Volume III, Issue 1
September 16, 2003
Prelude to a Kiss
By Craig Lucas
Directed by Gary Mosby
October 2, 3 and 4 at 8 p.m.
October 5 at 2 p.m.
Peter falls in love and marries Rita, his perfect mate. Rita is outgoing yet afraid of life; one of those people whose inner glow makes Peter and the audience want to fall in love with her. Their relationship makes us privy to what seems at first a charming fantasy about the mysteries of intimacy. But at the wedding, their story becomes a thrilling modern fairy tale for grown-ups. A stranger arrives - an old man whose only wish is to kiss the bride. When he does, their souls and personalities trade bodies and Rita must examine a whole different set of political views and choose between embracing life or forever shying away from it. For two performers to play each other's characters in different bodies is theatrical magic and the play in which they do so is a warm and moving tribute to the one supernatural force we all recognize no matter our body or our soul - the power of love.
Tapestry: A Musical Revue Based on the Music of Carole King
All Music by Carole King Lyrics by Carole King and Gerry Goffin
Music Publisher - EMI Music Publishing
Conceived and Created for the Stage by
Rowan Joseph, John Kroner and Jeffrey Martin
Directed by Charles Leader
November 6, 7 and 8 at 8 p.m.
November 9 at 2 p.m.
"I Feel the Earth Move." "You've Got A Friend." "Up On The Roof." "Natural Woman." Songs we've lived by, songs we've loved by. Songs that have made us strong, songs that have made us cry. These are the songs that defined one generation and became the classics of another, the songs of Carole King.
Tapestry takes us on a musical journey through the career of this songwriting legend, from the turbulent Sixties through the present. Hers are some of the most beloved songs in the canon, presented in ways both familiar and unexpected in this rock and roll revue. "Tapestry" encourages the audience to relive and savor whatever moments of their lives - good or bad - this string of platinum hits evokes.
With a score that ranges from immortal ballads like "Will You Love Me Tomorrow?" to the rousing "One Fine Day" this fresh, contemporary revue is sure to be a spirited and stirring evening for Baby-Boomers, Gen-X'ers and beyond.
Flyin' West
by Pearl Cleage
Directed by Kim Jones
November 21 and 22 at 8 p.m.
November 23 at 2 p.m.
Following the end of the Civil War, many former slaves, anxious to leave the South and the increasing disappointments and dangers of Reconstruction, took advantage of The Homestead Act and went West to build new lives for themselves and their families. Many of these homesteaders were black women who overcame tremendous odds to work their own land and make a place for themselves in an often harsh and forbidding environment. Set in 1898, FLYIN' WEST is the story of some of these African-American female pioneers who settled, together, in the all-black town of Nicodemus, Kansas. "Pearl Cleage's FLYIN' WEST...[is] a real crowd pleaser, and its characters have humor and vitality...Cleage [is] a natural-born storyteller..." -Washington Post. "Pearl Cleage's FLYIN' WEST is a broadly rendered...sweet anthem of a play, celebrating, as one character...says to a newborn infant, "all them fine colored women making' a place for you." -NY Times. "FLYIN' WEST is the most potent, gripping play...a paean to women...and a plea for all women with vibrant lives to tell their oral stories..." -NY Times.
The Laramie Project
By Moises Kaufman and the Members of the Tectonic Theater Project
Directed by Doug Marshall
February 5, 6 and 7 at 8 p.m.
February 8 at 2 p.m.
In October 1998 a twenty-one-year-old student at the University of Wyoming was kidnapped, severely beaten and left to die, tied to a fence in the middle of the prairie outside Laramie, Wyoming. His bloody, bruised and battered body was not discovered until the next day, and he died several days later in an area hospital. His name was Matthew Shepard, and he was the victim of this assault because he was gay. Moisés Kaufman and fellow members of the Tectonic Theater Project made six trips to Laramie over the course of a year and a half in the aftermath of the beating and during the trial of the two young men accused of killing Shepard. They conducted more than 200 interviews with the people of the town. Some people interviewed were directly connected to the case, and others were citizens of Laramie, and the breadth of their reactions to the crime is fascinating. Kaufman and Tectonic Theater members have constructed a deeply moving theatrical experience from these interviews and their own experiences. THE LARAMIE PROJECT is a breathtaking theatrical collage that explores the depths to which humanity can sink, and the heights of compassion of which we are also capable.
Dames at Sea
By George Haimsohn and Robin Miller
Music by Jim Wise.
Directed by Charles Leader
April 1, 2 and 3 at 8 p.m.
April 4 at 2 p.m.
The small musical comedy that super-spoofs the big Dick Powell-Ruby Keeler-Busby Berkley movie musicals of the 1930s, Dames at Sea is a tap-dancing musical full of comedy, dancing and torch songs. Loosely based on 42nd Street,Dames at Sea tells the story of naive, fresh-faced Ruby, who becomes the last-minute star of a new show. Calamity strikes during rehearsals when the theater is demolished.But in the true spirit of show business the show does go on-on the deck of a battleship.With an off-Broadway opening in 1968, the original musical starred newcomer Bernadette Peters. You'll definitely hear echoes of Gershwin, Porter, and Rogers and Hammerstein.
The Original Student One-Act Play Festival
April 29 and 30 at 8 p.m.
May 1 at 8 p.m.
May 2 at 2 p.m.
Always fresh and decidedly different, this student produced evening spotlights premiere works of our talented young writers.
Season Tickets Now on Sale!
Due to popular demand, The KCKCC Theatre is now offering season tickets. Instead of paying$6.00 per show for Adult tickets, why not purchase a season ticket for $30.00? That is like getting one show absolutely free of charge. Enjoy similar savings on student and Senior Citizen season tickets: $25.00 for six performances instead of $30.00. And that's not all. The Season Ticket may be used for any six performances you wish. To order your season pass to this outstanding season of plays or more information call the Theatre Office at 913.288.7106.
Group Rates Available
As in years past, the KCKCC Theatre Department offers special rates to groups of ten or more. If your business or club is looking for a special entertaining evening out, then look no further than the KCKCC Theatre.
Drama Club offers Benefit Performance for Quindaro
On November 20, 2003, The KCKCC Drama Club's opening night performance of Pearl Cleage's Flyin' West serves as a Benefit for the Quindaro Archaeological Park Project. All seats are $10.00. The proceeds from the production will go towards the restoration of the Quindaro Ruins here in Kansas City, Kansas. For tickets and information on this special evening, call Dr. Steve Collins at 913.288.7320
Forensics Team First Tournament
Tom Murdock and the Forensics Team begin their first full season of competition this month. Their first tournament takes them to Truman State University where five team members compete in ten events. The Kirksville tournament runs September 26-27. Future competitions take them to Longview, Washington University, Iowa, Oklahoma, and Kansas State. Go team!!
Students Return from Theatrical Summer
The KCKCC Theatre Department was well represented in theatres around the country this summer. Sean Glass made a return engagement to the West Virginia Public Theatre as a Master Electrician Intern, Joseph Serrano spent the summer acting and stage managing at the Brownville Village Theatre in Brownville, NE; and Santana Gonzalez acted in Reno, Nevada. Locally, Colby Craig, Devin Hughey, Brenda Drury, and Megan Camp trod the boards with the Wyandotte Players while Bonnie Johnson and Cheryl Burnett played special events as members of Radio Disney.
Department of Theatre and Speech Welcomes New Debater
KCKCC Debate Coach Darren Elliott welcomed a future Debate Team member on September 9 with the arrival of baby daughter Ashley. Mother, father, and daughter are all doing fine. The word on the street is that the father-daughter debates commence any day now.
Lights Up on a New Season of Plays
It is hard to believe I am entering my sixth year of teaching at KCKCC. The time just seems to fly by. This year promises to be more exciting and entertaining than ever. 19 freshman Theatre majors accompanied by 21 returning sophomores made for some wonderful auditions and designs for technical and directing projects. Gary Mosby's opening production of Prelude to a Kiss brings a number of new student actors as well as a visit from guest lighting designer Jeff Cady. Unicorn Theatre fans have long appreciated Jeff's special talents. We are honored and delighted Jeff will be on campus designing and working with our students. Tapestry provides a musical retrospective of the works of one of pop music's most prolific songwriters, Carole King. Cindy Renfro returns as musical director at the baby grand while Denise Phillips spotlights the dancing talents of our musical theatre students. The Drama Club has taken on an especially challenging year producing three of their own productions. Kim Jones, making her directorial debut at KCKCC, takes us to Nicodemus, Kansas, circa 1880 and the world of Flyin' West. She will be ably assisted by student designers Matt Johannes and Brian Lechner (set), Sean Glass (lighting), and David Douglas (sound). In February of 2004, student director Doug Marshall and student designer Sean Glass tackle The Laramie Project. April promises great delight with one of my favorites, Dames at Sea, a comic yet loving tribute to the tap dancing musicals of the 1930s and 40s.Our student playwrights are already hard at work writing in anticipation of premiering their new works in our sixth annual Original Student One-Act Play Festival in May.