Newsletter - Go With The Flow and Get In The Know
WONDERFUL LIFE Restart Article - December 4, 2023
Need a little help getting into the Christmas spirit? Then book tickets to see WONDERFUL LIFE, a one-person version of the classic holiday film, returning to Main Stage this Friday for nine more performances. In this 75 minute performance, award-winning actor Christopher Willard plays all the residents of Bedford Falls, plus a certain Angel Second Class named Clarence, tasked with saving George Bailey in his hour of need.
“The show is the film onstage, but told through a different lens,” says Willard, who describes the production as a deeper dive into the story. “The original narrative is there at the core, but this one’s delivered by Clarence who allows the characters to reveal their own sides of the story. It’s a wonderful new take and beautifully written.”
It’s also beautifully supported by clever staging and immersive sound and lighting. In fact, there are over 200 light and sound cues in the production.
“It’s not just one guy blabbing for an hour and change,” Willard says. “The goal is to use all the theatrical tools at our disposal to totally transport audiences into the world of the play.”
That goal seems to be working, gauging from the reactions of people who saw the production on opening weekend:
“The actor draws you in with charm and humor, then delivers an emotional finale that leaves you with tears of joy.” “Spellbinding.” “Like spending an hour with dear, old friends.”
But what if you’ve already seen the film a million times? Why see this production?
“There’s always something to learn from the oldest of stories,” Willard says. “Plus, it’s a live stage version, and that experience can’t be rivaled. The language is lovely, like poetry, and the visuals, stunning. The staging, too, is completely unique. The audience surrounds the stage on three sides, so it’s a different experience no matter where you sit in the space. ”
After more than 75 years, why is It’s A Wonderful Life still relevant today?
“It’s always been about family and community,” Willard offers, “and that value isn’t lessening anytime soon. The story reminds us of the important things in our world, of kindness and connection, and how the little things are what matter most. It’s a wonderful message to take into the holidays.”
A Christmas gift for the Eureka Springs area, WONDERFUL LIFE plays Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 PM and Sundays at 3 PM until December 26. For a full show schedule, visit lakefrontarts.org. Pricing is $16/adults, $12/children (ages 6-18). Tickets may be purchased at the door one hour before performance time or online at ReserveEureka.com/attractions/wonderfullife.
For more information, call 417.896.0978.
GOOD DAY NWA Interview - November 21, 2023
WONDERFUL LIFE Inspires at Main Stage - Press Release November 17, 2023
Helen R. Murray and Jason Lott’s stage adaptation of the holiday classic, It’s a Wonderful
Life is called, simply, Wonderful Life — shorter than the original title, but broader in scope. The same can be said of the adaptation. With just one actor playing 15 characters for 75 minutes on an almost bare stage, it retells the 1947 Frank Capra story with striking immediacy.
In a virtuosic performance, award-winning actor Christopher Willard portrays all the
residents of Bedford Falls, New York on a fateful Christmas Eve when angels, alternate realities, and miracles change the way we see our place in the world. The stage version takes the audience deeper into the characters and situations from the classic film.
“We learn more about George and Mary, and Ma Bailey and Uncle Billy, and even
town villain Henry F. Potter,” Willard explains. “It’s an exciting way to experience the tale like
it’s the first time.”
We all know the story. Quintessential nice guy, George Bailey, is called to account for a
financial mistake that threatens him and his beloved Bedford Falls with ruin, forces him into a life crisis, triggering Clarence, his guardian angel, to show him all the positive things that
wouldn’t have happened if he had never lived.
“The play is told through Clarence’s eyes,” Willard says. “A bumbling Virginia
clockmaker, whose gears get a little gummy, he provides much of the comic relief for the
evening.”
Humor is a big part of the storytelling, necessary to temper the dramatic action.
“Dorothy Parker was a ghost writer on the original screenplay,” Willard explains, “and
some of her great comic lines show up in this script. But Helen and Jason have matched her
famous wit with some worthy additions of their own.”
In bare-bones presentations like this, the script is all.
“It’s almost Shakespearean. You don’t need much to tell the story. Just one actor, a
bench, a few hand props, and whatever lighting and sound you have on hand,” Willard says.
The pared-down approach of the Murray/Lott adaptation heightens the story’s
contemporary resonance. Potter’s hard-nosed opposition to handouts vs. George’s insistence on financial equity comes through loud and clear. As does the pain that can lead to suicide and its aftermath. And then, there is the example of George Bailey and the life he’s lived.
“It’s George’s belief in others that makes him a hero,” Willard says. “Like all good
leaders, he connects with people rather than divides them.”
Willard is having his own George Bailey moment, the sole force behind this soon-to-open
Main Stage production. Follow his lead, and discover a holiday show that’s funny, moving, and unexpectedly relevant.
Wonderful Life performs at Main Stage Creative Community Center, 67 N. Main Street
in Eureka Springs, AR. The complete show schedule is Nov. 24, 25, Dec. 8, 9, 15, 16, 22, 23, 26 at 7:30 PM and Nov. 25, Dec. 10, 17 at 3 PM. Tickets are $16 for adults and $12 for children ages 6-18. All seating is general admission. There show is presented without
intermission.
To make a reservation, order online at ReserveEureka.com/attractions/wonderfullife
or purchase tickets at the door. Box office opens one hour before scheduled showtime.
The show is made possible by a generous grant from the Eureka Springs Arts Council.
WONDERFUL LIFE Eureka Springs Channel Interview - November 13, 2023
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2p9DmpUoZQ8
Producer/Director Spotlight: CHRISTOPHER WILLARD - October 10, 2023
Another versatile FULLY COMMITTED team member is the show’s producer/director/set designer/builder/painter/props master/sound designer and stage manager, Christopher Willard — who also happens to be Producing Artistic Director of Lakefront Arts. (Talk about being “fully committed!”) We pitched a few questions about the show, what it’s like to wear so many hats, what went into the production, and what’s in store for the future of Lakefront Arts.
LAKEFRONT ARTS: You had a decades-long career producing shows in Colorado. What brought you to the Ozarks?
CHRISTOPHER WILLARD. My last thirteen years in Colorado were spent as artistic director in a resort town. By 2018, I was antsy to do freelance producing and directing again. I enjoyed a busy and successful 2019. I had an even more audacious 2020 planned. The pandemic scuttled that. I ended up relocating to the area to take care of family during lockdown, and, well, to quote Sondheim, I’m still here. It took some time to get me back out into the public eye. (I was retired, for all intents and purposes.) But I’m happy to be back doing what I’ve missed for so long.
LA: How did you choose to present FULLY COMMITTED in Eureka Springs?
CW: It was a combination of memory and timing, really. I did a show here 27 years ago and have fond memories of the experience. I was in that phase between Grad School and What Are You Gonna Be When You Grow Up. I met Pam Jones, Poco Carter, and Janet Alexander, three talented actors in Eureka Springs, and we spent the summer improvising and writing a sketch comedy show we put on for a few weekends. I re-read the pieces recently, and they still hold up after all these years. At the start of the pandemic, I met a local doctor who was involved in the area theatre scene. He gave me the idea to do FULLY COMMITTED at Main Stage. We set an opening date of May 2020. Obviously, that didn’t happen. Happily, the show got its opening night, albeit three years later.
LA: You were supposed to play the role of Sam in that production. What happened?
CW: I got older. And wiser. I mean, who wants to memorize 50 pages of dialogue? Kidding aside, I recognized the specific ask of this new version (the original script was revised in 2016) and the need for a younger performer to tell the story. Plus, my doctor friend left town, and I had no one to run tech. I thought it would be a snap to find an actor. Not so much. I’d done the part off and on for fifteen years. It was like second nature. I didn’t realize how fortunate I’d been to have done it — or how stupid/fearless I was to take it on in the first place. It’s the kind of theatrical challenge that scares even the bravest of actors. A one-person show? Playing forty characters? 90 minutes, alone onstage? Yeah, no thanks. I had to go all the way to Little Rock to find an actor who could meet the show on its own terms. It was a lucky day when I found Dakota Mansfield. He’s a great Sam. And an even better Bunny, Carol-Ann, Jean-Claude, Chef, Bob, Mrs. Sebag, and…oh, I lose count.
LA: The program lists you as FULLY COMMITTED’s producer, director, set and sound designer. Are you that energetic or just proving a point about the show’s title?
CW: Uhm…all of the above? As I said, I’m just out of hibernation. I don’t know anyone here. First shows are always a test to see if the community likes it, likes you, likes the organization’s mission. I picked up the slack on this one, but I’m hoping with time (and more shows), partnerships will form, and a whole community of artists will get involved with our product. Everyone at Main Stage has been amazing! Theatre is the most fun when great groups of artists create in a shared safe space, where ideas flow freely and are freely received, and where there’s a strong but supportive vision to help center the work. Basically, what I’m saying is, shoot me an email if you wanna get involved. And definitely shoot me a text if you want to donate to the cause. Theatre ain’t cheap. It takes money to make art this affordable.
LA: Koty’s great in the show, and we love the physical comedy bits (the Cheeto and the chairs), but we’ve been wondering about the Christmas lights. When Sam starts his day, half the decorative strands are non-functioning. Only the red bulbs are lit. Later on, the blue ones pop on. What’s the significance?
CW: Well, Sam is working the job from Hell, right? That Hellish red wash of light in the basement wouldn’t have been logical without a motivating source — like a strand of red holiday lights gone haywire. But really, the production concept came about from a small modification author Becky Mode made to her revised script. In the original version, Sam takes a call from an irate customer who demands he tell her his name. He lies and says it’s Herbert. In the revised version, he says he’s Dante instead. Mode is making a pointed allusion to THE DIVINE COMEDY, the famous poem by Dante about navigating the many circles of hell. Like the poem, Mode’s play has a Virgil character who helps Sam navigate his way out of Hell and through his own private Purgatory. Near the end of his day, Sam discovers an unlikely ally— a Beatrice — who solves a major career stumbling block so he can ascend into heaven (a better future). It’s at this point, the red lights switch to blue, and, after 90 minutes of struggle, Sam can finally breathe easier and climb the stairs to the rest of his life.
LA: It’s a very funny play, and the setting is a perfect compliment for a town full of 5-star restaurants like Eureka Springs. Was this behind your choice to do the show here?
CW: Very much so. I had a feeling it would resonate with the “foodies” who come here for the dining, the fine wine, and the occasional biker rally! It also ticked the box for an "event show” — something you can’t catch on streaming or at the cinema. Only in the theatre can you see Dakota Mansfield shred these characters and transform before your very eyes. It’s a hilarious show, yes, and wildly entertaining, but it’s also a vehicle for social criticism (how our culture stokes toxic privilege) and addresses timely issues (pay inequity and the struggles of the 99%). I always want to do shows with layers, that say something about the times in which we live. Be looking for more of these projects from us in the future.
LA: Speaking of which, what’s on tap next for Lakefront Arts?
CW: We’re finalizing plans for a family-friendly holiday show (title announcing soon) and some bigger cast shows for 2024, including a few original pieces and shows created to tour.
We plan to be visible in the area, to do shows people want to see and shows we want to produce. Currently, there’s no push to set a season. We’re following our hearts. What comes next is whatever interests us the most. We’re going to be just as surprised as you when we post what that is. Yet another thrill of live theatre!
The Art Of Being FULLY COMMITTED (Carroll County Papers, Sept. 29, 2023)
When the idea to produce FULLY COMMITTED in Eureka Springs came to Lakefront Arts Artistic Director, Christopher Willard, it was a no brainer.
“The show peeks behind the curtain of the restaurant business,” Willard said. “What better place to present it than in a Foodie Heaven like Eureka Springs? Audience members can grab a great meal, then dish with us on all that goes on back of the kitchen — and downstairs.”
The downstairs in FULLY COMMITTED is the makeshift call center for Manhattan’s hottest restaurant. There Sam, an out-of-work actor, takes reservation calls from celebrities, socialites, and New York types who will stop at nothing to score the perfect table at the perfect time. One actor plays all 40 characters in the span of 90 minutes. Hence, the show’s title.
“You have to be a little crazy to do this job,” Willard said. “But, then, the same could be said for anyone working in the high-stakes, cut-throat food industry, too.”
To realize the role of Sam, Willard enlisted the help of Little Rock actor, Dakota Mansfield, who tackles the 50 pages of dialogue while portraying every character and each side of the conversation onstage.
“If Koty drops a line, no one’s there to pick it up,” Willard added. “The only other actor is himself.”
Despite playing a bevy of crazy callers, Mansfield’s greatest creation is Sam, the likable down-to-earth Midwesterner trying to maintain his humanity working the job from hell.
“On the day we meet him, Sam is up for a career-making part at Lincoln Center,” Willard said. “Plus, his recently widowed father is trying to get him home for Christmas (a shift Sam is scheduled to cover). Can Sam satisfy his callers, his career, and his family without losing his soul in the process?”
FULLY COMMITTED was written twenty years ago but revised on Broadway in 2016 in a production starring Modern Family’s Jesse Tyler Ferguson. Along the way, the show remained a sharp satire of food culture, power, and privilege.
“There’s a toxic sense of entitlement sweeping the nation right now,” Willard explained. “The show speaks to that and the struggles of the 99%. Ultimately, it’s a comedy for anyone who’s ever worked a really lousy job.”
Doing the show, though, has been anything but a struggle for Willard and Mansfield.
“Getting the right actor is key to an easier process,” Willard said. “Koty takes this high-wire act and makes it look effortless. Maybe we should have been committed for even attempting this show, but the only way to pull it off is to remain fully committed to the very end. We’ve created something special, and I can’t wait to share it with the audience.”
Fully Committed plays at Main Stage Creative Community Center, 67 N. Main Street
in Eureka Springs, AR. The complete show schedule is Sept. 29, 30, Oct. 6, 7, 13, 14 at 7:30 PM and Oct. 1 and 8 at 2 PM. Tickets are $16 for Fridays and Saturdays and $14 for Sundays.
To make a reservation, order online at ReserveEureka.com/reservations/fullycommitted
or purchase tickets at the door. All seating is general admission. The performance is 90 minutes, presented without intermission, and contains adult language and situations.
GOOD DAY NWA Interview - September 25, 2023
Click HERE
EUREKA SPRINGS CHANNEL Interview - September 11, 2023
Click HERE
Actor Spotlight: DAKOTA MANSFIELD - September 11, 2023
We recently caught up with Dakota Mansfield, the busy actor portraying forty characters in Lakefront Arts’ regional premiere of FULLY COMMITTED (opening September 29th), We asked him about his life as an actor, performing in a one-man show…and just what it takes to learn all those lines! [In FULLY COMMITTED, Mansfield plays Sam, an out-of-work actor working the reservation line at Manhattan’s trendiest restaurant. All day long, he deals with histrionics, threats, and bullying from callers seeking the perfect table at the perfect time. The callers, restaurant staff, and bosses are all portrayed by Mansfield.]
LAKEFRONT ARTS: Where are you from, and when did you start acting?
DAKOTA MANSFIELD: I was born and raised in Benton, Arkansas. I earned my BA in Theatre Arts from Henderson State University in Arkadelphia and moved to Little Rock right after graduation. I started acting when I was 7 years old. There was a community theatre in the heart of downtown Benton, just blocks from where I lived, that had an incredible youth program. From the day I was cast in my first show, I knew theatre was the path for me.
What is it like to be an actor in Little Rock? What theatres have you worked for there?
The Little Rock metro is booming with community theatre (The Weekend Theatre, The Studio Theatre, The Royal Theatre, The Lantern Theatre, Argenta Community Theatre, The Red Curtain Theatre; to name a few), each providing their own special niche of theatrical experiences. You might be surprised at the massive talent pool that Little Rock has to offer. Arkansas isn’t the theatrical center of the U.S.; however, the love, care, and support the Little Rock theatre community provides has seen many performers make it to Broadway and beyond. I’ve worked for most of the theatres in Central Arkansas, this past year, pretty exclusively with The Weekend Theatre. I even directed Bat Boy the Musical and Circle Mirror Transformation for them. The Little Rock Theatre Community is really like one big family. We look out for and take care of each other. We lift each other up. In an industry that can easily turn competitive, I’m lucky to belong to such a collaborative, supportive community.
Have you ever done a show that compares to FULLY COMMITTED?
Not. Even. Close. In over 20 years of acting, I’ve had my share of challenges, but nothing prepares you for a show like this until you’re doing it. I performed in a college production of Greater Tuna, and where it has similarities (actors playing multiple characters), it’s vastly different. With Tuna, you have another actor to lean-on for support, plus costume/wig changes to help define the characters. FULLY COMMITTED is one man (me!) playing all the characters with nothing to establish them other than voice and body language. Not to mention the 50 pages of dialogue. I’m so honored to have been cast in such a complex, challenging role.
Speaking of dialogue…how do you memorize all those lines? Do you use a tried-and-true method?
An actor’s number one job is to get the lines down so well he no longer has to think about them and is able to make them seem not-memorized, happening naturally in the moment. For me, I start page by page, reading the text over and over until I feel comfortable with it. Then I try it without looking. If I mess up, I start the page over until I don’t mess up. Then I continue until I can do the whole thing without stopping. Sometimes I do what’s called “glibbing.” That’s where you go through the lines as quickly as you can without thinking. If you can do that, you know it’s memorized!
You portray 40 characters in 90 minutes, and only leave the stage once. How do you prepare for such a demanding show?
Repetition, repetition, repetition! Muscle memory is really the only way to tackle
something of this size. Memorizing the lines is the first step, but you also have to tell the whole story in a dynamic way, convey each character’s wants, goals, and ambitions all by yourself. My process for this show was to first establish the character. Who are they? What motivates them? After that comes the memorization and blocking. The thing with this show is making sure all the little bits that fully create the world are clean, executed with purpose, and are funny. I won’t lie and say it’s been easy. But one can’t grow when one isn’t pushed.
Once you know the psychology of the characters, how do you go about differentiating each of them so the audience doesn’t get lost?
I always start with the voices first, establishing rhythm, timbre, and quality of speech. Then I establish a class. What social standing, financial standing do they have? Of course, the show is set in New York City, a place that has a very distinct accent and rhythm of speech. Being a “good ole” southern boy, it was hard to not only establish a realistic NYC accent but to find differing ways to present that accent to separate the characters. Then I look at physicality. How do they carry themselves? Do they slouch when they walk? Are they a proud person? Shy? Nervous? Eccentric? Building a well- rounded, believable character is what makes shows like this work. The writing can only take you so far. It's up to the actor to create a compelling character the audience connects with.
Do you have a favorite character in the show?
All the characters are fun to play, but if I had to choose a favorite (other than Sam), I would have to say Carolann Rosenstien-Fishburn (Editor’s note: described in the show as an iron-willed, helmet-haired socialite with too much time on her hands). It honestly just boils down to the fact that she was the easiest for me to find. A cross between Harvey Fierstein and the Coffee Talk lady from SNL, she is funny, brash, and will cut you down at the slightest inconvenience.
Talk a little about Sam, the central character of the piece. He’s struggling with a lot. What are his goals for getting through this stressful day in the life?
Sam and I are similar in a lot of ways. We feel very deeply and have a tendency to please people, even at the detriment to ourselves. Like many actors, Sam is working a dead-end job that exists only to pay the bills between gigs. There’s no love for it, no end game, it’s simply survival. But his struggles go beyond just working a dead-end job. In this industry, you have to learn to be comfortable with rejection. You will hear “no” more than you will hear “yes.” Living in a constant state of rejection takes a mental toll on even the most confident actor. This as an underlying tension Sam has with himself. Constantly comparing himself to rival actors, and allowing that to shape how he views himself. Add in struggles of relationships, a recent break-up, work tensions, family stress…it’s no wonder Sam just wants to simply make it out with his sanity intact.
Have you ever worked a job like Sam’s?
I actually have! Well, similar. Like many actors, the restaurant industry is the easiest place to fall into when supporting acting gigs because of flexible hours and large staff pools, so I have worked pretty exclusively in that industry. However, I worked as a Service Desk supervisor at Target in the height of the pandemic. Not a restaurant job, but I fielded many calls and had in-person exchanges sometimes rivaling the worst ones Sam deals with in the show!
For all its comic spectacle, FULLY COMMITTED is essentially a story about a guy going for his dreams and not giving up his personal power in the process. How does this theme resonate with you?
My generation (Millennial) and the generations after me have a new-found sense of self-worth. We no longer allow employers to treat us in ways that they shouldn’t (overworking, underpaying, and unwilling to work with their employee’s lives), and I think that is a wonderful representation of not allowing our personal powers to be taken from us simply for a paycheck. I have always wanted to pursue a career in the arts, and with that comes a fair share of naysayers, those that tell you it’s impossible to have a career in this industry. The constant inquiries of “What is your Plan B? You know, in case you don’t make it?” That’s people trying to take your power — your voice — from you. And to those that ask those questions, I say to them: “Shoot for the moon, if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.”
What are your goals with this production, and what are you most looking forward to when you bring the show to Eureka Springs?
My main goal with this production is to grow, learn, change, and develop. This show has pushed me in ways no other show in my career has. Then there is the part of me that wants to prove to myself that I can do this, that this career is for me. In Eureka, I’m looking forward to performing in front of audiences that have most likely never seen me perform. I am excited also to just be in Eureka Springs! I’ve never visited, and the fact that my first time there is also coupled with doing something I love has me elated! I am so looking forward to sharing my love of theatre with the audiences of Eureka Springs and the surrounding areas!
ONE MONTH - August 29, 2023
A lot can happen in a month.
It’s often like that working on a stage show.
In the span of a month, a cast and director can meet to discuss the material, flesh-out motivations, solidify design choices, and rehearse stage movement. What comes naturally next is the memorization of lines and exchanges between characters.
But did we mention the show is FULLY COMMITTED…and the 40 characters are all played by one actor?
Yeah, it’s a lot.
“It’s tight-rope-walking-without-a-net-above-a-vat-of-crocodiles-level scary,” director Christopher Willard says of the show’s demands. “It can intimidate the most steely-nerved Mt. Everest climber. But our actor makes it look effortless.”
The actor in question is Dakota Mansfield, a Little Rock performer making his area debut in his first-ever one-man show.
“I’ve always been good at memorizing,” Mansfield says. “It comes in handy for an actor.”
There’s handy, and then there’s super-human.
Mansfield has to memorize 50 pages of dialogue — 50! — and play every character and each side of the conversation presented in the show.
“If Koty drops a line, no one’s there to pick it up,” Willard adds. “The only other actor on stage…is himself.”
During the show, Mansfield leaves the stage just once (for 45 seconds) and has to sustain a highly energetic and multi-layered performance for the entire 90 minute runtime.
“It’s a marathon,” he agrees.
Mansfield’s central character is Sam, a likable, put-upon Midwesterner, who answers the reservations line at Manhattan’s trendiest restaurant. The Benton, AR native also portrays the many socialites, celebrities, and over-the-top New York types who call-in to try to secure the perfect table at the perfect time.
“The restaurant basically monetizes FOMO,” Willard says. “Everyone wants to be seen there, so Sam has to make it happen. Sam’s also an actor, up for a career-making role that’s his ticket out of this job from hell. Watching one guy create an entire world — then fill it with madcap characters from his endless imagination — it’s like nothing you’ve ever seen before on stage.”
Willard chose the show as the inaugural offering of Lakefront Arts, his new Ozarks production company.
It’s the kind of event theatre he loves producing (he directed theatre for twenty years in Colorado). It was a familiar title, too. He’s performed the show, on-and-off, since the early 2000s.
“It’s like that line from Godfather 3,” he jokes. “Every time I think I’m out, it pulls me back in.”
FULLY COMMITTED was revived on Broadway in 2016 (starring Modern Family actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson), and ever since, Willard knew he wanted to revisit the story — this time as director — to share the updated script and explore the play’s topical themes.
“It’s still a show for anyone who’s ever worked a lousy job,” he explains, “only now it strikes a deeper chord about pay inequity and toxic privilege. It’s a leaner, meaner look at the struggles of the 99%.”
With a month of rehearsals behind them, what do the next thirty days hold for this intrepid theatrical duo?
“Now’s when the real fun starts,” Willard says. “We get to explore what’s underneath the words, perfect the timing, and really do a deep-dive into Sam’s story as he tries to survive in a big dog-eats-little dog world. Never count Sam out, though. He has big dreams he’s not letting go so easily. He’s a great character in a truly great show.”
FULLY COMMITTED opens…in one month.
