Clayton Scott
One-man Play Premiers at Dickson Theater
Mix Jimi Hendrix, corn shucking, death, Wild Turkey, a will, a hand-cranked ice cream machine and other southern images and you’ll get the gist of Clayton Scott’s new one-man show “Down in Littletown.”
The Fayetteville premiere of “Down in Littletown” will be 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Dickson Theater, with a second performance at 8 p.m. June 11.
The feisty Scott, who is Fayetteville’s Poet Laureate, has been involved in the local poetry scene for many years and has represented NWA at poetry slams across the nation, bringing home praises and awards. This is his first venture into playwriting.
Scott said the play is not autobiographical, but that it is influenced by some of his life experiences. The play is about Caliber Knox, who grew up on a farm in the south. Thirty-four years after leaving the farm, Caliber comes back to the farm to be with his dying grandfather. While he’s there, he pecks out poems on an old typewriter that he finds. The poems tell parts of the story that dialogue can’t.
“This is by no means a monologue or a poetry reading; it’s a play with plot, sub-plots, conflicts, and seasoned with bits of comic relief,” Scott said.
Music for the production is written and performed by Kelly Mulhollan and Donna Stjerna of Still On the Hill. Roger Gross, the director of the playwriting department at the University of Arkansas, even makes a cameo contribution to the play.
If you’ve never attended a one-man show, you will most likely be pleased. The genre gained world-class status several years ago when the now defunct Solo Mio Festival was mounted in San Francisco. And, with the talented Scott, this type of performance promises nothing but the best.
In keeping with the southern theme, after the performances coconut crème pie will be served as a part of the ticket price. Doors and the bar at the theater open at 7:30 p.m.
Advance tickets can be purchased at Nightbird Books, at 205 W. Dickson St. Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door and $10 for students. The play is billed as appropriate for ages 16 and older.
