Arkansas Public Theatre rolled out its 2016-17 season for supporters Jan. 21 at the annual Season Announcement Party at the Victory Theater in Rogers.
The theater troupe’s 31st season holds the following shows in store:
Rock of Ages, in September with auditions in August; Annapurna, in November with auditions in September; The Santaland Diaries and Season’s Greetings, in December with auditions in November; Young Frankenstein, in February with auditions in December; Of Mice and Men, in March and April with auditions in February; Velocity of Autumn, in May with auditions in April; Dead Man’s Cell Phone, in June with auditions in May; and The Wedding Singer, in July and August with auditions in June.
Those on hand for the season reveal included Kathy and Ed McClure, Lori and Kelly Collier, Tom Karunos, Deanna Cicatiello and Ron Hayes.
The Razorback Foundation lauded nine exceptional Razorback scholar-athletes representing eight sports at the 19th annual Red Tie Dinner and Auction Salute to Excellence. The fundraiser Jan. 23 at the John Q. Hammons Center in Rogers celebrated their contributions in the classroom, community and their sports.
The 2016 honorees were:
SCHOLAR ATHLETES OF THE YEAR
• Christian Heymsfield, cross country — 4.0 grade point average, SEC Scholar-Athlete for Cross Country, National Science Foundation Research Experience Undergraduate, NCAA Elite 89 winner in 2014 and 2015
• Brooks Ellis, football — 3.77 cumulative grade point average, SEC Honor Roll (4.0 GPA) for spring and fall, 2014 and spring 2015 semesters, named to the 2015 Academic All-District 6 First Team by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA)
• Maddie Monroe, swimming — 3.86 grade point average, majoring in mechanical engineering with a minor in physics and math, working on senior design project for Tyson Foods, holds program record in 200 freestyle, 200 free relay, 400 free relay, 800 free relay and 400 medley relay
• Teni Butler, soccer — 3.94 grade point average, majoring in chemical engineering with a minor in Spanish, 2013 Freshman Engineer of the Year, SEC Academic Honor Roll, Chancellor’s and Dean’s lists every semester, awarded an Honors College Study Abroad grant to study renewable and sustainable energy forms
SPIRIT OF THE RAZORBACK
• Summar Roachell, golf — has made the cut in all Razorback tournament appearances and helped the team win one tournament title and three top-3 team finishes, 2015-16 marketing chair for the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, numerous community volunteer efforts
• Bobby Portis, basketball
— Associated Press SEC Player of the Year, SEC Player of the Year (coaches), second Razorback to be named SEC Player of the Year, third sophomore to reach the 1,000-point plateau, 27-game double figure scoring streak
• Brandon Allen, football — 3.6 grade point average, set program records for most touchdown passes in a game, one of 12 finalists for the Manning Award for 2015-16, became third player in Arkansas history to throw for 3,000 yards in a season
ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
• Andrew Benintendi, baseball — Baseball’s Golden Spikes Award as the top amateur baseball player, SEC Male Athlete of the Year, third highest MLB draft pick in school history, only player in SEC history to win the batting title, home run crown and named the SEC Player of the Year by league head coaches
• Dominique Scott, track and field — Two-time National Champion in the distance medley relay and 3,000-meter run, two-time silver medalist in the 5,000 and 10,000-meter run, National Indoor Track Athlete of the Year, seven-time First Team All-American.
Among those helping the foundation laud scholar-athletes were Marilyn Bogle, Nana and Julian Stewart, Lewis Epley, Mary Lib and John White, Gen and Frank Broyles, Bev and Harley Lewis, Angela and UA Trustee Mark Waldrip, Janet and UA Trustee Ben Hyneman, Nancy and Dick Trammel, Laura and Greg Fogle, Betsy and Loyd Phillips, Shea and Nick Nabholz and Melissa and Scott Varady, Razorback Foundation executive director.
Next up for Razorback fans is Signing Day on the Hill, hosted by the Northwest Arkansas Razorback Club, on Wednesday at Bud Walton Arena. Football coach Bret Bielema will reveal all the newly signed players for the 2016-17 season. Silent auction bidding and concessions will be available.
For more event photos — nwadg.com/photos/society.
At a Glance
Season Announcement
Who: Arkansas Public Theatre What: Arkansas Public Theatre rolled out its 2016-17 season for supporters at the annual Season Announcement Party. When: Jan. 21 Where: Victory Theater in Rogers Information: (479) 631-8988 or arkansaspublictheatre.org
Red Tie Dinner and Auction Salute to Excellence
Who: Razorback Foundation What: The Razorback Foundation lauded nine exceptional Razorback scholar-athletes representing eight sports at the 19th annual Red Tie Dinner and Auction Salute to Excellence. When: Jan. 23 Where: John Q. Hammons Center in Rogers Next: Signing Day on the Hill, hosted by the NWA Razorback Club, Wednesday Information: nwarazorbackclub.org
Columnist Carin Schoppmeyer can be reached by email at [email protected].