Season ticket packages for East Arkansas Community College’s recently released 2016-2017 Performance Season go on sale at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, June 27th.  Patrons will have the option of purchasing VIP or Pick 3 Spotlight Series packages, as well as the Family Series subscription package.  The Feature Event performance of Charley Pride may be added on to subscription packages at the subscriber discounted price.  Ticket packages will be available online at www.eacc.edu, by calling 870-633-4480, ext. 352, or in person at the EACC Fine Arts Center Ticket Office.  Season subscription options save up to 20%. 

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKET PACKAGES ONLINE!

Feature Event

Charley Pride: Saturday, September 10. 2016—7:30 pm

A multi award-winning singing legend, with more than 25 country chart toppers, Charley Pride has come a long way from his humble beginnings as a sharecropper’s son on a cotton farm in Sledge, Mississippi.  With boldness, perseverance, and an undeniable musical talent, Charley Pride has managed to parlay a series of fortuitous encounters with Nashville insiders into an amazing legacy of hit singles and tens of millions in record sales.  His strong, yet soothing voice and that thousand watt smile have kept the country vocalist in the hearts of long-time and newfound fans alike.  He may be best known for his huge cross-over hit, “Kiss An Angel Good Morning,” but his list of top songs includes, “(I’m So) Afraid of Losing You Again,” “Let Me Live,” “Is Anybody Goin’ to San Antone,” “A Shoulder to Cry On,” “Honky Tonk Blues,” “Someone Loves You Honey,” and “Mountain of Love.”

EACC Spotlight Series

Arkansas Symphony Orchestra: Saturday, December 3, 2016—7:30 pm

Beginning its 51st season in 2016-2017, the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Music Director Phillip Mann, is one of Arkansas’ most dynamic performing organizations.  Philip Mann is quickly gaining a worldwide reputation as an “expressively graceful, yet passionate” artist with a range spanning opera, symphonic repertoire, new music, and experimental collaborations.  Don’t miss the chance to experience the magic of the holiday season with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra.  No matter the weather, this holiday favorite will bring back some of the most-loved, and coziest melodies ever created. 

Three Dog Night: Saturday, January 21, 2017—7:30 pm

Three Dog Night dominated the charts in the early 1970s delivering 21 consecutive Billboard Top 40 hits, including three #1 singles from 12 straight RIAA Certified Gold albums.  Led by the band’s founder, Danny Hutton, the band performs over 75 shows a year, perfectly recreating their larger than life songs, including “Joy to the World,” “Shambala,” “Mama Told Me (Not to Come),” and others from great songwriters as Harry Nilsson, Hoyt Axton, Paul Williams and Randy Newman. 

Vicki Lawrence & Mama: A Two-Woman Show: Saturday, February 4, 2017—7:30 pm

Emmy Award winner Vicki Lawrence is best known for her work on television’s long-running show, The Carol Burnett Show.  She received a gold record as a recording artist for her hit single, “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia,” and later went on to star in her own TV series, Mama’s Family.  Lawrence’s many stage credits include productions of Carousel, Send Me No Flowers, No, No, Nanette, My Fat Friend, Chapter Two, Twigs, Hello Dolly, Special Occasions, I’m Getting My Act Together and Taking It on the Road, and Annie Get Your Gun. 

 Amy Grant: Friday, March 3, 2017—7:30 pm

Amy Grant’s career spans more than 30 years and stretches from her roots in gospel to becoming an iconic pop star, songwriter, television personality, and philanthropist.  With three multi-platinum albums, six platinum albums, and four gold albums, her total career album sales have exceeded 30 million.  Grant’s chart success has been consistent throughout her career with six No.1 hits, ten Top 40 pop singles, seventeen Top 40 Adult Contemporary tracks, and multiple Contemporary Christian chart-toppers.  In addition to her six GRAMMY awards, Grant has earned twenty-six Dove awards, (including four Artist of the Year awards) and has been awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  Conventional wisdom has it that Grant put Contemporary Christian music on the map becoming the first Contemporary Christian artist to have a platinum record, the first to hit No. 1 on the pop charts, and the first to perform at the GRAMMY Awards.  With that, her legacy as one of the most influential artists of the past couple of decades is assured. 

Russian National Ballet Swan Lake: Saturday, April 22, 2017—7:30 pm

The Russian National Ballet Theatre, founded in Moscow during the transitional period of Perestroika in the late 1980s, will bring the beauty and timeless tradition of classical Russian Ballet with this evening performance of Swan Lake.  Many of the great dancers and choreographers of the Soviet Union’s ballet institutions began to exercise their new-found creative freedom by starting vibrant companies dedicated not only to the timeless tradition of classical Russian Ballet, but to invigorate it as the Russians began to accept new developments in global dance.  Today, the Russian National Ballet Theatre is its own institution, with over fifty dancers of singular instruction and vast experience, many of whom have been with the company since its inception.  Legendary Bolshoi principal dancer Elena Radchenko serves as artistic director. 

EACC Family Series

The Ugly Duckling & The Tortoise and the Hare: Saturday, January 14, 2017—3:00 pm

Hans Christian Andersen’s classic The Ugly Duckling has helped generations of children understand one of humanity’s universal struggles.  Lightwire Theater brings this classic story to the modern stage offering hope to us all as we root for the ugly duckling who exemplifies resilience and heroism along the way to becoming a beautiful swan.  Aesop’s fable The Tortoise and the Hare, now more than 2500 year’s old, continues to drive home the time-tested adage, “slow and steady wins the race.”  Lightwire Theater, with its dazzling visuals, poignant choreography and creative use of music ranging from classical to jazz to pop, literally brings these classic tales into a new and brilliant light. 

 Alexander, Who’s Not Not Not Going to Move: Sunday, April 2, 2017—3:00 pm

Based on the beloved children’s books, Alexander has just received some really bad news.  His dad has taken a job in a city a thousand miles away, which means he and his family are going to have to move.  Even though his mom says, “Wait, you’ll like it,” Alexander already knows that he’ll hate it.  He can’t bear to leave the people and places he loves, so he decides that he won’t move.  First, he tries to live with three different neighbors.  Then, he tries to build a tent so he can live by himself.  He then decides he’ll hide so his parents will never find him.  With a little help from his mom and dad and even his bossy older brothers, they begins to understand that home is where your family is, where you’re with the people who love you best of all. 

 Special Events

Forrest City Medical Center Women’s Expo featuring Diana Jordan: Tuesday, October 4, 2016

4:30 pm – Girlfriend Time (Shopping, Hors d’oeuvres and Beverage Buffets) / 7:30 pm – Entertainment by Diana Jordan

Motivational speaker and comedienne Diana Jordan learned how to apply humor to her own life circumstances, including breast cancer when she was diagnosed with the disease four years ago.  She has been nominated by the American Comedy Awards as one of the Top Five Female Comedians in the country, and Oprah selected her as “one of the funniest people on the planet.” Jordan was featured in the HBO special “Women of the Night” which spotlighted five top female comedians, and she also has two feature film roles to her credit including a performance in Jerry Maguire starring Tom Cruise.  Diana has been a featured performer on Oprah, Dr. Phil, HBO, Showtime, and has performed at legendary venues including Radio City Music Hall and the Kennedy Center.  Tickets for this event will be available for purchase by the general public on Monday, June 27th and may be purchased online www.eacc.edu, via telephone by calling 870-633-4480, ext. 352, or in person at the EACC Fine Arts Center Ticket Office. 

 Rodney Block Jazz Project: Friday, February 17, 2017

The Rodney Block Jazz Project is a quartet comprised of lead trumpet, piano, bass, and drums.  Block, a classically trained instrumentalist, performs a unique blend of traditional jazz, gospel, hip-hop, bebop, funk and soul.  An Arkansas native, he honed his skills by playing in some of Kansas City’s premier venues – Grand Emporium, Plaza III, Blue Room, and Liberty Hall.  His ensembles have opened for Jonathan Butler, Claude “Fiddler” Williams, Wynton Marsalis and Angela Hagenbaugh, among others.  Now based in Little Rock, Block has provided music for various private and corporate events.  The ensemble was recently featured in the live television recording AETN Presents: Front Row with the Rodney Jazz Project.  The television program received outstanding reviews and was nominated for a Mid-America Emmy Award.  

UAPB Vesper Choir: Thursday, February 23, 2017

The UAPB Vesper Choir, under the direction of Dr. Michael J. Bates, Professor of Music, is nationally recognized among historically Black colleges and universities for its diverse repertoire and excellent performances.  This 75-80 member select ensemble, founded in the 1940s by Professor Ariel Lovelace and conducted for more than 40 years by professor Shelton J. McGee, has a rich choral tradition that includes numerous performances on radio and television, as well as performances across the United States and online.  During March 2015, the Vesper Choir’s spring tour included New York City performances at the historic Seventh Day Adventist Church in Greenwich Village and the Cathedral of St. John Divine, one of the largest Christian churches in the world. 

Season ticket packages go on sale at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, June 27th.  Subscription package options save up to 20%, and packages will be available online at www.eacc.edu, by calling 870-633-4480 ext. 352, or in person at the EACC Fine Arts Center Ticket Office.  Single tickets to all Spotlight Series events are $39 and Family Series events are $14.50.  Tickets for Spotlight Series and Family Series events generally go on sale six weeks prior to the event. The Feature Event may be added on to subscription packages at the subscriber discounted price.  The performance season’s events will be held in the EACC Fine Arts Center located at 1700 Newcastle Road in Forrest City, just off Interstate 40.