The Acansa Arts Festival is back for its second year. The festival, which showcases a wide range of performances, workshops and events, will take place Sept. 16-20 at 15 different venues in both Little Rock and North Little Rock.
While the five-day festival celebrates the arts, Acansa also provides an opportunity to broaden public access to the arts, educational opportunities, and encourages and cultivates emerging artistic talent and local artists.
The festival will kick off Wednesday, Sept. 16 with a street festival at the Main Street Creative Corridor. A VIP reception will be held at The Rep during the festival and the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra will open the event with a family-friendly performance, which is free to to the public.
Here are a few additional highlights from this year’s lineup:
Sept: 15: Join Rep Producing Artistic Director Bob Hupp, Arkansas Symphony conductor Philip Mann and gallery owner Greg Thompson as they give exclusive insight into the various Festival performances.
Sept. 17-19: See “Blood at the Root” at the Argenta Community Theatre. Based on a true story of the Jena Six, “Blood at the Root,” written by Dominique Morriseau, is a play that touches on many social issues. Directed by Steve Broadnax, head of the Pennsylvania State theatre program, this play has received international acclaim on its tours through South Africa, Scotland and Australia. It is an exciting piece of work that breaks traditional convention. It speaks to where America is right now racially, economically, and socially. It is also a fun show with musicality, and an emphasis on movement. The inclusion of many different perspectives makes for an exciting, thought provoking performance. Heads up: This performance contains strong language.
Sept. 19: Join Acansa’s Avant-Garde at the Rock Town Distillery to dance to the music of Amasa Hines. Amasa Hines is a Little Rock-based band whose sound is as big as their influences are wide. We featured the six member band in our May issue. Read the full story here. Their influences come from a diverse range of Soul, Afro-Beat, Psychedelic, Blues, Dub, and Indie Rock. Refreshments will be served including beer and wine. Cocktails available for purchase.
Sept. 20: On the last day of the festival, head out to Wildwood Park for the Arts for a Gospel Brunch with the award winning St. Marks Baptist Choir. We never say no to a brunch offer.
Click here to view the full schedule of events.
The tickets:
Acansa Arts Festival ticket options include individual performance tickets ranging from $25 to $30 dollars, select VIP tickets for $50 dollars, a limited number of student tickets for $10 and $15, a Silver Festival Pass for $250, and a Gold Festival Pass for $350. The Silver and Gold Festival Passes enable guests to experience the full five days of festival, including access to all performances. The Gold Festival Pass also allows guests to attend VIP receptions and enjoy VIP preferential seating and parking where applicable. Click here to purchase tickets.
For a look at all of the events taking place, click here. Be sure to stay up to date on the festival by following Acansa on Facebook and Twitter.