ENTERTAINMENT NOTES: Opera comes to Pulaski Technical College

Mary Bridget Davies, Tony nominee in the title role of A Night with Janis Joplin on Broadway, headlines Opera in the Rocks Opera Rocks: A Divas in the Rock Gala, Feb. 27 at Pulaski Tech.
(Special to the Democrat-Gazette)
Mary Bridget Davies, Tony nominee in the title role of A Night with Janis Joplin on Broadway, headlines Opera in the Rocks Opera Rocks: A Divas in the Rock Gala, Feb. 27 at Pulaski Tech. (Special to the Democrat-Gazette)

Elsewhere in entertainment, events and the arts:

'Divas in the Rock'

Mary Bridget Davies, who received a Tony Award nomination for her performance in the title role of "A Night with Janis Joplin" on Broadway, headlines Opera in the Rock's "Opera Rocks: A Divas in the Rock Gala," Feb. 27 at the Center for Humanities and Arts theater at University of Arkansas-Pulaski Technical College, 3000 W. Scenic Drive, North Little Rock. Additional details are to be announced, including the time; tickets — limited initially to 150 but with the possibility that more will open at a later date — will be for sale in early November. Visit oitr.org.

Kate Sain, the opera company's executive and artistic director, describes the event as "a newly imagined gala concert and fundraiser for the opera company." Davies' program will celebrate blues/rock 'n' roll singer Janis Joplin and the artistic influence of opera on the blues. Local alt-rock band Cosmocean, featuring lead vocalists/opera singers Jaimee and Ron Jensen-McDaniel, and other singers will perform. The event will also feature food and drink and a silent auction.

'Wounded Knee' talk

David Treuer, author of "The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee," will give a virtual lecture, 6:30 p.m. Thursday via Zoom, part of the Central Arkansas Library System Speaker Series and also a series of programs that honor the late Rabbi Ira Sanders. Attendance is free; registration is required, via cals.org.

Treuer, a member of the Ojibwe tribe from the Leech Lake Reservation in Minnesota, refers to his book as a "counternarrative" to Dee Brown's 1970 novel "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee." Call (501) 918-3098 or email bmooy@cals.org.

Sugar Plum tea

Western Arkansas Ballet will hold its annual Sugar Plum Fairy Tea, 1-2:30 and 3:30-5 p.m. Nov. 22 at their studio, 4701 Grand Ave., Fort Smith. The title fairy and various other "Nutcracker" characters will be on hand and the event will feature snacks, dancing and seasonal crafts. Tickets are $30. Call (479) 785-0152 or visit waballet.org.

The Fort Smith company's production of P.I. Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker" will be on stage at 7 p.m. Dec. 11-12 and 2 p.m. Dec. 13 at the ArcBest Corp. Performing Arts Center, 55 S. Seventh St., Fort Smith. Tickets are $25, $15 for children and students (with a valid student ID).

Oral history workshop

Author and publisher Janis F. Kearney will lead a free online workshop for new or emerging writers, titled "Writing Out Loud: Creating Powerful Oral Histories," 10 a.m.-noon, Nov. 9.

Kearney will discuss the importance of research and effective interviewing techniques, how to shape a story on the page and then transfer it to a microphone. Participants will write and share with the class one paragraph from their personal stories with the theme: "The One Who Got Away." Ten students will be selected to join the Writing Out Loud live reading session on Dec. 1, where each student will share a 3- to 5-minute story.

Participation is limited to 100; register at tinyurl.com/y42k9ddb. Call (501) 324-9775 or email janet.perkins@arkansas.gov for more information.

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