Craig O’Neill and Jane F. Hankins will be feted at the ninth annual Finale, hosted by the University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences. The couple are avid, long-time supporters of UALR’s arts programs.

Finale will be held at 6 p.m. Saturday, April 26, in the Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall in the UALR Fine Arts Building. The event will feature a full bar reception with heavy hors d’oeuvres. The dress code for the evening is cocktail attire.

Reservations to Finale are $200 each, $125 of which is tax-deductible. Tickets are available by calling 501.569.3296 or online at ualr.at/finale.

Finale, which celebrates the arts in central Arkansas, is the premier fundraising event for UALR’s arts programs, featuring the talents of university art, music, theatre and dance students.

O’Neill usually serves as master of ceremonies for the annual celebration, but in an interesting twist, Melissa Thoma, who was honored last year alongside her husband, Martin, will fulfill that role.

UALR students will perform scenes from “The Fantasticks,” presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International, New York.

Guests will have the opportunity to bid on an elegant suite of jewelry donated by Sissy’s Log Cabin during a live auction.

Arts organizations from around the region lend their support to Finale each year. This year’s participating arts partners are Accademia dell’Arte, Arkansas Arts Center, Arkansas Festival Ballet, Arkansas Repertory Theatre, Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, and Wildwood Park.

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