Todd Oliver & Friends

 

Todd Oliver & Friends

Todd Oliver and Irving—the World's First Talking Dog!
Todd Oliver and Irving—the World’s First Talking Dog!

Have you ever met a talking dog, a real talking dog, not a puppet? Get ready, folks, because this September 17 you’re going to meet the funniest character on 4 legs: Irving (with a little help from his friend Todd Oliver) is going to talk up a storm!

If you’ve ever wondered how a dog looks at life, this little home-raised companion is going to give it to you straight from the dog’s mouth. He won’t mince words—and if he does it’s Todd’s fault anyway!

Todd Oliver grew up loving dogs and ventriloquism. As a young boy he studied piano, guitar, voice, and ventriloquism. Along the way he created some wooden-headed characters and performed around the world.

Todd Oliver & Friends, September 17, 2016 @ 7pm
Todd Oliver & Friends, September 17, 2016 @ 7pm

Todd Oliver and Friends have been a feature on Late Show With David Letterman, The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson, The Today Show, a couple episodes of Walker, Texas Ranger…and in 2012 they were a semi-finalist on America’s Got Talent. For a little taste of what Todd’s shows are like, check out his videos on YouTube.

A major draw for entertainment venues everywhere, Todd is now touring, bringing his brand of family fun to towns across America, and he’ll be here at the historic Lyric Theater on Saturday evening, September 17! So sit back and get ready, because you’re going to have a doggone, rockin’ good time with Todd Oliver And Irving!

Tickets on sale now through our ticketing web site or by calling the OAC office at (870) 391-3504!

Todd Oliver & Friends, September 17, 2016 @ 7pm
Todd Oliver & Friends, September 17, 2016 @ 7pm

OAC Ticketing Link

 

An Evening with Albert Cummings

 

The blues is best served up live, with an enthusiastic audience and a killin’ band, and that’s exactly what guitarist Albert Cummings does[…]. Cummings effortlessly shifts from chimney subdued stylings to raucous roadhouse raunch to soaring yet stinging lead lines, driving his audience to frenzy in all the right places.” – Guitar Edge Magazine

Blues-rock guitar in all its glory is headed to historic Lyric Theater, as Harrison, Arkansas enjoys “An Evening with Albert Cummings” on Friday, September 23 at 7:00 PM, for which tickets are now available.

Albert Cummings writes, plays and sings the blues like nobody else. He has played with blues legends B.B. King, Johnny Winter, and Buddy Guy.  Taken with Albert’s fire and passion bassist Tommy Shannon and drummer Chris Layton, of the band Double Trouble, the late Stevie Ray Vaughan’s rhythm section, volunteered to play on and produce his solo debut recording, 2003’s self-released From the Heart.

Albert Cummings
Albert Cummings, Live at the Lyric, 9/23/16 @ 7pm

From these blues greats to Merle Haggard to Led Zeppelin, Albert’s influences coalesce in lyrics that display a country/working man’s sensibility and the guitar virtuosity that rock fans love—a style that covers the best of hard-driving blues, slides comfortably over to intricate ballads, and comes charging right back again “with unbridled ferocity and deep soulfulness…his depth and expression are matched only by his terrifying technique and tone.”

The Massachusetts native learned the requisite three chords on the guitar from his father, but then switched to playing banjo at age 12 and became a fan of bluegrass music. In his late teens he encountered the early recordings of Stevie Ray Vaughan and was floored by the virtuosity. While in college in 1987 he saw Vaughan perform and he returned to the guitar with a new outlook and resolve.

The whiz-kid carpenter began his ascent to masterful blues rock guitarist at age 27, with his first public performance on guitar. Soon he was on the Northeast blues circuit with his band, Swamp Yankee. In 1998 he walked into a Northeast Blues Society open jam, which led to Cummings’ winning the right to compete in the Blues Foundation’s 1999 International Blues Challenge. The following year Albert released his debut recording, The Long Way. Bluesprint magazine said it was “a barrage of guitar pyrotechnics that calls to mind a grand mix of the styles of past masters like Albert King, Freddie King, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimmie Hendrix.”

Albert Cummings
Albert Cummings, Live at the Lyric, September 23, 2016, 7pm

That in turn opened up an opportunity for him to work with Double Trouble, the late Stevie Ray Vaughan’s rhythm section. So taken with Albert’s fire and passion were bassist Tommy Shannon and drummer Chris Layton that they volunteered to play on and produce his solo debut recording, 2003’s self-released From the Heart. Recorded in Austin, Texas, it featured Cummings fronting Double Trouble (including Reese Winans) in their first recording project since Stevie Ray’s passing. No less a giant of the blues than B.B. King dubbed Cummings “a great guitarist.”

Cummings’ soulful and explosive approach to blues and rock caught the attention of Blind Pig Records, which signed him to a multi-album deal. On his label debut, True to Yourself, released in 2004, Cummings was again joined by bassist Tommy Shannon. Recorded by producer extraordinaire Jim Gaines (Santana, Stevie Ray, Buddy Guy), the album rocks hard from start to finish. The all-original release showcased Albert’s rapidly developing songwriting chops and deeply emotional vocals as well as stunning guitar pyrotechnics, leading Guitar One to exclaim, “He attacks his axe with unbridled ferocity and deep soulfulness… his depth and expression are matched only by his terrifying technique and tone.”

 “a barrage of guitar pyrotechnics that calls to mind a grand mix of the styles of past masters like Albert King, Freddie King, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimmie Hendrix. – Bluesprint Magazine

Soon tours and shows with blues legends B.B. King, Johnny Winter, Buddy Guy and others brought Albert’s music to a much larger audience.

His second release, Working Man (2006), also produced by Jim Gaines, betrays a growing focus and maturity both in Albert’s stinging, incisive guitar work as well as in his fluently idiomatic songwriting. From the punchy, stomping cover of Merle Haggard’s blue collar standard “Working Man Blues” to the deeply emotive ballad “Last Dance” that closes the disc, Albert’s songs are always concise and direct, driven by his uniquely muscular yet polished guitar wizardry. Billboard said, “This recording is the calling card of a blues star who has arrived. Cummings’ guitar work is sizzling. This is one of the top blues albums of 2006.”

In 2008 Albert recorded his first live album, Feel So Good, in Pittsfield, Massachusetts at the historic Colonial Theatre, a 95-year-old “little jewel box” – that’s what James Taylor calls it – that’s hosted everyone from Will Rogers to Al Jolson. The audience was so enthralled and supportive they became part of the performance in a way that’s rarely heard. As AllMusic put it, “It sounds like it was one hell of a party that night.”

Albert Cummings
Albert Cummings, Live at the Lyric, 9/23/16 @ 7pm

Albert and his band responded with a blistering set of great originals and killer covers of Zeppelin, Little Feat and Muddy Waters tunes. With producer Jim Gaines again at the controls and Albert’s incredible display of guitar virtuosity and deep emotion, this is one live performance that is bound to become a blues rock classic.

Guitar Edge magazine said, “The blues is best served up live, with an enthusiastic audience and a killin’ band, and that’s exactly what guitarist Albert Cummings does on his new Feel So Good. Cummings effortlessly shifts from chimney subdued stylings to raucous roadhouse raunch to soaring yet stinging lead lines, driving his audience to frenzy in all the right places.”

Music Connection called it “one of the best live albums recorded in a long time” and Blurt added, “Cummings’ first live album provides the perfect showcase for the fiery guitarist’s axe-handling skills and enormous onstage charisma.”

In 2011 Albert released an instructional DVD for the Hal Leonard Corporation entitled Working Man Blues Guitar. Cummings’ next CD, No Regrets, was self-released in 2012. It was a return to his true musical roots for the six-string virtuoso, poignantly capturing the core of his influences, displaying the impact that R&B, Rock, Soul, Country and the Blues have had on both his playing and writing. It debuted at #1 on iTunes music charts in the USA, Canada and France.

“An Evening with Albert Cummings” is scheduled at the historic Lyric Theater on the Harrison, Arkansas square for Friday, September 23 at 7:00 PM. Tickets are now available.

 

tickets

Farce of Nature

facepalmWhere’s the best fishin’ in the Ozarks? Right here in
Boone County—at the Reel ’Em Inn, a little fishing lodge right on the Harrison square! It has all the amenities: fishin’, huntin’, a maid packin’ heat, rampagin’ animals…and some gangsters from Chicago thrown in just for kicks!

The Ozark Arts Council and The Theatre Co. of the Ozarks invite you to the great outdoors of the historic Lyric Theater—where the summer is always cooler!—for Farce of Nature, a side-splitting comedy, THIS Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, August 4–6 at 7:00 PM and this Sunday, August 7 at 2:00 PM. Tickets are available for purchase through our ticketing web site or by calling (870) 391-3504.

Meet D. Gene Wilburn (Nate Jordon), the owner and proprietor of The Reel ‘Em Inn, the finest little fishing lodge in the Ozarks. Well, it used to be, but lately business is down, tourists are few, and the lone guest who’s just checked in – an extremely jittery Carmine DeLuca (Cameron Carlton) from Chicago – is only there due to a location shift in the Witness Protection Program. Doesn’t anybody just want to fish anymore?!?

fallingCertainly not D. Gene’s frustrated wife, Wanelle (Shellie Renner), who’s fed up with their lackluster romantic life! She’s taken drastic steps to improve it through hypnotic suggestion and for the life of him, D. Gene cannot understand why his pants keep falling down. D. Gene’s feisty sister, Maxie (Dana O’Quin), has her own problems, chief among them battling ageism to resume her career in law enforcement. She’ s determined to prove her worth by keeping Carmine DeLuca alive through the weekend—a task that’s going to prove to be much harder than she bargained for since she keeps losing both her gun and her bullets. And she never anticipated that the gangster Camine’s been dodging for the last five years, Sonny Barbosa (Michael Amburn), is about to walk through the door, in hot pursuit of his sexy wife, Lola (Julianna Stefanski). Seems the headstong Lola has driven hundreds of miles to the lodge to follow her boytoy, Ty (Preston Garrison), D. Gene and Wanelle’s son. But Lola meets her match in Ty’s seemingly innocent girlfriend, Jenna (Sara Davidson), whose patience has reached the breaking point after months of waiting for Ty to come home. And when Roxanne Thorne (Roz Slavik) comes running into their lives, they must all make a decision that could change their lives forever.

In the deliciously funny romp that ensues, they all hide, lie, disguise themselves, cross-dress, and slam doors chasing one another while trying to figure out the source of an increasingly awful stench. But by then it’s too late and the lodge is surrounded by vicious critters and hungry varmints that have followed the odor down from the hills and are looking for some fresh meat…

This hilarious and fast-paced comedy is guaranteed to win y’all over, hook, line, and sinker! So we invite you to kick back, relax, do a little “Woo Pig Sooie”-ing, and, finally, grab ’hold of your belt and shut up and fish!

All photos courtesy Beth Crenshaw Photography.

 tickets

Jack Broadbent: Hip Flask Blues – March 17, 2017, 7:00

 

Jack Broadbent in Concert
March 17, 2017 – 7:00PM

Jack Broadbent is an incredible singer/songwriter who started his career with busking (performing in the street, sitting on a small amp with the public throwing coins into his open guitar case) and has been leaving audiences Processed with VSCOcam with p9 presetspellbound from the very first. His live shows and unique style of slide guitar (take a look at that ‘slide’ up close!) are a demonstration of what real music is: not the tools, but the musician—what the heart and hands of the artist can do with whatever media life has set before him. The key to his performance on stage is that he never forgets the need to draw a crowd on the street and he treats his ticketed-in-advance audiences today as deserving that same “I have to prove myself worthy to them” attitude that drew the crowds on the street and the millions of YouTube viewers.

The Blues has not seen such Good News in quite some time
~ Bootsy Collins

Processed with VSCOcam with b6 preset

Raised in rural England and with a musician father, Jack was brought up on a diet of music that would later be evident as his main influences, including acts such as John Lee Hooker, Peter Green, Jimi Hendrix, Robert Johnson and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.

With feet planted firmly in an authentic blues style, Jack Broadbent in now making waves globally as one of the most exciting modern bluesmen of our time. Jack’s slide performances are attracting millions of views online and a rapidly expanding fan base.

Experiencing Jack Broadbent live is an opportunity not to be missed!

Tickets for Jack Broadbent’s March 17 performance at the historic Lyric Theater in Harrison, Arkansas are on sale now through the Ozark Arts Council’s ticketing web site or by calling (870) 391-3504.

Many thanks to our concert sponsors, including:

NM.Logo.CMYK.brwn.new.tag

 

 

 OAC Ticketing Link

Hamlet

 

 

The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
November 17–23, 2015

[Source: November 17, 2015 OAC eNews]

The main floor of the historic Lyric Theater has a few seats left in the center section for opening night, plus many great seats 9right, left, and balcony…and looking at the names on the tickets, we can tell you that there are a bunch of folks whose place in the audience almost serves as ‘extra cast’, because they add to the atmosphere of the production. (There’s no good way to explain this…but come tonight and you will see!)

These wonderful photos from Tavi Photography of NWA (and our own OAC files) just scratch the surface in conveying how dynamic this cast is in its presentation of Shakespeare’s timeless tragedy.hamletpromo_med-files_13wm

Directors Michael Mahoney and Rebekah Wilson manage to extract every ounce of energy from their cast in every performance. Their rehearsals for Hamlet have been so intense and entertaining that they should have been selling tickets to the rehearsals, as well!

hamletpromo_med-files_44wm hamletpromo_med-files_40wm hamletpromo_med-files_02wmThis is no stiff and boring “class assignment” that you will be viewing. Hamlet is a tale of lies and of love—both romance and 6platonic devotion—of injustice and of action…with just enough merriment sprinkled in to break up the tension…only so that even more tension may be created by the next scene!

If this is your first time seeing Hamlet, come to opening night tonight so that you’re able to fit in another viewing, as you will want to come back during 7this
brief run!

For you who have known and loved this play for years, you will not be disappointed by this production! Michael and Bekah, along with their hamletpromo_med-files_22wmassistant director, Mary Crosley, and their whole crew have done an amazing job of giving their cast a fitting atmosphere for excellence, and the cast has risen to their every challenge and demand! The growth from the first day until now is nearly unfathomable, as the growth just in the past month is itself massively impressive.

hamletpromo_med-files_08wm3

 

 

 

 

The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, a joint 15production of Northark Drama and The Theatre Company of the Ozarks, opens tonight at 7:00 at the historic Lyric Theater on the Harrison, Arkansas square and will also be performed this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings (November 18–21) at 7:00 p.m., Sunday, November 22, at 2:00 p.m., and Monday, November 23, at 10:00 a.m.

hamlet-alas