Joe Ngo, Abraham Kim, Brooke Ishibashi, Jane Lui and Tim Liu in Cambodian Rock Band. Courtesy of Margot Schulman By Southwester Staff A rollicking rock musical about a genocide might seem like a contradiction in terms, but over its two-and-a-half hour run time, Arena Stage’s Cambodian Rock Band reveals itself to […]
After 25 Years of Shaping Southwest Theater, Arena Stage Artistic Director Molly Smith Set to Step Aside
By Sheila Wickouski Since 1998, Molly Smith has served as Arena Stage’s Artistic Director, racking up credits for directing, new play development and work with great playwrights that are now part of theater history. The completion of Arena Stage’s current season will mark her last in the role as she […]
Arena Stage to Host Salon Conversations with Theater Leaders
By Southwester Staff Arena Stage is inviting the public to a series of intimate, one-night-only conversations with leaders in the world of theater. Launched as a virtual series during the pandemic, what became known as “Molly’s Salon” will return live and in person for a farewell tour as Arena Stage […]
Evocative, Award-Winning Play The High Ground Opens at Arena Stage
By Sheila Wickouski Arena Stage presents a world premiere of award-winning playwright Nathan Alan Davis’ The High Ground, a visceral story in which a Black man in Army uniform stands on Tulsa’s Standpipe Hill reflecting on the destruction and desecration of Tulsa’s Greenwood District, violence that became known as the […]
Arena Stage Announces Longtime Leader Molly Smith’s Final Show as Artistic Director
By Southwester Staff Arena Stage announced that My Body No Choice, a limited engagement staged in the run-up to the midterm elections, will be Molly Smith’s final production before she steps down as Artistic Director. Featuring monologues from eight of America’s most dynamic female playwrights, My Body No Choice explores […]
Grammy Winner Pens Original Songs for Arena Production
By Sheila Wickouski Grammy Award-winning songwriter Marcus Hummon’s songs have been recorded in many genres, including pop, R&B, gospel and most notably in country music. He has written some of the genre’s most iconic songs, including Rascal Flatts’ “Bless the Broken Road,” the Dixie Chicks’ “Cowboy Take Me Away” and […]
Arena Stage Launches New Production of Catch Me If You Can
By Sheila Wickouski With a new production of Catch Me If You Can, Arena Stage adds to the list of acclaimed Broadway productions, Oklahoma!, The Pajama Game, Anything Goes and Disney’s Newsies, that have been brought to its iconic in-the-round Fichandler Stage. The story of a charming con man, Frank […]