18 Apr 2016 Central Arkansas Ballet, Red Curtain Theatre plan ‘Carnival of the Animals’

Central Arkansas Ballet and Red Curtain Theatre will present their first collaborative production in Conway on Saturday, April 23. “Carnival of the Animals,” a new production on stage at the UCA Reynolds Performance Hall, is a beautifully rendered show for children and adults.

This collaboration between two of Central Arkansas’s premiere performing arts groups is a dazzling spectacle of dancers and actors representing fish, chicks, “kickin” kangaroos, a lavish lion, sluggish sea turtles, a colorful cuckoo, an aloof elephant, a graceful swan and even a dancing dinosaur skeleton.

Using 19th-century music by French composer Camille Saint-Saëns, Central Arkansas Ballet Director Carrie Miller, Red Curtain Theatre Director Kristen Sherman and scenery designer Kelly Green have all come together to create a lush and alluring fantasy set in an imaginary zoo.  

The witty and rhyming narration is written by Conway native Kennedy Reynolds, a high school senior at Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts. A performer and aspiring writer, Kennedy cleverly depicts what fellow zoo friends think about their spectators. This is a show that is ideal for introducing dance, theatre and orchestral music to audiences of all ages.

Central Arkansas Ballet in Conway is the premiere source for ballet classes and professional dance training in the Central Arkansas area. It is committed to training ballet dancers through inspiration, motivation and encouragement focused on each student’s strengths and abilities.  Red Curtain Theatre is a performing arts theatre company in Conway. The mission of the organization is to provide an atmosphere that nurtures and inspires actors of all ages by offering performance opportunities through workshops and community theatre.

“Carnival of the Animals” will be performed at Reynolds Performance Hall at 7 p.m. Saturday, April 23. Tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for children ages 10 and younger, and may be purchased at redcurtaintheatre.com, by calling 501.499.9776 or at the door.  

For more information, please email [email protected].