Three touring performances might not sound like a big season, but that's just the tip of the proverbial iceberg at the Jim & Joyce Faulkner Performing Arts Center on the University of Arkansas campus in Fayetteville. Week in and week out during the school year, the Faulkner stage is busy three to four nights out of every seven, says Nicole Cotton-Leachman, managing director. The difference this fall is that the Faulkner staff feels confident that the pandemic has receded enough to book three "mainstage" public performances.
"I believe last year was still a bit hit or miss," Cotton-Leachman says. "Some artists weren't out on the road yet due to vaccination levels and trying to navigate all the different road maps with different community requirements. We were happy to wait another year to let more people become comfortable, and now that we have some clear guidance, felt it was a great season to pick back up."
As far as selecting the touring shows, Cotton-Leachman says "we continue to look for more diverse casts and artists that are ready and willing to provide an educational component to their residency. Whether that be with our students on campus, OLLI events or throughout our public school system. [But] we are excited about ALL performances, from our guest artists [to] campus events and the Department of Music's full schedule. To hear music, watch dance, it's amazing to watch our stage come back to life!"
Touring performances scheduled this season are:
Oct. 4 -- Cerqua Rivera Dance Theater. With their intense focus on personal narratives, the combined talents of their diverse collective of artists, and the multiple artistic languages with which they communicate, Cerqua Rivera engages audiences in magnetic human stories at once new and deeply familiar. 7:30 p.m. $25.
"Cerqua Rivera Dance did an online workshop with a few public schools here in Northwest Arkansas through the Faulkner Center's online program, and these students were excited to get to see them in person," Cotton-Leachman says.
Oct. 26 -- Kingston Trio. Fans of The Kingston Trio can rediscover their timeless music when the folk icons celebrate nearly 65 years of music as part of the "Keep The Music Playing" national tour. 7:30 p.m. $30.
Feb. 24 -- Aubrey Logan. Singer/songwriter and trombone player, her Top 5 debut album in 2017 helped establish her as one of the premier young singer-instrumentalists in the country. 7:30 p.m. $20.
The Faulkner Center is also home to continual rotating art exhibits in its lobbies.
"Our community partner, Art Ventures, does a fantastic job of keeping relevant and very talented local artists on our walls," Cotton-Leachman says. "We will have some K-12 exhibits up later this year, and I cannot wait to see what these talented young artists are going to show our community."
Dating back to 1937, the Faulkner Center started life as a field house, was home to the University Museum near the end of the 20th century and in September 2015, opened as the Jim & Joyce Faulkner Performing Arts Center. It seats up to 587 patrons and is the main performance venue for the university's musical organizations. The Field House is on the National Register of Historic Places.
For tickets, visit uark.universitytickets.com. For more information, email [email protected].
Cerqua Rivera Dance Theater opens the mainstage season at the Faulkner Center Oct. 4. (Courtesy Photo/Faulkner Center)
Singer/songwriter and trombone player Aubrey Logan comes to the Faulkner Center Feb. 24. (Courtesy Photo/Lilly Lilova via Faulkner Center)