As part of Conway’s ArtsFest, Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre will present its touring production of Twelfth Night at The Lantern Theatre, 1021 Van Ronkle St., for three performances.
Performances will be Sept. 30 at 7 p.m. and Oct. 1-2 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $15 and may be purchased at arkshakes.com.
“Twelfth Night debuted this summer to rave reviews all across the state,” director Chad Bradford said. “And we were thrilled to have been given a grant from the Conway Chamber of Commerce and Toad Suck Daze to extend this production into the fall to perform in the high schools in Faulkner County. We thought a fitting end of this show’s run would be a few shows for the public in conjunction with Conway’s ArtsFest. The folks at The Lantern Theater were gracious enough to allow us the space to perform.”
The production is a remount of AST’s unique one-hour adaptation of Shakespeare’s hilarious comedy that toured to several venues across the state over the summer. Bradford is again at the helm, and three of the stars of the summer show reprise their roles — Sharon Combs, Jordy Neill and Garrett Houston. New to the production this fall are LaDarius Jamerson, Malcolm Tucker, Daniel DeYoung, Harrison Trigg, Xander Udochi, Emily Wold, and Geneva Galloway.
Bradford summarized AST’s Twelfth Night: “Inspired by the groups of traveling performers that came up through India and the Middle East and finally into Europe, known as the Romani people, and at times, less affectionately as ‘Gypsies,’ Feste (our ringleader) and his players sing and dance through Viola’s quest for love and reconciliation. Feste guides us through the journey as he switches masks and characters, narrating the story and sometimes hopping into the action, as well.
Additionally, Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre’s 2017 season will be announced at AST’s annual Fall Membership Party on Thursday, Sept. 29, at 6:30 p.m. at the Conway home of Dr. Mary Ruth Marotte, executive director of AST, 4915 College Ave. The night’s festivities will include hors d’oeuvres, drinks, an art show and sale of local artists’ work in coordination with ArtsFest and a special performance by cast members of AST’s touring production of Twelfth Night.
Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre is the state’s only professional Shakespeare company and is proud to make its home on the University of Central Arkansas campus. Each summer, AST offers full productions of a range of Shakespeare’s works, as well as other plays and musicals that help fulfill AST’s mission to entertain, engage, and enrich the community.
The UCA College of Fine Arts and Communication includes the Departments of Art, Music, and Film, Theatre and Creative Writing as well as the School of Communication. The college’s primary mission is the preparation of the next generation of artists, educators and communicators. For more information about CFAC, visit www.uca.edu/cfac or call (501) 450-3293.
