By: Fletcher Cowden
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark.- Despite COVID-19 the Walton Arts Center continues to find innovative ways to put on plays.
February 25th through the 28th and March 4th through the 7th. The Walton Arts Center will be hosting a virtual play, Dixie’s Happy Hour. Dixie Longate will be telling stories about drinking and finding happiness, while at the same time making drinks recipes using rum, vodka, gim, and tequila.
Tickets are 35 dollars and go on sale Wednesday February 10th. They must be bought two hours before the show starts. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night the show will start at 8 P.M. and at 3 P.M. on Sunday. Viewers must tune in before the show airs on time because it will not allow a rewind feature nor be paused.
The show is sponsored by Ghost Light Programming and supported by the Ghost Light Recovery Fund.
The Ghost Light Recovery Fund helps out the Walton Arts Center regain revenue lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Covid has affected us in ways that were unimaginable,” Theatre major Josh Harpell says, “You can’t find work and most of the only acting going on right now is through education that takes place on zoom.”
The Walton Arts Center gains 70% of their revenue from ticket sales and the other 30% come through donations. Since the pandemic started the Ghost Light Recovery Fund has raised over one million dollars for the Walton Arts Center.
“Theatre grads are picking up an extra year in school,” says Harpell, “With the hope that Covid will be over in 2021 and 2022.”
Many of the Walton Arts Centers scheduled shows during the pandemic have been delayed until the summer of 2021.