MUSIC
'Simply Sondheim'
Singers Dan Drew, Katie Sweeney, Michaela Groth and Shane Heidecker perform more than 30 songs by Broadway hit-maker Stephen Sondheim for "Simply Sondheim," 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Center for Humanities and Arts Theater at the University of Arkansas-Pulaski Technical College, 3000 W. Scenic Drive, North Little Rock. The songs come from Sondheim stage productions including "West Side Story," "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," "A Little Night Music," "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street," "Sunday in the Park with George" and "Into the Woods." Tickets are $35-45 plus taxes and fees, $10 for UA-Pulaski Tech students with IDs. Call (501) 812-2387 or visit uaptc.edu.
THEATER
'Romeo & Juliet' en femmes
Actors Theatre of Little Rock is staging a new adaptation of William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" with a cast made up entirely of female and female-presenting actors, opening at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and running at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday and 6 p.m. Sunday through April 20 at Little Rock's Quapaw Quarter United Methodist Church, 1601 Louisiana St. Tickets are $25, $20 for students, senior citizens and military. Visit centralarkansastickets.com/organizations/actors-theatre-of-little-rock.
ECLIPSE
Mall and Museum
Park Plaza is partnering with the Museum of Discovery for an eclipse watch party, 11 a.m.- 3 p.m. Monday on the top level of the north parking deck at the mall, 6000 W. Markham St. at University Avenue, Little Rock. A Museum of Discovery educator will provide live narration of the eclipse. The museum will also host a pre-eclipse science show at 11:30 a.m. Families will receive free eclipse glasses, have access to food trucks and can take part in science activities, face painting and lawn games. Take lawn chairs and blankets to enjoy the event. Tickets -- $10, $5 for children, free for children under 5 -- must be bought in advance via tinyurl.com/bdha5cum. Proceeds benefit the museum's outreach efforts. For more information, visit parkplazamall.com or museumofdiscovery.org.
ETC.
'Ideas Matter' essays
May 24 is the deadline for Arkansas high school juniors and seniors to submit essays to the Clinton Foundation's annual "Ideas Matter" contest. It's an opportunity to win college scholarships -- $5,000 for the first-place essay, $2,500 for second and $1,000 for third -- "by presenting innovative solutions to pressing challenges," according to a news release.
This year's theme is civic participation -- "voting, organizing, volunteering, etc., which is vital for a thriving community," according to the Foundation website. Essays must be at least 1,500 words and should explore and provide solutions to questions such as "How can youth voices, skills, and time be mechanisms for positive change in their neighborhoods, schools, and cities?" "What are some of the challenges to civic participation for young people?" "What are some ways that youth can scale those hurdles to achieve collective impact and better their communities?" Submit online at clintonpresidentialcenter.org/ideasmatteressay. Support for the contest comes from the Derek Lewis Foundation.
Arts town hall
Arkansans for the Arts, a statewide arts advocacy nonprofit, kicks off a four-city tour of town hall meetings meant to bring together arts communities and build support for arts advocacy at 11 a.m. April 26 at ARTSpace on Main on Pine Bluff's ARTx3 Campus, 701 S. Main St. Featured speakers will include Jimmy Cunningham, tourism development director for the Pine Bluff Advertising and Promotions Commission and the director of the Delta Rhythm & Bayous Alliance, which is spearheading a cultural heritage tourism initiative highlighting music, arts and bayou history along U.S. 65 and U.S. 82 from Pine Bluff to Greenville, Miss.; Pam Griffin, president and CEO of El Dorado Festival and Events with Murphy Arts District; and chef Cynthia East-Malik, food and beverage director at Saracen Casino Resort. Admission is free; lunch is included but seating is limited. Registration is required -- visit tinyurl.com/de6t77w5a or email [email protected]. The Town Hall tour will also include events in Northwest Arkansas, Jonesboro and Conway. Visit arkansansforthearts.org.