Vol.1, No 12., October 24, 2025
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People. Places. Things To Do. |
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| | Hello friends, and welcome back to The Green Room.
This week I bring you into a story I first heard when filmmaker Randy Bacon’s manager reached out to me. What began as a simple invitation quickly revealed itself as something more.
Randy’s new documentary The Soft Surrender peers directly into the tender, often hidden world of hospice and palliative care. It gives voice to patients, families, and those in death’s orbit at the end of life. The film captures their resilience, humor, fear, and love in moments many of us avoid even speaking about, but that we will all face.
Randy and I shared a conversation about how this film came to be, shaped by the serendipitous moments and relationships that helped move it forward. It reminded me how art often finds its way through us, rather than from us.
What struck me most is the way he uses his camera almost like a quiet witness. The light falls across faces etched with time, and he holds there long enough for wisdom to surface. There are scenes where laughter cuts through the heaviness, where a hand brushes another at a bedside, where a small story carries the weight of a lifetime. What Randy has captured is not simply the end, but the living that shines brightest when it is nearly gone.
Thank you for joining me in The Green Room. This week’s story asks us to lean into the hardest questions and discover what beauty can be found when we do.
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| Jimmy Rea
Host, Arts News
KSMU 91.1 - FM
Ozarks Public Broadcasting
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The Green Room Arts News Letter is presented by
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Soft Surrender subjects David and Johanna. Photo Credit: Randy Bacon
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What happens when a local filmmaker turns his lens toward life’s final chapter? Springfield photographer Randy Bacon’s new documentary The Soft Surrender captures the grace, grit, and unexpected beauty of people facing the end of life — and what their stories can teach the rest of us...read more.
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Students rehearing for Dance Nation. Photo Credit: MSU Theatre and Dance
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The high-stakes world of competitive dance collides with the messy, beautiful chaos of growing up. Missouri State University's production of Dance Nation pulls back the curtain on adolescence — all the ambition, insecurity, and wild emotion that come with it. Directed by Nikki Ferry and inspired by Dance Moms, this bold, funny, and unflinchingly honest play doesn’t hold back...read more.
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Arts News on KSMU is your long-standing source for what's happening in the Ozarks arts scene spotlighting local creators, performances, and cultural events every week. Tune in Fridays at 10 a.m. on 91.1-FM or stream at KSMU.org
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👉Got a story, event, or artist I should know about? Share your arts and music tips with The Green Room, and help us shine a spotlight on the creative pulse of the Ozarks! You can email them to me at JRea@MissouriState.edu.
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I can tell you where a great show is this weekend, but I can’t tell you where it is. Six bands, four local, one from Joplin, and one all the way from Tyler, Texas. Where is Tyler, Texas? I can tell you that. Easy.
Texas.
But, if you wanna know where The Fungeon is, you gotta ask a punk.
One of the most well-known aspects of the pandemic was the shuttering of venues. However, there was still a desire to see live music and, as the dust cleared, that need started to be met again. Breweries were some of the first places to do this, with many already having both large outdoor spaces and ties to the local music scene. But another player also stepped up in a big way:
House shows.
House shows are nothing new, but with fewer venues, changing social habits, and a renewed DIY spirit among young musicians, they have taken on a new life. They are typically ad hoc affairs, donation based, with only names and dates shared. Where are they? Often, you’ve got to find out for yourself.
Started a little over two years ago, the Fungeon has become a local house show mecca. It is the definition of an underground venue, because…it’s in a basement. It’s a favorite space among many excellent local bands, but they have managed to pull in a host of touring acts from places near and far: Kansas City, St. Louis, Chicago, Philadelphia, Seattle, and even Tyler, Texas!
This Saturday will be their third annual Halloween show and their last show of the year. For just a taste of the music you can hear there this weekend, check out “We’re Coming Back” by Leadership Class. For the location? You can go online, hit the socials, send someone a DM, or...just ask a punk.
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Local Radar with Ran Cummings is a weekly music and conversation radio show on KSMU featuring bands and performances from in and around the Ozarks every Friday night at 9:00 p.m. on 91.1 - FM or stream at KSMU.org.
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Studio Live with Melissa Rea and Jess Balisle airs the 2nd Friday of every month on KSMU. Tune in at 12:00 p.m. for an hour of live music and conversation with talented artists. Later that evening, experience the music in person at a FREE performance from 6:00–8:00 p.m. at Springfield Brewing Company..
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November 14: Mr. Orange
December 12: Drew Beine
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🎶Friends don't leave friends out of the music and arts scene - they share all the local arts and music happenings. Just forward this email to friends!
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In the mood to stay in? Queue up one of these videos handpicked by our staff at Ozarks Public Broadcasting, perfect for a night in when you're skipping the scene but still craving culture.
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These favorites from KSMU and OPT are just the beginning—there’s a whole world of storytelling, music, documentaries, and local gems waiting on you to dive in and discover at your local public broadcasting station.
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The Green Room: A Weekly Arts News Letter is a production of Ozarks Public Broadcasting. For more information about our programs and services please visit our website.
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Mailing Address:
901 South National Ave.
Springfield, MO 65897
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Ozarks Public Television 417-836-3500
KSMU Radio 417-836-5878
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