Arkansas Artists with National Reach Come Together for ACT’s MISERY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 22, 2026
Media Contact:
Coburn Goss, Artistic Director
Argenta Contemporary Theatre
501-353-1443
Mary Twedt, Coburn Goss and Jason Scott Morgan lead the cast of Stephen King’s psychological thriller, directed by Brandon Paul Eells
NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Argenta Contemporary Theatre will present MISERY, William Goldman’s stage adaptation of Stephen King’s bestselling novel, October 14–November 1, 2026, at ACT in North Little Rock.
At the center of the production is a core team of Arkansas artists whose work has reached audiences nationally through professional theatre, film, television, voice acting, writing, broadcasting, and education: Mary Twedt as Annie Wilkes, Coburn Goss as Paul Sheldon, Jason Scott Morgan as Buster, and director Brandon Paul Eells.
“For this production, we wanted to assemble a core team of exceptional Arkansas artists—not simply because they are from here, but because their work demonstrates the extraordinary level of artistry being created from Arkansas and carried into the national field,” said Jeremy Williams, Executive Director of Argenta Contemporary Theatre. “Mary, Coburn, Jason, and Brandon have each built very different careers, but they share something important: deep roots in this community, significant work beyond Arkansas, and a continued commitment to bringing that experience back home.”
Adapted for the stage by Academy Award-winning screenwriter William Goldman, MISERY follows celebrated novelist Paul Sheldon after a devastating car accident leaves him injured and isolated in the home of Annie Wilkes, his self-proclaimed “number one fan.” What begins as rescue quickly becomes captivity when Annie discovers that Paul has killed off her favorite literary character. The resulting battle of wills turns increasingly dangerous as Paul fights to survive.
Mary Twedt — Annie Wilkes
Mary Twedt is a veteran Arkansas actor whose career spans professional theatre, public broadcasting, culinary storytelling, and nationally recognized medical education. Her stage career is deeply connected to Central Arkansas theatre, including longstanding work with The Arkansas Repertory Theatre and Murry’s Dinner Playhouse. Her history with The Rep reaches back to the era of founding artistic director Cliff Fannin Baker, and she was among the artists who participated in the theatre’s 1999 Ovation! celebration honoring Baker and his impact on professional theatre in Arkansas.
That connection places Twedt within a generation of artists who helped establish and sustain Central Arkansas’ professional theatre community. For audiences who have followed The Rep, Murry’s, and the broader Little Rock theatre scene over the past several decades, she is a familiar and enduring presence.
Twedt also became widely known beyond the stage as the longtime host of KUAR’s Arkansas Cooks. For more than a decade, the weekly public-radio program took her across the state to interview chefs, restaurateurs, home cooks, and other culinary voices, using food as a lens into Arkansas communities, traditions, and personal histories. Her work in Arkansas food culture also extended into print through the Twedt Family Cookbook and writing on Arkansas foodways.
Her most significant national impact has come through simulation-based medical education. Cantrell helped build the standardized-patient program at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences from its early beginnings into a major clinical-skills and simulation program. Her leadership earned her the Association of Standardized Patient Educators’ Outstanding Standardized Patient Educator Award, a national honor recognizing her contributions to the field. Her work also extended internationally, including assisting with the development of clinical-skills education in Cairo, Egypt, through a USAID-supported initiative.
Twedt’s career reflects the breadth of Arkansas’ artistic community: an actor rooted in the professional theatre tradition built by artists such as Cliff Fannin Baker, a familiar voice to public-radio audiences across the state, and a nationally honored educator whose work has influenced healthcare training well beyond Arkansas.
Coburn Goss — Paul Sheldon
North Little Rock native Coburn Goss has built a three-decade career as an actor, playwright, screenwriter, and producer, with work spanning major American theatres, film, and television. After studying theatre at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR), Goss began his professional career at Arkansas Repertory Theatre before moving to Chicago, where he became part of one of the country’s most respected ensemble-theatre communities.
As an actor, Goss has appeared extensively at Steppenwolf Theatre Company and Goodman Theatre, as well as Writers Theatre, TimeLine Theatre, American Blues Theater, and other leading Chicago companies. His regional and Off-Broadway work has included appearances at Seattle Repertory Theatre, Asolo Repertory Theatre, 59E59 Theaters, and Arkansas Rep. Among his notable stage roles are C.S. Lewis in Freud’s Last Session opposite legendary Chicago actor Mike Nussbaum and John Proctor in The Crucible at Asolo Rep.
Goss was also a founding member of Seanachai Theatre Company, now Irish Theatre of Chicago, where his work included acting, directing, producing, and playwriting. The company became a significant part of Chicago’s storefront and ensemble-theatre landscape and received multiple Joseph Jefferson Awards, the city’s principal honors for professional theatre.
His screen career includes major studio films and acclaimed independent work. Goss appeared as Father Daniel Leone in Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and in Steve McQueen’s Widows. His television credits include Chicago Med, Chicago Fire, The Chi, Empire, Prison Break, ER, Boss, and The Red Line, among others.
Goss has also earned national recognition as a writer. His play Marked Tree received the M. Elizabeth Osborn Award from the American Theatre Critics Association, a national honor recognizing an emerging American playwright. The award placed Goss among a distinguished group of writers recognized for significant new work produced outside New York.
More recently, Goss co-wrote and produced the feature film All Happy Families with filmmaker Haroula Rose. The film, starring Josh Radnor, Becky Ann Baker, Rob Huebel, Chandra Russell, John Ashton, and Colleen Camp, received a national release following its festival run and further extended Goss’s work from theatre into screenwriting and independent film production.
His career reflects a distinctly Arkansas-to-national trajectory: from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and Arkansas Rep to Steppenwolf, Goodman, major studio films, television, and nationally recognized writing. After nearly three decades in Chicago, Goss returned to North Little Rock and now serves as Artistic Director of Argenta Contemporary Theatre, bringing the experience of a national career back to the community where his work began.
Jason Scott Morgan — Buster
Arkansas-based actor Jason Scott Morgan has built a substantial career across theatre, film, and television, with recent work connecting Arkansas stages to major national screen projects.
On stage, Morgan has taken on some of contemporary and classic theatre’s most demanding roles, including Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire at Argenta Contemporary Theatre and R.P. McMurphy in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. His Arkansas theatre credits also include work with Arkansas Repertory Theatre and other Central Arkansas companies.
His screen career includes appearances in NBC’s Chicago P.D. and Apple TV’s Cape Fear, along with feature films including Sovereign, starring Nick Offerman, and King Snake, written and directed by acclaimed Arkansas filmmaker Jeff Nichols. Additional film work has placed him alongside performers including Harvey Keitel, Stephen Lang, Theo Rossi, and Brandon Routh.
Morgan’s career reflects a distinctly Arkansas-to-national trajectory: an actor with deep roots in the state’s theatre and independent-film communities whose work now extends to network television and nationally distributed feature films.
Brandon Paul Eells — Director
Little Rock native Brandon Paul Eells has built a national career as an actor and voice artist while remaining deeply invested in the growth of theatre in Arkansas. His work spans television, film, major video-game franchises, and multiple decades of performance, directing, and artistic leadership on Arkansas stages.
Nationally, Eells is perhaps best known as the voice of Drax the Destroyer across multiple Marvel titles, including Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series, Marvel Future Fight, Marvel: Contest of Champions, and Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order. His performance as Drax in Guardians of the Galaxy earned him the 2017 Voice Arts Award for Outstanding Video Game Character, Best Voiceover. He was also part of a Voice Arts Award-winning Valspar national commercial campaign.
His television credits include Chicago Fire, Shameless, and Proven Innocent, while his film work includes the Arkansas football drama Greater, in which he portrayed his father, legendary broadcaster Paul Eells, as well as the Arkansas-made feature Good Time Charley.
Eells’ roots in Arkansas theatre extend across multiple decades, including work with the original Arkansas Shakespeare Festival, founded by actor and director Jay Randall. He later served as Artistic Director of The Public Theatre in Little Rock, where his work expanded beyond performance into directing, producing, and artistic leadership, helping sustain opportunities for locally made theatre and Arkansas artists.
His stage career has remained active alongside his national screen and voice work, including recent appearances with Argenta Contemporary Theatre in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Hands on a Hardbody, and The Cake.
Eells’ career reflects a distinctive Arkansas-to-national trajectory: a nationally recognized voice and screen actor who has continued to direct, perform, lead, and invest in the local theatre community throughout his career.
Together, Twedt, Goss, Morgan, and Eells represent four different paths from Arkansas’ artistic community into national stages, screens, airwaves, and industries—and four artists who have continued to invest their experience back into the place where much of their work began.
Performance Information
MISERY runs October 14–November 1, 2026, at Argenta Contemporary Theatre in North Little Rock. Tickets go on sale to the public Wednesday, September 23.
Performance schedule:
Wednesdays–Fridays at 7 PM
Saturdays at 2 PM and 7 PM
Sundays at 2 PM
Preview performances: October 14–15
Opening Night: October 16
Closing Performance: November 1
Tickets: $25-$60
Tickets will be available at www.argentacontemporarytheatre.org beginning September 23.
About Argenta Contemporary Theatre
Argenta Contemporary Theatre creates bold, contemporary live performances in the heart of North Little Rock’s Argenta Arts District. Through professional quality productions, new creative partnerships, and education programs for students and adults, ACT brings artists and audiences together around stories that entertain, challenge, and connect our community.
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