ENTERTAINMENT: Touring troupe tackles Tchaikovsky’s ‘Nutcracker’ | Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

DANCE

Magical ballet

An international ensemble brings its 32nd North American tour of Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker” — billed as “NUTCRACKER! Magical Christmas Ballet” — to Little Rock, 5 p.m. Tuesday at Robinson Center Performance Hall, 426 W. Markham St. at Broadway.

Ukrainian ballerinas Karyna Shatkovskaya and Elena Pechenyuk are reprising the role of Clara/Masha, with principal dancers hailing from Ukraine, Japan, Italy, the United Kingdom and Poland enacting scenes from the ballet, newly reimagined by Polish choreographer Viktor Davydiuk, that blend classical ballet with avant-garde circus techniques.

The Act II setting in this touring production shifts the action from the Land of the Sweets to the “Land of Peace and Harmony,” complete with “Doves of Peace” and 10-foot animal puppets that frame the “character” dances “representing five of the world’s great heritages,” according to a news release. New this year: the Herald, a Cyr Wheel artist who embodies the spirit of the forest, as Clara’s second-act guide.

The tour also marks the debut of the “Nutcracker! Magical Christmas Cookbook,” featuring recipes centering on the ballet’s characters, global culinary traditions and the Twelve Days of Christmas, illustrated by Ukrainian artist Yelyzaveta Bondarenko.

Tickets are $35-$85. Visit nutcracker.com or Ticketmaster.com.

THEATER

Hendrix at ‘play’

The Hendrix-Murphy Foundation and the Hendrix College theater arts and dance department are accepting entries from Hendrix students and alumni for the 2024-25 Hendrix-Murphy Student and Alumni Playwriting Contests. A professional playwright will judge and submit a written evaluation of each entry. Cash prizes of $750 and $400 go to the first- and second-place winners of each contest. One play “of significant promise” will receive a staged reading in Hendrix’s annual Playwright’s Theatre in fall 2025.

All plays (one submission per playwright) must be original, unpublished and not previously produced or read in any venue. There are no restrictions of subject or style. Review the contest rules and Modern Play format guide via hendrixmurphy.org/playwriting-contests prior to submission. Submit student and alumni play submissions by 5 p.m. Feb. 7 to Tiffany Pickett, communication & events manager at the Hendrix-Murphy Foundation, by email at [email protected].

AMFA residency

Fergie L. Philippe, best known for playing Hercules Mulligan and James Madison in “Hamilton” on Broadway from 2020 to 2022 and also on tour, will become an artist-in-residence at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts.

He will be the museum’s first resident performing artist since its grand opening in April 2023 and as part of his residency will direct the Children’s Theatre production of “An Unlikely Hero” by Emilio Rodriguez, onstage Jan. 18-19 and 25-26.

Philippe’s Broadway credits also include playing Sir Sagramore in Aaron Sorkin’s 2023 re-imagining of Lerner & Loewe’s “Camelot.” He has made TV guest appearances on “The Gilded Age” (HBO), “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit” (NBC), “Here on Out” (Amazon Prime) and “The Good Fight” (Paramount+). He is wrapping up his run as Kristoff in “Frozen” at Theatre Under the Stars in Houston.

Originally from Miami, he studied musical theater at Elon University in North Carolina. Some of his first professional acting roles were with the Arkansas Shakespeare Theater in Conway.

The children’s play, a co-production of Metro Theatre Company in St. Louis, and Trike Theater in Bentonville, is set in a school where having superpowers seems crucial to fitting in. It’s part of the TYA BIPOC Superhero Project, a national partnership involving 22 playwrights and 24 theaters for young audiences “dedicated to creating a new generation of plays about heroes for young people,” according to a news release. Tickets are $15, $12 for museum members.

The museum is hosting a free opening-weekend family festival, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Jan. 18, featuring family-friendly comic books, art-making activities and meetings with guest authors and artists.

After the 10:30 a.m. show on Jan. 25, Philippe is facilitating a free puppet-making workshop, titled “Puppet Power: Create Your Own Hero,” for youngsters age 5 and older. Admission is free.

Philippe will give an artist talk at 6 p.m. Jan. 15, “a behind-the-curtain look at what it takes to perform on Broadway’s biggest stages, including brief musical selections from his recent projects,” according to the news release. Admission is free.

And his musical theater masterclass, 3:30-5:30 p.m. Jan. 19, will offer “insightful, hands-on instruction designed for aspiring performers aged 16-plus,” according to the news release. Cost is $40, or $32 for museum members. Registration is required.

Find ticket information and register for Philippe’s artist talk and masterclass at events.arkmfa.org.

AUDITIONS

‘Prometheus Bound’

Pine Bluff’s ARTx3 Campus is auditioning performers for a stylized readers’ theater presentation of “Prometheus Bound,” the classic Greek tale by Aeschylus in a modern translation by Bryan Doerries, 6-9 p.m. Jan. 24 at the Adam B. Robinson Jr. Black Box Theater, ART WORKS on Main, 627 S. Main St., Pine Bluff. There are roles for seven actors, 18 or older, plus members of a chorus. Auditions are in an open, cattle-call format; performers of all levels are welcome and no experience is necessary. Complete the form at artx3.org/all-events/prometheus-bound-auditions to register and select two selections from the script to read. The script-in-hand performances, March 13-16, will focus on storytelling and connection with the audience. Call (870) 536-3375 or email [email protected].