If you have a love for the theatrical arts and need something to do besides studying and watching Netflix these upcoming weekends then you should check out some upcoming plays and performances here in Texarkana! This weekend there are not one but two events. On Saturday, November, 12th Grant Freeman will be performing “An R-Rated Magic Show,” this show is going to be filled with magic, tricks, and hilarious antics.

The other event will be “Tarfuffe: The Imposter,” by the Texarkana Repertory Company. This comedy was first staged in 1664 by the playwright Moliere and was once a very controversial play during that time. “It’s a fun show!” said Michael Wells. The show will be performed November, 11th-13th. Don’t worry if you miss it because of Grant Freeman, it will be performed the following weekend on November, 18th-20th.

However, you want to make sure to make room for Pleasant Grove High School’s iteration of Disney’s “Beauty and The Beast” Musical. Adapted from the Academy Award-Winning animated musical movie of the same name, “Beauty and The Beast” tells the story of a gruesome monster who imprisons a beautiful woman in his castle filled with talking inanimate objects. The musical will be performed on November 17th, 18th, and 19th.

Arkansas High School will be showing something we might recognize from our childhood, “Schoolhouse Rock Live!” “It’s very educational, it originates from the cartoons that helped kids learn about different things like math, English, science, and history. There are lots of different types of music and singing,” said, Camilla Gutierrez, choreographer. The musical will be performed on December 8th-9th.

The Perot Theatre is one of Texarkana’s oldest cultural icons. Located downtown it is one of the oldest landmarks being established in 1924. People often forget about it because it can be overshadowed by the Cinemark or attribute it to “The Nutcracker” ballet performance. However, it is more than just a building downtown to take your prom photos at.

Last weekend they showed the cult classic, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” The film is interactive and viewers purchased kits containing props. “People were very enthusiastic and they sang and danced along with the movie,” said Andrea Loredo.

For all the music enthusiasts, the Texarkana Symphony Orchestra and Pianist Andrew Staupe will be performing “Metamorphosis” on November 5, 2022. 

It’s not all music and musicals. The Perot Theatre can also bring tricks, jokes, and pranks. Comedy magician Grant Freeman will be coming to Texarkana to perform “An R-Rated Magic Show” on November 12, 2022. This show will be full of surprises and hilarious spectacles.

The Perot Theatre is also gearing up to get into the holiday season.“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” musical will perform on November 18, 2022. Following that month, the Texarkana Community Ballet will showcase our city’s youth in “The Nutcracker” on December 2-4, 2022. To finish the year, the Texarkana Symphony Orchestra will perform “Christmas at the Perot” on December 11, 2022.

The Perot Theater has been a staple of entertainment in Texarkana since 1924 and it’s important to support local art and history. Make sure to grab your tickets before it’s too late! For more information visit https://www.perottheatre.org.

When Drew Morton was a freshman he said to his girlfriend, “I want to become a film professor.” A few years later he proved to his girlfriend, now wife, by receiving his Ph.D. in Cinema and Media Studies from the University of California-Los Angeles. He is an associate professor of Mass Communication at Texas A&M University-Texarkana (TAMUT) since 2012. Hopefully, he will become a full professor in 2023.

Dr. Morton teaches a Popular Culture and Media class where students delve into the world of comics. However, Dr. Morton finds the right sub-interests and subtly teaches them about other subjects such as First Amendment rights and how different types of media can cross through different platforms. “You can kinda trick them into learning,” said Dr. Morton.

Dr. Morton enjoys the culture here at TAMUT. He also appreciates the diverse set of students. “We have so many people from different walks of life,” said Dr. Morton. “It’s much more down to earth and ego doesn’t get in the way,” in regards to the students. He sees a little of himself in the first-gen college students who do not have a chip on their shoulders.

He published a book titled “Panel To The Screen,” which discusses the relationships between comic books and films. He is currently working on another book about the comic series “Watchmen.” In his free time, he works on personal projects such as his idea for a horror film and photography. 

When Zulually Guerrero was younger she moved from Mexico to Dequeen, Arkansas. She was born with a birth defect and went to the Children’s Hospital in Little Rock to get treated. Watching all the nurses working endlessly around her inspired her to become one. “I kind of took an interest there,” said Zulually. 

When Zulually isn’t studying for her next exam, she likes to have fun. She enjoys watching romance movies and listening to upbeat indie music. Like most people who live in a small town, she likes to walk around Target or TJ Maxx and do some retail therapy. 

Zulually is now in her second year of nursing school at Texas A&M-Texarkana (TAMUT) planning to get her Bachelors of Science and Nursing degree (BSN). Afterward, she hopes to move to Little Rock and work in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the children’s hospital where it all began.