UA Little Rock’s School of Literary and Performing Arts Offers Students Immersive Experiences

With the fall semester coming to a close, the School of Literary and Performing Arts at UA Little Rock reflects on the increase in experiential learning offerings for its students since the school's inception in 2022.

Through student-led productions, community partnerships, literary publishing experiences, collaborative performances, and more, the school provides hands-on opportunities to work with renowned artists and alumni across genres and mediums.

Student-Led Productions
This academic year marks the second residency with Tectonic Theatre Company at UA Little Rock, a collaboration that began in October 2023 and focuses on the creative processes required in a production from start to finish.

Most known for their original groundbreaking production of "The Laramie Project," Tectonic Theatre Company teaches students about "Moment Work" education, where students are "[exploring] the theatrical potential of all elements of the stage in order to create strong theatrical and dramatic narratives from the ground up," according to The Moment Work Institute website.

[Link]Students attend the first Tectonic Theatre Company workshop at UA Little Rock where Jimmy Maize leads a Moment Work session.

In the spring 2025 semester as part of its residency at UA Little Rock, Tectonic Theatre Company will provide mentorship to a student-led directing and design team, which will result in a full, student-created production that will be showcased April 17-20 in Haislip Theatre.

Jimmy Maize, a Tectonic Theatre Company member who was US Associate Director of Broadway's "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child," will guide the students while in residence at UA Little Rock in the spring semester.

Maize's previous projects include Broadway's "33 Variations" featuring Jane Fonda, "The Laramie Project: 10 Years Later," and "One Arm." He was also named an Old Vic New Voices Fellow and a Princess Grace Nominee.

The residency with Tectonic Theatre Company was made possible, in part, through the Kerry Kennedy Aspiring Playwright Endowed Fund.

"The Kerry Kennedy Aspiring Playwright Endowed Fund has had a tremendous impact on our programs and our school," said Stacy Pendergraft, co-director of the school. "For over two decades, this fund has allowed us to provide opportunities for our students to perform and study playwriting both on campus and across the nation in ways that wouldn't be possible without this support."

Community Partnerships
The school is also expanding a growing list of community partners; the Federal Bureau of Investigation, UAMS Centers for Simulation Education, UA Little Rock Downtown and the School of Nursing, the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts Children's Theatre, the Central Arkansas Library System, and others give students the opportunity to work and connect with industry professionals while pursuing their degree.

"We've been intentional about crafting these partnerships-whether it's with our alumni or community partners-and we're looking forward to the new opportunities that will be offered for our students across all three programs within the school," Pendergraft said.

[Link]Alumna Emily Wold leads theatre arts students on a tour of her mobile sound recording studio.
Photo by Benjamin Krain.

Examples of alumni partners include Emily Wold, owner of Fablehound LLC, who partnered with the school to host a voiceover workshop on campus.

With Wold's commercial experience with international businesses such as Google, Kayak, Disney, Whataburger, and more, she taught students about the industry and gave them hands-on experience with the "Fablebus," Wold's fully equipped mobile recording studio.

In fall 2024, the school also collaborated with the Sequoyah National Research Center and UA Little Rock Downtown for a play reading in honor of Native American Heritage Month. An open call across the UA Little Rock campus allowed students, faculty, and staff from all backgrounds to participate in a reading of "William Tincup's Squaw" by Diane Glancy.

Literary Publishing Experiences

[Link]Equinox 2023 Cover. Cover art by Mark Grebinger.

Along with residencies and workshops, the school's English program also offers the opportunity to work with and write for "Equinox," a student-run journal of contemporary literature written by undergraduate students from across the nation.

Students in the English program can receive course credit for completing a semester internship that focuses on literary publishing and includes working on the journal.

In November, the school hosted a launch party in celebration of the newest issue.

"With over 50 years of 'Equinox,' it's exciting to see how the literary magazine has changed throughout time," said Dr. Kris McAbee, co-director of the school. "It's a wonderful opportunity to both showcase emerging writers and give students real-life opportunities to learn more about publishing in the literary sphere."

Collaborative Concerts and Performances
The school produced a record number of performances in the fall 2024 semester, which showcased new, collaborative concerts that brought together instruments, abilities, and programs.

New concerts for the fall semester included a collaborative concert featuring UA Little Rock Choirs and the UA Little Rock Percussion Ensemble. The concert, titled "Celestial Awakening," featured work by American poets Sara Teasdale, Emily Dickinson, and Walt Whitman.

As part of the school's collaborative nature, Assistant Professor of English Dr. Heather Hummel joined the music students in rehearsals to discuss and look deeper into the poetry.

"Dr. Bunting and I have been imagining this collaborative concert for a couple of years, and all the pieces seemed to fall into place as we began planning concerts for this semester," Dr. Lorissa Mason, the director of choral activities, said. "Providing opportunities for our students to perform together is a rewarding experience."

[Link]Students in the School of Literary and Performing Arts perform at Jazz in the Alley. Photo courtesy of UA Little Rock Downtown.

In addition to "Celestial Awakening," the school also hosted a concert special called "Jazz in the Alley" in collaboration with UA Little Rock Downtown and the very first piano ensemble concert.

"These experiences expose students to innovative approaches in theatre arts, music, and English, and they also, importantly, allow students to build relevant connections in their respective industries," said Dr. Sarah Beth Estes, dean of the College of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences, and Education where the School of Literary and Performing Arts is housed. "These immersive experiences represent a gold standard in student learning."

To find information on upcoming events and the school's offerings, visit the School of Literary and Performing Arts website. For additional questions, contact Caelon Colbert, the school's coordinating assistant, at [email protected] or 501-916-3291.

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.