Defying gravity with The Arkansas Repertory Theatre during their annual gala, Ovation.
Hosted by Myron and Stephanie Jackson, and Dr. Rys Branman and his wife Leslie Branman. Honoring Arkansas artists Jana L. Beard, owner and director of Shuffles & Ballet II; and Steve H. Broadnax III, Broadway director, actor, educator and writer.
Jana has taught dance in the Central Arkansas area for over 45 years and has been the owner and director of Shuffles for 38 of those years. She has performed in productions at The Rep, including “Sweet Charity,” “Guys and Dolls,” “Chicago,” “Good Woman of Setzuan,” “A Soldier’s Tale,” “Evita,” and “Into the Woods.” She has served over 20 years as director and choreographer for the local biannual spoof “The Gridiron Show” and worked alongside Maestro David Itkin as the stage director for the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra’s Christmas Spectacular. In 2015, she was honored to receive the Arkansas Arts Council’s Lifetime Achievement Award in the Arts.
Steve’s directing credits include the world premiere of Katori Hall’s 2021 Pulitzer Prize winning “The Hot Wing King,” as well as Broadway’s “Thoughts of a Colored Man.” He also directed Susan Lori Parks “Sally & Tom,” Lee Edward Colston’s “The First Deep Breath,” Dominique Morisseau’s “Sunset Baby,” and “Blood at the Root,” which won the Kennedy Center’s Hip Hop Theatre Creator Award. He is a member of the Ensemble Studio Theatre, serves as the associate arts director at People’s Light Theatre and is theatre professor at Penn State University. In addition to performing and directing multiple productions at The Rep, Steve presented his original award-winning play “The Hip Hop Project” here, and most recently, directed The Rep’s production of “Marie & Rosetta.”
This event is held on Thursday, May 9, at the Arkansas Repertory Theatre where cocktails, dinner and a live performance will be the evening’s entertainment. To purchase your tickets, visit: https://www.therep.org/ovation-tickets/ and for more information of this event and the sponsors, visit: https://www.therep.org/ovation/