Category: Drama

Drama: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe #LiveAtTheLyric December 13-14, December 20-21 at 7:00pm and December 15 & 22, 2024 at 2:00pm

The Ozark Arts Council Presents:
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

Friday–Saturday, December 13-14, December 20-21, 7:00PM
Sunday December 15, December 22, 2:00PM

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe will be performed Live at the Lyric December 13-14, 2024 at 7:00PM, December 20-21, 2024 at 7:00PM, Sunday December 15 at 2:00PM, and Sunday December 22 at 2:00PM. Tickets are $15 for adults, $13 for seniors (55 and up) and students, and $11 for children (under 12), when purchased in advance; prices are $3 higher if purchased at the door.

This dramatization of C.S. Lewis’ classic work faithfully recreates the magic and mystery of Aslan, the great lion, his struggle with the White Witch, and the adventures of four children who inadvertently wander from an old wardrobe into the exciting, never-to-be-forgotten Narnia. The intense action features chases, duels and escapes as the witch is determined to keep Narnia in her possession and to end the reign of Aslan. All the memorable episodes from the story are represented in this exciting dramatization: the temptation of Edmund by the witch, the slaying of the evil wolf by Peter, the witnessing of Aslan’s resurrection by Susan and Lucy, the crowing of the four new rulers of Narnia, and more. The supporting characters are also here: the unicorn, the centaur and other forest animals, along with Father Christmas, Mr. and Mrs. Beaver and Tumnus the Faun. This story of love, faith, courage and giving, with its triumph of good over evil, is a true celebration of life. 

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe will be performed Live at the Lyric December 13-14, 2024 at 7:00PM, December 20-21, 2024 at 7:00PM, Sunday December 15 at 2:00PM, and Sunday December 22 at 2:00PM. Tickets are $15 for adults, $13 for seniors (55 and up) and students, and $11 for children (under 12), when purchased in advance; prices are $3 higher if purchased at the door.

OAC Ticketing Link

Musical: Little Shop of Horrors #LiveAtTheLyric September 27-28, October 4-5 at 7:00pm and September 29, October 6, 2024 at 2:00pm

The Ozark Arts Council Presents:
Little Shop of Horrors

Friday–Saturday, September 27-28, October 4-5, 7:00PM
Sunday, September 29, October 6, 2:00PM

Little Shop of Horrors will be performed Live at the Lyric September 27–28, 2024 at 7:00PM, October 4–5, 2024 at 7:00PM, Sunday September 29 at 2:00PM, and Sunday October 6 at 2:00PM. Tickets are $15 for adults, $13 for seniors (55 and up) and students, and $11 for children (under 12), when purchased in advance; prices are $3 higher if purchased at the door.

Meek flower shop assistant Seymour (Kinder Hinrichs) is abused by shop owner Mr. Mushnik (Matt Hamblin) and pines for co-worker Audrey (Amy Lynne Sorenson), even though she is dating psychotic dentist, Orin (Daniel Seay). During a total eclipse, he discovers an unusual plant he names Audrey II (Abigail Coble), which feeds only on human flesh and blood. This foul-mouthed, R&B-singing carnivore promises unending fame and fortune to the down and out Krelborn as long as he keeps feeding it BLOOD. With a be-boppin’ Greek Chorus of Crystal (Lexi Poor), Ronnette (Liani Cash), and Chiffon (Julie Millard), you are sure to love traveling down Skid Row at the Lyric Theater!

“…A deviously delicious Broadway and Hollywood sci-fi smash musical, Little Shop Of Horrors has devoured the hearts of theatre goers for over 30 years. Howard Ashman and Alan Menken (Disney’s The Little Mermaid, Beauty And The Beast, and Aladdin) are the creative geniuses behind what has become one of the most popular shows in the world.”

– Music Theatre international

“Da-doo.” 

– Crystal, Chiffon, Ronnette

Little Shop of Horrors will be performed Live at the Lyric September 27-28, 2024 at 7:00PM, October 4-5, 2024 at 7:00PM, Sunday September 29 at 2:00PM, and Sunday October 6 at 2:00PM. Tickets are $15 for adults, $13 for seniors (55 and up) and students, and $11 for children (under 12), when purchased in advance; prices are $3 higher if purchased at the door.

OAC Ticketing Link

Comedy/Drama: Steel Magnolias #LiveAtTheLyric July 26-27, August 2-3 at 7:00pm and July 28, August 4, 2024 at 2:00pm

The Ozark Arts Council Presents:
Steel Magnolias
Friday–Saturday, July 26–27, August 2–3, 7:00PM
Sunday, July 28, August 4, 2:00PM

Steel Magnolias will be performed Live at the Lyric (with 2 different casts!) July 26–27, 2024 at 7:00PM, August 2–3, 2024 at 7:00PM, Sunday July 28 at 2:00PM, and Sunday August 4 at 2:00PM. Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for seniors (55 and up) and students, and $8 for children (under 12), when purchased in advance; prices are $3 higher if purchased at the door.

The action is set in Truvy’s beauty salon in Chinquapin, Louisiana, where all the ladies who are “anybody” come to have their hair done. Helped by her eager new assistant, Annelle (who is not sure whether or not she is still married) (Laken Rudelis & Jerry Carter), the outspoken, wise-cracking Truvy (Jane Harrison) dispenses shampoos and free advice to the town’s rich curmudgeon, Ouiser, (“I’m not crazy, I’ve just been in a bad mood for forty years”) (Lisa Johnson & Toinette Madison); an eccentric millionaire, Miss Clairee (Kelly Goodwin & Ann Lemley), who has a raging sweet tooth; and the local social leader, M’Lynn (Julianna Hamblin & Lisa Bailey), whose daughter, Shelby (the prettiest girl in town) (Katie Davis & Ella Rush), is about to marry a “good ole boy.” Filled with hilarious repartee and not a few acerbic but humorously revealing verbal collisions, when the play moves towards tragedy, the ladies must rely on the underlying strength—and love—which give the play, and its characters, the special quality to make them truly touching, funny and marvelously amiable company in good times and bad.

Concerned with a group of gossipy southern ladies in a small-town beauty parlor, the play is alternately hilarious and touching—and, in the end, deeply revealing of the strength and purposefulness which underlies the antic banter of its characters.

Chinqapin Parish Cast July 26–28

  • Truvy: Jane Harrison
  • Annelle: Jerry Carter
  • Ouiser: Lisa Johnson
  • Clairee: Ann Lemley
  • M’Lynn: Lisa Bailey
  • Shelby: Ella Rush

Natchitoches Cast August 2–4

  • Truvy: Jane Harrison
  • Annelle: Laken Rudelis
  • Ouiser: Toinette Madison
  • Clairee: Kelly Goodwin
  • M’Lynn: Julianna Hamblin
  • Shelby: Katie Davis

“…suffused with humor and tinged with tragedy.” 

– New York Post

“Harling has given his women sharp, funny dialogue…The play builds to a conclusion that is deeply moving.” 

– New York Daily News

Steel Magnolias will be performed Live at the Lyric (with 2 different casts!) July 26-27, 2024 at 7:00PM, August 2-3, 2024 at 7:00PM, Sunday July 28 at 2:00PM, and Sunday August 4 at 2:00PM. Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for seniors (55 and up) and students, and $8 for children (under 12), when purchased in advance; prices are $3 higher if purchased at the door.

OAC Ticketing Link

Musical at HHS PAC: The Addams Family, A New Musical #LiveAtThePAC April 12-13 at 7:00pm, April 19-20 at 7:00pm; April 14, 21 at 2:00pm

Harrison High School Theatre Dept. Presents:
The Addams Family, A New Musical
Friday, Saturday April 12-13, April 19-20, at 7:00PM
Sunday April 14, 21 at 2:00PM

The Addams Family, A New Musical will be performed at the Harrison High School Performing Arts Center April 12 & 13, 19 & 20 at 7:00 pm and April 14 and 21 at 2:00 pm. Tickets are on sale at HHSPAC.org.

Hundreds of years ago, a family’s ancestors came from the old country and settled on a plot of land in what has now become New York’s Central Park. The family flourished for many generations, enjoying their seclusion in a huge house built where a great Spanish oak protected the ancestral graves from such annoyances as tourists and…sunlight.

As the play begins, the last dead leaf of autumn falls from the Family Tree, and all is right in the morbid, macabre world of the Addams Family—Gomez (Bannon Jones), Morticia (Rilee Young), Fester (Isaiah Wallis), Grandma (Reagan Hersh), Wednesday (Liani Cash), Pugsley (Ally Hyatt), Lurch (Chase Moak), Cousin It (Mick McCormick) and, of course, Thing. They’ve gathered—where else?—in the family graveyard, to celebrate life and death in a yearly ritual to connect with their past and ensure their future. They are at peace, not just with each other and their inimitable, unchanging Addams-ness, but with their dead ancestors, too—who emerge from their graves on this night each year to join in the celebration (Makayla Alsobrook, Ricky Bates, Emma Bock, Laith Boswell, Milo Briggs, Maci Bright, Julie Davis, Leigh Dayanan, Ella Domini, Mattea Emerson, Bella Gibson, Delaney Hodges, Ellison Jones, Kamyron Lefebvre, Zachary Linn, Wynn Mahoney, Mick Morrell, Beck Nelson, Nicholas Padilla, Jerome Sweatman). At the end of the ritual this year, though, Fester blocks the ancestors’ return to their graves! Those unchanging Addams family values are about to be tested when we find out that Wednesday, “that bundle of malice,” is in love…with a “normal” person, Lucas Beineke (Garret Cox)…and he, his mistrusting father Mal (Mark Green), and his cloying mother (Valeria Carbajal) are on their way to dinner. But how ‘normal’ are these regular Ohioans? The night will take a crazy turn when the Beinekes sit down to dinner with the Addams! Will everyone live happily ever after or go home slightly depressed?

Join us at the Harrison High School Performing Arts Center to see this creepy, kooky, mysterious, and spooky family and their ancestors deal with the trials of modern young love! 

The Addams Family, A New Musical will be performed at the HHS PAC April 12, 13, 19, 20 at 7:00pm and April 14 and 21 at 2:00pm. Tickets are on sale at HHSPAC.org.

OAC Ticketing Link

Comedy/Drama: All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten! #LiveAtTheLyric March 1-2, 2024 at 7:00pm and March 3, 2024 at 2:00pm

The Ozark Arts Council Presents:
All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten
Friday–Saturday, March 1–2, 7:00PM
Sunday, March 3, 2:00PM

All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten will be performed Live at the Lyric March 1–2, 2024 at 7:00PM, and Sunday March 3 at 2:00PM. Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for seniors (55 and up) and students, and $8 for children (under 12), when purchased in advance; prices are $3 higher if purchased at the door.

PLEASE NOTE: Adult themes and language.

Based on Robert Fulghum’s best-selling books, Kindergarten takes a funny, insightful, heartwarming look at what is profound in everyday life. It’s an evening of theatrical storytelling in revue format, with monologues, dialogues, and multiple-voice narration, enhanced through the use of live piano underscoring, which provides fluidity and charm to the experience. While not a musical per se, the play also includes some well-placed songs to enhance the emotional texture of the storytelling.

Heartwarming, charming, funny and touching. The stories are about all of us.

– National Public Radio

The delightful stories feature colorful characters such as: a shy little boy who insists on playing the “pig” in his class production of Cinderella and steals the show; a man whose dream of flying carries him high over Los Angeles…in a lawn chair buoyed by surplus weather balloons; a “mother of the bride” who’s staged a perfect wedding—until the bowling ball of fate rolls down the aisle; and a modern-day Greek philosopher who finds the meaning of life in a piece of broken mirror from World War II.

These stories celebrate our very existence, from the whimsy of childhood to the wisdom of old age, giving performances of Kindergarten the sort of lasting relevance that is fitting for those who know Fulguhm’s book.

A refreshingly intimate combination of theatre and storytelling. Gentle…funny…joyous. Sparks of recognition ignited the audience.

– The Chicago Sun-Times

Our cast includes a wide range of ages and experience levels all brought together by new-to-us-but-highly-experienced director Leslie Austin (who taught Theatre and worked with several troupes in the DFW area for several decades). Actors include Lisa Johnson, Shelly Watson, Beth Lambeth, Rachel Hayes, Kelly Copeland, Susan Spradlin, Andrew Coble, Fred Lutz, Amy Sorenson, Alexis Poor, Ann Lemley, and Daniel Seay.

All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten will be performed Live at the Lyric March 1–2, 2024 at 7:00PM, and Sunday March 3 at 2:00PM. Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for seniors (55 and up) and students, and $8 for children (under 12), when purchased in advance; prices are $3 higher if purchased at the door by standing in the cold wind and rain of early March in the Ozarks…

OAC Ticketing Link

Dramedy: Lone Star and Laundry & Bourbon, at the Lyric Theater May 2–4, 2024 at 7:00pm and May 5, 2024 at 2:00pm

Northark Drama and
The Ozark Arts Council Present:
Lone Star
and
Laundry & Bourbon
Thursday–Saturday, May 2–4, 7:00PM
Sunday, May 5, 2:00PM

Lone Star and Laundry and Bourbon, two one-act plays by James McClure that are meant to be performed together, will be performed Live at the Lyric May 2–4, 2024 at 7:00PM, and Sunday May 5 at 2:00PM. Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for seniors (55 and up) and students, and $8 for children (under 12), when purchased in advance; prices are $3 higher if purchased at the door.

PLEASE NOTE: Adult themes and language.

Lonestar, Laundry, and Bourbon will be performed at the 1929 Historic Lyric Theater May 2, 3, 4 at 7:00pm and May 5 at 2:00pm. Tickets are on sale at TheLyric.org.
These two one-act plays will be back to back, and are about the same small town in Texas.


In the first part, the setting is the front porch of Roy and Elizabeth’s (Emma Bock) home in Maynard, TX on a hot summer afternoon. Elizabeth and her friend Hattie (Kylan Mayes) are whiling away their time folding laundry, watching TV, gossiping, and of course, sipping bourbon. The hot day gets a bit more heated when they are joined by the self-righteous Amy Lee (Brinkley Brewer), the new wife of Cletis, the local hardware owner’s son, who can’t resist blurting out that Elizabeth’s husband has been seen around town with other women. While the ensuing conversation in increasingly edged with bitterness, it is obvious that Elizabeth will stand by her man.

In the second part, Roy (Hayden Allen), Elizabeth’s husband, a brawny, macho type, is back in town after serving in Vietnam, and is trying to re-establish his place back in the community. He is joined by his younger brother, Ray (Donovan Walters), who worships him, but has a dangerous secret.. With the arrival of Cletis (Isaiah Wallis), the underpinnings of Roy’s world begins to collapse when Ray’s secret comes out: he has slept with Roy’s wife during his absence and also demolished his beloved Thunderbird. While the three men try to regain the status quo, we are left with the feeling that, with Elizabeth’s love, things may just work out.


Please note: subject matter and language caution. While infused with humor, Lone Star presents a man’s raw emotions about his shattered life using the coarse and crude language one might not want their children exposed to, so parental discretion is advised.

Lone Star and Laundry and Bourbon, will be performed Live at the Lyric, May 2–4, 2024 at 7:00PM, and Sunday May 5 at 2:00PM. Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for seniors (55 and up) and students, and $8 for children (under 12), when purchased in advance; prices are $3 higher if purchased at the door…maybe even more for the Sunday afternoon performance, depending on how blisteringly the May sun comes through the box office window, scorching the eyeballs of our poor volunteer. No, seriously: do yourself a favor and save that three (or more) bucks.

(Many thanks to Dan Zadorozny, the artist who runs Iconian Fonts, for graciously allowing us the free use of his Texas Ranger font for our graphics!)

OAC Ticketing Link

Drama: Radium Girls! #LiveAtTheLyric January 25-27, 2024 at 7:00pm and January 28, 2024 at 2:00pm

Radium Girls will be performed Live at the Lyric January 25-27 at 7:00pm, and Sunday January 28 at 2:00pm. Tickets are $8-12 and raise $3 at the door. Tickets at TheLyric.org.

In 1926, radium was a miracle cure, Madame Curie (Mattea Emerson) an international celebrity, and luminous watches the latest rage—until the girls who painted them began to fall ill with a mysterious disease. Inspired by a true story, Radium Girls traces the efforts of Grace Fryer (Emma Bock), a dial painter, as she and the other “Radium Girls – Irene (Liani Cash) and Kathryn (Ella Domino) fight for their day in court. Their chief adversary is former employer, Arthur Roeder (Isaiah Wallis), an idealistic man who cannot bring himself to believe that the same element that shrinks tumors could have anything to do with the terrifying rash of illnesses among his employees. As the case goes on, however, Grace finds herself battling not just with the U.S. Radium Corporation and their lackeys (Markley, played by Wyatt Villines; and Lee, played by Mark Green), but with her own family and friends (Tom, her fiancé, played by Laith Boswell, and Anna, her mother, played by Destiney Walker), who fear that her campaign for justice will backfire. Called a “powerful” and “engrossing” drama by critics, Radium Girls offers a wry, unflinching look at the peculiarly American obsessions with health, wealth, and the commercialization of science. For more information of this incredible story of strength, we recommend visiting Juris Magazine to be linked to a fascinating and informative article.

Other cast members include the allies, scientists, reporters, and witnesses that were part of the trial, played by: North Phifer, Angie Briggs, Natalie Sims, Nicole Olcott, Cordelia Kaeser, Fred Lutz, Emily Akins- Sexton, Hayleigh Rodery, Julie Davis, Caylee Arthur, Arrowyn Arthur, Joseph Cotton, Trinity White, Kathern Scott-White, Simone Ruff.

Radium Girls will be performed Live at the Lyric January 25-27 at 7:00pm, and Sunday January 28 at 2:00pm. Tickets are $8-12 and raise $3 at the door. Tickets at TheLyric.org.

OAC Ticketing Link

Comedy: The Silver Whistle, at the Lyric Theater December 1-2, 2023 at 7:00pm and December 3, 2023 at 2:00pm

In this fairy tale, a silver whistle possessing magic powers is lost by a princess, and great adventures are had in the search for it. The whistle may be used to summon the slave of the whistle, who obeys commands, grants wishes and occasionally issues warnings or reproof. Magic, trickery, theft and the intervention of a bird bring about changes in the whistle’s ownership. Its uses result in exciting and sometimes awkward situations. Finally, the policeman asks the audience for assistance in his search for the whistle. Their ready help may be accepted and used or skillfully rejected by the actors. The whistle is ultimately returned to the princess, who, along with the policeman, decides how best to deal with it.

OAC Ticketing Link

Drama: Stephen King’s Misery! #LiveAtTheLyric October 5–7, 2023 at 7:00pm and October 8, 2023 at 2:00pm

The Theatre Co. of the Ozarks and the Ozark Arts Council present Stephen King’s Misery (adapted for the stage by William Goldman, this is the same version done by Bruce Willis on Broadway and the basis for the 1990 film with James Caan and Kathy Bates), October 5–7, 2023 at 7:00pm and October 8, 2023 at 2:00pm at the Historic 1929 Lyric Theater on the Harrison, Arkansas square.

Misery follows successful romance novelist Paul Sheldon (Rick Turner Lucas), who is rescued from a car crash by his “number one fan,” Annie Wilkes (Toinette Madison), and wakes up captive in her secluded home. While Paul is convalescing, Annie reads his latest book and becomes enraged when she discovers the author has killed off her favorite character, Misery Chastain. Annie forces Paul to write a new Misery novel, and he quickly realizes Annie has no intention of letting him go anywhere, despite Officer Buster’s (Louie Keener) presence. The irate Annie has Paul writing as if his life depends on it—because it does!

OAC Ticketing Link