PRESS RELEASE

UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL ARKASAS

COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS AND COMMUNICATION
CONTACT: Dr. Gayle Seymour, (501) 450-3295; gayles@uca.edu; Chris
Fritzges, Fritzges@uca.edu
February 16, 2017

PUPPETEER RICK LYON TO BE IN RESIDENCE

MARCH 6-9
By Taelor Pickett
College of Fine Arts and Communication Media Office

CONWAY Rick Lyon, an actor and puppeteer, will visit the University
of Central Arkansas as artist in residence March 6-9.

The highlight of the residency will be a public performance and lecture

March 9 at 3 p.m. in the Bridges/Larson Theatre of the Snow Fine Arts
Center.

Lyon, a cast member of the original Tony Award-winning play, Avenue

Q, will also be on campus conducting open workshops for theatre
majors and minors and will work with the UCA cast of the using
puppets from the original 2003 Broadway production of Avenue Q.

All residency events are free and open to the public.

This residency will bring essential skills and knowledge to the theatre
program on how to work with puppets that will be especially helpful in
staging our production of Avenue Q for the public in April, said Chris
Fritzges, associate professor of theatre and faculty sponsor for the
residency. Puppetry within this show can be complex at times, and
(Lyons residency) offers a great opportunity to have UCA students
learn from the best through the use of Mr. Lyon's puppets that he made
for the original Broadway production.

According to www.lyonpuppets.com, Lyon studied theatre at Penn State

University and puppetry at the Institute of Professional Puppetry Arts in
Connecticut and the Institut Internationale de la Marionnette in France.
While he was studying in Connecticut in 1986, he met the late beloved
Jim Henson, which later led to his working for Henson as a puppeteer
with the Muppets and Jim Hensons Creature Shop.
Lyon has designed and built puppets and props for Avenue Q, Comedy
Centrals Crank Yankers, Nickelodeons Stick Stickly, and the live
national tour of PBSs The Magic School Bus.

Other residency activities at UCA include:

Open workshop with theatre majors and minors, Snow Fine Arts
Center 210, March 6, 1-3 p.m.
Work with actors cast in Avenue Q, Bridges/Larson Theatre,
March 6, 6-10 p.m.
Open workshop with theatre majors and minors, Snow Fine Arts
Center 210, March 7, 1-3 p.m.
Work with actors cast in Avenue Q, Bridges/Larson Theatre,
March 7, 6-10 p.m.
Open workshop with theatre majors and minors, Snow Fine Arts
Center 210, March 8, 1-3 p.m.
Work with actors cast in Avenue Q, Bridges/Larson Theatre,
March 8, 6-10 p.m.

UCA Theatres performances of Avenue Q will take place April13, 14,

20 and 21 at 7:30 p.m. and April 15 and 22 at 2 p.m.

The Artists-in-Residence program is designed to serve all students on

campus by providing them with opportunities to interact with world-
class artists, said Dr. Gayle Seymour, professor of art history and
associate dean for the College of Fine Arts and Communication.
Puppeteer Rick Lyon is a giant in the worlds of musical theatre and
television. Students won't want to miss this exciting residency.

The Artist-in-Residence program is funded by UCAs arts fee and is

administered by the College of Fine Arts and Communication. For more
information about the program, call the Office of the Dean, College of
Fine Arts and Communication, at (501) 450-3293 or e-mail
jdmiller@uca.edu.

The UCA College of Fine Arts and Communication includes the

Departments of Art, Music, and Film, Theatre and Creative Writing, as
well as the School of Communication. The colleges primary mission is
the preparation of the next generation of artists, educators and
communicators. For more information about CFAC, visit
www.uca.edu/cfac or call (501) 450-3293.

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