Professional actor and singer Rob Sutton will receive the Department of Theatre's second annual Distinguished Alumnus award at Saturday night's 2018-2019 Season Preview and Scholarship Reception.

Sutton is an Arkansas native and a 1994 graduate of the University of Arkansas. After receiving an M.F.A. in acting from the University of Arizona, he relocated to New York City to pursue a career as an actor in the theatre. For over 20 years, Sutton has performed on stages all over the country from Broadway in New York City to the "The Strip" in Las Vegas, having recently returned to Fayetteville as "Bruce" in TheatreSquared's production of Fun Home. On Broadway, he understudied and performed the roles of "Beast" and "Gaston" in Disney's Beauty and The Beast, and starred as "Sam Carmichael" in the Las Vegas company of Mamma Mia! His many credits include The World Goes Round (Pittsburgh Public), Children of Eden (Ford's Theatre, Washington D.C.), Curtains (Pittsburgh CLO), We Will Rock You (Las Vegas), Idaho! The Musical (NYMF), Mame (North Shore) and The Scarlet Pimpernel (Sacramento Music Circus).

While he has traveled the country working as an actor and singer, his passion for the theatre began at the University of Arkansas in a 1991 production of The Cradle Will Rock. His favorite Department of Theatre memories include roles in Reckless, Guys and Dolls, Into the Woods and Mikado. Sutton is privileged to be a member of the U of A theatre family, and he is honored to participate in this celebration of theatre at the University of Arkansas.

The Season Preview and Scholarship Reception is an annual event put on by the Department of Theatre to celebrate their students, alumni, and supporters. It includes recognition of scholarship recipients, performance and design awards for the past season's productions, select scenes from shows in the upcoming season, and of course the presentation of the Distinguished Alumnus award. The reception will be held Saturday, May 5, at the Chancellor Hotel. It will begin with a cocktail hour at 6 p.m. and will conclude at approximately 9:30 p.m.