Dracula, October 24–26 at 7pm, 27 at 2pm & 31 at 7pm! #LiveAtTheLyric!

The Theatre Company of the Ozarks and the Ozark Arts Council Present:
Dracula

Thursday–Saturday, October 24–26, 7:00PM Sunday, October 27, 2:00PM
Thursday, October 31, 7:00PM

The Theatre Company of the Ozarks and The Ozark Arts Council, under license from Playscripts, Inc., will present Dracula, as adapted from Bram Stoker’s novel by William McNulty in the 1920s,  #LiveAtTheLyric the last weekend of October (Thursday–Sunday, October 24–27) and on Halloween! Tickets are available through TheLyric.org with Advance Tickets priced at $8 children, $10 seniors, $12 adults. Ticket prices at the door will be $11 children, $13 seniors, $15 adults.

(Parents: you know your children and if you don’t know the story, please check your usual parental advisory sources to see whether the content of this play will be appropriate for your child.)

Trouble is brewing from the very first moment of William McNulty’s adaptation of Dracula. Dr. Abram Van Helsing has arrived at the estate of his old friend, Dr. Seward, who is desperate for help. Seward’s beloved Mina has recently died of a sudden and mysterious illness. Her horrific symptoms have proved baffling to the bereaved doctor: sudden loss of blood, bouts of sleepwalking in the cemetery, and strange puncture wounds on the neck. To make matters worse, Mina’s friend, Lucy, has begun to display the same symptoms! Seward hopes that Van Helsing, a noted expert in exotic medicine, will be able to uncover the cause of Lucy’s illness and save her before it’s too late.

Meanwhile, Count Dracula, a strange and imposing man from Transylvania, has taken up residence in nearby Carfax Abbey. And Lucy’s fiancé, Jonathan Harker, has mysteriously vanished. A solicitor who helped arrange the sale of the Abbey, Harker traveled to Transylvania a few months ago to finalize business matters with the Count…and never returned home.

At Seward’s estate, Renfield, a mental patient, is becoming more wild and unruly by the day, almost as though he were possessed. Lucy’s symptoms continue to grow worse. And what could be causing the sudden onslaught of howls coming by night from up the hill?

Van Helsing believes the problem they face is a grave one: “My diagnosis is there is no disease! The symptoms are real. But the cause is not internal.” Could it be that Mina, and now Lucy, have suffered at the hands of a vampire? To save Lucy’s life, Van Helsing and Dr. Seward will have to uncover the identity of the life-sucking demon, and destroy him. But the endeavor is a dangerous one.

A vampire is a fearsome enemy, and the risks are greater than death. Should the doctors perish in their pursuit, they too will become vampires, doomed to spend eternity preying upon the bodies and souls of those they once dearly loved. Will Seward and Van Helsing find the vampire and save Lucy’s life—or is the monster about to claim yet another victim?

Join us at The Lyric for this heartwarming tale of the transformative power of love on October 24–27 & 31. Tickets for Dracula are available now here at TheLyric.org by clicking any “Get Tickets” link, by stopping by the OAC office at 115 W. Rush Ave. between 9 & 1 Tuesday through Friday, or by calling (870) 391-3504 (please leave a detailed message if you get our voicemail).

OAC Ticketing Link

Steel Magnolias, August 16, 17, 18! Raising Money for #JDRF — #LiveAtTheLyric!

The Theatre Company of the Ozarks and the Ozark Arts Council Present:
Steel Magnolias

Friday & Saturday, August 16 & 17, 7:00PM
Saturday, August 18, 2:00PM

Have a little slice of Southern life and visit the elegant ladies of Chinquapin, Louisiana, a lovely bouquet of Steel Magnolias! Discount tickets are on sale now for Steel Magnolias LIVE at The Lyric Theater in Harrison, Arkansas, on August 16, 17, & 18. Friday and Saturday performances will be at 7:00 pm, and the Sunday performance will be at 2:00 pm. Tickets are available through TheLyric.org with Advance Tickets priced at $8 children, $10 seniors, $12 adults. Ticket prices at the door will be $11 children, $13 seniors, $15 adults.

Tickets to the Friday performance will support the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation!

In Truvy’s (Trish Lockridge), beauty salon in Chinquapin, Louisiana, where all the ladies who are anybody come to have their hair done, the shop is abuzz with gossip and coffee and hairspray. Helped by her eager new assistant, Annelle (Katie Blessing), who may or may not be married, the wise-cracking Truvy dispenses shampoo and free advice to the town’s rich curmudgeon, Ouiser (Mary Bishop), whose 40-year-old bad mood has only sharpened her wit; an eccentric millionaire, Miss Clairee (Gwen Gresham), who has a sweet tooth for football teams; and the local social leader, M’Lynn (Lisa Johnson) and her vivacious daughter, Shelby (Callie Johnson), who is about to marry a “good ol’ boy.” Filled with hilarious repartee and not a few acerbic but humorously revealing verbal collisions between the five ladies, the play moves toward tragedy when the spunky Shelby (who has Type I Diabetes) risks pregnancy. Though we see how it much it affects them, we are also shown the strength and love of these women who are delicate as flowers, and tough as steel.

Steel Magnolias will be performed #LiveAtTheLyric August 16 and 17 at 7:00pm, and August 18 at 2:00pm. Proceeds from the August 16 show will go to the JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation). Tickets on sale NOW at TheLyric.org, by calling 870-391-3504, or visiting the office T–F 9:00am–1:00pm. 

OAC Ticketing Link

Beauty & the Beast, Jr., July 20, 25, 27! #LiveAtTheLyric!

The Theatre Company of the Ozarks and the Ozark Arts Council Present:
Beauty & The Beast, Jr.

Saturdays, July 20 & 27, 2:00PM & 7:00PM
Thursday, July 25, 10:00AM

What you’ve been waiting for all summer is almost here: the enchanting and exciting story of Beauty and the Beast! The Theatre Company of the Ozarks and The Ozark Arts Council, under license from Music Theatre International, will present Beauty and the Beast, Jr. LIVE at The Lyric Theater in Harrison, Arkansas, on July 20, 25, and 27. Saturday performances will be at 2:00pm and 7:00pm, and the Thursday performance will be at 10:00am. Tickets are available through TheLyric.org with Advance Tickets priced at $8 children, $10 seniors, $12 adults. Ticket prices at the door will be $11 children, $13 seniors, $15 adults.

Shade Roberts and Liani Cash

Don’t let the “Jr.” in the title lead you to expect a watered-down production missing your favorite songs: when Disney commissions an adaptation for young performers, it’s name is still on the line! Based on the original Broadway production that ran for over thirteen years and was nominated for nine Tony Awards, and the Academy Award-winning motion picture, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Jr. is a fantastic adaptation of the story of transformation and tolerance.  Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, Jr. features some of the most popular songs ever written by Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman, along with new songs by Mr. Menken and Tim Rice.

As with many of our children’s plays, rehearsals were preceded by a two-week-long workshop, which focused on vocals, acting, and choreography, as well as the proper etiquette for being in a play and attending a play, all of which culminated in a short performance for the family and friends of the children—many of whom are gracing the Lyric stage for the first time ever. Only then was attention turned fully to this play, where those new or refined acting, singing, and dancing skills could be put into practice for the sellout performances this July will bring.

Beauty and the Beast tells the story of an arrogant young prince and his castle’s servants who fall under the spell of a wicked enchantress when he turns her away from his door. The enchantress turns the prince into the hideous “Beast” until he can learn to love and to be loved in return. The spirited, headstrong village girl Belle enters Beast’s castle after he imprisons her father, Maurice. With the help of his enchanted servants, including the matronly Mrs. Potts, Belle begins to draw the cold-hearted Beast out of his isolation. But when the similarly cold-hearted Gaston and his henchman Lefou decide to destroy the Beast, will Belle be able to save the Beast from eternal doom?

We hope you will join us both for the entertainment and lesson imparted by this classic story and for the building of our community that attendance at Arts events—especially at young people’s theatre—always brings. The OAC and its Member Organizations are committed to having children of all ages learn about the Arts and develop a love for them that reaches beyond their early years, so that they grow up to be well-rounded, empathetic adults. These “Jr.” plays, and the directors who bless us by giving up a portion of their summers, are a huge first step in that direction.

Says Director Debbie Waters:

“I have been blessed with the best cast of young people between the ages of 6-18 who are a joy to work with.  We have a cast of 30 who are working hard and excited to ask everyone to ‘Be Our Guest’ at the Historic Lyric Theater during our 90th Birthday Celebration season.”

Our Cast and Crew include:

Caleb Lord and Liani Cash

Belle: Liani Cash
Beast: Shade Roberts
Gaston: Caleb Lord
LeFou: Jacob Cothran
Maurice: Logan Cole
Mrs. Potts: Alayna Davis
Chip: Ivan Hanschu
Lumiere: Nicholas Prpich
Babette: Chyler Caraway
Cogsworth: Bannon Jones
Madame de la Grande Bouche: Lexi Sprenger
Silly Girls: Brinkley Brewer, Avery Skinner, Emily Still
Enchantress: AnneJanette Cole

Ensemble: Kaden Allen, Zoë Arthur, Laura Bracken, Callie Caraway, Ethan Causey, Landon Clements, Joshua Cothran, Ella Domino, Dierdra Goldman, Jadah Gregory, Kalel Lewis, Tarron Lewis, Mia Ostberg, Emma Claire Pruitt, Natalie Sims, Jerome Sweatman, Jenna Wilson

Director: Debbie Waters
Assistant Directors: Courtney Lantis, Yaffah Lewis, Michele Reynolds

Back: Caleb Lord & Emily Still
Front: Avery Skinner & Brinkley Brewer

Join us at The Lyric for this heartwarming tale of the transformative power of love on July 20, 25, and 27. Tickets for Beauty and the Beast, Jr. are available now through TheLyric.org by clicking any “Get Tickets” link, by stopping by the OAC office at 115 W. Rush
Ave. between 8 & 2 Tuesday through Friday, or by calling (870) 391-3504 (please leave a detailed message if you get our voicemail).

OAC Ticketing Link

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum — Fridays & Saturdays, May 3 & 4, 10 & 11 @ 7:00, Sundays, May 5 & 12 @ 2:00 — #LiveAtTheLyric!

Northark Drama and the
Ozark Arts Council Present:
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

Fridays & Saturdays, May 3 & 4, 10 & 11, 7:00PM
Sundays, May 5 & 12, 2:00PM

If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a hundred times: do not fan the girls when they’re wet! But you’ll never learn; you’ll be a eunuch all your life!
 – Marcus Lycus

This May, come to the Lyric for something familiar…something peculiar…something for everyone…yes, it’s “a comedy tonight”! In fact it’s the comedy of comedies that transcends time and space, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum! Produced by NorthArk Drama and The Theatre Company of the Ozarks, in association with the Ozark Arts Council and under license from Music Theatre International, Forum brings a full 21 centuries of laughs from Rome to the Lyric stage on May 3, 4, 10, 11 at 7:00PM and May 5, 12 at 2:00PM. Tickets are available through TheLyric.org with Advance Tickets priced at $8 children, $10 seniors, $12 adults. Ticket prices at the door will be $11 children, $13 seniors, $15 adults.

Set in Rome during the first century A.D., when the Roman Empire was in its youth, the film opens with one of musical theatre’s most famous songs, “Comedy Tonight,” performed by Pseudolus (Preston Garrison). The action, Pseudolus tells the audience, takes place in Rome around three adjacent houses: the house of Erronius (Clark Middleton), an old man who has been searching for his children who were stolen by pirates while they were infants; the house of Marcus Lycus (Jamie Taylor), a buyer and seller of beautiful women, and the house of Senex (Jim Gresham), a Roman senator, his wife, Domina (Ann Lemley), their son, Hero (Laine Hilliard), and the family slaves, Pseudolus and Hysterium (Michael Amburn).

When Senex and Domina leave for the day, Hero declares his love for one of the ladies who live at his next door neighbor’s house, Philia (Katie Blessing), and that’s when Pseudolus begins to hatch a scheme to buy his own freedom.

When the two visit Lycus’s house, once they get past the eunuchs (Donovan Walters and Nicholas Prpich) they meet Tintinabula (Cady Wheeler), a bell-wearing beauty; Vibrata (Kennedy Bottoms), an energetic, lively lovely with a leopard skin bikini; the Geminae (Faith Nix and Dante Lowe), a “matched pair”; Panacea (Nikki Forehand), a seductive dancer; and Gymnasia (Spree Hilliard), with a body upon which “a thousand dramas can be played.” They and the other lovely courtesans (Lena Rocole, Jenna Wilson, Rilee Young, Kaley Jones) are tempting, but Hero and Pseudolus are alarmed to find out that Philia has been sold to the great Captain Miles Gloriosus (Caleb Lord), and will be claimed that very day.

The confusion, comedy, and chases that ensue when Captain Miles and his illustrious soldiers (Kinder Hinrichs, Laken Rudelis, Andrew Coble, Daniel Hart, Wynn Mahoney) come to claim her will have audiences
doubled over with laughter, attempting to keep up with what wackiness will occur next.

So join us again at the Lyric Theater for a fun evening, where “weighty affairs will just have to wait,” and where we promise to have “morals tomorrow, comedy tonight!”

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum will be performed May 3, 4, 10, 11 at 7:00 pm, and May 5, 12 at 2:00 pm. Tickets are on sale now at TheLyric.org or by calling 870-391-3504 or visiting the Ozark Arts Council office M-W-F 8:00-2:00. Advance Tickets are $8 children, $10 seniors, $12 adults. Ticket prices at the door will be $11 children, $13 seniors, $15 adults.

OAC Ticketing Link

Charlotte’s Web — Saturdays & Sundays, May 5 & 6, 12 & 13 @ 2:00 — #LiveAtTheLyric!

 

“Northark Drama and the Ozark Arts Council Present:
Charlotte’s Web

Thursdays & Fridays, May 3 & 4, 10 & 11 (Sold Out) 
Saturdays & Sundays, May 5 & 6, 12 & 13, 2:00PM  (Going Fast!)

It is not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a good writer. Charlotte was both.
 – E.B. White, Charlotte’s Web

NorthArk Drama and The Ozark Arts Council, under license from Dramatic Publishing, will present Charlotte’s Web LIVE at The Lyric Theater in Harrison, Arkansas, on May 5, 6, 12, 13 at 2:00 pm. Tickets are available through TheLyric.org with Advance Tickets priced at $8 children, $10 seniors, $12 adults. Ticket prices at the door will be $11 children, $13 seniors, $15 adults.

The Ozark Arts Council is hosting a barn-raising that will make any farmer proud, as E. B. White’s beloved ‘Wilbur’ moves into the Lyric! The favorite little piggie of children everywhere has taken up residence as he prepares to entertain us in the NorthArk Drama/OAC production of the beloved classic, Charlotte’s Web! With an amazing cast of both veterans and newcomers, audiences of all ages will delight in this heartwarming story of a spider’s becoming the advocate of the little guy that she declares is “Some Pig.” Performances are May 5, 6, 12, 13 at 2pm and tickets are on sale now and going fast!

After her father, John Arable (Jacob Kolb) spares the life of a piglet from slaughter, his daughter, Fern (Gigi Crenshaw), nurtures the piglet lovingly, naming him Wilbur (Preston Garrison), even though her mother, Martha (Kayla Smith), thinks she already spends too much time with the animals, and her brother, Avery (Wyatt Mahoney) is too busy with his frogs to take much notice. When he’s older, Wilbur is sold to Fern’s aunt and uncle, Edith and Homer Zuckeman (Abigail Kops, Landon Helsel), and cared for by their farmhand, Lurvy (Matthew Brown), in whose barnyard he is left yearning for companionship but is snubbed by the other animals (Emily Akins, Laine Hilliard, Shelby Stracner, Elizabeth Smith), until he is befriended by a spider named Charlotte (Callie Johnson), living on a web overlooking Wilbur’s enclosure. Upon Wilbur’s discovery that he is once again intended for slaughter, she promises to hatch a plan guaranteed to spare his life, with a little help from the local barn rat, Templeton (Daniel Seay). As fans already know, and as those new to this beloved tale shall soon find out: “No one had ever had such a friend. So affectionate, so loyal, and so skillful,” as Charlotte.

With a cast of colorful characters ranging from adults to small children, and narrated by a skilled trio (Brinkley Brewer, Lexi Sprenger, Ella Domino), don’t miss this heartwarming (and sometimes heartbreaking) tale that proves friendship can come in the most unlikely of packages and that words have the power to save anyone, even the sweetest of little pigs.

I would like to say “Thank You” to all the cast and community members that have worked on this production. It is a joy working with a cast of all ages. Children from six years of age, middle school, and young college students are making this production thrive. What a wonderful story to be able to share with all of our community. See you at the Lyric!
— Michael Mahoney
Also included in this stunning cast are: Kinley Bray, Maci Bright, Regan Bright, Zoey DeChambre, Lenora Domino, Liam Dupre, Joey Jones, Caden Lambert, Zachary Linn, Shyanne Lusk, Wynn Mahoney, Annaleigh Mitchell, Dylan Newby, Emmalynn Parker, Raelynn Pendergrass, Emma Pruitt, Jessica Wheeler.

Charlotte’s Web was one of my all-time favorite books and movies as a child, so when Michael asked me to help out with the show, I could hardly say no. The show is a challenging one for sure! Asking actors to portray animals and humans all at the same time…well, that gets tricky; but we have an extraordinary cast who is both dedicated and fearless in this adventure and I couldn’t be prouder of them. I am thrilled we were able to get some area schools to attend and I look forward to future projects where we can also involve our local school children. That is what it is all about, right? We are bringing the Arts to our community and we are having so much fun doing it. As always, I am grateful for the opportunity to work with Michael Mahoney and North Arkansas College, as well as the Ozark Arts Council. Charlotte’s Web is fun entertainment for the whole family that also provides some amazing life lessons and heartfelt human emotions to which we can all relate.  I hope to see everyone in our community come out and support the children and adults who have worked so hard to bring this show to life!
— Bekah Wilson
Area schools were invited to four special matinee performances and will be filling the theater with their laughter. We weren’t able to fit all of the students from all of the schools into the theater, though, (and those who get to see it with their classmates will want to come back and share it with Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, and their siblings!), so make sure not to miss your chance to once again delight in this story of friendship: get your tickets while seats still remain!
Charlotte’s Web LIVE at the Lyric Theater May 5, 6, 12, 13 at 2:00 PM. Join us at The Lyric for this heartwarming tale of friendship. Tickets for Charlotte’s Web are available by clicking any “Get Tickets” link on this site or by calling (870) 391-3504. Advance Tickets are $8 children, $10 seniors, $12 adults. Ticket prices at the door will be $11 children, $13 seniors, $15 adults.

OAC Ticketing Link

Play On! — Fridays & Saturdays, September 7, 8 & 14, 15 @ 7:00 & Sundays, September 9 & 16 @ 2:00 — #LiveAtTheLyric!

 

Logic Says to Call It Off, but It’s…
Play On!

Fridays & Saturdays, September 7, 8 & 14, 15 at 7:00PM
Sundays, September 9 & 16 at 2:00PM

“Oh, I so enjoy my ‘work’…!”

I’ve never had so much fun with a play in my life…!
 –  Samuel French Review

The Theatre Company of the Ozarks and the Ozark Arts Council are pleased to present, under license from Samuel French, the Rick Abbott comedy, Play On! Performances will be the second and third weekends in September. Tickets available by clicking any “Get Tickets” link on this site or by calling (870) 391-3504. Advance Tickets are $12 Adults, $10 Seniors/Students, $8 Children; tickets purchased at the door are $15 Adults, $13 Seniors/Students, and $11 for children. For tickets to the Friday, September 14 performance, which is a benefit for House of Hope‘s Hope Cottages project, please visit House of Hope (600 E. Stephenson in Harrison) or Hudson’s Supermarket (609 N. Main St. in Harrison), at a special cost of a flat $10 regardless of age.

Play On! is the hilarious story of a theatre group trying desperately to put on a play in spite of maddening interference from a haughty author who keeps revising the script. Act I is a rehearsal of the dreadful show, Act II is the near disastrous dress rehearsal, and the final act is the actual performance, in which anything that can go wrong, does. When the author decides to give

Comedy is VERY serious business!

 a speech on the state of the modern theatre during the curtain calls, the audience is treated to a madcap climax to a thoroughly hilarious romp. Even the sound effects reap their share of laughter.

Cast members and director interviewed on 726 TV show.

 

Cast of Characters: (parentheses is who the character plays in the play-within-a-play)

  • X — AGGIE MANVILLE – a stage manager and prompter.
  • X — GERALDINE “GERRY” DUNBAR – a community theatre director.
  • X — HENRY BENISH (“Lord Dudley”) – a Character Actor.
  • X — POLLY BENISH (“Lady Margaret”) – a Character Actress.
  • X — MARLA “SMITTY” SMITH (“Doris the maid”) – a supporting player.
  • X — SAUL WATSON (“Doctor Rex Forbes”) – a Villain.
  • X — BILLY CAREWE (“Stephen Sellers”) -a Juvenile.
  • X — VIOLET IMBRY (“Diana Lassiter”) – an Ingenue.
  • X — LOUISE PEARY – a sound-and-lighting-and-scenic technician.
  • X — PHYLLIS MONTAGUE – a novice playwright in the community.

About the Playwright

Rick Abbot is one of several pen names for prolific playwright Jack Sharkey (1931-1992). Mr. Sharkey was born on May 6, 1931 in Chicago, Illinois. He began writing when he was 10 years old. He graduated from college with a BA in the Creative Writing Field of the English major. After that, he taught school for two years from 1953 to 1955. In mid-1955, Mr. Sharkey enlisted in the Army. He served at Sandia Base, New Mexico as a Special Services worker. He wrote, produced, and directed one show per month for the Enlisted Men’s Club. In 1958, Mr. Sharkey went to New York to begin a full-time freelance writing career. He wrote Science Fiction stories and novels, humor articles, and mystery novels. In 1961, he returned to Chicago where he worked as joke editor for Playboy Magazine and then was Editor of the Allstate Insurance Company Magazine for 11 years from 1964-75. Mr. Sharkey wrote his first stage comedy in 1965. At the end of 1975, he went exclusively into playwriting, which he continued until a few months before his death. He has 83 published plays written under his own name and four others – Rick AbbotMonk FerrisMark Chandler, and Mike Johnson. Mike Johnson wrote only stage thrillers. All the other plays are comedies and/or musicals. The plays are performed all around the world. Mr. Sharkey passed away on September 28, 1992 after a bout with cancer.

Performances of Play On! will be Fridays & Saturdays, September 7, 8 & 14, 15 at 7:00PM and Sundays, September 9 & 16 at 7:00PM. Tickets available by clicking any “Get Tickets” link on this site or by calling (870) 391-3504. Advance Tickets are $12 Adults, $10 Seniors/Students, $8 Children; tickets purchased at the door are $15 Adults, $13 Seniors/Students, and $11 for children. For tickets to the Friday, September 14 performance, which is a benefit for House of Hope‘s Hope Cottages project, please visit House of Hope (600 E. Stephenson in Harrison) or Hudson’s Supermarket (609 N. Main St. in Harrison), at a special cost of a flat $10 regardless of age.

OAC Ticketing Link