Jimmy Rea
Arts Reporter & HostJimmy Rea is a proud Ozarkian with deep ties to the music community. With 2 decades of creative entrepreneurship underfoot, Jimmy has toured coast to coast and around the world with acoustic acts The HillBenders and Keller Williams. Spearheading numerous musical groups, recording projects, and live music events, Rea’s work in the Springfield music scene is a passion and lifestyle. Happily married to wife Melissa and father to Archie, they enjoy life together with 2 dogs and a cat. In his downtime you can find Jimmy fishing for bass in the crisp rivers, creeks, and streams of the Ozarks.
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Queen City Shakespeare mixes beer and the Bard with “Shakespeare on Tap,” a unique take on theater at Mother’s Brewing. Italian guitar virtuoso Beppe Gambetta performs at the Shoe Tree Listening Room. Springfield Little Theatre opens “Noises Off,” and the Springfield Symphony Orchestra celebrates the music of John Williams. -
Virtuoso guitarist and Genova, Italy native Beppe Gambetta and multi-instrumentalist special guest, Hayes Griffin, will make a rare appearance in Springfield on Saturday, October 18. -
The 1982 farce by English playwright Michael Frayn, a hit on London’s West End and Broadway, now wreaks havoc on the Landers Theatre stage. -
On “Arts News” this week, pledge week winds down as we celebrate public radio with coverage of the visual arts exhibit “Nevertheless, She Persisted,” plus two theatrical openings: “Hairspray” at the Fox Theatre and “Shrek the Musical” at the Historic Owen Theatre in Branson. Music from Lyal Strickland, Dallas Jones, Steve & Adie and more. -
Twenty years after its Broadway debut, Mosaic Arts Collective stages the musical in a once-segregated theater with a large cast and a community-driven mission. -
Actors of all ages will bring the DreamWorks favorite to life with song and dance, and we talk with the director for a sneak peek ahead of opening night. -
The library spotlights horror authors, the Springfield Regional Arts Council hosts 1st Friday Art Walk and The Ozzie Awards, The Random Strangers new album, the Overlay festival and more! -
Jimmy Rea talks with creator and muralist, Meg Wagler, about the Overlay Festival, which returns to downtown Springfield Oct. 3-4 with a live six-story mural by Emily Ding and Osiris Rain, DJ sets, a new VIP Bird’s Eye Lounge, a pop-up skate park and a community dining hall. -
Jimmy Rea talks with Oh, the Horror! organizer, Konrad Stump, about this year’s lineup and with Ozarks author, Brandon Weston, about his new book. -
Banjo virtuoso Béla Fleck brings his genre-bending new album to the Gillioz; the Springfield Art Museum’s annual 99x fundraiser; Downtown Jazz Takeover; the Live From Downtown finale; a community choir call from the Messiah Project; and a benefit concert as the music community rallies for one of its own.
