The Play is the Thing for Jack Iafrate

You can’t teach comedic timing, you either have it, or you don’t. Jack Iafrate is loaded with it. When the audience sees Iafrate’s name in the program, everyone knows they’re going to smile before leaving the theater.

Iafrate is currently in rehearsal for his second professional role as famed screenwriter and ‘script doctor’ Ben Hecht in Moonlight and Magnolias at the Central Theatre in Hot Springs June 24 through July 3. The fast-paced slapstick farce requires him to rely heavily on his natural comedic timing.

When asked about the character he plays in Moonlight and Magnolias Iafrate said, “Hecht is a hard-boiled newspaperman at heart, who believes that in order to make it, you have to be tough. He is extremely smart, talented and a quick thinker, possibly the best screenwriter of his time.”

Iafrate has been a movie buff his entire life. He grew up in Hollywood with actors like Ricky Nelson, Sally Kellerman, David Nelson, and Billie Gray. He always wanted to act, but was too busy raising a family. After retiring, he joined the community theater in Grosse Ile, Michigan and has been acting ever since. He says, “The play is the thing. You have to give it your 100% best, or don’t do it.”

Iafrate’s first profession role was with Jerry Van Dyke in Neil Simon's The Sunshine Boys at the RayLynn Theater in Hot Springs and again in Branson. When asked about the difference between Community Theater and professional, Iafrate said, “We get to try a wider range of plays, some that Community Theaters might be afraid to try.”

Don’t miss Iafrate and the rest of the cast of the Arkansas TheatreWorks presentation of Moonlight and Magnolias June 24 through July 3 at the Central Theatre in Hot Springs. For reservations, call 922-6899 or go online at www.arktwks.org.


Also in the cast is Tom Cooper of Royal, AR as Legendary Hollywood producer David O. Selznick.

Cooper is working toward a Bachelor’s Degree in Theater Arts at Henderson State University. He has performed at the Pocket Theatre and Ray-Lynn Theatre in Hot Springs, as well as at Henderson State University.

Cooper says, “In the play David O Selznick describes the magic that occurs "when the lights go down and the theatre disappears and the magic starts to happen," as he was keenly aware of the escape his work provided for the "Joe Blows and Jane Does" he was determined to satisfy. I hope our production succeeds in recreating some of this magic for our audiences as well.”


The complete cast includes:
Tom Cooper of Royal as David O. Selznick
Jack Iafrate of Hot Springs Village as Ben Hecht
Brian Williams of Benton as Victor Fleming
Kassie Johnsen of Hot Springs as Miss Poppenghul

SHOW DATES: June 24 through July 3

CURTAIN TIMES:
Friday, June 24 8 p.m.
Saturday, June 25 8 p.m.
Sunday, June 26 2 p.m.
Wednesday, June 29 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, June 30 7:30 p.m.
Friday, July 1 8 p.m.
Saturday, July 2 8 p.m.
Sunday, July 3 2 p.m.


TICKET PRICES: $17.50 to $25

WEBSITE: www.arktwks.org

PUBLIC-CONTACT PHONE NUMBER: Sheldon Kleinman (501) 922-6899

CENTRAL THEATRE CONTACT: Bill Volland 501-538-0766