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.
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.
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!
The Theatre Co. of the Ozarks will have auditions for Misery, by William Goldman, based on the novel by Stephen King on Sunday August 27 at 4pm and Monday August 28, 2023 at 6:30pm at the Lyric Theater. For more questions, please click to email us or call 870-391-3504.
The Requirements
Doors will open at 3:30pm on Sunday and 6:00pm on Monday. Only those auditioning may be present.
Auditions will consist of sides from the script, chosen by the director.
Ages 18 and up.
The Story
Misery is by William Goldman, based on the novel by Stephen King. Cast is 2 men, 1 woman.
Show dates: October 5-7, 2023 at 7:00pm and October 8, 2023 at 2:00pm at the 1929 Historic Lyric Theater.
Misery follows successful romance novelist Paul Sheldon, who is rescued from a car crash by his “number one fan,” Annie Wilkes, 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. The irate Annie has Paul writing as if his life depends on it, and it does.
NorthArk Drama and the Ozark Arts Council Present:
April 28-29; May 5-6, 2023 at 7pm, April 30 & May 7, 2023 at 2pm! ! #LiveAtTheLyric!
The Ozark Arts Council and NorthArk Drama present Five Women Wearing the Same Dress, at the Historic 1929 Lyric Theater but with TWO separate casts! The Alpha Cast will perform April 28-29 at 7:00PM and April 30 at 2:00PM. The Omega Cast will perform May 5-6 at 7:00PM and May 7 at 2:00PM. Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and students, and $8 for children, when bought in advance; prices rise $3 if purchased at the door—$11 for children, $13 for seniors and students, and $15 for adults.
During an ostentatious wedding reception at a Knoxville, Tennessee, estate, five reluctant, identically clad bridesmaids hide out in an upstairs bedroom, each with her own reason to avoid the proceedings below. They are Frances, a painfully sweet but sheltered fundamentalist; Mindy, the cheerful, wise-cracking lesbian sister of the groom; Georgeanne, whose heartbreak over her own failed marriage triggers outrageous behavior; Meredith, the bride’s younger sister whose precocious rebelliousness masks a dark secret; and Trisha, a jaded beauty whose die-hard cynicism about men is called into question when she meets Tripp, a charming bad-boy usher to whom there is more than meets the eye. As the afternoon wears on, these five very different women joyously discover a common bond in this wickedly funny, irreverent and touching celebration of the women’s spirit.
WARNING: This play contains strong language, adult content, and adult subject matter.
Join us at The Lyric for Five Women Wearing the Same Dress #LiveAtTheLyric. Tickets on sale at TheLyric.org. The Alpha Cast will perform April 28-29 at 7:00PM and April 30 at 2:00PM. The Omega Cast will perform May 5-6 at 7:00PM and May 7 at 2:00PM. Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for seniors and students, and $8 for children, when bought in advance; prices rise $3 if purchased at the door—$11 for children, $13 for seniors and students, and $15 for adults. Become an OAC Member at Join.TheLyric.org!
Thanksgiving is over and Christmas is speeding merrily closer! What better way to get in the holiday mood than by going to a performance of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever?
In this hilarious Christmas classic, a mother (Faith Nix) struggles to put on a church Christmas pageant with her husband’s (Joseph Claus) help, but is faced with casting the Herdman kids—probably the most inventively awful kids in history (Cookie Simpson, Jude Bilbee, Donovan Walters, Rilee Young, Lily Brockelman, Addie Jones), as well as wrangling her own unenthusiastic children Beth (Lilly Mangrum) and Charlie (Zachary Jimerson) into assisting.
When you add an unwilling menagerie of kids of all ages into the mix (Ricky Bates, Brinkley Brewer, Maci Bright, Mysteri Cotton, Liam Dupre, Victoria Hudson, Caden Lambert, Ethan Rouse), as well as some nosy busybodies who can’t wait to see it all crash and burn (Mandy Prpich, Jennafer Wilson, Iria Delgado, Camron Edwards, Laken Steiner, Elijah Ford), you’re in for one wild sleigh ride! You won’t believe the mayhem—and the fun—when the Herdmans collide with the Christmas story head on!
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever will be performed at the HHS PAC on December 2, 3, 4 at 7:00pm, December 5 at 2:00pm. Tickets available at HHSPAC.org and TheLyric.org (please note: all performances of this play will be at the HHS PAC; the ticket selection page will indicate accessible seating options).
Donations are also being accepted for Children’s Charity Ministry at each performance. If you would like to donate, please bring your donations to the play and put them in front of the tree at the entrance to the PAC.
The following are the items we need donated; please stick to this list, as it is what CCM is equipped to use:
Single-serve mac and cheese
Single-serve cereal
Single-serve oatmeal
Fruit/applesauce/jello/pudding cups
Granola bars
Beanie weenies
Vienna sausage
Ramen noodles
Snack cracker packs
Pull-tab Chef Boyardee pasta
Pull-tab soups
Hey, Herdmans…it’s a BOOK, too!
As with any adaptation of a book to a live performance—and our season is full of them this year!—we suggest a (re-) reading of the book both before and after the performance. We suggest this because it both prolongs the entertainment and makes the experience more enriching. By reading the book before and after, you are able to engage your own imagination of the characters and scenery, etc., or even of the nuances of the plot, then gain insight into the playwright’s imagination of the same, and then deepen and broaden your own imagination through the post-performance reading. You may agree or disagree with any playwright’s choices in an adaptation…and, maybe, if you disagree enough, another playwright will have been created!
To read Barbara Robinson’s The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (and the other two volumes of her series with the Herdman kids!), visit the Boone County Public Library or a library near you…or buy it online for under $6! A version to read on tablets (or with the Kindle app for Chromebooks and MacOS, Windows, and Linux computers) is available for FREE in the same place! If you follow our links to buy the book, you’ll notice that where ‘www’ normally is, it says ‘smile’, which means you can designate the OAC/Lyric to receive a portion of what you pay for the book (it won’t increase your price or take money away from creators or producers of a product, but comes out of Amazon’s profit).
Come hear the incredible tale of Mowgli (Landon Clements), a young boy raised by wolves. With the help of his friends—the bear Baloo (Dante Lowe), the panther Bagheera (Wyatt Mahoney) and the python Kaa (Brinkley Brewer)—Mowgli learns the ways of the jungle. Some of the jungle boy’s adventures are gripping, like the time he encounters the hooded cobra (Michael Amburn) who guards the treasure vault in the Deserted City. Others, like the coconut-tossing monkeys (Landon Kirkpatrick, Maegen Sterling, Lexi Knight, Macy Middleton, Zachary Linn, Emma Pruitt, Chasity Price, Lexi Poor) who take him prisoner, are hysterical. But the jungle is also dangerous, for it is the home of Shere Khan (Andrew Coble), the man-eating tiger who has vowed to destroy Mowgli. With his fawning jackal follower (Jude Bilbee), Shere Khan plots to take control of the jungle. Mowgli must use all his strength and courage, and the help of his friends to stop Shere Khan before it is too late.
With a stellar cast including Danielle Devito, Maci Bright, Wynn Mahoney, Caleb Lord, Michele Reynolds, William Dorsey, Valeria Carbajal, Elise Halsted, Lily Brockelman, Jacob Cothran, Laura Bracken, Jennafer Wilson, Skyler Grebe, Emily Perkins, Jerome Sweatman), this adaptation will enchant you and have you cheering when Mowgli declares, “I am Mowgli, Keeper of the Law and Guardian of the Jungle!”
Please Note: Along with Disney, we acknowledge that this play includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures. These stereotypes were wrong then and they are wrong now. Rather than remove this content, we want to acknowledge its harmful impact, learn from it and spark conversation to create a more inclusive future together. The producers of this play believe that, perhaps in spite of Kipling’s or the playwright’s own understanding of the these issues, the search and struggle for belonging presented in Mowgli’s story is the very key to understanding the struggles that are even more magnified among us today.
As with any adaptation of a book to a live performance—and our season is full of them this year!—we suggest a (re-) reading of the book both before and after the performance. We suggest this because it both prolongs the entertainment and makes the experience more enriching. By reading the book before and after, you are able to engage your own imagination of the characters and scenery, etc., or even of the nuances of the plot, then gain insight into the playwright’s imagination of the same, and then deepen and broaden your own imagination through the post-performance reading. You may agree or disagree with any playwright’s choices in an adaptation…and, maybe, if you disagree enough, another playwright will have been created!
To read Kipling’s collection of short stories, visit the Boone County Public Library or a library near you…or buy it online. A version to read on tablets is available for under two dollars and is available in the same place. If you follow our links to buy the book, you’ll notice that where ‘www’ normally is, it says ‘smile’, which means you can designate the OAC/Lyric to receive a portion of what you pay for the book (it won’t increase your price or take money away from creators or producers of a product, but comes out of Amazon’s profit).
Join us at The Lyric for a literary classic brought to life! Tickets for The Jungle Book, November 17–21 #LiveAtTheLyric, are available now here at TheLyric.org by clicking any “Get Tickets” link, or calling the OAC office at (870) 391-3504 (please leave a detailed message if you get our voicemail).
In the rural countryside of England live Mr. Bennet (Michael Amburn) and Mrs. Bennet (Elizabeth Lambert)—who is fixed on her 5 daughters getting married off quickly (and preferably to rich men!). Fortunately, a man of great wealth, Mr. Bingley (Jude Bilbee), has just moved to the neighborhood, and has set his sight on their eldest daughter, Jane (Bri Coleman). Unfortunately, he has brought along his arrogant friend, Mr. Darcy (Caleb Lord), who insults not only the Bennetts, whom he sees as far beneath him, but their second eldest, Elizabeth (Brinkley Brewer), initiating Elizabeth’s hatred for the prideful man. If Mr. Darcy’s attitude weren’t enough, Elizabeth meets many more people who add fuel to the flames in her heart toward him—such as Mr. Wickham (Joe Claus), who has known Mr. Darcy since infancy and is more than happy to enlighten Elizabeth with tales of his past.
As with any adaptation of a book to a live performance—and our season is full of them this year!—we suggest a (re-)reading of the book both before and after the performance. We suggest this because it both prolongs the entertainment and makes the experience more enriching. By reading the book before and after, you are able to engage your own imagination of the characters and scenery, etc., or even of the nuances of the plot, then gain insight into the playwright’s imagination of the same, and then deepen and broaden your own imagination through the post-performance reading. You may agree or disagree with any playwright’s choices in an adaptation…and, maybe, if you disagree enough, another playwright will have been created!
To read Jane Austen’s novel, visit the Boone County Public Library or a library near you…or buy it online. If print size can cause you difficulty, a large print, unabridged hardback is linked in the image to the right, below, and a version to read on tablets is available for under a dollar and is linked in the image on the left! If you follow our links to buy the book, you’ll notice that where ‘www’ normally is, it says ‘smile’, which means you can designate the OAC/Lyric to receive a portion of what you pay for the book (it won’t increase your price or take money away from creators or producers of a product, but comes out of Amazon’s profit).
This play is a world premiere, adapted by the director, Michele Reynolds, from Jane Austen’s classic novel to bring out more of the nuances of the book—both the comedic elements and the reasons behind some of the animosity between characters—and includes a large and talented ensemble, including Andrew Jackson, Addie Jones, Ella Domino, Faith Nix, Chasity Price, Rilee Young, Preston Garrison, Candace Lambert, Tracy Elledge, Cassandra Elledge, Emily Perkins, Alexis Poor, Caden Lambert, AJ Womack, Julie Sooter, Lily Aronson, Owen Elledge, Vive Allen, Jimmy Elledge, Laura Bracken, Lenora Domino, Emily Still.
Join us at The Lyric for a literary classic brought to life! Tickets for Pride and Prejudice, September 2–5 #LiveAtTheLyric, are available now here at TheLyric.org by clicking any “Get Tickets” link, or calling the OAC office at (870) 391-3504 (please leave a detailed message if you get our voicemail).
The Ozark Arts Council proudly presents the first-ever entirely student-driven production by HHS Theatre at the Lyric:
🌲 Tuck Everlasting ❤️
Thursday–Saturday, Sept. 30–Oct. 2, 6:00PM Saturday, October 3, 1:00PM
HHS•Theatre@TheLyric and The Ozark Arts Council will bring a beloved book to the Lyric stage with a most intriguing cast and crew: Mrs. Hamblin is turning her veteran youth loose on the community to treat us to all of the energy—and all of the angst—that Tuck Everlasting deserves, with Harrison High School’s first student-led (from director to actors to tech!) production. Performed #LiveAtTheLyric September 30–October 2 (with two performances on Saturday),tickets are available through The Lyric’s ticketing page with Advance Tickets priced at $8 children, $10 seniors, $12 adults. Ticket prices at the door will be $11 children, $13 seniors, $15 adults. Face coverings for disease transmission are no longer required by the state, but no one will object if you still wish to wear one.
10-year-old Winnie Foster, trapped by the rules imposed by her strait-laced family, runs away and discovers the humble Tucks who had accidentally stumbled upon a spring long ago that gave them eternal life. Winnie promises to keep their dangerous secret but then a sinister stranger in a yellow suit arrives at their door with intentions to steal the immortal water for himself. Ultimately Winnie must choose whether or not to drink the immortal water and join them in an everlasting adventure—or live on in a natural way, living a life full of the ordinary beauty of growth and change.
Directed by Khloe Shorb, the Tuck Everlasting cast includes:
Winnie Foster: Faith Nix Angus Tuck: Zach Jimerson Mae Tuck: Mysteri Cotton Jesse Tuck: Tori Hudson Miles Tuck: Joe Claus Stranger: Jude Bilbee Constable: Charlie Knieff Granny Foster: Sara Sims Voices: Kaci Flower, Donovan Walters, Mandy Prpich, Rilee Young, Jenna Wilson, Addie Jones