Reynolds Performance Hall, a distinguished theater with over a thousand seats, hosts an abundance of plays, comedy acts and live music monthly. Yet, hardly any of these performances speak to college students.
Anyone who has been to one of these can attest that the audience does not reflect a college demographic. These shows cater to the elderly and families with children.
In a perfect world, old and young alike would swarm Reynolds and fill every single seat for productions like “The Magic School Bus: Lost in the Solar System” or “A Charlie Brown Christmas Live on Stage.” Unfortunately, this is not reality. Most college students are between 18 and 22 years old. They are unsure who Christian pop singer Amy Grant is and have sadly long forgotten about “Blue’s Clues” icon Steve Burns.
The issue is not the lack of demand for fine art performances.
The issue is not the artists themselves; they are talented individuals who put a colossal amount of effort into perfecting their performances.
The issue is Reynolds booking shows that miss its target audience — UCA’s students.
“Hot Ones” with Caleb McLaughlin and Sean Evans, or Blue Man Group are examples of Reynolds done right. These shows sold out weeks in advance.
Hendrix gets rapper Flo Milli on March 11, and UCA gets Pink Floyd tribute band Floyd Nation on March 10.
It may be shallow, but there is a difference.
While Hendrix students anxiously scramble to purchase tickets for their spring concert, UCA students are scratching their heads, trying to remember what Pink Floyd is.
Indeed, it’s remarkable to see the revival of seventies and eighties stars like in Purple Piano: A Celebration of Prince and R.E.S.P.E.CT., a tribute to Aretha Franklin, take center stage.
Plenty of old souls and old people attend these shows, but this only appeals to a certain genre of music lovers.
There is not always a flurry of distinguished artists readily available for UCA, but when there is, Reynolds should take the chance and book them.
Once again, this is not a dig at the previous and future booked artists. It may even be disheartening for these performers to stare back at a crowd of mainly senior citizens. College students bring a fresh sense of energy and enthusiasm.
This is also not a dig at the older population for attending these performances. However, there should be a balance — a Reynolds brochure that covers performances for all age groups.
All sorts of personalities, such as Nicolas Cage and Spike Lee, have walked the Reynolds’ stage since its opening in 2000.
Present-day UCA students deserve a Flo Milli moment like Hendrix or another star like Caleb McLaughlin to grace the stage and stir a bit of buzz around campus.
UCA students also get discounted tickets or even free tickets occasionally. There is no reason not to utilize Reynolds’s intense value for the Conway Community; it would just be nice for a change to see more moments made for college students.