Multicultural Stage Show at Lanterns 2026
Thursday: 7 and 8 pm | Friday: 7:30 and 8:30 pm
Saturday: 6:30, 7:30, and 8:30 | Sunday: 6, 7, and 8 pm
No WildBucks required -- free with admission to Lanterns
Each Lanterns Festival showcases performances from one or more of the cultures being celebrated that year. Our 15th anniversary show features a fast-paced, family-friendly mix of the following performances:
​
-
Egyptian dances performed by the Mirana Dance Company
-
Italian opera selections sung by Melanie Ezell and Satia Spencer
-
Chinese martial arts demos, C-pop music, and traditional lion dancing
-
Hawaiian ukulele music performed by Ethan Ezell
-
Songs from "The Wizard of Oz" and "Wicked"
Our free multicultural stage show runs for approximately 40 minutes and is performed 2-3 times each evening in the Cabe Festival Theater.
Our indoor theater is air conditioned, seats 625 people, and is wheelchair accessible.
You're welcome to enter and leave the show whenever you wish (but please be courteous to the performers and your fellow audience members when moving about).
​
On Thursday and Sunday nights, a free fireworks display will immediately follow the 8:00 stage show. After leaving the theater, gather around the lake to get the best views!
Featured Performers
Premium Martial Arts | Little Rock, AR
Premium Martial Arts of Little Rock is a family-centered Taekwondo school where students of all ages develop confidence, discipline, and strong martial arts skills. The school emphasizes personal growth alongside technical training, creating a supportive environment for learning.
Students from Premium Martial Arts will present martial arts demonstrations both during this year’s Lanterns Festival stage show and in the China vista. They will delight audiences of all ages with their impressive energy and focus!
​
Learn more about their programs, camps, and events at the Premium Martial Arts of Little Rock website.
Lion Dancing | Arkansas Chinese-American Association
The Arkansas Chinese American Association is a nonprofit organization dedicated to building a strong and active Chinese American community in Arkansas. Through advocacy, service, and community connection, the ACAA supports opportunities for personal and professional growth while encouraging meaningful engagement across cultures.
​
The ACAA also works to promote and sustain Chinese culture and heritage through outreach, cultural programming, and exchange with other communities. Its involvement in the Lanterns Festival helps celebrate those traditions while sharing them with a broader audience.
​
Learn more about the Arkansas Chinese-American Association
Middle Eastern Dance | Mirana Dance Co.
Mirana Dance Company is a nationally recognized Arkansas performance group dedicated to preserving and presenting Middle Eastern dance as a cultural art form.
Founded by Marion “Mirana” Thompson in 1974, the company was the first to bring this dance tradition to Arkansas and has played a vital role in sharing it with audiences across the state.
​
Now under the artistic direction of Shannon Sahr, Mirana Dance Company continues to offer unique performances honoring the traditional elegance of Middle Eastern dance. Their appearance at Lanterns 2026 adds beauty, movement, and cultural richness to our celebration.
​
Learn more about the Mirana Dance Company
Satia Spencer
Satia Spencer is a mezzo-soprano, music educator, and U.S. Marine Corps veteran whose work reflects both her artistic range and her deep commitment to the community. Known for her versatility across opera, gospel, jazz, and musical theater, she has performed in a wide variety of roles in Arkansas and beyond.
​
Her stage credits include the title role in Carmen; Sister Boxer in The Amen Corner; Felicia in Memphis; Mother Abbess in The Sound of Music; Sarah in Ragtime; the Stepmother in Into the Woods; Celeste in Troubled Island; Miss Hannigan in Annie; and Alice’s Daughter in Big River.
Satia is passionate about mentoring young musicians and sharing her love of music in both classroom and theater settings. She currently serves as a music educator at Forest Heights STEM Academy in Little Rock and is co-director of the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra Children’s Choir.
Melanie Hanna Ezell
Melanie Hanna Ezell is an accomplished soprano who has been a featured performer at Lanterns for over a decade. She is a soloist and soprano section leader, preschool music teacher, and Associate Director the Music and the Arts at Second Presbyterian Church of Little Rock. She has performed internationally with the church's adult choir.
Her stage roles at Wildwood include Pirates of Penzance (Edith), Sister Act (Mary Patrick), Seussical the Musical (ensemble), Into the Woods (Cinderella's Mother) and more. Notable concert performances include Mozart’s Requiem and Brahms’s Ein Deutsches Requiem.
Melanie maintains a private voice studio, and for the past two years, she has also served as the music director for the theatre program at Central Arkansas Christian.
Ethan Ezell
Ethan Ezell is a guitar and ukulele player who, like his wife Melanie, has frequently performed both at Lanterns and in Wildwood stage productions.
Originally from Redfield, AR, his stage roles include singing the role of Lawyer Swallow in Peter Grimes, Ernie in Sister Act, and Horton the Elephant in Seussical the Musical. He appeared in the ensembles of Pirates of Penzance, All Is Calm, Into the Woods, Annie, Dracula Unearthed, Carmina Burana, and more.
​
A versatile bass-baritone and tenor soloist, Ethan performs regularly and toured internationally with the Second Presbyterian Church Adult Choir in Little Rock.​​
Emmie Black
Emmie Black, a ninth-grader at Robinson High School, is a singer and theater performer whose most recent appearances on the Wildwood stage include the role of Kelsi in High School Musical and an ensemble role in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. She has also enjoyed playing the roles of Lily St. Regis (Annie), Ryan (High School Musical 2), and Mal (Disney's Descendants). She sings in her school choir and has made All-Region choir the past two years, most recently earning the first chair Soprano 1 spot.​
Olivia Dudley
Olivia Dudley is a native of Little Rock and attends Pulaski Academy.​ She is a frequent performer on the Wildwood stage, having been most recently seen last fall in High School Musical, with additional appearances in Peter Pan, Newsies, Matilda, and Oliver! Elsewhere, she has performed in Elf, Jr. and Freaky Friday One Act Edition. Olivia enjoys all things sugar, writing colorful stories with her flair pens, seeing new sights, and spending time with friends and family. She has studied piano and enjoys cheer and tumbling.
