An Update from the OAC about Postponements and Changes Due to Coronavirus

New Stuff!

New stuff is about to be posted here! Sam Adams! Carol Burnett Skits! The HHS Choir! Albert Cummings! Spring Plays! Breaking news ahead, y’all!


A Message from the Ozark Arts Council’s Board of Directors

Dear Friends of the Arts,

The Ozark Arts Council’s purpose is always “To enrich lives by promoting the Arts in Harrison and North Arkansas through exhibitions, performances, and education” because we truly believe our vision statement to be true: “Equal access to the Arts builds a vibrant, healthy community.” We carry out our mission, of course, by our stewardship of the historic Lyric Theater and by the organizational and programming support that we are able to provide our Member Organizations as they bring the Arts to our North Arkansas community.

To keep providing the Arts to you and with you, we need to make sure that everything we do keeps your health and safety in focus, as well. From the food and beverages we serve and the environment we establish being in accord both with the regulations and best practices of the ADH (and its Boone County Health Unit), ABC, HFD (and its fire code enforcement especially as it pertains to historic buildings), HPD, and the statutes and ordinances of our County and City, to recognizing when something even more radical has to be done for the wellbeing of you, our members and patrons, and for society at large.

Because of this, and at the recommendation of our city, we postponed our March production of Nunsense II—which proved to be prescient, as Albert Cummings, who was to perform the evening that play closed, postponed his entire tour the very next day. While Boone County’s infection rate started very slowly, the number of people who were coming from what we later learned would be early hotspots means that this early inconvenience may have helped to some extent in keeping our area from being one of the ones slammed early by multiple cases.

As we are starting to reopen, we are doing so in a way that may seem overly-cautious to some, but in a way that will, we believe, give great comfort to the large number of our usual patrons who are in one or more ‘high risk’ groups for COVID-19…some of which are things that will also make us a safer venue in future times of widespread viral infections such as, even, the seasonal flu…for instance, our conversion to completely touchless hand soap and towel dispensing in our restrooms. Even with the uneasiness that typically comes with ‘opening night’, our all-volunteer staff won high praise from at-risk members of the audience when we premiered Always a Bridesmaid on Thursday, June 25, and we hope only to make everything both safer and more seamless as we move forward.

Just wanted to express how impressed we all were last night at the precautions taken at the theatre. [One member of our party] had been a little concerned about going. He has been working from home and only going grocery shopping in mask at Hudson’s. He said after coming in, being screened and seeing the precautions being taken, he felt safe! We all agreed how great it was to come to live theatre and feel comfortable.

 — Mary Bishop

If you have questions or concerns, please email in**@oz**************.org or call 870-391-3504 and give us your name, number, and a “short, but detailed” message, so that we can get back to you with an answer/solution/etc., in the most efficient and conscientious way possible.

The ADH Requirements

  • Patrons must be required to wear a mask if over 10 years of age.
  • Every patron’s temperature must be checked upon entrance and will be asked several questions pertaining to travel and health. Patrons will not be able to enter if:
    • They have fever, cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, or loss of taste or smell.
    • They have had known exposure to someone with Covid-19 in the past 14 days.
  • A 6-foot gap must be maintained between patrons who do not “shelter together,” so only groups with family members should get tickets with adjoining seats. If you plan on going with anyone who does not live in the same household with you, please call 870-391-3504 for our help on getting you seats as close together as possible, while still allowing for the “social distancing” regulations.
  • We are allowed to serve refreshments, so our concession stand and the upstairs Immortal BarD will be open. However, we will have signs posted reminding patrons to keep a 6 foot distance, and we will not be able to accommodate clustering of groups at the counters.
  • Though it is a tradition at the Lyric to allow audience members to come up and greet the cast at the end of plays, we will forego this for now to keep the required 12 feet of distance between those on stage and those in the audience. If you wish to tell the cast “good job!” we will have a digital guestbook set up where you can leave your well wishes!

If you have any questions about how we are protecting our volunteers, or about any of the guidelines, please don’t hesitate to call 870-391-3504 or send an email here.

Thank you for supporting the Arts and please be safe and healthy!

New Year’s Eve EVE Party with the Downtown Livewires! – December 30, 2016 at 7:00

New Year’s Eve EVE Party
w/The Downtown Livewires!
December 30, 2016 – 7:00PM to Midnight
(Party Begins at 7:00, Live Music Begins at 8:00)

The Downtown Livewires, based in one of the fastest growing regions in the nation, Northwest Arkansas (Bentonville/Fayetteville), play high energy Electric Blues/Rock, Memphis blues, and legacy blues. Audiences of their shows love to dance and sing along, no matter the venue, whether it be clubs, festivals, private parties, concerts, or city events. Now, they’re coming to The Lyric to provide music for our five-hour-long New Year’s Eve EVE Party! Come at 7 to grab some drinks and food, find a seat with your friends, and be ready for the show to begin at 8!

Down home Memphis blues in Northwest Arkansas? You bet—Just call THE DOWNTOWN LIVEWIRES! I’ve mixed countless bands over the years and these guys lay it down right. Always a pleasure to work with, too!

~ Evan Chronister, SCB Audio Productions

The band’s first gig was on Halloween 2011. They have played at many venues since, including a two-night weekend gig at Club 152 on world famous Beale Street in Memphis, multiple Oklahoma casinos, special events including The Grape Festival as the “warm-up” band for Country Platinum recording artist Collin Raye, and for The Reverend Horton Heat concert in Downtown Bentonville, AR in Oct 2015.

Their first CD, “Cruisin’ for a Bluesin,”came out August 2nd, 2013 with a Release Party (with 2 hours of live music from the band) at George’s Majestic Lounge on Dickson St in Fayetteville, Arkansas.  Their new CD “I’ll Do It Today, But Not Right Now” came out in January, 2016.

The Downtown Livewires are exactly that! LIVEWIRES! It’s like hiring a party in a box; They come with enthusiasm, talent, energy and always bring a happy crowd! The Downtown Livewires is a group of dedicated, knowledgeable, well- rehearsed and hardworking professional musicians who come to play their hearts out and raise the roof every time…

~ Andy Green, Director of Productions, Downtown Bentonville, Inc.

  • The leader of the band is Roger Thomas from Bentonville, Arkansas.  Roger was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee (South-Central, Oakhaven neighborhood) until he was 30 (with some time in Harrison, Arkansas, during high school), playing professionally there through his 20’s.  Roger is known for talking and picking out people in the audiences with whom to have on-stage conversations, sometimes jumping off the stage and playing, dancing and singing within the crowd. He also invites guests to sing songs on-stage, and maybe even play tambourine.
  • Bob “Super Harp” Coleman is out of New Haven, Connecticut, and is a world-class harmonica player who also sings some of the lead vocals. Bob has played with blues legends all over the country throughout his illustrious career.
  • Dan Doebele from Kansas City, Missouri is an absolute beast on lead electric guitar, is known by all other professional musicians to be one of the elite guitarists in the region, and plays slide with anything handy!
  • Kurt “Where’s Kurt?” Haas is on keyboards and vocals from Lone Star, Texas, and is known for his stellar new arrangements of old blues songs.
  • The rhythm section of Mark Vanderhoof on drums and Jan Sallings on bass is one of the most tenured blues rhythm sections in the country, and audience members often find themselves fixated on their musicianship and killer beats and fretboard runs.

The Downtown Livewires put on a show that is out of this world, absolutely engaging, full of fun and great party music, in which audiences keep calling them back for more!

I am never surprised when Roger Thomas and The Downtown Livewires Band brings the largest crowd of the summer to our City of Bentonville’s Orchard Concert Series. They bring their own crowd, and they have a great following. Over the last two years, they have proven to be professional, and one of the best sounds of any band we hire. We will continue to hire them for events in our city.

~ David Wright, Director of Parks and Recreation for the City of Bentonville

 

 

Need more recommendations? See Roger’s personal Facebook page where he not only has 4,200+ “Likes,” but segments them by town/city based on where the band plays for events. The Downtown Livewires have fans from all over—and a lot of them travel to every show within a few hours’ drive…so don’t sleep on this, thinking that you’ll always be able to get tickets! This will  be a sold out show!

Go ahead and “Like” and “Share” the band’s Facebook page, too; share the good times with your friends!

This is a great video of the band performing in the studio when they were recording their first single, “Just Say It Once”, released August 2nd, 2013:

 OAC Ticketing Link