OLT Showcase a Big Hit with Winrock Tour Attendees

BY LARRY BLOCK –

On Wednesday and Thursday, September 18 and 19, Mena’s Regina Walker brought a group of 27 people, the WinRock International Foundation Sustainability Tour to Mena, to visit with several local organizations to learn about their sustainability efforts. Additionally, the group enjoyed meals at several local eating establishments, including Spinelli’s Italian Grill and the new American Artisans Café. For entertainment, they spent a very entertaining hour-and-a-half on Wednesday evening at the Ouachita Little Theatre (OLT), being exposed to a pretty extensive sampling of what the OLT has to offer, in the form of The OLT Community Showcase.

The show opened with a “Buffalo Bill” Intro from Annie Get Your Gun, by Scotty Jenkins, who introduced the history of the OLT presented by Rudi Timmerman. Then the series of brief performances began with “Fugue for Tin Horns from Guys n Dolls featuring Tim Hesse, Jeffery Matthews, and Austin Cain, followed by a monologue from Christmas Belles by Deborah Tennison.

Examples of OLT musicals featured Brandi Benner singing “The Sound of Music” from Sound of Music: and “Defying Gravity” from Wicked. Excellent timing was displayed in  “The Argument Clinic” from Monty Python with Jeffery Matthews and Jefferson Smith, followed by The Irish Dance, by OLT dancer and choreographer, Jennifer Ogger.

Serious drama was performed by Linda Schell and Delani Moe with two scenes from Steel Magnolias plus a touching scene from Little Woman with Junior OLT (JOLT) members Morgan Richmond and Ariana Kelly. OLT President Tim Hesse sang “I Dreamed a Dream” from Les Miserables, and “Cantina Band Dance” from Star Wars, was performed by Jennifer Ogger, Kassi Moe, and Jessia Moe. “Alto’s Lament” was Deborah Tennison’s singing contribution. A surprise element in the show was that Angel and Tia Moe, who announced each act, individually, came together to perform a scene from The Parent Trap, and startled the audience by exposing what they thought was one 10-year-old girl announcing each act, was in fact twins.

After first appearing as Buffalo Bill, Scotty Jenkins returned to the stage to provide the “Van Helsing” Monologue from Count Dracula followed by an example of the annual radio shows the OLT presents during the Lum and Abner Festival, in June, with the Lum and Abner Radio Show, Rowena Has A Suitor, provided by The Old Lyric Players arm of the OLT, with Lamar Austin, Larry Block, Mae Block, Bill Hays, Scotty Jenkins, Darryl Smith, Teddy Terral, and TJ Thompson. The show ended with an eerie return to the stage of Angel and Tia Moe, with their scary rendition of “Come Play with us… Forever!”

For information about upcoming shows and events at the OLT, call the OLT information line at (479) 243-0186, or visit the OLT website at www.oltmena.com.

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Jeri Pearson

Jeri is the News Director for Pulse Multi-Media and Editor of The Polk County Pulse. She has 10 years of experience in community focused journalism and has won multiple press association awards.

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