
ARTS & CULTURE
By Kaydith Maddox | Photos courtesy of Walton Arts Center
Discovery Awaits for Little Ones at Walton Arts Center



Entertainment meets education at Walton Arts Center this spring with shows that promise to delight the whole family. Bring your little explorers to make a new dinosaur friend, experience American history in a comedic setting or travel to the vast lands of Yellowstone National Park. Your kids will leave feeling excited and inspired, all while learning something new.
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Dare to experience the dangers and delights of Dinosaur World Live in this Olivier Award-winning interactive show April 28 at 6 p.m. Using stunning puppetry to bring these majestic beings to life onstage, the show introduces Miranda, the daughter of paleontologists, who grew up surrounded by dinosaurs on a faraway island off the coast of South America.
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Grab your compass and join the intrepid explorer across uncharted territories to discover a prehistoric world of astonishing (and remarkably lifelike) dinosaurs. The audience will meet a host of impressive creatures, including every child’s favorite carnivorous giant, the Tyrannosaurus rex, as well as the Triceratops, Giraffatitan, Microraptor and Segnosaurus.
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Bring your brave explorers to meet Miranda’s prehistoric pals following the show for a free meet and greet. Hurry before tickets become extinct.
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The fun continues with seven actors who recreate the entire American fight for independence, from Lexington to Yorktown, in 50 minutes. Seems like a normal show, right? Wrong! These actors are performing this while positioned two feet off the ground on a 21-square-foot platform.
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Using only the actors’ bodies, voices and (pantomimed) cannons, the show evokes an epic time period in American history. Combining tongue-in-cheek humor with a dash of derring-do, The American Revolution showcases Theater Unspeakable’s rowdy brand of bare-boned and imaginative physical theater May 3 at 4 p.m. Grab your learners of all ages, tickets are $10.
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On May 12 at 7 p.m., witness the beauty and wonder of the Wolves of Yellowstone National Park with wildlife biologist and National Geographic explorer Doug Smith, who led the project to reintroduce gray wolves to the park in the 1990s. Join Smith on assignment in the park to see how the landscape has changed since the wolves arrived, including never-before-seen photos and videos of the quest to bring back this apex predator. Serving at Yellowstone for nearly three decades, Smith has studied everything from beavers to birds. He brings the natural landscape of Montana to Northwest Arkansas for outdoor explorers to discover and experience interesting animals, dramatic canyons and gushing geysers. Tickets are $10.
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Purchase tickets to these shows at www.waltonartscenter.org or by calling (479) 443-5600 weekdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Upcoming Show Dates & Times:
Fortune Feimster | April 3 at 7 and 9:30 p.m.
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Solas | April 8 at 7 p.m.
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Voctave | April 10 at 7:30 p.m. | $10 tickets
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VoiceJam Competition | April 11 at 7:30 p.m.
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Chris Thile | April 12 at 7 p.m.
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Blue Man Group | April 14-15 at 7 p.m.
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The Comedy Zone: Andy Woodhull | April 18 at 7:30 p.m.
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Australian Chamber Orchestra | April 18 at 8 p.m. | $10 tickets
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Mamma Mia! | April 21-26 | Limited tickets remain
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Whitney Cummings | May 9 at 7 p.m.