The South Arkansas Arts Center recently announced its lineup of titles for the 2017-2018 theatre season at an announcement party held in the art galleries on August 19th. The upcoming season will be SAAC’s 54th year of theatre productions.
Gary Hall, chairman of the theater committee, announced the list of productions picked for the upcoming season: Breakfast at Tiffany’s Fall 2017, Sunset Boulevard Spring 2018, and Singin’ in the Rain Summer 2018.
Hall said, “Two of the productions are actual behind-the-scenes stories that we will be bringing to life in live theatre. The other production contains one of the most vibrant and recognizable characters to ever grace the screen. We want to bring a little taste of old Hollywood to a new era in El Dorado’s history. We’ve just come off one of the most successful seasons in SAAC history, and we have no intention of backing up. So El Dorado, it’s showtime at SAAC! ”
South Arkansas Arts Center will also be hosting other Hollywood productions and special events this year. SAAC executive director Laura Allen said, “It’s so exciting to do a classic Hollywood season at SAAC, and we couldn’t make it happen without our amazing and talented volunteers and patrons. No matter what your age or experience level, there is a place for you to contribute in this season.”
In November, the SAAC will open its doors to the many filmmakers showing their work at the fourth annual El Dorado Film Festival. Alexander Jeffery, head of the El Dorado Film Festival, said, “This year, we are thrilled to be returning to the South Arkansas Arts Center and have an amazing lineup in store for our audiences. Musical acts during the festival will include Arkansas’ own Barrett Baber and… exclusive announcement here… we’ve got Dennis Quaid coming with his band Dennis Quaid & The Sharks.”
The Arts Academy Drama Club, grades 7-12, will present Fiddler on the Roof JR. as their end of the semester project in December. The Theatre Committee has added a special event for December, Hollywood & Pine which will feature a selection of songs from the great Hollywood holiday movies. In January, 2018, the Silver Theater Group will present a reader’s theater production of Moonlight and Magnolias.
For more information about the upcoming theater season, please call the SAAC office. SAAC is located at 110 East Fifth Street, El Dorado, Arkansas.
SAAC 2017-2108 Theatre Season Details
August 19 – Completely Hollywood (abridged) Theatre Committee Special Event
October 19, 21-25 – Breakfast at Tiffany’s Community Theatre Fall Production
November 9-12 – El Dorado Film Festival Murphy Arts District Event at SAAC
December 3 & 5 – Fiddler on the Roof JR. SAAC Arts Academy Drama Club
December 8-10 – Hollywood & Pine Christmas Review Theatre Committee Special Event
January 26-27 – Moonlight and Magnolias Silver Theatre Group
March 2-4 & 8-11 Sunset Boulevard Community Theatre Spring Musical
July 12-15 & 18-22 Singin’ in the Rain Community Theatre Summer Musical / sponsored by Murphy USA
August 19
“Completely Hollywood (abridged)”
Reed Martin and Austin Tichenor, additional material by Dominic Conti
Originally produced by Reduced Shakespeare Company
Giving Hollywood more than just a nip and a tuck, “Completely Hollywood (Abridged)” cuts through the celluloid to condense the 186 greatest films in Hollywood’s over 100-year history into a complete compilation of classic cinematic clichés. It is filled with irreverent references to the world of film making, humorous examinations of plots and quotes from popular movies, and imitations of the stars of those films. The broad physical comedy, tireless energy of the cast, and countless pop-culture references make for a good time.
October 19 & 21-25 / Auditions Sept 5-6
“Breakfast at Tiffany’s”
Truman Capote, stage adaptation by Richard Greenberg
Based on Truman Capote’s classic novella, “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” tells the story of a young Southern-born writer, known to us only as Fred, who becomes infatuated with his Upper East Side neighbor: the beguiling, effervescent beauty Miss Holiday Golightly. As Holly pulls Fred into her world of spontaneous parties and luxury, he finds himself increasingly fascinated with this captivating woman.
November 9-12
El Dorado Film Festival – Special Murphy Arts District Event at SAAC
www.eldofilmfest.com
The El Dorado Film Festival provides audiences with a taste of truly independent cinema through a diverse selection of international and local films. They put an emphasis on Southern voices with both a Southern Made category and a Made in Arkansas category. Venues for this year’s festival include the South Arkansas Arts Center and the Murphy Arts District in El Dorado, Arkansas. Stay tuned for more announcements and news at www.eldofilmfest.com, or call the Murphy Arts District at 870-863-4547!
December 3 & 5 / Register for Drama Club 7-12 by August 31
“Fiddler on the Roof JR.”
Music by Jerry Bock, Book by Joseph Stein, Lyrics by Sheldon Harnick
Based on Sholem Aleichem’s stories, by special permission of Arnold Perl.
Based on the award-winning, iconic Broadway classic of life in Czarist Russia, this universal drama is a true musical theatre tradition. This special adaptation of the nine-time Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, “Fiddler on the Roof JR” follows Tevye, a poor dairyman, and his five daughters. With the help of a colorful and tight-knit Jewish community, Tevye tries to marry off his daughters and instill in them a sense of tradition in the face of growing anti-Semitism in Czarist Russia. “Fiddler on the Roof JR” tackles the universal theme of tradition in ways that reach across barriers of race, class, nationality and religion.
December 8-10
“Hollywood & Pine” Holiday Revue
Hollywood & Pine will feature a selection of songs from the great Hollywood holiday movies. This family-friendly show includes holiday songs, comedy, dancing, and magic to get you in the holiday spirit.
January 26-27
“Moonlight and Magnolias”
Ron Hutchinson
1939 Hollywood is abuzz! Legendary producer David O. Selznick has shut down production of his new epic, “Gone with the Wind”, a film adaptation of Margaret Mitchell’s novel. The screenplay, you see, just doesn’t work. So what’s an all-powerful movie mogul to do? While fending off the film’s stars, gossip columnists and his own father-in-law, Selznick sends a car for famed screenwriter Ben Hecht and pulls formidable director Victor Fleming from the set of “The Wizard of Oz”. Summoning both to his office, he locks the doors, closes the shades, and on a diet of bananas and peanuts, the three men labor over five days to fashion a screenplay that will become the blueprint for one of the most successful and beloved films of all time.
March 2-4, 8-9 & 11 / Auditions January 5-6
“Sunset Boulevard”
Music by Andrew Lloyd Webber
Book and Lyrics by Don Black and Christopher Hampton
Based on the Billy Wilder film
Orchestrations by David Cullen & Andrew Lloyd Webber
Based on the Billy Wilder film, the musical version of “Sunset Boulevard” is a tale of faded glory and unfulfilled ambition. In her mansion on Sunset Boulevard, silent-screen goddess Norma Desmond lives in a fantasy world. Impoverished screenwriter, Joe Gillis, on the run from debt collectors, stumbles into her reclusive domain. Persuaded to work on Norma’s “masterpiece,” a film script that she believes will put her back in front of the cameras; he is seduced by her and her luxurious lifestyle. Joe becomes entrapped in a claustrophobic existence until his love for another woman leads him to try and break free with dramatic consequences.
July 12-15 & 18-22 / Auditions Late May
“Singin’ in the Rain” – sponsored by Murphy USA
Screenplay by Betty Comden and Adolph Green
Songs by Nacio Herb Brown and Arthur Freed
Tap your toes and sing along in this splashy adaptation of the celebrated and beloved film! Each unforgettable scene, song and dance from the film is accounted for, including the show-stopping title number, complete with an onstage rainstorm! Hilarious situations, snappy dialogue and a hit-parade score of Hollywood standards make “Singin’ in the Rain” the perfect entertainment for any fan of the golden age of movie musicals.
“Singin’ in the Rain” has all the makings of a Tinseltown tabloid headline – the starlet, the leading man and a love affair that could change lives and make or break careers! In silent movies, Don Lockwood and Lina Lamont are a hot item but, behind the scenes, things aren’t always as they appear on the big screen! Meanwhile, Lina’s squeaky voice might be the end of her career in “talking pictures” without the help of a talented young actress to do the talking and singing for her.