Two Department of English faculty and an alumnus of UALR will shine a spotlight on the effects of addiction when they host a staged reading of the screenplay, “The Last Baby Angel,” on Thursday, May 14.

UALR faculty members Dr. J. Bradley Minnick and Frank Thurmond join UALR alumnus Samuel Calvin Brown for the event, which is free and open to the public. The reading will be held at 7 p.m. at the Studio Theatre, 320 W. Seventh St., Little Rock.

Set in Saline County and central Arkansas, the screenplay was adapted from the novel of the same name. It is a tough portrayal of lives impacted by meth addiction and production.

The lead character is Mattie Gray, a young girl with an abusive mother who is a meth addict. Her father is her bright spot, until Mattie realizes there is a dark side to the man she knows as “Daddy.”

Meth addiction and meth production are rarely discussed through the eyes of children who are impacted by this struggle everyday in Arkansas and throughout the U.S. Mattie’s story is a nod to those who wait in the wings but fight for survival.

The staged reading will feature talented local actors including Heather Smith, Ricco Ardemagni, Bailey Lamb, Paul Seminara, Stephen Perry, and others.

The novel began during Brown’s work as a UALR student under the tutelage of Minnick in spring 2010.

A casual comment, “Little Rock’s safe until something happens,” a phrase Brown’s father once used, led to the novel’s beginnings. It became Brown’s first book when it was published by Stanley Press in 2012.

For information, contact Mary Ellen Kubit at 501.786.7909 or mekubit@yahoo.com.