The River Valley Play Series in association with the Arkansas Tech Theatre Program will be presenting a public reading of “A Taste of Buffalo,” a new musical by Tech professors David J. Eshelman and Timothy Smith.
The play explores the life cycles of U.S. cities by following Seattle’s struggle to be the first great city of the 21 st century.
“While the plot focuses on two cities in particular, Buffalo, NY, and Seattle, it is really an American story told in the most American theatrical form, the musical comedy,” says Eshelman. “A Taste of Buffalo” applies the metaphor of aging to urban areas, looking at memory loss as a civic issue. It explores what it means to be prosperous and what happens as prosperity fades. There is no question that Arkansas is a state on the rise. This play, then, can serve as a cautionary tale and help start discussions about appropriate ways to plan and develop Arkansas cities.”
Eshelman, assistant professor of speech, wrote the script, lyrics and melody lines. He holds degrees in dramatic writing from the University of Missouri and the University of Texas.
Smith, associate professor of music, holds degrees in piano performance and music literature from Indiana University.
The reading features Lisa Beth Harst as Seattle and Assistant Professor Holly Ruth Gale as Buffalo. Other performers are Keely Futterer, Desha Rankin, Grace E. Quay and Sarah Plummer.
The performances are scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 30 and Friday, Oct. 1 at 8 p.m. in the Techionery. Admission is free.
For more information, contact Dr. Eshelman at deshelman@atu.edu or Dr. Smith at tsmith@atu.edu.
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