Long time, no see

Wow!  It's been two years since I have updated this blog!  I have to get back on it, ya'll.  Life has been busy!

Human Trafficking

You may think human trafficking is an issue for places like Thailand or eastern European countries, not the United States. I did. I was wrong. Human Trafficking is a growing, lucrative business in the US and is even happening in Arkansas. Rush Hour [Traffic] is a new group that will exist to raise awareness about human trafficking in Arkansas and beyond! YOU can do something to stop this modern day slavery that brings in over $32 billion a year!!


Launch Night is Friday, April 23, at New Life Church in Little Rock. Join me to learn more.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#!/rushhourtraffic?ref=ts

Olene Wiffer

Tonight is our last dress rehearsal for First Baptist of Ivy Gap. I am so ready for this show to open tomorrow night! Come see me as Olene Wiffer. Yes, I know that name is horrible. Don't worry. I change it in the second act... Come see for yourself!

High School taught me valuable lessons

Lessons from High School
A look at what purple and gold, yearbooks, and hairspray taught me in my formative years
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Kris Allen concert confirmed today

Kris Allen Concert Confirmed by Benton Chamber of Commerce
American Idol winner Kris Allen to present Memorial Day weekeend concert at Saline Summer Daze in Benton, Arkansas
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Young Players auditions!

Young Players Announce Auditions
Peter Pan and Wendy to be presented this summer in Benton
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Ballet Magnificat! coming to North Little Rock

Ballet Magnificat! coming to North Little Rock

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American Idol Kris Allen Returns to Arkansas for Concert
The winner of American Idol will return to Arkansas.
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Ballet Arkansas Announces Dates for 2010 Summer Intensive
Summer ballet training for fancers age 11-22
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Ballet Arkansas Sets Dance Camp for Younger Dancers
Dance camp set for dancers 5-10
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Little Rock Performing Arts Examiner

Check out my new page on examiner.com
Little Rock Performing Arts Examiner
http://www.examiner.com/x-43079-Little-Rock-Performing-Arts-Examiner?cid=exrss-Little-Rock-Performing-Arts-Examiner

Lessons from High School

Check out my take on some lessons I learned from High School...
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2838050/lessons_from_high_school.html?cat=44

Associated Content

Hey, ya'll. I just became a contributor for Associated Content. There is only one article on there, so far. Should be many more to come. Check it out! http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/767486/charlotte_sears_hammonds.html

First Baptist of Ivy Gap

The Royal Players will present First Baptist of Ivy Gap, directed by Gina Welch, April 8, 9, 10 and 15, 16, 17 at 7 p.m. and April 11 and 18 at 2 p.m. Performances will be held at the Royal Theatre, 111 S. Market, Benton, Arkansas.
The play opens during WWII in the fellowship hall of the First Baptist Church of Ivy Gap, Tennessee. Six women gather to roll bandages and plan for the church’s 75th anniversary.
Edith, the pastor’s wife played by Susie Everett, dispenses wisecracks, advice and Red Cross aprons. Donna Johnston, the widowed Luby, waits for word from her son Norman, a soldier in a war zone.
Lisa Freeman is Vera, who has a rich husband with political connections and family secrets.
Charlotte Hammonds is Olene Wiffer, a young woman who wants to go to Hollywood to be a star.
Contessa Scism, as Mae Ellen, is the church organist, who also wants to leave Ivy Gap to lead a more exciting life where she can expand her musical talents and ideas.
Angela Morgan is Sammy Porter, the only woman who is not a member of the church. She has a secret of her own concerning Luby’s soldier son.
Ticket prices are $10 fr adults, $8 for seniors, and $5 for students. Call 501-315-LIVE(5483) for reservations or buy tickets online at www.theroyalplayers.com

Auditions for 110 in the Shade

The Royal Players will hold auditions for the summer production of 110 in the Shade, directed by Frank O. Butler, on May 15th at 10 a.m., and May 17th at 6:30 p.m., at the Royal Theatre, 111 S. Market Street, Benton, Arkansas. Production dates are July 8-11 and July 15-18.

110 in the Shade is the musical version of N. Richard Nash’s The Rainmaker, the popular 1954 play that centers on Lizzie Curry, a spinster living with her father and brothers on a ranch in the American southwest, and her relationships with local sheriff File, a cautious divorcé who fears being hurt again, and charismatic con man Bill Starbuck, posing as a rainmaker who promises the locals he can bring relief to the drought-stricken area. The musical’s book was written by Nash, who faithfully adapted his own play, with lyrics by Tom Jones, and music by Harvey Schmidt, the creative duo behind The Fantasticks, the world’s longest-running musical.

There are 2 female leads, ages 17-4; 5 male leads, ages 19-63; and various chorus roles, ages 8-68. There are a very limited number of children’s roles.

Actors should prepare one verse and the chorus from a musical number. Those with prepared numbers should bring sheet music or a CD. Those without prepared numbers should still be ready to sing. Cold readings will be from the script. There may be light choreography, so dress comfortably and wear appropriate footwear. Callbacks, if any, will be at the May 17th audition.

110 in the Shade originally opened on Broadway in 1963, and was nominated for 4 Tony Awards. It was revived in 1992 by the New York City Opera, and again in 2007 on Broadway, where it garnered 5 Tony Award nominations.

For more information, contact the theater at 501-315-LIVE (5483), or visit www.theroyalplayers.com.

A Coupla White Chicks Sitting Around Talking

Come laugh a little (or maybe a lot) and help us raise some money for The Royal Theatre's Capital Improvement Campaign - Remember the Royal. With your help, we can restore is fantastic building to it's original grandeur.

A Coupla White Chicks Sitting Around Talking
By John Ford Noonan
Directed by Duane Jackson
March 12-13, 19-20 at 7 p.m.
March 14, 21 at 2 p.m.

Set in an upper middle class kitchen in Westchester, New York, the comedy is the story of picture-perfect housewife Maude (Daphne Shoppach), and her new neighbor Hannah Mae (Charlotte Hammonds), a former cheerleader from Austin, Texas. The chaos Hannah Mae brings into Maude's kitchen (and her world) is at first unwanted, but eventually each woman finds in the other what they themselves need. Throughout this romp, the mismatched pair fight, scheme, cheat, laugh and love. They find their initial assumptions about one another are dead wrong, as they reveal more truths.
All performances will be held at the historical Royal Theatre in downton Benton, Arkansas. All proceeds will go to Remember The Royal - a capital improvment campaign to benefit The Royal Theatre.
Ticket prices: Adult $10, senior $8, student $5. For reservations and more information, call 501-315-LIVEor visit www.theroyalplayers.com.



Those of you with small children should note that there is some light adult content included.

Where have I been?

Wow! I haven't posted in a very long time! It's amazing how much time my ordinary, mundane life requires. I'm just a boring stay-at-home-mom with two amazing and unbelievabley active, girls, two dogs and a husband who works in retail (meaning I never know when he is going to get home)! There is NOTHING boring about my life!

The Mousetrap

Going to see The Moustrap tonight at the Royal Theatre in downton Benton, Arkansas. Nothing like a good Agatha Christie murder mystery on a cool fall night. Join me!

Saturday mornings...

I love Saturday mornings in the fall! Sleeping in. Cool, crisp air. Waffles. Little girls laughing. Dog in my lap. Sports Center Game Day on the television. Ahhhh.... Fall!

New voices...

The fun, creative, artistic voices that were in my head have abandoned me. They've been replaced by the boring, responsible, mundane voices. I liked the other ones better.
I must find a new creative outlet to replace the experience of being Jenny. We All Hear Voices. Will you listen to yours?

Little voices, little girls...

Awoke to the sounds of happy little voices and the pitter patter of little feet this morning. It was wonderful. Short lived; but wonderful. It didn't take long for the sisterly love to kick in and wreck havoc on the peacefulness of my home...

Time warp...

I felt like I was in a time warp the other day! I was driving down the street and the three middle school aged girls in my back seat started singing Jessie's Girl at the top of their lungs. That's right. Jessie's Girl by Rick Springfield is popular with the middle school set once again! It took me back to a time of big hair, aqua net, and my first concert without my parents in tow. Melanie drove. Marsha and I went with her. We were so grown up. Or, at least we thought we were. Just like the girls in my backseat the other day.

I'm Jenny in "We All Hear Voices"

Although I didn't get to audition for the original production of We All Hear Voices by the Royal Players, I am fortunate enough to step in and fill the newly vacated role of Jenny for the Hot Springs production! I am excited to get a chance to perform in the theatre where I saw my first movie as a child. Join me at the Malco Theatre Aug. 14-16th!

We All Hear Voices

The Benton Royal Players, in conjunction with Dr. Sam Taggart, reprises their production of Taggart’s “We All Hear Voices” on August 14th & 15th at 7:30 p.m., and August 16th at 2 p.m., at the Malco Theatre, located at 817 Central Avenue in Downtown Hot Springs, AR. General admission is $10, with proceeds going to the Literacy Council of Garland County. For reservation and tickets, call 624-7323 (624-READ).“We All Hear Voices,” directed by Frank O. Butler, tells the story of Jack, a quiet man with a talent for cooking and a dark secret to hide. He hears voices in his head, but the medicine he takes hampers his ability to cook. He wanders into the town of Gum Ridge, Arkansas, and takes a job as cook at Moon’s Bar and Grill, located across from the local racetrack. The owner, Albert Moon, is a gambler and womanizer, content to raid the cash register and hold court with the bar’s regulars. Mary Ann, the waitress, befriends Jack, and starts up a relationship with Richard Kyle, a local rice farmer and stockcar driver. As word of Jack’s culinary expertise grows, so does business. But Moon’s latest get-rich-quick scheme threatens the life of the bar, and Jack’s hold over the voices.Taggart, an Arkansas doctor, adapted the play from his book of the same name, and plays the supporting role of Art in this production. The play debuted in February 2009 at the Ken Theatre in McCrory, where Taggart played the role of Richard. The current production, first performed in April 2009 at the Royal Theatre in Benton, is reprised for the Malco Theatre stage with almost the entire cast and crew intact. Featured in this production are Brian Williams as Jack, Mark Troillett as Moon, Daphne Shoppach as Mary Ann, and Greg Wirges as Richard. The cast also includes Chris Boggs, Johnnie Brannon, Susan Dill, Randall Earnest, Susie Everett, Melissa Farmer, Paul Gulledge, Charlotte Hammonds, Donna Johnston and Karen Ray.For more information about the author, book and play, visit www.weallhearvoices.com.

Wow! I have a blog!

Watch out, I finally have a blog! Now, there is one concentrated location where you can find my random ramblings. More to come...