Theater patrons purchased almost 3,000 tickets to attend the inaugural Arkansas Shakespeare Festival, which included three productions performed last month at the University of Central Arkansas in Conway.
“I think any way that you measure it, we had a successful first season,” said Matt Chiorini, the festival’s producing artistic director. “The audiences were all pleased and excited to find such high quality professional family-friendly theater outside of Little Rock and have vowed to make this trip an annual outing.”
The festival took place from June 14-24, with performances of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “Man of La Mancha,” and “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare.” Curtain speeches were delivered by Donna Sossamon Townsell, State Senator Gilbert Baker, and UCA President Lu Hardin.
Residents of Faulkner County comprised the bulk of attendees, but a surprising 25 percent came from other areas, including Bentonville, Fayetteville, Greenbrier, Hot Springs, and Fairfield Bay, as well as Texas, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee. Audience surveys revealed a diverse mix of ages, races, education and income levels.
Since the Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre was launched seven months ago, it has raised approximately $134,000, with significant contributions from UCA and the Conway Advertising and Promotions Commission.
“The Arkansas Shakespeare Festival was the perfect combination of live theater featuring talented actors, both new and familiar,” said Penny Hatfield, who is a member of the Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre’s board of directors. “AST is a tremendous opportunity for Conway. It brought people from all over Arkansas — in fact, I visited with a family from Walnut Ridge. Audiences really enjoyed the performances and learned that Shakespeare doesn’t have to be stiff and dull; it can be lively, exciting and a lot of fun. As Conway continues to grow and increase its arts offerings, it will become a destination for live theater in Arkansas.”
With that in mind, Chiorini has even more ambitious plans for next year’s festival.
“Our audiences will be able to see more great theater, but spread out over three weekends instead of two,” Chiorini said. “Additionally, some of their favorite actors, directors, and designers will undoubtedly be returning, along with some more local favorites. We’ll likely announce the shows in a few months, but I think we can safely say that our audiences can expect more hysterical comedy, great drama, and classic Shakespeare. We’ve had a lot of suggestions on where to go from here, and we’ve taken them all to heart. This year’s festival was a great start, but next year will really put us on the map not just in Central Arkansas but throughout the Southeast.”
