About

The Ozark Arts Council is a cultural treasure created with and sustained by money, labor, materials, and support from the entire community in pursuing its Mission:

To enrich lives by promoting the arts in Harrison and North Arkansas through exhibitions, performances, and education.

The primary means for fulfilling this mission is through the OAC’s ownership and operation of the historic Lyric Theater and fostering a supportive and well-funded environment for all the Arts. We are driven in our endeavors by a commitment to our Vision:

Equal access to the arts builds a vibrant, healthy community.

The Ozark Arts Council is in the top 0.5% of all not-for-profits in terms of transparency and integrity, according to Guidestar.

Since its founding in 1996, this non-profit 501(c)(3) organization—Gold Star certified by charity ‘watchdog’ organization GuideStar—has touched the lives of many through plays, concerts, exhibitions, and educational outreach. The OAC is the proud owner and operator of the historic Lyric Theater, established in 1929.

The OAC supports seven member organizations: The Theatre Company of the Ozarks, Northark Drama, The Harrison Art League, The Twentieth Century Club, The Lyric Theater Concert Association, Woman’s Book Club, and Harrison High School International Thespian Society Troupe 2715. Educational Programs include The Children’s Choir of the Ozarks and workshops for children and adults by The Theatre Company of the Ozarks.

Support for the Ozark Arts Council is provided by foundations, local businesses, and individuals, including The Arkansas Arts Council and Harrison Convention and Visitors Bureau. The OAC is a member of the Historic Harrison Business Association, the Harrison Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Arkansas Nonprofit Alliance, and Arkansas Museums Association.

Mission

To enrich lives by promoting the arts in Harrison and North Arkansas through exhibitions, performances, and education.

Vision

Equal access to the arts builds a vibrant, healthy community.

Values

  • Foster Creativity
  • Encourage Awareness
  • Respect Differences
  • Build Collaborations
  • Challenge Perceptions
  • Exemplify Excellence and Integrity

Goals

  • To provide the community with up-to-date access to local arts information and the ability to participate fully in diverse arts experiences.
  • To maximize community resources flowing through the OAC—including money, volunteers and staff.
  • To support regional arts organizations and artists with resources to enhance and develop their mission and craft.
  • To provide knowledge about the economic and social impact of the arts and motivate policymakers, businesses and potential funders to become advocates and investors in the arts.
  • To provide schools, community centers, arts organizations, and individuals with access to educational materials about the arts.
  • To incorporate the arts as an important consideration in the planning and development of every major project undertaken in the community.
  • To restore and preserve the historic Lyric theater and promote other components of Arkansas’s cultural heritage in North Arkansas.

The Theatre Company of the Ozarks
The Theatre Company was formed in 1977, and since that beginning has become a driving force for quality live theater in the Harrison area. The Theatre Company brings from 4 to 8 productions per year to the Lyric, from elaborate, large-cast musicals to dramas and comedies, some with all adult cast members, some in connection with children’s acting workshops, and most with all ages involved.  Read more

Northark Drama
Until the OAC purchased the Lyric Theater, the North Arkansas College’s drama department performed their plays in the Little Theater on Northark’s South Campus, with a very small stage and virtually no space for a set. The department now holds classes and performs their Spring and Fall productions at the Lyric and contributes enormously to the vibrancy of the OAC’s overall program.

Harrison Art League
HAL is an organization that is open to artists of many different genres—painting, pastels, photographers, potters, sculptors—and anyone who just has a love for the Arts! At least one judged show is held annually, open to all artists. The show has categories from oils, acrylics, water media, mixed media, pastels, drawings, photographs and sculptures. There may be smaller, unjudged shows or exhibitions for members only, as well as the juried “Spring Invitational Painting Show.”

Students residing in the five touching counties (Boone, Carroll, Marion, Newton, and Searcy) seeking a degree in visual fine arts at Arkansas colleges or universities may apply for a $500 scholarship.

International Thespian Society Troupe 2715
Reorganized in 2018, ITS Troupe 2715 is based at Harrison High School. As thespians with a commitment to volunteerism and the advancement of theatre at every level, the troupe chose to join the OAC as a member organization in 2020 to help care for the historic Lyric Theatre and to be a part of the ongoing mission of the OAC to enrich the lives of all living in our area through support of all of the Arts. Whether it is an HHS, Theatre Company, or Northark Drama play, a HAL event, the 20th Century Club’s Spring awards presentation, or an LTCA concert, you are likely to see Troupe 2715 members onstage, backstage, working in the front of the house, and cleaning afterwards, and the OAC is thoroughly pleased to welcome them as a member organization!

Twentieth Century Club
Organized in 1901, the club joined the International General Federation of Women’s Clubs in 1902. The Federation supports six programs, including the arts. The local club sponsors at least one annual educational program in the arts and holds an annual art contest for local students with competition in visual arts, creative writing and poetry. 

Woman’s Book Club
Founded in 1900 to establish and maintain a public library, this club now sponsors fund-raising events to support the Boone County Library. The Woman’s Book Club and the Ozark Arts Council collaborate on specific projects to promote the arts and humanities in Harrison, AR.

Lyric Theater Concert Association
The Lyric Theater Concert Association was organized in 2017 as a ‘rebooting’ of the Buffalo River Concert Association, which had been inactive for most of a decade after having done a wonderful job of bringing world-class artists to Harrison.

Children’s Choir of the Ozarks
The goal of the Children’s Choir of the Ozarks is to provide an opportunity for children in our community to obtain formal choral training and performance experience while developing an appreciation for music.

The foundation of a healthy nonprofit organization is an informed, active, enthusiastic and effective Board. All members of the OAC Board of Directors have agreed to meet certain standards of conduct to fulfill their responsibilities to the organization for effective and ethical decision-making and governance. Board members agree to the Board Expectations document (which includes our conflict of interest policy) and serve three-year terms, except for the Organizational Representatives, who serve at the pleasure of their Member Organization.

Executive Committee
President – Eric Stefanski
Vice President – Shannon Bock
Treasurer – Chris Dees
Secretary – Cindy Linn

Organizational Representatives
Northark Drama – Michael Mahoney

Harrison Art League – Michael Kane
ITS Troupe 2715/HHS Theatre – Valeria Carbajal

Lyric Theater Concert Association – Eric Stefanski
Twentieth Century Club – Kathy Scarsdale and/or Susan Sangren
Woman’s Book Club – Vive Allen

At-Large Members
Shannon Bock
Trent Brewer
Jessica Butterfield
Andrew Coble

Christopher Dees
Tony Grimes
Cindy Linn
Becky Poor
Nathan Stech
Bekah Wilson
A. J. Womack

Staff
Executive Director – Julianna Hamblin

Bookings – Eric Stefanski

Webmaster – Eric Stefanski

The Ozark Arts Council is in the top 0.5% of all not-for-profits in terms of transparency and integrity, according to Guidestar.

Tax Returns
Tax Returns for the Ozark Arts Council may most easily be accessed through guidestar.org. Our Federal Employer ID number is 71-0782255.

 

Built in 1929 as the area’s first movie theater for ‘talkies’, the Lyric Theater is a unique venue for plays and concerts. Read the history of the Lyric and enjoy this delightful article by Adria English of First Security Bank’s “Only in Arkansas” magazine, check the map for location and directions, and read below for rental information and specifications important to performers, directors, sound engineers, etc.

The theater’s design has tremendous benefits for both dramatic and musical performance. First is simply the intimate design: the center section of the main floor has only seven full rows, and the topmost row of the balcony is only 18 rows back from the stage. In plays with an orchestra, the orchestra gives the advantage to the audience, playing at stage right (usually on the main level, sometimes at stage level), rather than having a pit that adds distance between the stage and seating.

Especially with the extra footage added to the stage in the first decade of this milennium (so much that our seating no longer starts with row A, but row B!), we are something ‘more’ than a traditional proscenium stage, yet not quite a thrust stage, so that we actually offer the benefits of both: the ability to hide props and actors outside of the ‘window’ created by the proscenium arch (aiding in the suspension of disbelief, which has become more of a challenge in audiences conditioned by film viewing), while approaching the fourth-wall-reducing intimacy of a thrust stage.

Seating Capacity
Main floor – 240
Balcony – 125
(15 seats are reserved for OAC use at all performances)

General Specifications
Width of proscenium arch – 31 ft.
Height of proscenium arch – 16 ft.
Overall permanent stage width – 34 ft.
Stage depth from front curtain to back wall – 14 ft.
Top stage size – 15.25 ft. deep by 34 ft. across
Lower stage size –
frontmost, between stairwells – 4 ft. deep by 21 ft. across
principal, behind stairwells – 12 ft. deep by 34 ft. across
with extensions – 12 ft. deep by 43 to 49 ft. across
Stage left wing width – 5.5 ft. by 14.5 ft.
Stage right wing width – 2 ft. by 12 ft.
Stage left side loft with window – 4 ft. by 7 ft.
Stage right side loft with window – 4 ft. by 7 ft.
Standard size stage door
Stage loading door – 88 in. wide by 94 in. high
Front curtain (green velour) travel – Front half 5 ft. by 5 ft.; Back half 7 ft. x 9.5 ft.
Scrim curtain (white poly) travel
Side curtains

Dressing Rooms
2 rooms and hall below stage with bathroom facilities (2)
1 room behind stage with bathroom facilities (2)

Storage and Set Construction Annex (25 ft. by 49 ft.)
The Bailey Annex contains secure storage areas, loft, and large area for set construction with large utility sink downstairs.

Wardrobe and Rehearsal Loft  (25 ft. by 35 ft.)
Contains additional dressing area.

Loading Dock
Loading door (5 ft. 9 in. by 7 ft. 10 in. )
Loading from street level with nearby parking

Lighting
General stage washes
No spot or black lights
Extra fee for specific requests

Sound
Allen & Heath GL 2400 console
Mackie S-408 main speakers
Mackie S-410 sub woofer speaker
Mackie C-300 stage monitors
DBX iEQ-31 EQ
TC electronic SL effects processor
Crown XS-900 power amp main and subs
Crown XSL 602 power amp monitor
16-channel quick release microphone snake
8 channels of compression

The stage is wired for four separate monitor mixes with a 1/3 octave equalizer for each mix.

Miscellaneous
Baby grand piano is available for an additional fee.

Want to see your name in lights?
If you are interested in performing in the Lyric, please email us at in**@oz**************.org or call 870.391.3504.

Rent the Lyric
The Lyric Theater is sometimes available for weddings, parties, and business functions, at the discretion of the OAC Board and the director and production manager of any play in rehearsals. The minimum cost for a federally-recognized not-for-profit organization for an event for which no admission is charged is $250 plus cleaning deposit/fees; the minimum charge in other cases for events in which admission is not charged is $500 plus cleaning deposit/fees. If admission is charged, 40% of the gate is payable to the OAC, with the aforementioned rental fees as a guaranteed minimum, unless otherwise agreed upon. Sound or light engineers are an additional charge. Please email us at  in**@oz**************.org or call 870.391.3504.