What sounds and sayings define the various people of the state of Arkansas and what these people may have in common? "The Arkansas Accent Project" film draws upon interviews collected from the five major Arkansan regions: the Ozarks, the Arkansas River Valley, the Ouachitas, the Coastal Plain, and the Delta. Through interviews of various Native Arkansans, "The Arkansas Accent Project" illuminates the various accents of this state and the people who claim Arkansas as their home. Filmmaker Ben Corbett introduced the screening and took questions after.
Ben Corbett is a playwright, voice teacher, filmmaker, and Equity actor. His documentary, 'The Arkansas Accent Project,' won a Mid-America Emmy in 2024, as well as several awards in the regional film festival circuit. His one-man show, Fat Men in Yoga Pants, which was developed both in the Valdez Theatre Fringe (2023) and the Play Lab (2024) at the Valdez Theatre Conference, had its debut at Ronin Theatre Company in Phoenix, Arizona, in July 2025. He is also a Designated Linklater Voice Teacher and a Certified Colaianni Speech Instructor. His professional vocal coaching credits include Ronin Theatre Company, TheatreSquared, City Rep, the William Inge Theatre Festival, the Hollywood Fringe Festival, Nashville Shakespeare Festival, Barter Theatre, Burning Coal Theatre Company, Bare Theatre, Shakespeare Dallas, and Shakespeare Santa Cruz. He is a Senior Editor for the International Dialects of English Archive.
© Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, University of Arkansas
