fun
Immersive intrigue
Intrigue Little Rock, a new immersive entertainment experience, opens Friday at the Outlets of Little Rock, 11201 Bass Pro Parkway, Little Rock, Suite M-159. The 10,000-square-foot attraction combines elements of escape games, live theater and mystery-solving adventures (at least 10 in total) where “visitors can explore curated worlds without time limits or room confinement,” according to a news release. The owner of Mystery Mansion Escape Room and Escape Unknown has “revitalized and relocated to Little Rock” its flagship concept, which originated in Syracuse, N.Y. Visit IntrigueLittleRock.com.
music
“Choose Joy”
The North Little Rock Community Concert Band will perform a program that Music Director Rico Bellotti has titled “Choosing Joy” at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Patrick Henry Hayes Center in North Little Rock (401 W. Pershing Boulevard). The 90 band members will perform James Curnow’s “Fanfares and Flourishes,” John Philip Sousa’s “The Invincible Eagle,” Sousa trombonist Arthur Pryor’s “The Whistler and His Dog,” Carl King’s “A Night in June” (with euphonium soloist Allen Lawless), J.K. Wagner’s “Under the Double Eagle,” Arkansas composer Randel Standridge’s “Choosing Joy” (with Associate Music Director Bill Spainhour at the podium), the spiritual “Walking Through the Water” arranged by Stephen Bulla, and Sousa’s “The Stars and Stripes Forever.” Admission is free. Call (501) 920-2539 or visit nlrcommunityband.com.
Comedy
“Trash Talk Tour”
Comedian Jesse McDonald and headliner Bubba Dub Jr. take to the stage at the Venue at Westwind, 7318 Windsong Drive in North Little Rock, on the “Trashh Talk Comedy Tour” at 7:30 p.m. Sunday. Doors open at 7 p.m. Tickets are $44.80, $55.25 for VIP and $71.08 with meet-and-greet access. A portion of proceeds will be donated to people with disabilities (McDonald was born with cerebral palsy), “reflecting the comedian’s commitment to giving back to the community,” according to a news release. Visit impacttickets.com/events/79637. For more information, call (818) 856-0821.
theater
“Pay only what you can afford.”
Arkansas Repertory Theatre will be selling up to 100 “pay what you can” tickets on a first-come, first-served basis at the box office, 601 Main St., Little Rock, beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday for a preview performance of the musical “Hello, Dolly!” at 7 p.m. Aug. 22 at Little Rock’s Robinson Center Performance Hall, 426 W. Markham St. at Broadway. The performance is in collaboration with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra. The sponsor is the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Call (501) 378-0405 or visit TheRep.org.
art
Watercolor Exhibition
“Arkansas State of Mind,” featuring works by members of the 6 Bridges Watercolor Group, will open with a reception Friday from 5 to 8 p.m. at the William F. Laman Library, 2801 Orange St. in North Little Rock. The exhibit, which features watercolors by Stephen Lanford, Laura Powers, Kaye Ridings, Kathy Kemp, Suzzette Patterson, Rita Friend, Sage Arnold, Cheryl Hughes, Beth Darr and Joyce Steen, will run through Sept. 27. Gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday through Saturday. Admission is free. Call (501) 758-1720 or visit NLRlibrary.org.
“Monarch Melancholy” and “Revival” are some of the paintings and illustrations by Little Rock artist Karlie Brown that will be on display Friday at the Argenta Library in North Little Rock. (Special to the Democrat-Gazette)
Painting and illustration
“Layers of Whimsey,” paintings and illustrations by Little Rock artist Carly Brown, will be on display at the Argenta Art District Third Friday Art Walk reception from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Argenta Library, 420 Main Street, North Little Rock. A native of Lillington, North Carolina, Brown graduated from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in 2021 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration. Her work blends traditional and digital media, combining 2D graphic elements with naturalistic subject matter to create surreal, dreamlike images that evoke wonder and curiosity, according to a news release. The exhibition will run through Sept. 6. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The reception and admission to the library are free. Call (501) 687-1061 or visit NLRlibrary.org.
The International Association of Mrs. Ropers took over the William F. Lehman Public Library in North Little Rock on Saturday. (Special to the Democrat-Gazette)
etc.
Mrs. Roper’s Takeover
The International Mrs. Roper Association will take over North Little Rock’s William F. Lehman Library, 2801 Orange St., on Saturday (Mrs. Roper was a character in the 1970s sitcom “Three’s Company.”) Attendees can mingle with “Mrs. Roper” and friends and “express their inner Mrs. Roper” by donning colorful kaftans, red wigs and bright blue eyeshadow.
The activities for the day include:
◼️ 10am – Mrs. Roper will lead “Children’s Story Time.”
◼️ 10:30 a.m. — “Three’s Company” Quiz in the Rotunda.
◼️ 11:30 AM — Line dancing class.
Admission is free. Call (501) 758-1720 or visit NLRlibrary.org.
“Gardening for birds”
Arkansas Master Naturalist Lynn Foster will give a talk titled “Gardening for Birds” at 9 a.m. Saturday in the Bell House, located in the heart of Mount Holly Cemetery at 1200 Broadway in Little Rock. It is part of the 2024 Mount Holly Garden Series. The session also includes coffee and door prizes. Admission is a suggested donation of $5, with proceeds going to the cemetery. Please bring your own lawn chairs. Call (501) 372-3372 or email us at . [email protected].
Drama Academy
Argenta Contemporary Theatre is expanding its performing arts education programs with the opening of the Benson/McAdams Argenta Contemporary Theatre Academy, named in honor of retired North Little Rock High School drama teachers Pris Benson and Carol Ann McAdams.
The academy occupies 3,700 square feet on the top floor of the Thea Foundation building at 401 Main St. in North Little Rock, next to the theater. According to a news release, the academy will offer classes, camps and workshops “designed to nurture and develop the talents of aspiring actors, singers and dancers.”
Donors to the academy include Pat Carlton of Little Rock, Dr. Tucker and Laura Patterson of Sheridan, and Bob Bydwell of Little Rock, who served as actor and musical director for the theater. Bydwell’s name will be given to a music studio that will offer vocal training. The academy will also house a TLM dance studio.
The theater currently holds performing arts classes in the ACT II Sharon Heflin Performing Arts Education Center at 315 Main St. The space serves as a black box theater and rehearsal space, and will continue to host educational workshops. Visit argentacontemporarytheatre.org.