ENTER STAGE RIGHT: Michael Fothergill and Catherine Garratt Fothergill, formerly of the Alabama Ballet, will be joining Ballet Arkansas as the new artistic director and associate artistic director. The team -- and married couple -- takes on the new artistic leadership positions next month after the departures of Michael Bearden, who is leaving to serve as director of the School of Dance at the University of Oklahoma, and Laura Hood, who has accepted a position as the director of marketing, sales and communications for the Miami City Ballet.
STILL ROCKIN': For those who've never seen Black Oak Arkansas (and for those who have and want to experience it again), the 1970s Southern rock band is to perform in central Arkansas in early July. The group, named after its Natural State roots and still featuring frontman Jimmy "Dandy" Mangrum, will perform at Four Quarter Bar in North Little Rock on July 1. Visit blackoakarkansas.net/tour for more information.
THE PLAY'S THE THING: El Dorado native Tripp Phillips is the production stage manager for the multiple Tony-nominated Broadway musical War Paint. The production, which opened in mid-March, focuses on the relationship between cosmetic industry leaders Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein. Winners of this year's Tonys will be announced during an award ceremony tonight.
ONE MORE AWARD: Multi-Grammy award winner Lucinda Williams, 64 -- a singer, songwriter and musician with Arkansas roots -- was recently awarded an honorary degree from the esteemed Berklee College of Music in Boston. Williams' family moved to Arkansas in 1971 when her poet father, Miller, took a teaching position at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, during which time she briefly attended the university. Williams received the honorary doctorate from Berklee for her pioneering influence and musical contributions during her nearly 40-year career.
FLYING SOUTH TO MEXICO: Remember Raven Gates, a boutique owner from Hoxie? As a contestant on last season's The Bachelor on ABC, she went far, making it to the final two ladies vying for a proposal from serial reality show contestant Nick Viall. Earlier this month, it was officially announced that Gates will indeed appear on the network's spinoff series, Bachelor in Paradise, this summer. The summer series, entering its fourth season this year, gathers rejected contestants from past seasons from The Bachelor and The Bachelorette and takes them to Mexico to see who will couple up.
NATIONAL NEWS, NATURALLY: As many know, Patti Upton of Heber Springs founded Aromatique Inc. and grew the business offering "decorative fragrances." Upton recently died of cancer at 79 at her lake home in Heber Springs. Her death was noteworthy enough to be featured in the obituaries section of the June 3-4 issue of The Wall Street Journal.
Contact Linda S. Haymes at (501) 607-0675 or [email protected]
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