Theater

Arkansas Repertory Theatre
The Arkansas Repertory Theatre (commonly called “the Rep”) was founded in Little Rock (Pulaski County) by ...
Lucille (Lucy) Babcock (1921–1993)
Lucille (Lucy) Babcock was a noted actress in theater and television who established the first community theat...
Ballet Arkansas
Ballet Arkansas is a professional dance company headquartered in Little Rock (Pulaski County). Ballet Arkansas...
Fran Bennett (1937–)
Fran Bennett is an actress who has worked in theater, television, and films. She appeared on stage across the ...
Maxwell Blade (1962–)
Maxwell Blade is an illusionist and comedian based in downtown Hot Springs (Garland County) is a well-known at...
J. B. Bobo (1910–1996)
With such a colorful name, it is small wonder that magician J. B. Bobo is known throughout the world. Adults a...
Irene Castle (1893–1969)
Irene Castle was a famous ballroom dancer in the 1910s to the 1930s who appeared in several silent movies and ...
Community Theatre
The Community Theatre in Pine Bluff (Jefferson County) is one of the oldest one-screen, nickelodeon-type theat...
Rhonda Lee Oglesby Coullet (1945–)
Rhonda Lee Oglesby Coullet was the only Miss Arkansas ever to resign her title. After briefly fulfilling her r...
Lorraine Albert Cranford (1918–2004)
Lorraine Albert Cranford was the founder of Ballet Arkansas—a company that traces its roots to the Little Ro...
Melinda Ruth Dillon (1939–2023)
Melinda Dillon was an American actress who appeared in dozens of movies, plays, and television shows. She was ...
Drag Shows
Arkansas has a long history of cross dressing, often called dressing in “drag.” Drag shows in the state ha...
Farkleberry Follies
The Farkleberry Follies were a popular musical and theatrical stage show that spoofed politicians and other ne...
Honey Bruce Friedman (1927–2005)
aka: Honey Harlow
aka: Harriett Jolliff
Harriett Jolliff was an Arkansas-born entertainer best known as the...
Harvey Wilson Goodwin (1912–1992)
aka: Harvey Lee
Harvey Wilson Goodwin, who used the stage name Harvey Lee, was a gi...
Greek Amphitheatre (Magnolia)
The Greek Amphitheatre, located at the junction of East Lane Drive, East University Street, and Crescent Drive...
Gridiron
The Gridiron Show is a satirical musical production that makes good-natured fun of prominent people in politic...
Lawrence Olivier Hamilton (1954–2014)
Lawrence Olivier Hamilton was a Broadway star who appeared in such shows as Porgy and Bess, The Wiz, and Jelly...
Allie Cleveland Harrison (1924–2012)
Allie Cleveland Harrison was a professor of the dramatic arts who, for more than four decades, made a mark in ...
Bill Hicks (1961–1994)
Bill Hicks was an American stand-up comedian and social critic in the tradition of Lenny Bruce and Richard Pry...
Gertrude Hadley Jeannette (1914–2018)
Throughout her career, Gertrude Hadley Jeannette was a playwright, producer, director, and actress with roles ...
Minstrel Shows
Popular during the nineteenth century, the minstrel show was one of the earliest forms of theatrical entertain...
Charlotte Moorman (1933–1991)
aka: Madeline Charlotte Moorman Garside
Charlotte Moorman was a cellist, avant-garde performance artist, an...
Murry's Dinner Playhouse
In 1967, Ike Murry—the attorney general of Arkansas from 1949 to 1953 and a gubernatorial candidate in 1952...
Amina Claudine Myers (1942–)
Arkansas native Amina Claudine Myers is a noted pianist, singer, educator, recording artist, and composer who ...
Opera in the Ozarks at Inspiration Point
Opera in the Ozarks at Inspiration Point is a summer program that trains opera singers and stages performances...
Saenger Theatre
The Saenger Theatre, which opened in Pine Bluff (Jefferson County) on November 17, 1924, was called “The Sho...
Fay Templeton (1865–1939)
Born into a theatrical family, Fay Templeton excelled on the legitimate and vaudeville stages for more than ha...
Theater
Although Arkansas was often considered wild and uncultured in its early history, the state has a consistent th...
Will Carl Trice (1979–)
Will Carl Trice is an accomplished theater producer who has received multiple Tony Awards for his various prod...
John Werner Trieschmann IV (1964–)
John Werner Trieschmann IV is a playwright and professor living in Little Rock (Pulaski County). Trieschmann...
Weekend Theater
Located at the corner of 7th and Chester streets in Little Rock (Pulaski County), the Weekend Theater has root...