The 3W Podcast
From the people that bring you 3W Magazine, welcome to the 3W Podcast! We aim to serve our community by promoting awareness of Northwest Arkansas’ thriving philanthropic movement; To provide a guide of dates to help coordinate events so every nonprofit gets the coverage they need and deserve; To give financially to local charities each year.
The 3W Podcast
The 3W Podcast: Anne Jackson - Part 2
The curtain rises on a revealing conversation about what truly happens behind the scenes of community theater productions. Anne Jackson, executive director of Arts One Presents, shares fascinating insights about the business operations that audiences rarely consider — from licensing fees that can reach $16,000 per show to the creative problem-solving required when working with limited budgets and venues.
Beyond performances, Anne reveals the extensive community engagement strategies that have become Arts One's signature — arranging meetings between the "Mayor of Munchkinland" and actual city mayors, staging promotional events at libraries and animal shelters, and creating memorable social media content. Their innovative Youth Driven Theatre program now places young people in charge of every aspect of production for "James and the Giant Peach" (Oct. 9-11), while their season closes with the holiday-themed "The 1940's Radio Hour" (Nov. 20-23).
As Anne eloquently states, "We love creating magic, and that is kind of what theater is." Whether you're a theater enthusiast or simply curious about how community arts organizations operate, this conversation illuminates why supporting local theater through attendance, donations, and volunteering remains essential to keeping this magic alive in our communities.
Hey everybody, welcome to the 3W podcast. This is part two of my podcast with Ann Jackson from Arts. 1%, that's right tell us what you do.
Speaker 2:I'm the executive director of the organization. We're a non-profit arts organization that is based out of Springdale that serves all of Northwest Arkansas. So, ann, welcome back.
Speaker 1:Thank you Again. Love it Again, again, again. Yes, I love being back and I know we talked about All Things Arts 1 a year ago. We did, but I want to talk about the two performances this year, in 2025, or in 25, in the upcoming ones. Yes, so let's start with the Sound of Music and full disclaimer. I'll throw myself right under the bus. I did not make it to any of them because my kids take up all the time and I really, really wanted to because our dear friend Allison McElroy, who's been on the podcast before, was in Sound of Music. But that was your first show to be at the medium since the name change with Arts One and ACO, so let's dive into that.
Speaker 2:Really, since the sale of the building and us becoming Arts One, this was the first time we've produced a show back in that space and it's a cute space. Yeah, the theater is great. It's, you know, it's home for a lot of people and it's really kind of special and meaningful. It's a smaller space for us, really, because we're now, you know, used to doing large shows on the Don Tyson School of Innovation Performing Arts Theater stage and so, yeah, it was great.
Speaker 2:So we did Sound of Music. We kind of did it a very unique way.
Speaker 2:There's no longer an orchestra pit at the theater, but that's okay, because with this show in particular, we really wanted to put the orchestra on stage and seen the entire time. Oh, that's unique. Yes, the way that this one was staged was the orchestra is part of the scenery and the setting and they were intertwined into the set. Oh wow. And so that was really beautiful and really cool and I kind of was you know, I'm like orchestra members may be used to being more behind the set, and so that was really beautiful and really cool and I kind of was. You know, I'm like orchestra members may be used to being more behind the scenes and all of that Like how are they going to feel? How did they feel? They loved it.
Speaker 1:Oh good, they're finally getting the attention they deserve.
Speaker 2:Yes, they really loved it and so, yeah, that was really fun.
Speaker 1:Whose idea was that part? Is that a director thing?
Speaker 2:Well, it was actually from an organization standpoint and actually one of our former directors introduced me to the idea the wonderful Coleman Clark as we talked about how to do certain styles of shows with limited set design. So you can, you know, for budget reasons, so you can have some different styles of theater.
Speaker 1:Is this something you have to learn daily kind of?
Speaker 2:All the time, okay, all the time. And so he said I really want you to watch, you know this, when the Kennedy Center did Sweeney Todd and how they did it, and you'll kind of see what I'm talking about.
Speaker 2:And I did and I was like sold and so we did. We took that and said, from an organizational standpoint, this is what we're going to do. So when we had, the music director kind of became the director of the show. We had an assistant director as well, but the show had its angle at that point. It was very music focused, because Sound of Music is very music focused it is. It's a great show to do in this style and in this format, and having an orchestra on stage with everyone was just a really cool experience and something that most people haven't done before on the orchestra side or the actor side. So that was really cool and, yeah, it was great. We did five performances of that show. That's so innovative.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it was really neat, so you get feedback. I feel like you do surveys after every show. That's so innovative. Yeah, it was really neat, so you get feedback. I feel like you do surveys after every show. Yes, we do, was that?
Speaker 2:mentioned. Every one of them pretty much was I love seeing the orchestra on stage. I love seeing the orchestra on stage and from even the orchestra members. It was like it was really cool to see, to be able to experience the show while we were kind of part of the show. I love it. Um, and it was a very simple stage, um and setting and that part didn't change much. There might have been a proper two brought on, but there was a very static, simple set and the orchestra is built into that and the actors come and go from different directions and angles and there were different levels and, yeah, it was just really cool. But people loved seeing it staged that way.
Speaker 2:I was worried that people were going to feel like they missed out on something, but we didn't get that feedback at all and everybody was like that was very cool how that was done and I think you understood, once the orchestra is on stage you don't have a lot of stage left, right, like yes, to block it, you know, like in a traditional way.
Speaker 1:so, yeah, wow because it's not a big stage. The last production I stopped I saw there was Mamma Mia, like a couple years before COVID, I feel like, and it's not a big venue, it's not a big stage, it's very intimate. Yeah, it's about a 370-seat theater yeah which is like a third or fourth of the Don Tyson School of Animation.
Speaker 2:Correct and so it allows for certain types of shows to be done really cool and well there, because I feel like campy shows work really well there and all kinds of shows really. There are some shows that, on a how they need to be staged basis, or the sheer number of people in them, need to be in a bigger theater in them need to be in a bigger theater. So we kind of when we look at our show selections for the future, we look at what shows work best in which setting. Okay.
Speaker 1:Which is also, you have to buy the rights we do, right? I didn't know this. I was speaking to a theater person a few weeks ago. She gets her nails done right after me and she was super involved with um Arkansas Public Theater, yes, down in Rogers, yes, and she was talking about like the funding and that these shows can cost a lot up front, and I had no idea. I just thought you were like. You did like a google search what do we want to do and things. You could print scripts and go. I didn.
Speaker 1:I'm not from that background, so it didn't even dawn on me. Well, you know that you would buy rights per se.
Speaker 2:Well, until you do it on the administrative end it's different. It's a whole new ballgame. But yeah, every show, unless it's in public domain, like Shakespeare or something, has you have to buy the rights to them.
Speaker 1:Is it a one-time purchase, like to use at any point, or like one purchase?
Speaker 2:one production. When you apply, they ask you the dates of your production, how many shows you'll be doing in that time frame. And it is by show, by performance, and it is by show by performance.
Speaker 2:Oh, yes, so work two weekend runs. Well, for the summer show we do two weekends and for other shows we do one, because of venue costs and all kinds of things. But yeah, lots goes into those kind of decisions. But it's number of shows, it's also size of the theater and how many tickets you think you're going to sell and the average ticket price.
Speaker 1:So this isn't a flat cost Like you get to buy the show for five grand.
Speaker 2:There's like a formula.
Speaker 1:And correct.
Speaker 2:there is a formula, so it's not a one-stop shop to where, like, when you go look for rights for a show, you basically have to apply to see if you're going to be eligible. Things can make you not eligible, which means there's a potentially someone else in a certain radius of you is doing the same show in the same year and they try not to do that. Okay, and there's different reasons for for that or the. The people who hold the rights don't want it to be in a theater less than X amount of seats or something like that. But yeah, so it's not black and white, sadly.
Speaker 2:And so I do a lot of applying for a lot of shows and a lot of like guessing of when we might do them, just to see if we could get them Right and what those costs might be. It's a lot, and I mean I totally admit there was one show I thought we were going to do this year and so last year when I was looking at the rights for it, I had some sticker shock and I was like next, okay, really yeah, and so I mean it can just be a lot Do you have to just kind of throw a bunch of darts on the wall and see what sticks.
Speaker 1:Honestly, yes, so you're like we do. I'm just going to apply for these three shows, the next or these, let's say, six shows over the next three years and just see if any of these stick and I will say 90% of what we want we would get.
Speaker 2:Okay, I've really only had one that we didn't get. That surprised me, but what I assumed from that is someone in our radius is doing that and that's why they don't really tell you. And so, yeah, so it's interesting, but the majority of what we'll apply for we will probably get. But the majority of what you know we'll apply for we will probably get. You'll go to some shows like, well, now I don't want to give anything away that we might do in the future, but you'll go to some shows that may be a little newer, okay, that don't have the rights out yet If there is a show that's going on tour. Oh, for instance, our very first summer musical that we were going to do was Natasha Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812. Okay, someone's going to tell me I'm wrong on that, that's fine. But Natasha Pierre we were approved for and that was like still coming out of COVID, but Broadway was also at that point, figuring out what they were doing coming out of COVID Right.
Speaker 2:And so they, that show, decided to go on tour like at the same time as we were getting the rights, okay, and so we were like approved, declined, and so, yeah, it was like a weird, normally that doesn't happen, but that was just kind of like a a a timing situation of like their tour yeah. So if it's going on tour, that's another reason you may not get a show that makes sense, and then if it's still on Broadway, you're not going to get that show either.
Speaker 1:Oh, okay, I didn't realize that.
Speaker 2:For the most part.
Speaker 1:Okay, so you bought sound, so if you wanted to do sound again, do you have to reapply? You already have all the assets, right, you do?
Speaker 2:have to reapply.
Speaker 1:You can only use it for that time frame and those specific shows you do.
Speaker 2:Okay, and for most rights holders, you have to, and companies that hold the rights to these shows you have to send back materials. You don't get to keep anything. Oh, and all of that is again. All of that's because of copyright and all of that Right. Okay, Even to do because I know people will, some people will ask about this or wonder about this even to do a song from a show at this gala. I have licensed the right to that song, oh so like the nine performances.
Speaker 1:Yes, that we just talked about in part, one, which I would assume all have some component of music, or let's just say half of them correct so you've had to get approval or purchase and it's not like purchasing the whole show by any stretch.
Speaker 2:Right, just a p, a song, yes, yeah, which is kind of a different licensing structure the way you do that.
Speaker 1:But yeah, all of these things okay, which goes back to why we need funds, correct, which is what the gala is racing for, correct, yes, um, yeah, you know, like it's just the general public we want everyone to have access to it, but nobody realizes the cost I mean I personally, just think of like the venue and some sets and some costumes, yeah, right, I don't know, I guess some lights and all those things.
Speaker 1:But, um, like, I don't think about people being paid, yeah, because I'm I'm like old school, right, we're community theater and we talked about that. Some part. One used to be volunteer or mostly volunteer, right. So that's what I think of, and then I don't think of rights to anything.
Speaker 2:I think we've. I mean to give a range and an idea. I think we've paid anything, again the show dependent, anything from $ to sixteen thousand for rights to a show.
Speaker 2:Um, and you know, your disney shows are going to be higher, oh that's just kind of a known like usually, yeah, okay, I think that's probably the highest show we've we've done. Wizard might be second. Okay, um, but yeah, so you're going to get some higher, higher cost with those bigger names and bigger brands? Okay, um, but yeah, so rights to a show, the venue space um, if you have to rent venue space, that's usually a a large part of your budget. Okay, um, and uh, we have a, um, our, our secret sauce is in our live music, I think, and those. It just really elevates everyone's performance to have live music and to play with live musicians.
Speaker 1:It's kind of jaw dropping on the first like music comes in, but then like the first performance of a show and you're like, oh, this is like there's people down there playing.
Speaker 2:Yes, and you know, even and what's great about? Even like Don Tyson, they don't have a pit either, and so people are always like where's the orchestra? We didn't see a pit. Are they behind? They are at the back of the stage.
Speaker 1:Okay, so we have a scrim, but they're blocked, right yeah.
Speaker 2:Okay, sometimes they've depending on, sometimes you can peek and see them and sometimes you can't. But we had a scram up for Wizard of Oz and then they come out at the end and and do the bells and people are like, oh my gosh there was an orchestra back there, you know but you can absolutely tell.
Speaker 1:Yes, like you can tell the difference between live and I'm gonna butcher it because I don't know what the other word would be but like piped in music, that's exactly right for sure yeah, um, and yeah, pre-recorded music that you're piping in and and some shows I think are totally fine to have that.
Speaker 2:And then there's some shows that I'm like the. The live music is just, it sets it apart, it does um, and so we we have kind of really have this commitment to this being part of our formula as well, for us doing shows and you love live music, you're a live music junkie, a little bit of a live music junkie, yes, and so I really like that. We also give our local musicians these paid opportunities to work on something like this, cause a lot of them don't necessarily get to work on theater shows. They're doing other kinds of classical performance and, um, for them to get to play like a full show of Sondheim was incredible for a lot of those musicians and so, um, so, yeah, so you know those just start adding up, um, and in community theater, um, you can pay crew members, um, but you cannot pay cast members. That is what sets community theater apart in a main way.
Speaker 2:Are you all classified as community theater? Okay, so we have classifications of theater, you do. You have amateur, which amateur is community theater? You have youth theater, school theater and, uh, professional theater oh yeah.
Speaker 1:And are any cast members paid outside of professional theater?
Speaker 2:in in, yes, in, like youth theater, I believe you can pay some actors and things, because a lot of times they'll pay adult actors to be in some of those shows, like depending um. So there are ways in which people go about doing that um. But for true community theater, actors are not paid um. And the way I kind of explain it is, you know, for for the people, for people who participate in community theater, they're not professional actors per se, or if they are, they do that but they have jobs. Everybody has kind of their day job and you know we have attorneys in shows, we have medical professionals in shows, we have accountants in shows, teachers in shows, so that's kind of one of my most favorite parts.
Speaker 1:It is To see what these people really do.
Speaker 2:You may see your dentist in a show, you know, and so it really is cool to see you know people from your community and see this side of them that you may not have known that they had. Did you know that your neighbor could really like belt some notes, you know? So it's really, it's really cool. So that is part of the reason. With musicians, that is typically not all the time, but typically that's how they live. They are playing gigs.
Speaker 1:So your orchestra people, the ones that literally make it up, that's their profession, out in the wild, essentially.
Speaker 2:Yeah, most of them, Because in my head these are not just fun side hobbies or side whatever.
Speaker 1:Whichever H you want to insert that they're just amazingly talented at.
Speaker 2:Right, and that's. It is Northwest Arkansas, is that a huge? I would say? A lot of our orchestra members, um, you'll see playing with Sona, okay, um, and you'll also see, uh, minors and youth playing in our orchestras too. And what a cool opportunity for them and they're usually just getting kind of like class credit and all of that, but cool opportunity for you know, to sit next to a professional musician who plays with the Symphony of Northwest Arkansas.
Speaker 2:Like a dream come true, and you know, one of the finest clarinets or something in the area is sitting next to you playing the same show you're playing, so that's really a cool, unique experience. But yeah, so musicians they are usually. This is their, this is their job.
Speaker 1:This is their gig.
Speaker 2:OK, this is another gig for them. I'm with you and you know we definitely don't pay retail value, for sure, we call everything that you know we do stipends, because it's truly a stipend in that sense. And yeah, and then crew members too, depending upon the person. The last couple of shows that we've had our costume designer. She's a teacher and she also teaches like martial arts and things too, but she is a school teacher and she loves doing um costume design for people so she can bust out some karate kid, teach you some math and make you the most amazing.
Speaker 2:Yeah costume, for sure, she did beauty and the beast and um wizard of oz. That's amazing, yeah, sound of music, so, um anyway. So yeah, you just never know. And then you know our our technical director is a is a professional technical director in real life too and in in all um sense of that meaning for for what he does and um, so yeah, you just you'll have professionals in certain fields, for sure, and a lot of those production people do production in their everyday life as their paid gigs too.
Speaker 2:That makes sense, and then some. This is a true passion project for.
Speaker 1:That's a good mix. Yeah, I love that. So that was just sound of music.
Speaker 2:Yes, sound of music. It was great, we loved it.
Speaker 1:Let's touch on Wizard, because you're just closing Wizard. Yes, and I saw some amazing graphics, I would say around wizard, like the, the makeup on the alphabet and the like you all redid the poster I did. Okay, yeah, and then how you activated at the hardware stores with the witch feet it was just 360 all-encompassing.
Speaker 2:Well, and there's just, you've got to bigger, go home on Wizard of Oz right now and really any show. But I really wanted to use the opportunity of being kind of sandwiched between the two wicked movies to say, okay, but here's the. Did you play plan that? Yeah, totally Love that marketing opportunity.
Speaker 1:I'm like, because if you didn't, that was amazing as well.
Speaker 2:Well, you know, it's so many kids that love Wicked have never seen the Wizard of Oz. It's shocking. It's shocking. Actually our board chair, like how's that even allowed? I know our board chair, at every curtain speech, for before every performance of the Wizard of Oz, would say how many of you all have you know this will be the first time you're seeing the Wizard of Oz? Hands would go up and she would say, okay, that's not Wicked.
Speaker 1:And I think you know, it's not.
Speaker 2:Wicked, but you're going to see the. You know Wicked was more of like the backstory of then, how they became their characters. So it's not like you're seeing the origination, but you're seeing the original story that.
Speaker 2:Wicked sprang from and gave you that backstory for so, anyway, it's just really what a classic show to do, and we knew that to do it, we were going to have to be extremely innovative with technology, because, you know, I will say this, everybody was like are you going to fly the witch, are you going to fly the monkeys? And all of that. Though that is super cool and we would have loved to have done that that is also extremely expensive to do Right.
Speaker 2:Insurance on top of that. Yes, there's a lot of cost associated with that, especially if the theater's not already equipped for it. You have to bring things in and all and whatever. So, and there's a lot of other like um, yes, safety precautions for sure. Um. So we decided that we would go a technology route and we utilized this, um, this scrim. That is a kind of a mesh screen that really kind of diffuses what you're seeing on stage. We used that, we used projection, we projected on that as well. So what you're seeing happening in Kansas with the tornado was equal parts technology and kitsch you know, and so like yes, you might've had some um dancers on stage with you.
Speaker 2:Know, a cow or something but um, uh, but you also had some kind of cool lightning effects and storm effects happening on this scrim and being projected. That looked amazing, yeah. So so we, we knew that this show was going to take a lot and that we wanted to do it justice, and I think we really did. I think we pulled that off. Um, the cast was incredible. Um, yes, our uh, wicked witch of the west, lynn manning. She also played Mrs Potts in Beauty and the Beast.
Speaker 1:Oh, she was fantastic.
Speaker 2:And to see her going from Mrs Potts to the Wicked Witch of the West.
Speaker 1:I can't even imagine.
Speaker 2:No, they're not the same Hysterical. It was so good and so, yeah, she was fantastic and, um, yeah, we kind of recreated the poster, kind of that wicked look with her, and it was just great. We did some fun stuff with this one marketing wise as well.
Speaker 2:We went to um all four of the major northwest Arkansas cities um to do mayor meetings with the mayor of Munchkinland, and so the mayor of Munchkinland met with the mayors from Fayetteville, springdale, rogers and Bentonville and presented them with a key to Oz. And so we got some really cool marketing from just promotional opportunities from doing that, marketing from, you know, just promotional opportunities from doing that. And within all of those cities we did kind of something fun with munchkins, like wreaking havoc across the city or across the downtown or in a store or something like that.
Speaker 1:Bentonville- we had some of the cities. Unfortunately, it rained on the days that we were there.
Speaker 2:Well, all did was rain in april, may and june. It totally did um. And then when we went to bentonville, it was a gorgeous day and lynn um, who works for bentonville schools, actually um came in wicked witch of the west attire and we went all over downtown and she stayed in character the whole time and so every dog that passed, whatever she was like talking to as the witch. It was so funny. We're probably going to be releasing like clips of that for years because it's just so good as you should.
Speaker 2:That show. That happened three years ago.
Speaker 1:It's okay, it's still relative, it's still like access.
Speaker 2:It is access, it's constant access. So we did eight performances of that show. It was amazing. I was really sad to see that show go. It was one that I felt like I could have watched over and over and not ever gotten tired of. It was so good. Did you have a bunch of Dorothys?
Speaker 1:show up.
Speaker 2:Oh, we totally did Like you did in Belle or Beauty.
Speaker 1:We did, even though they raised their hands and haven't seen it.
Speaker 2:Yes, Dorothy's and Glenda's were big on this one you know everybody wanted to be a princess For sure, witch as well, and so yeah. But Dorothy's for sure came out in full force.
Speaker 1:I love that.
Speaker 2:We love when people get so excited that they're going to come in costume, so that was great. Um, we had a live dog we had a real toto in the show, which, of course, was a, um, a big crowd awe moment. Wasn't it a rescue? She was yeah, so she, we worked with big I remember social.
Speaker 1:On this we worked with big pawsaws of the Ozarks.
Speaker 2:I remember social on this. We worked with Big Paws of the Ozarks and said, hey, we have this idea. Would this at all be something that a dog in your realm could do? And Matt, with Big Paws, who's also a trainer and an incredible trainer, was like, yeah, actually we have this dog who was a rescue. She is now homed with her, with her new family, so she was no longer up for adoption, but her name was Juniper, or is Juniper and she Juniper?
Speaker 1:I know, I'm like there was well, yes, yeah, she, she was.
Speaker 2:Juniper. Now she's Toto, but she was awesome. She was the star of the show, for sure, and we had a couple of very specific moments where we had her come on and off and be in scenes, and then we did have a fake Toto for other scenes where Toto would need to be like stuffed in a basket or something you know and so, but she was just awesome, like she really just nailed it like every time, every time for eight shows, yeah, and there's just specific little things and ways in which she knew commands and what to do.
Speaker 2:And then her human family was extremely proud to come every night too. And walk her, you know, through the crowd at the end and she would sign autographs. Of course she would. Yeah, Everyone needs a autograph, A autograph. It was the cutest thing ever, so we loved working with Big Paws for that. So thank you, Big Paws. And then we also did a, because you know Friends of Toto. Just why would you not want to capitalize on Friends of Toto?
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:So it gave us a reason to highlight our a couple of our great organizations, like Big Paws and like Best Friends of Northwest Arkansas. So we did an event there as well where we did a book reading of the Wizard of Oz from Toto's perspective, and so that was cool and we read to humans and dogs, which was fun, and then, we all got to like play pet dogs and cats and play and it was, was fun. Yes, and then we all got to like play pet dogs and cats and play and it was so fun.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I love that, yeah.
Speaker 1:So it was cool. We did those. That was good.
Speaker 2:And then we did a couple of activations at the Bentonville Public Library as well, where we read, did story time with kids, and we you set the bar high, we did.
Speaker 1:You kind of went like here to here. We did some crazy community engagement with this show.
Speaker 2:And you know, and here's what it takes, it takes the participants and the community members to say, hey, my skill is this and I really want to help you do that. And Madison Stevie was that person who came and said you know what I love community engagement and I would love to help you do that for this show.
Speaker 1:I mean it was next level. It was next level and she was able to help do that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and you know, and the thing is, of course I would love to do things all the time and there's just a time. You know, my schedule can only go so far it can, and so you know, we had someone do that. We had someone say hey, I love doing social media for these shows and really like doing these reels and all the TikTok you know stuff that people did me same same same same and but I'm like this person knows how to do it and wants to do it.
Speaker 2:I'm going to give you the. You know, here's the reins. You take it and run with it and that's why you got some incredible like fun, funny, marketing, promo stuff from that show. Because people want to do it, people in the community who want to do it. They're so good at it and I want them to do it, I hope next summer's show is this and more.
Speaker 1:Ah, me too.
Speaker 2:Yeah, where I mean that's. The thing is like, you know, we still have two shows left, and I still say two and a half because of the gala is a production and we still have two. You know, two and a half shows left of this year and we are already planning for next year, so have to. So I keep it under wraps for a while and then we'll release it, hopefully around gala time, and so we have about two shows, 95% locked in, okay, and then we'll see what a third one might be, and I'm pretty sure I know what that one is too Okay. And yeah, we're just kind of working out the details again of, like, the venue, the time of year, what works. You know what works well, so, um, we're getting those uh things lined out, because the minute that you're doing the summer show, people want to know what you're doing next year.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, I'm dying to know, because you blew it out of the water so much with Wizard, yeah, and the show, and I again I didn't get to see the show. I admit that I'm still sad, but I saw the community engagement before and after and so I kind of felt like I saw the show, oh yeah, and so I'm like, yeah, I mean you lit it up from beauty.
Speaker 2:So it's big shoes to fill, your own big shoes to fill, yeah, we seem to continue to set a bar and a new bar and a new bar, and it's moving up. Yeah, we love it. We do love creating magic, and that is kind of what theater is. Theater is a magical experience for people. I have kind of what I call like a magic moment list from a show and so we kind of look at a show's opportunities to have magic moments and what we think audiences may be kind of dazzled by and kind of that surprise and delight. So we like to give that experience as much as possible and we, you know, can't wait to do that with the next show and the next show and the next show and the next show so far, yeah and yeah.
Speaker 2:And then the next show. Speaking of the next, yes, um james and giant peach. Youth driven theater youth driven theater.
Speaker 1:This is a new focus it is.
Speaker 2:So we had, um, uh, a, a youth, a student, come to us, uh, last year, um, and said I have an idea, for he had been in our shows before and he said I have an idea for an all-youth produced show. We have a group of us who have this like kind of informal council and we would love to do a fully youth show that we get to direct, that we get to costume design, that's all youth. And so I said pitch me, come, pitch me. And they did.
Speaker 2:Were you blown away I was, because they could answer every question I had, um, and it was great.
Speaker 2:And so we we talked through shows that they would want to do, um, how that would work, what that could look like, and we all of that, from from all of that was born youth driven theater. Um, a little of what we kind of already were doing. We have formalized so during our summer production specifically. We have formalized so during our summer production specifically. We have a large number of youth that work behind the scenes on that show On Wizard or on James On Wizard, okay, on the summer musicals. And every year it seems like kind of more and more youth come work behind the scenes on those shows, okay, from helping build sets to painting, to whatever their skill is and whatever they're interested in Helping with costume design and building, helping with technology, running a light board or running a spotlight, doing the deck crew, moving props on and off the stage, helping with props all of that. And they're incredibly talented youth who want to do this and a lot of them want to do it for a living.
Speaker 2:And so they're getting extremely important hands-on experience doing this with Arts One, and so Youth Driven Theater. What we did this year was we said, okay, we'll give you a show and we're going to work with you to help you produce the show. We're going to provide the structure of how we would structure planning a show, okay, and we're going to provide you professional mentors for kind of each department and then we'll, you know, help you get it licensed and all of that, and then you're going to do it. And that's what's happening right now. They are in week two of rehearsals, but they did auditions, okay.
Speaker 1:I feel like those were in June, but I could be making that up. No auditions were just a couple weeks ago okay, see, I lie, I lie all the time listen a couple weeks ago.
Speaker 2:Feels like June right now. Um so yeah.
Speaker 1:I remember seeing the graphics for the audition, so in my head that was June, but yeah, yeah, okay so.
Speaker 2:So they did auditions, they cast the show, they've been in rehearsal, um, and you know the the sets being designed, the costumes are being designed, but you know we work with them on what a budget looks like for a show, what the licensing looks like, what the venue costs, I mean. So they kind of are getting an idea of all of the things and then they're taking it to the next level just constantly, and then they're taking it to the next level just constantly. So I'm super excited to see this end product because these are some of the most talented youth in northwest Arkansas who wanted to take ownership of doing something like this.
Speaker 2:You know they've had the opportunity to be in shows and maybe like be the assistant on something, but not necessarily to fully execute.
Speaker 2:So we have, you know, a minor running like concessions, and he's been helping with concessions every summer for the last several summers and, like he knows it better than I do, um, and so that's really super cool. The costume designers designs that I've seen. I'm blown away by um. So, yeah, I'm just really excited to see. When is this show? This show is October 9th through 11th at the medium. Okay, we're back at the we're back at the meeting.
Speaker 1:so it's like you started at the medium and you're like kind of going back to the media, we are. So three of our four shows are at the medium. Okay, we're back at the medium, we're back at the medium. So it's like you started at the medium and you're like kind of going back to the medium.
Speaker 2:We are. So three of our four shows are at the medium this year. Oh is the radio show at the medium yeah, 1940s radio hours at the medium as well in November. But yeah, so James and the Giant Peach fully youth produced show Early October. It is October 9th through 11th that is like around the corner. It is around the corner Shows are fast turnarounds. It's really crazy.
Speaker 1:In my head. You need six months to plan for this, because I would need a minimum of six months.
Speaker 2:Me too. I think people would be surprised that you know, usually like two months to three months max is how long a show might get worked on. Okay, and in most ways Sometimes you know there's a lot of other kind of meetings and pre-planning that happens but yeah, so this one is coming up October 9th through 11th Tickets are already on sale.
Speaker 1:So one weekend right, Because it's not a summer.
Speaker 2:So we put it in one weekend. There's one weekend Friday, saturday, sunday. It's Friday, it's Thursday, friday and two Saturdays. So there's four performances. They are doing a fifth performance, but that fifth performance is going to be for Springdale students as a field trip. Oh, wow, I know. So that's our first time to really get to do that too. I love that, and we thought that this would be a great one for them, because it's a play, not the musical version. It's a play. There is some music included, but it's a little bit shorter than our typical long musicals and because youth produced it, they're going to do a youth Q&A afterwards.
Speaker 1:I mean, it's like their own tiny film festival.
Speaker 2:It is. It's so cool, so, so, yeah, so that's happening in october. Tickets are already on sale on our website, arts1presentsorg. Um, and look for james and the giant peach on the home page. Um, that one, that program, our youth driven theater program, has specific sponsorship opportunities and donation opportunities. Um, and and part of it is because it's an extremely unique program how we are kind of setting up their seed fund for future shows and for future programs of theirs, because this is brand new for you all yeah for sure.
Speaker 2:So this is kind of a very specific program that we're doing now that does have an opportunity for separate kind of funding sources too. But we have a matching grant with the Kerr Foundation right now that we are working on donations specifically for youth-driven theater as part of that matching grant for the Kerr Foundation, which is only $5,000.
Speaker 1:It's only a $5,000 match and we'll get it probably by the end of the year. I think you'll probably get it by the end of the year?
Speaker 2:I hope so too, but you have to have it by April of 26. Correct, and so we are fundraising for that. There's also a specific portion of our site on the donate page where you can help support that matching grant towards youth-driven theater right now too, and you're going to do an ask at the gala, absolutely For this.
Speaker 1:We sure will. Okay, we're running tight on time. Yes, so let's touch on the radio show in November, because this is super unique I love the 1940s radio hour.
Speaker 2:Anybody that knows me knows that this is probably my favorite show and it's a show that I was a part of in high school, which was a million years ago. But it is such a fun show. It's a holiday show-esque and it is also music that you already know and love. So it's taking music. It's set Christmas Eve in 1942. It all takes place on one set, which is a radio studio and how radio was done back then. So all the jingles that were done in-house and you're going to get to hear Like people trying to make the sounds in the background Correct All the thing.
Speaker 1:It's amazing. And so that's exactly what you're going to get to hear, like people trying to make the sounds in the background, correct all the thing it was it's amazing, and so that's exactly what you're going to see.
Speaker 2:It's like watching a live radio show, because you're watching a live radio show from the 40s, so you know you may hear boogie, woogie, bugle boy, which again, who?
Speaker 1:doesn't know that.
Speaker 2:Yes, um and so, but then there's, you know, because it's christmas eve, there's a holiday, themes and songs woven into that as well, so that one's November 20th through 23rd at the medium Is that the weekend before Thanksgiving. It is the weekend before Thanksgiving, so if you have family in town already, bring your family.
Speaker 1:This will be one that's fun for all. It's a great way to kick off the holiday season. It really will be. It really will be and it's back at the medium.
Speaker 2:You said that, yeah, we're going to do some fun things with our drink menu and all kinds of stuff it lends itself to nothing but fun. Yes, so I can't wait to bring some vintage into our world, and it's a great way to close out your season. Yeah, we do. We're going to kind of have this like out with a bang, with 1940s, and then, you know, we'll have announced our next year.
Speaker 1:And then you know, we'll have announced our next year and we'll do some planning and you know, hopefully maybe go to sleep for eight hours or something. I was driving today. I was thinking how many hours of sleep do I really get? And I was like, oh, it's really not to eight. No, I know, I wanted it to be I wanted to surprise myself and be like you're not really tired. You're really getting eight hours of sleep. No, I'm not.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and it's funny when you do go from you know a couple of shows a year to like four and a half shows a year, you just stay in production.
Speaker 1:And so to me, when I'm like in production, I'm like, oh, it's okay if I don't sleep and now I'm like, okay, well, if we stay in production mode, then we got to recalibrate Exactly. I'm like no, no, that's not healthy, ann, that's right, that's right. Let me ask one last question. I should have asked this in part one, but I just I forgot it. Now I just remembered it. We're going to go back to gala for like 10 seconds, so we're going to like wrap. Are you going to do this annually, to do this annually the gala.
Speaker 2:Yes Are we looking at annual or every other.
Speaker 1:That is the plan.
Speaker 2:Annual gala. Right now is the plan and again, part of it is the necessity of keeping theater alive, keeping community theater alive. It's just going to take extra efforts to fundraise and you know, for people to come see our shows, it's the best way to get to know us and then, if you haven't gotten to see our shows, we's the best way to get to know us. And then, if you haven't gotten to see our shows, we're going to give you another opportunity with a gala to show you everything we do in about two and a half hours.
Speaker 1:I'm so excited because I mean back under the bus I go. I missed both shows this year. I do not plan on missing the second or the last two, so, but I'm excited to see snippets from Sound and Wizard.
Speaker 2:That's right, you're going to get a little taste of it all. Yeah, I love it.
Speaker 1:And thank you, thank you. You and I could talk for hours on this stuff and I soak it up, even though I this was never an interest in my world. But I soak it up and I'm like, oh, this is so interesting. Oh, my gosh, now I understand why we need to give to the arts and community theater and I'm like, yes, I get it, I get it, I get it.
Speaker 2:I know you're going to love it.
Speaker 1:It's going to be great, I love it. Okay, well, thank you so much. I appreciate you coming back, so maybe you should come back every summer, I would love it.
Speaker 2:Anytime you want me, I'll be on this podcast. It's a date. It's a date.
Speaker 1:Thank you so much to Anne. Thank you to Arts. One Presents Special shout out to Hershey's home of the salty snacks that we all love Dot's Home Style Pretzels. Have you had Cinnamon Sugar? Oh, they're my favorite.
Speaker 2:They're to die for yes.
Speaker 1:Pirate Booty and Skinny Pops.
Speaker 2:So we need all those at the productions. Obviously I lived off of the Cinnamon Sugar One Staring Sound of Music. They're amazing.
Speaker 1:So thank you to Hershey's and thank you to Anne and Arts One Presents, and we'll see you next time.