'Josephine' Star and Director Featured in 'FPAC Live' Digital Series August 21

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Tymisha Harris and Michael Marinaccio

The Jim and Joyce Faulkner Performing Arts Center at the University of Arkansas welcomes back Michael Marinaccio, director, and Tymisha Harris, star of Josephine, for the fourth installment of the "FPAC Live" digital series at 3 p.m. (CDT) Friday, Aug. 21, via the FPAC Facebook page. 

Marinaccio and Harris will sit down with Nicole Leachman, director of the Faulkner Center, to discuss how the coronavirus pandemic has impacted the tour of Josephine, as well as the production and development of their new show Josie & Grace.

Josie & Grace will feature stories from the legendary friendship between Josephine Baker and Grace Kelly, also known as Princess Grace of Monaco. Marinaccio and Harris will also perform a sneak peek from Josie & Grace.

Harris has been performing professionally for over 20 years. Her early credits include assistant choreographer and backup dancing for N*SYNC, backup dancer for LFO, multiple roles at Universal Studios Orlando, and a featured role in the hit movie series Bring It On.

More recent endeavors include the national tour of Rock of Ages, a European tour with the innovative and world-renowned Pilobulus Dance Theater Company, and a founding member and Assistant Director and Choreographer of the successful Orlando based troupe, VarieTease. 

Marinaccio has been a successful producer, director, actor, and teacher in central Florida and beyond for over 20 years. As a B.F.A. theatre performance graduate of the University of Central Florida, he has participated directly in hundreds of theatrical productions. As a collaborator, he has helped create over 20 original theatre pieces and has produced and directed dozens of new works.

After 8 years as Festival Producer of Orlando Fringe, he now continues to serve the organization as Show Director. 

Josephine is a biographical musical that combines cabaret, theatre, and dance to tell the story of the iconic Josephine Baker, the first African American international superstar and one of the most remarkable figures of the 20th Century. 

Josephine shatters stereotypes of race, gender roles, and sexuality in this intimate, charming, and haunting cabaret with a twist. 
 
For later viewing of the interview, it will be recorded and posted to the Faulkner Center homepage. 

Josephine appeared in the FPAC Present series in the 2019-20 season. For additional information about the Faulkner Performing Arts Center, "FPAC Live" digital series, the "FPAC Presents" series, and much more, please visit faulkner.uark.edu.

About the Jim and Joyce Faulkner Performing Arts Center: The newest performing arts center at the University of Arkansas — a renovation of the old Field House — is named the Jim and Joyce Faulkner Performing Arts Center, in honor of the couple's major gift to the project. Completed in September 2017, this world-class performance venue is 39,400 square feet, with seating for 587, and a stage that can accommodate as many as 250 performers. The center is the main performance venue for the university's Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences Department of Music and hosts guest musical activities for the university and Northwest Arkansas community.  

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs.