Members of the public are invited to a free performance that fuses historic inquiry and interpretation.

The UALR Center for Arkansas History and Culture partnered with the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance to present “Voices, Vignettes, and Context: Performance Research from Archives.”

Historical figures such as author Bernie Babcock, stage performer Harvey Lee

Goodwin, minister Mary Lee Harris, and musician Art Porter will be featured during the event, which starts at 7 p.m. Oct. 24 and Oct. 25 in the auditorium of the UALR Engineering and Information Technology building.

“Working with Theatre Arts and Dance has been an exciting opportunity for the center,” said Deborah Baldwin, associate provost. “This experience has allowed the archive to work with a discipline that hasn’t been a traditional partner. The experience has enriched both the student projects and the center’s curriculum outreach efforts.”

Students collaborated in small groups to present the four individuals they researched in the archives of the center.

“The classroom emphasis for this project was developing familiarity with historical research methods and applying the results of that research as a dramaturgical basis to conceive and develop a performance,” said Larry Smith, assistant professor of the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance.

“Our goal for this presentation is to shed light on the relationship between performance and work, but also to share what we have learned about these four people,” Smith said. “One of the rewards of archival research is the unexpected encounter with a human being’s life and experiences.”

Note: All images are courtesy of the Center for Arkansas History and Culture.