LITTLE ROCK — When the curtain rises tonight on the stage of the Donald W. Reynolds Performance Hall at the University of Central Arkansas, the Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre's Festival will officially be under way.
"We're ready to go," Matt Chiorini, producing artistic director, said. "There will be an end-zone dash, but with the magic of theater, we will present three outstanding shows. We want people to come and be entertained; they will be in for a treat."
The first of three shows scheduled in the festival, A Midsummer's Night Dream by William Shakespeare, will be performed at 7:30 p.m. today by a cast of professional actors as well as community actors and students. Four more performances of the Bard's most magical play will follow over the next few days, culminating on Sunday, June 24. Other plays scheduled for the festival are Man of LaMancha by Dale Wasserman, Mitch Leigh and Joe Darion and based on Cervantes' Don Quixote, and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare ... Abridged by Adam Long, Daniel Singer and Jess Winfield.
Many involved with the festival call it a "win-win" situation forall involved - the actors and crew of the festival, the city of Conway, UCA and the state of Arkansas. Chiorini said this is the only festival of its kind in Arkansas and is sure to bring folks to town from across the state and region.
Jim Harris, a professional actor who hails from Morrilton, said he is grateful for the opportunity to be able to continue his professional career in his home state. A graduate of Morrilton High School and a son of Gary and Edie Harris of Morrilton, Harris graduated from UCA in 1993 and has been acting professionally ever since. He has returned to Morrilton to teach theater appreciation and public speaking at the University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton in the fall. Since graduation, Harris has been active in theater in Louisville, Ky., Chicago and Cincinnati as well as summer stock in a variety of places. He met his wife, Carla, in summer stock and they both went to Purdue University to obtain master of fine arts degrees in acting.
"In the life of an actor, you have to make some money in some form or another," Harris explained. "I was not finding much there and I sort of lost my soul. I moved back home with the hope of finding a teaching job and I did. And now I am able to act here with other union actors and it's wonderful. It's such a pleasure to work with others who share the same love of acting as you do.
"It's a wonderful experience to see the quality of work they bring to the stage," Harris continued. "And it's great for the students to be able to see these actors do what they do so well."
"Matt has exceeded all expectations," Harris said of Chiorini. "I hope to be able to stay with him no matter what develops from this summer festival."
Harris plays several roles in A Midsummer's Night's Dream as well as in Man of LaMancha.
Tucker Steinmetz of Hot Springs also plays several partsin Man of LaMancha. Steinmetz, who is a graduate of Hendrix College, had a career in journalism, writing for several years for the Arkansas Gazette, before leaving that profession in 1975. He attended graduate school at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock where he earned a degree in social work. In 1989, Steinmetz established Birch Tree Communities in Benton for people with major mental illness. He retired from that career about two years ago but now works as a part-time consultant.
Steinmetz started acting about 11 years ago in Benton. His calls Weekend Theatre in Little Rock his "home base" for acting. "Then this opportunity came along and I went for it," he said. "It's been absolutely exciting. It's a wonderful experience. Matt has a gift of being able to pick a very compatible group of people for his cast. There is not one diva in the bunch. Everybody is here for the benefit of the show. We all want what is best for the show."
A.J. Spiridigliozzi of Conway said he is having a "blast" with the festival. He plays several parts in Man of LaMancha.
"I marvel at the people who have the time to commit to this festival," he said.
"I think the festival is a brilliant thing. This is new in Conway, but what an opportunity it is for everyone. It's wonderful for the audience, for the actors, for the students. All will benefit," he added.
Spiridigliozzi moved to Conway four years ago with his wife, Erin. They have an 14-monthold son, Noah. Spiridigliozzi, who has a degree in arts for children with an emphasis in theater from the State University of New York in Brookport, will teach drama at Conway High School-East in the fall. He is involved with the Conway Community Arts Associationand appears in its productions as time permits, appearing most recently in Dearly Beloved. He is also involved in Improv Little Rock.
Conway resident Cindy Romeo also has several roles in Man of LaMancha. Romeo is active in Conway Community Arts Association and serves on its board of directors. She teaches eighth-grade language arts at Bob Courtway Middle School.
"This festival has been great," Romeo said. "I'm very appreciative to have had the opportunity to be involved with it.
"I can't stress enough how great the opportunity has been for Conway and its local actors who have full-time day jobs. This has opened up an opportunity for us to pursue our dreams of acting. I am very appreciative."
The performance schedule for the Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre includes:
◊A Midsummer Night's Dream - 7:30 p.m. today, Friday, Sunday and Sunday, June 24, and 2 p.m. Saturday.
◊Man of La LaMancha - 7:30 p.m. Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday;7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 21; and 7 p.m. Saturday, June 23.
◊The Complete Works - 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and Friday, June 22.
Individual tickets are $25, $20 for senior citizens, $15 for students/UCA faculty and staff, $12 for children under 12.
Tickets are available at www.arkshakes.com or UCA Ticket Central at www.uca.edu/uca/ ticket or by calling (501) 450-3265 or (866) 810-0012. For more information, contact Chiorini at mchiorini@uca.edu or (501) 269-4815.
River Valley Ozark, Pages 73, 74 on 06/14/2007