show are available for checkout through the Fayetteville Public Library.
Subscription packages for TheatreSquared include full seven-play packages starting at $119, with four-to-six-play flex packages starting at $69. Benefits for season ticket holders also include savings of up to 20%, free unlimited exchanges, discounted reserved parking, and same-day discounts in the Commons Bar/Cafe and other T2 Restaurant & Hotel Partners.
Through T2’s Lights Up! For Access program, supported by the Walmart Foundation, SNAP benefit recipients can purchase $1 tickets, while students and patrons under the age of 30 can purchase $10 tickets. For more information, visit theatre2.org/lights-up. Fully subsidized, free tickets are also available for clients of a number of local community service organizations.
Subscriptions and single tickets can be reserved by calling TheatreSquared at (479) 777-7477 or by visiting theatre2.org/subscribe.
About TheatreSquared
TheatreSquared’s signature offering of bold new plays in an intimate setting has driven its growth to become the state’s largest theatre, offering more than 300 performances annually in two intimate spaces and online. The playwright-led company is one of mid-America’s leading laboratories for new work, having launched more than 60 new plays. Notable collaborators have included Bryna Turner, Anne García-Romero, Pulitzer Prize finalist Lisa D’Amour, Qui Nguyen, Mona Mansour, Tony Award nominee Lee Blessing, Amy Evans, and many others. TheatreSquared’s remarkable expansion—with a twentyfold increase in audience in just the past decade—parallels the emergence of its home region in the northwest corner of Arkansas as a booming population center and destination for American art. Offering far-reaching access and education programs and an open-all-day gathering space, the Commons Bar/Café, TheatreSquared remains rooted in its founding vision, that “theatre—done well and with passion—can transform lives and communities.”
About Fayetteville Public Library
Fayetteville Public Library was founded in 1916 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Fayetteville Public Library received Library Journal’s Library of the Year award, was named an American Landmark Library by TravelSmart and Best Library in NWA by Citiscapes. Its existing Blair building was the first in Arkansas to be registered with the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification program. Its vision is to be a public institution that is powerfully relevant and completely accessible. Visit www.faylib.org for more information.
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Major funding for the TheatreSquared Season 15 is provided by The Walton Family Foundation, Inc.; the Walmart Foundation; and by the Arkansas Arts Council, an agency of the Department of Arkansas Heritage and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Marketing support for TheatreSquared Season 15 is provided by Experience Fayetteville, the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Fayetteville Flyer, 3W Magazine, CitiScapes, KUAF, MailCo USA and Univision.