Celebrate Celtic Culture with Your Lads and Lasses

This season you don’t even have to leave the country to celebrate some of the best parts of Celtic culture. We are bringing you a mix of Scottish rock, the world’s best pub experience, the finest Irish-American ensemble and a celebration of 30 years of Irish dance.  

Pick one show for a cultural escape, or get tickets to them all for a full-scale cultural exchange. Sláinte 

---

Skerryvore, Sept. 23, 7 pm

Series: 10x10 Arts Series 

What to expect: Scottish rock band 

With a mix of bagpipes, fiddles, accordions, bass, drums and whistles, Skerryvore represents the best in contemporary Scottish traditional music. Both epic in melody and intimate in feeling, this group plugs into the roots of Scotland and blasts it out to the world. Inspired by a wide range of influences, this high-energy, immersive experience is sure to captivate audiences of all ages. 

---

Choir of Man, Jan 27, 7 pm

Series: Off-Dickson 

What to expect: A celebration of pub culture and great music 

The Olivier Award-nominated, worldwide smash hit The Choir of Man is coming to Northwest Arkansas. Set in the world’s best pub (in England or Ireland), this uplifting production serves up 90 minutes of non-stop entertainment featuring a cast of extraordinary singers, dancers, musicians and a charming poet. Enjoy everything from the anthems of Queen and Guns N’ Roses to the soulful sounds of Luther Vandross and Adele to the chart-toppers of Sia, Paul Simon, Avicii, Katy Perry and more. This show has something for everyone, including a real working bar on stage. Come ready to drink in the excitement and raise a glass with The Choir of Man. Cheers! 

---

Solas, April 8, 7 pm 

Series: Land O’Lakes Concert Series  

What to expect: Celtic music ensemble 

Hailed by The Boston Globe as “the finest Celtic ensemble this country has ever produced,” Solas has captivated audiences with their spellbinding musicianship and genre-defying creativity since 1995. Formed in New York City, the band quickly became a revolutionary force in Irish-American music, weaving traditional Irish tunes with elements of folk, bluegrass, Americana and contemporary songwriting. With driving rhythms and heartfelt vocals, Solas redefines the Celtic sound for a new generation. 

---

Riverdance, June 9-11  

Series: Coca-Cola Night Out 

What to expect: Irish dance that you have to see to believe 

Since Riverdance first emerged onto the world stage, its fusion of Irish and international dance and music has captured the hearts of millions worldwide. The Grammy Award®-winning music and infectiously energetic choreography established Riverdance as a global cultural sensation. Celebrating an incredible 30-year milestone, Riverdance will embark on a special anniversary tour, bringing its magic to audiences around the world. With new innovative choreography, costumes and state-of-the-art lighting, projections and graphics, this unique and memorable performance showcases the skill and passion of these world-class dancers, musicians and singers. 

---

This Classic Board Game Comes to Life in a Hilarious Whodunit, Clue!

We all know and love the iconic pieces of this timeless board game:  

Six wooden characters. Six miniature weapons. Nine rooms. One killer.  

---

Murder and blackmail are on the menu when six mysterious guests assemble at Boddy Manor for a night they’ll never forget! Was it Mrs. Peacock in the study with the knife? Or was it Colonel Mustard in the library with the wrench? Based on the fan-favorite 1985 Paramount Pictures movie and inspired by the classic Hasbro game, Clue is the ultimate whodunit that will leave you dying of laughter and keep you guessing until the final twist.  

---

“It’s funny and frothy and light, the kind of breezy night at the theater that most audiences would kill for right now.”

— Entertainment Weekly

---

These characters, weapons and this beloved mystery come to life at Walton Arts Center as part of the Off-Dickson Series Nov. 7-9.  

Friday, Nov. 7 at 8 pm 

Saturday, Nov. 8 at 2 and 8 pm 

Sunday, Nov. 9 at 2 pm

A mansion, a murder and a mystery...what could go wrong? 

---

Complete the perfect night out by adding on a Clue themed cocktail class! Purchase a cocktail class for $45 or save with three or more classes for a discounted price of $39. Our experts will teach you to make two specialty drinks while you enjoy light appetizers and learn about each mouthwatering cocktail and its ingredients. Your mixologist will provide everything you need to create eye-catching craft cocktails. It’s a deliciously good time!    

Clue Themed Cocktail Classes: 

Friday, Nov. 7 at 6:30 pm 

Saturday, Nov. 8 at 6:30 pm 

---

Interested in more than one show this season? Three package options are on sale now:  

P&G Broadway Series  

This subscription includes six larger than life titles, including one global smash hit and five Arkansas premieres direct from Broadway! You’ll also get spectacular subscriber benefits including the same seats at every show and priority purchasing for five Broadway Bonus shows!  

Broadway Sample Package  

Build your perfect stack by selecting at least three performances from any of the week-long Broadway shows this season. Included in your sampler package is 5% off tickets, one free exchange and early access to all Broadway shows during the season.     

Create Your Own Package 

Choose shows from any series, except Starrlight Jazz Club and West Street Live, to make your three, five or seven show subscription package. The more shows you add in a Create Your Own package, the more you save. Three-show packages get $2 off each ticket, five-show packages get $3 off each ticket and seven-show packages get $5 off each ticket! 

Spend Your Evening With Comedy Legend David Sedaris

A returning Northwest Arkansas favorite, David Sedaris has charmed audiences with his sometimes neurotic and seemingly mundane, yet profound storytelling for more than 25 years. Don’t miss your chance to see him live on Thursday, April 24 at 7 pm. 

 Beloved for his personal essays, books, short stories and NPR segments, the three-time Grammy Award® nominee’s material isn’t always what you would expect. His anecdotes are riddled with strange addictions, unbelievable job experiences and his eccentric family, but it’s his droll and conversational style that makes him one of the greatest humorists writing today. 

“When you’re walking on that edge, there’s a certain feeling you get, it’s a thrill. I don’t mean trying to shock people just for the sake of it,” Sedaris explained in an interview with The Guardian. “I mean you’re doing something you think is funny, but you’re just not sure how [it will pan out].” 

Sedaris is the author of Barrel Fever, Holidays on Ice, Naked, Me Talk Pretty One Day, Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, When You Are Engulfed in Flames, Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls and Calypso, which was a Washington Post best book of the year. He is the author of Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary, a collection of fables with illustrations by Ian Falconer. 

The first volume of his diaries Theft By Finding: Diaries (1977-2002) was a New York Times best-selling book. As a companion piece to the book, Jeffrey Jenkins published and edited an art book of Sedaris’s diary covers, entitled David Sedaris Diaries: A Visual Compendium. The second volume of his diaries, A Carnival of Snackery: Diaries (2003-2020) was also a New York Times bestseller and the audiobook was selected as part of Apple’s best audiobooks of the year for 2021. His book, Happy-Go-Lucky, debuted at No. 1 on the New York Times best-seller list.   

Tickets are $55 and can be purchased by visiting waltonartscenter.org, by calling 479.443.5600 weekdays 10 am until 5 pm or in-person at the Walton Arts Center Box Office weekdays 10 am until 2 pm. 

Enjoy the Biggest Hits and Ha Ha Ha’s with The Second City

The Second City is celebrating 65 years of legendary laughs on Tuesday, April 1 at Walton Arts Center! Showcasing some of their audience’s favorite songs, sketches and characters created on their stages by their illustrious alumni. With material handpicked from the iconic comedy archive and brought to life by an all-star ensemble, see for yourself why The Second City continues to be the world’s most influential name in comedy.   

The Second City opened its doors on a snowy December night in Chicago in 1959, and a comedy revolution began. The small cabaret theater has become the most influential and prolific comedy empire in the world, developing an entirely unique way of creating art and fostering generation after generation of superstars. 

Founded by Viola Spolin, Paul Sills, Howard Alk and Bernie Sahlins, the group was experimental and unconventional in its approach to both theater and comedy. In 1976, Second City launched “SCTV” which has been hailed as one of the greatest sketch comedy series of all time. The two-time Emmy winning series featured an all-star cast with Martin Short, Andrea Martin, Catherine O’Hara, John Candy, Eugene Levy, Dave Thomas, Joe Flaherty and Rick Moranis.  

Today, The Second City is home to a world-class entertainment company with three locations in Chicago, Toronto and Hollywood. Some of the notable alumni include Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Stephen Colbert, Steve Carell, Amy Sedaris and Chris Farley. 

Tickets are $25 - $51 and can be purchased by visiting waltonartscenter.org, by calling 479.443.5600 weekdays 10 am until 5 pm or in-person at the Walton Arts Center Box Office weekdays 10 am until 2 pm.

Walton Arts Center Tickets are the Trendiest Gift of the Season!

Gift the joy of a live performance this holiday season with tickets to shows at Walton Arts Center. There is guaranteed to be a show for everyone on your holiday gift list, from live music and hilarious, cabaret-style comedy shows to your favorite Broadway performances and even something for the kids too! We have created an easy holiday gift guide to make giving easy this year! 

For the live music lover: 

For 50 years, BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet has been making some of the most potent and popular Cajun music on the planet. Their distinctive sound derives from the distilled spirits of New Orleans jazz, blues rock, folk, swamp pop, Zydeco, country and bluegrass. The first Cajun band to win a Grammy®, critics unanimously agree that it is “bon temps, every time they play,” (New York Times). BeauSoleil will bring audiences to their feet on Thursday, Jan. 30 at 7 pm. Tickets are only $10! 

For the thrill seeker: 

Brace yourself for the scare of a lifetime on Saturday, Jan. 18 at 8 pm, as the world of Insidious jumps off the screen and into your theater seat with INSIDIOUS: THE FURTHER YOU FEAR – an immersive live horror experience that brings your darkest nightmares to life right before your eyes. When a paranormal demonstration goes horribly wrong, dark forces are unleashed, and the horror becomes all too real. But what is real? What’s just part of the show? And who—or what—might be sitting next to you? The house is full. The stage is set. The Red Door is about to open. Will you make it through? Tickets are $40 - $95.  

For the jazz connoisseur:  

Vocalist René Marie has cemented her reputation as a singer, composer, arranger, theatrical performer and teacher. She borrows various folk, R&B, classical and country elements to create a captivating style. Her body of work is more than just music. It’s an exploration and affirmation of the bright and dark corners of the human experience. Don’t miss Marie’s heartfelt tunes on Friday, Jan. 31 at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $35 - $55.  

Something the kids will love: 

Set to the sound of the n’goni, balafon, djembe, naffar, derbouka and dhol instruments, this dynamic concert invites kids and their families to discover Africa, the Middle East and India through rhythm, song and dance. From African rap and desert dance to Sufi rhythm and Bollywood dance, award-winning artist and percussionist Kattam takes you on an entertaining and educational journey on Sunday, Feb. 2 at 4 pm. Tickets are only $10! 

For the jokester:  

Helen Hong is a beloved comedian and actor who is bringing the laughs to Walton Arts Center on Thursday, Jan. 30 at 7:30 pm.  Her sharp wit and pulse on current events have regularly landed her on CNN, The Young Turks and “The Stephanie Miller Show.” She’s performed standup comedy on “The Arsenio Hall Show,” “Last Call with Carson Daly,” “Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen,” Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal and for troops in the middle east and international audiences all over the world. Tickets are $25 - $35.  

For the Broadway fanatic:  

Ain't Too Proud – The Life and Times of The Temptations is the electrifying, smash-hit Broadway musical that follows The Temptations’ extraordinary journey from the streets of Detroit to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Ain't Too Proud tells the thrilling story of brotherhood, family, loyalty and betrayal, as the group's personal and political conflicts threatened to tear them apart during a decade of civil unrest in America. Ain’t Too Proud is bringing signature dance moves and silky-smooth harmonies to the local stage Jan. 22 – 23 with three performances. Tickets are $45 - $94.  

For the nightlife enthusiast: 

Cheers to a fun time! Purchase a cocktail class for $39 and enjoy light appetizers from Fayetteville High School's Brightwater culinary students while you learn how to mix two specialty cocktails crafted by our in-house team of local mixologists. You'll leave with recipes, great memories and new friends! 

Have tickets to a show that night? Add-on a cocktail class before your show and you'll be in your seat before the theater lights dim. No show tickets? Come anyway for a fun, hands-on experience. Cocktail classes are available in February, March and April.  

Need more options? Look at our calendar to find a show and a ticket price that is just right for everyone on your gift list.

Gift certificates are also available, totally customizable and valid for shows at both Walton Arts Center and the Walmart AMP. Tickets and gift certificates can be purchased by visiting waltonartscenter.org, by calling 479.443.5600 weekdays 10 am until 5 pm or in-person at the Walton Arts Center Box Office weekdays 10 am until 2 pm. 

From Hot Flashes to High Seas

All aboard, sisters! The hysterical sequel to the smash-hit Menopause The Musical® launches its first national tour and is making a stop at Walton Arts Center on Saturday, March 2 at 3 pm. Menopause The Musical 2: Cruising Through ‘The Change’® finds our original characters aboard a cruise ship, reunited for more high jinks on the high seas, five years later.  

This new sequel is a hilarious and heartfelt look at the joys of friendship — plus hot flashes, mood swings, and memory lapses. The original menopause characters, “Earth Mother,” “Soap Star,” “Iowa Housewife” and “Professional Woman” return for this iconic sequel. For these four ladies, menopause was not the end, but the beginning of a beautiful friendship where love conquers all, and friendships never fail. Their sisterhood strengthens as they support one another through the chaos of “the change” and all that it brings. Join these women on a trip of self-discovery, backed by a new soundtrack of toe-tapping parodied hits from the 70s, 80s and 90s including “Holding Out For A Hero” becomes “Holding Out For A Vino” and “Disco Inferno” becomes “AC Inferno.” 

“I loved performing in Menopause the Musical because of the amazing response from the audience,” explained actress Valerie Fagan. “I was so thrilled when they asked me to do the sequel because I knew we’d get that same kind of reaction from the audience. I’ve been in so many great shows in my life, but I can honestly say I’ve never experienced the level of laughter and cheers from an audience like this before.” 

Producers of the musical explain they want women to feel sexy, bold and confident in their new bodies. They also want women to feel like they’re getting to gossip with their best friends, as the characters explore dating, sex, weigh gain and hot flashes in their menopausal years.  Menopause The Musical 2: Cruising Through ‘The Change’ makes men take a pause and women rejoice! 

Experience this fresh, fun and flirtatious new musical, that feels like a vacation, on Saturday, March 2 at 3 pm. Tickets start at $39 and can be purchased by visiting waltonartscenter.org, by calling 479.443.5600 weekdays 10 am until 5 pm or in-person at the Walton Arts Center Box Office weekdays 10 am until 2 pm.   

Getting Laughs From Both Sides of the Aisle

It all started in 1981 when some U.S. Senate staffers in Illinois Senator Charles Percy’s office created The Capitol Steps to provide Christmas party entertainment. Soon the group turned into a musical/comedy troupe who set out to satirize the very people and places that employed them. What started as “roasting the boss” quickly became a national touring act. After a three-year hiatus, The Capitol Steps are returning to the stage – fresher and crispier than ever – as The Capitol Fools! 

“Laughter is the best way to kill tragedy, not only do we get people to laugh at difficult situations but realize that they want to laugh. It has been true for years – laughter makes trouble go away,” said Jack Rowles, a member of The Capitol Fools troupe.  

He also touched on the political affiliation of the group and where they stand, “the important thing is that we don’t pick political sides. We skewer everybody. No one is safe from us, that way, nobody can say oh, you’re picking on the Democrats, or picking on the Republicans. We pick on everybody.”  

All the jokes are more witty, lighthearted humor rather than jabs at the usual targets. The content of the show is mild enough to appeal to viewers on both sides of the political sphere.  

In a Salon article, Brian Karm applauded the hilarious performance saying “The show left me feeling nostalgic for a future filled with education, science and a sense of humor. I wasn't alone… It gave me hope that the United States may yet endure — if we can laugh at ourselves.”

Known for hilarious song parodies, mind-boggling backward talking spoonerisms, costume changes, over-the-top impressions, and all-new song parodies reflecting the day’s news, the group’s humor is witty and wide-reaching. These “Fools” hold up a mirror to our crazy political culture with a unique brand of satirical humor, and they keep their material fresh, always adding in news topics quickly in response to the news headlines. 

Some of the newsworthy skit topics you can expect include, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris reflect on the fact that their blend of “Elderly and Ovaries” makes them the perfect pair, an overpriced gas pump contemplating what kind of fuel he is and a bill’s journey to Capitol Hill is interrupted by a blustering and filibustering Mitch McConnell.  

Grab your friend from across the aisle and come see The Capitol Fools work their hilarious magic on Thursday, Oct. 26 at 7 pm.