Oscar-winning director Spike Lee will be the featured speaker for the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff's annual Black History Month assembly, 10:30 a.m. Tuesday in the Kenneth L. Johnson Sr. HPER Complex, UAPB, 1200 University Drive, Pine Bluff. His films include Do the Right Thing, Malcolm X and Mo' Better Blues.
Admission is free. Call (870) 575-7061.
Public Producers
Arkansas Public Theatre will stage The Producers (music and lyrics by Mel Brooks, book by Brooks and Thomas Meehan), 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday , Feb. 15-17 and 22-24, 2 p.m. Feb. 11, 18 and 25 at the Victory Theater, 116 S. Second St., Rogers. Doors and concessions open an hour before curtain. Sponsor is Miller Zell. Cabaret seats are $35, $65 per table (two individual seats); balcony seats are $23. Call (479) 631-8988 or visit arkansaspublictheatre.org.
The group will also hold auditions, 7 p.m. Feb. 12 at the Victory Theatre, for Living on Love by Joe DiPietro, based on the play Peccadillo by Garson Kanin. Auditions will be based upon readings from the script. An audition packet, including audition times, scenes, character descriptions and rehearsal schedule, is available for download at arkansaspublictheatre.org. Doors open at 6:30. Callbacks, if needed, will be at 7 p.m. Feb. 13. Production dates are March 30-31 and April 5-8 (no performance on Easter Sunday, April 1).
'For Love of Art'
This year's Art Porter Music Education's annual "For the Love of Art" series will feature two performances marking the late Art Porter Sr.'s birthday (Feb. 8, 1934):
• 7 p.m. Wednesday at Cajun's Wharf, 2400 Cantrell Road, Little Rock, an all-star lineup of musicians who performed with or were influenced by Porter.
• 6 p.m. Feb. 11 at St. John Missionary Baptist Church, 2501 Main St., Little Rock, gospel group the Wardlaw Brothers, with the Art Porter Singers.
Admission to both concerts is free; donations support APME's scholarship program. Call (501) 492-9120 or visit artporter.org.
Fayetteville shows
The national tour of An American in Paris (songs by George and Ira Gershwin, book by Craig Lucas) will be onstage 7 p.m. Tuesday-Wednesday, 1:30 and 7 p.m. Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Feb. 11 at Fayetteville's Walton Arts Center, 495 W. Dickson St. Tickets are $36-$83 plus fees.
Also at the center this week:
• Comedians Pat Hazell and Dena Blizzard cover relationships, dating, parenting and family life and will provide free relationship advice for patrons in a stand-up show, My Funny Valentine, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, 7 and 9:30 p.m. Friday. Tickets are $25-$35 plus fees.
• Tenor saxophonist Donny McCaslin, featured on David Bowie's final album Blackstar, and his band will perform experimental jazz with Bowie influences as "David Bowie's Last Band," 7:30 p.m. Saturday, part of the center's Starrlight Jazz Club Series. Tickets are $30-$50 plus fees.
Call (479) 443-5600 or visit waltonartscenter.org.
Barbershop valentines
Barbershop harmony society Acapella Rising is offering customized Valentine's Day greetings in central Arkansas via barbershop quartet, 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Feb. 13-14. The $50 cost includes a romantic song, a box of candy and a card. Proceeds benefit the organization. Visit the website, acapellarising.com/Valentines, for information and to book a quartet. Call (501) 791-7464.
'Love Is Love'
The Central Arkansas Library System will screen four films, 6 p.m. Tuesdays in February, for its "Love Is Love" series at the Ron Robinson Theater, 100 River Market Ave., Little Rock. It continues the library system's $2 Tuesday film series.
• Feb. 6: Disney's The Lion King (G)
• Feb. 13: His Girl Friday (not rated), starring Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell
• Feb. 20: Charade (not rated), starring Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn
• Feb. 27: Romy & Michele's High School Reunion (R), starring Lisa Kudrow and Mira Sorvino
Doors open at 5 p.m. Tickets are $2. Concessions, including a special sale on wine and chocolate, will be available. Call (501) 320-5709 or visit ronrobinsontheater.org.
Tyson's '10 things'
Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson will lecture on "Ten Things You Should Know About the Universe," 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Orpheum Theatre, 203 S. Main St., Memphis. Tickets are $39-$89 ($250 VIP, includes a post-show meet-and-greet with Tyson and professionally taken photos). Call (901) 525-3000 or visit the website, orpheum-memphis.com.
Student film prize
March 30 is the deadline for young filmmakers to submit entries for the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program's 2018 Arkansas Historic Places Film Prize, a contest for Arkansas high school students producing short films about the state's historic properties. Documentaries must be 5-15 minutes long, based on any historic Arkansas property or properties that are at least 50 years old. Co-sponsor is the Arkansas Humanities Council, in partnership with the Arkansas Educational Television Network's "Student Selects: A Young Filmmakers Showcase."
Entry instructions are available online at aetn.org/studentselects. Competition winners will screen May 15 at at the Ron Robinson Theater in Little Rock and will receive cash prizes. Call (501) 324-9786, email amy.milliken@arkansas.gov or visit tinyurl.com/preservationfilms.
Style on 02/04/2018