TheatreSquared To Extend SUNDOWN TOWN Thru 2/27

Due to high demand, TheatreSquared will extend its World Premiere production of Sundown Town, which opened on February 4 in downtown Fayetteville. The production will continue through Sunday, February 27, with four new performances Thursday at 7:30, Friday at 7:30, Saturday at 7:30, and Sunday at 2:00 at Walton Arts Center's Nadine Baum Studios (505 W. Spring St.) in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Tickets range from $22-24 ($10/under 30) and are on sale now at the Box Office at (479) 571-2728 and at theatre2.org.

"It's an understatement to say that interest in Sundown Town has been overwhelming," said T2 Managing Director Martin Miller. "After adding seats and performances, we were still turning away hundreds of ticket buyers for our final performances. We are thrilled to be able to open our doors for another four performances February 24 through 27."

To make the additional performances possible, a group of lead Northwest Arkansas arts patrons came together to underwrite the extension week. Those supporters include Carolyn and Nick Cole, Hershey and Denise Garner, Bob Kohler and Laura Goodwin, Steve and Linda Nelson, and Romance Diamond Company (Patric and Terrye Brosh, proprietors).

Supported by a lead grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, Sundown Town is directed by Kevin Christopher Fox, of Chicago, and features a cast of nine actors and the folk trio 3 Penny Acre, joined by fiddle player Ann Mesrobian. In Sundown Town, set in 1918, a young black carpenter arrives seeking work in a rural North Arkansas town, but a law prohibiting "strangers" after dark threatens to tear the tight-knit community apart. The play features more than a dozen bluegrass, folk, and Americana favorites woven throughout the storyline. The play was commissioned by TheatreSquared and developed over two years at the Arkansas New Play Fest.

"The synergy of story, place, and powerful music is incredibly moving in Sundown Town," said Bryan Hembree of 3 Penny Acre. "Whether you call Arkansas home, or live in any of scores of states across middle America where sundown towns were a fact of life, this story will deeply resonate. The songs evoke the spirit of the Ozarks. We're thrilled to take part."

The creative team for Sundown Town includes Kevin Christopher Fox (director), Jeannie Lee (musical director), Courtney O'Neill (scenic design), Michael Riha (lighting design), Shauna Meador (costume design), and a cast including Bruch Reed, Valarie Andrews, Quinn Gasaway, Halley Mayo, Kris Pruett, Bill Rogers, John T. Smith, Alex B. West and David Wright.

3 Penny Acre, formed in 2006, is a musical collaboration between songwriters Bayard Blain, Bernice Hembree, and Bryan Hembree. The band has received local and national acclaim, including winning the 2008 Walnut Valley Festival NewSongs competition in the spiritual category, has garnered invitations as official showcase artist at the 2009 and 2010 International Folk Alliance Conference, and most recently was voted "Best Band" and "Album of the Year" at the 2010 Northwest Arkansas Music Awards. Their follow-up sophomore album, Highway 71, features ten songs documenting the people, places, and stories of middle America. More information about the band is available at 3pennyacre.com.The band will perform a special concert on the set of Sundown Town at 7:30pm on Sunday, February 20, with tickets available at waltonartscenter.org.

TheatreSquared is Northwest Arkansas's regional theatre, dedicated to creating exceptional works on stage and innovative educational programs. Seventy annual performances, the annual Arkansas New Play Fest, and touring educational programs attract a growing audience of patrons from throughout the region, including more than 4,000 students and their teachers. Performances are presented in the intimate, 150-seat Studio Theatre at Walton Arts Center's Nadine Baum Studios in downtown Fayetteville, Arkansas. For further information, call 479.445.6333 or visit theatre2.org.

 

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