ENTERTAINMENT: Pulaski County Fair kicks off on North Little Rock riverfront | The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

FUN

The fourth year Pulaski County Fair takes place Friday through May 27 at North Little Rock’s Riverfront Park, 120 Riverfront Drive, on the banks of the Arkansas River. (The fair will be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.) It will feature the PBJ Happee Days carnival midway, rides, fun games, petting zoo and novelty vendors, with food options ranging from traditional fair favorites to gourmet treats. The fair will debut a new BMX sports feature and a beer tent with live music and adult beverages.

The presenter/sponsor is Oaklawn Hot Springs. Admission is $5, free for children 10 and under. Single-ride tickets are $1; an all-day wristband — $22 until Friday at the Little Rock tourism office, 600 Main St., North Little Rock, $30 after that — offers unlimited rides. A portion of the fair profits go to North Little Rock Parks & Recreation. Visit thepulaskicountyfair.net or facebook.com/thepulaskicountyfair.

MUSIC

‘HEARTbeats’ camera

The close-up! Steinway Salon Chamber Series closes its 2023-24 season with a concert titled “Heartbeats,” 3pm Sunday at Steinway Piano Gallery Little Rock, 657 Arkansas 365, Mayflower. Timothy MacDuff, viola, and Jaeyeon Park, piano, play “Passacaglia on an Old English Tune” by Rebecca Clarke. Leanne Day-Simpson, violin, and Haeshin Shin, piano, perform William Grant Still’s Suite for Violin and Piano. Shin and David Gerstein, cello, play “Orion” for cello and piano by Toru Takemitsu. And violinist Meredith Maddox Hicks joins Day-Simpson, MacDuff, Gerstein and Park for Antonin Dvorák’s Piano Quintet No. 2 in A major, op.81. Tickets are $25, $10 for students. Call (501) 940-1562 or visit steinwaylr.com/close-up.

Keith Harper and Miki Gaynor are on stage in “Breaking the Box,” today and Friday, May 16-17, at the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts in Little Rock. (Special to the Democrat-Gazette/Dylan Pojar-Weatherly)

THEATER

‘Breaking the box’

“Breaking the Box” a live performance that combines documentary theater with fiction, videos and music to examine race, education and the “school-to-prison pipeline” in America, is on stage at 6:30 pm today through Friday in the Amerine/Calhoun Glass Box at the Museum of Arkansas Fine Arts, 501 E. Ninth St., Little Rock. Producer/actor Keith Harper and moderator Alexandria Brown will lead a discussion after each performance. Because of the subject matter, the show’s producers recommend it for audiences ranging from high school students to adults. It is part of a Sparking Dialogue Through Drama series, which presents theatrical experiences with a social theme for adolescent audiences, with the support of the Alice L. Walton Foundation. Entry is free. Visit events.arkmfa.org/event/sparking-dialogue.

“Daughter of the American West, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor” and Katherine Strause’s “Bea Kirian: Champion Relay and Roman Rider” are part of the “Fierce Women” exhibit at North Little Rock’s Argenta Library. (Special to the Democrat-Gazette)

ART

‘Fierce women’

“Fierce Women” Paintings by Katherine Strause that explore themes of racism, gender bias and social contradictions will be displayed at the Argenta Art District’s Third Friday Art Walk reception on Friday at the Argenta Library Gallery, 420 Main St., North Little Rock. The exhibition remains open until June 7th. Library hours are 9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. Entry is free. Call (501) 687-1061 or visit NLRlibrary.org.

ETC..

‘Butterflies and Bees’

Leslie Fowler Cooper of QuailForever gives a talk titled “Butterflies and Bees,” 9 a.m. Saturday at the Bell House in downtown Mount Holly Cemetery, 1200 Broadway, Little Rock, part of the 2024 Mount Holly Garden Series. The session also includes coffee and door prizes. Admission is by suggested donation of $5; proceeds benefit the cemetery. Provide your own lawn chair. Call (501) 372-3372 or email mewtfrontporchlady@gmail.com.

AUDITIONS

Auditions for two shows

Actors Theater of Little Rock is holding auditions for two productions, by appointment, on May 25, starting at 10 a.m., at Quapaw Quarter United Methodist Church, 1601 Louisiana St., Little Rock:

◼ “What the Constitution Means to Me” by Heidi Shreck. Auditions will consist of script readings; the theater will provide “sides” once the audition appointment is set. Audition participants must be 14 years or older by July 1st. No role was pre-defined. All functions are paid. Laura Grimes directs. Production dates are September 11-21; Rehearsals will begin around July 29th.

◼ “Dance Nation” by Clare Barron. Test takers must be 18 years or older by August 1st. No role was pre-defined. All functions are paid. Auditions will consist of script readings; “sides” will be available once the appointment is scheduled. The piece involves dancers ages 11 to 14, but performers of any age are welcome regardless of similarity to teens, and dancers and non-dancers of all experience levels are encouraged to audition. This program contains coarse language, depictions of self-harm and sexual situations; “Characters also display preparation moments on stage, which may require actors to dress or undress on stage,” according to actorstheatrelr.org/auditions. Lauren Carlton directs. Production dates are October 30-November. 9; rehearsals will begin in mid-August.

Character analyses, plot summaries and more information are available at actorstheatrelr.org/auditions. Email casting@actorstheatrelr.org to schedule an appointment.

TICKETS

Martinho Lourenço

Comedian Martin Lawrence, starring in his first comedy tour since 2016, brings his “You guys know what it is!” tour to North Little Rock’s Simmons Bank Arena for an 8pm concert on April 5th. Guest comedians will be Deon Cole and Benji Brown. Tickets – $49.50 to $129.50 – go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday at the arena box office or online at ticketmaster.com or martinlawrenceontour.com.