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This Olathe Calendar of Events is presented by the Kansas City Real Estate Network.
August 2011 - Posts
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The Annual Art Westport event is back. Over 120 local KC Artists will be on hand at the 30th Annual Art Westport Event. It’s free to the public and will have live bands everyday, food vendors from some of Westport’s best eclectic restaurants and the best art on display around.
When is the annual Art Westport [...] Art Westport is a post from: Kansas City Events
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The Kansas City Renaissance Festival offers a day like no other to eager visitors from across the Midwest. About 180,000 fans come to see the 16th century village each year where guests are invited to be a part of history whether it is learning a dance with the gypsies, assisting Bob the [...] Renaissance Festival is a post from: Kansas City Events
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Johnson County Old Settlers festival is back on September 8th, 2011. In it’s 113th year, this festival fills downtown Olathe with nationally recognized musical entertainment, carnival rides, Kansas’ largest parade, antique auto show, arts & crafts, great food from local non-profit organizations, and much, much more. The parade theme is “Celebrating 150 Years of Kansas”.
This [...] Johnson County Old Settlers Celebration is a post from: Kansas City Events
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Antiques classics, collectable cars, hot rods, street rods, vintage trucks, live music, food, and more! Adults $5, under 12 are free.
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The ninth annual Kansas City Irish Festival is back on September 2nd. This is one of the top three largest Irish festivals in the nation. See 30 Celtic rock and traditional Irish bands on 7 stages, over 20 heritage workshops, exhibits and genealogy and let your kids experience our massive Children’s Area. Commemorate Kansas City’s [...] Kansas City Irish Festival is a post from: Kansas City Events
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Held on Thursdays at 9 a.m. at different Chamber member businesses, our coffees are the largest weekly networking event in the Kansas City area. Expect to meet 150 to 250 people each time!
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Held on Thursdays at 9 a.m. at different Chamber member businesses, our coffees are the largest weekly networking event in the Kansas City area. Expect to meet 150 to 250 people each time!
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Held on Thursdays at 9 a.m. at different Chamber member businesses, our coffees are the largest weekly networking event in the Kansas City area. Expect to meet 150 to 250 people each time!
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If these walls could talk, they could tell you a lot. But why waste all those words when a picture is worth thousands of them.
This reel is a sample of some of the architecture work we have done in the past year. Enjoy
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Santa Cali Gon Days festival is back. One of the largest Labor Day festivals in the nation, drawing 250,000 people over four days, this festival offers nine large craft tents filled with crafters from throughout the country, over fifty food booths, carnival, free main stage musical entertainment and unique contests like watermelon [...] Santa Cali Gon is a post from: Kansas City Events
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It’s going to cost some patrons more to attend many of the concerts, dance performances and theatrical events staged this year by Kansas City-area arts groups.
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The De Soto Days Festival in De Soto, KS, is a fun family festival that you won’t want to miss. The De Soto Days Festival provides you and your family with many fun and entertaining options for your summer weekend.
You can visit numerous vendor booths to see some of the finest local [...] De Soto Days is a post from: Kansas City Events
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Topic: "Health Care & Benefits with CBIZ"
Stan Smith, Ed.D, KC Human Resource Market Leader and
Sara Carroll, Accounts Manager with CBIZ Benefits & Insurance Services, Inc.
What a great opportunity to explore this timely topic among your peers:
* Healthcare reform
* Benefits that are “above and beyond”
* Trends
* Policy writing
* And so much more!
You are encouraged to bring a list of your top questions or suggestions to share. And as always…if you have firsthand experience in this area, please plan to join us! Hope to see you there!
What is the HR Roundtable?
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It offers a unique environment for human resources practitioners to interact with their peers on a monthly basis, discuss and share related best practices, emerging trends, and workplace issues.
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Meeting registration opens two weeks prior to the event date and ends the Friday before the meetng date. Cost is $11 per person for catered lunch or FREE for the "B.Y.O.Lunch" option. Complimentary Pepsi beverages always available.
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Payments for catered lunch are accepted online or at the door. Notify staff of B.Y.O.Lunch option via email or phone call. Cancelations must be received by 5 p.m. on the Friday prior to the event in order to avoid charges.
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Space is limited to 30 people. A waiting list will be maintained as needed and individuals will be contacted if space becomes available.
Mission Statement:
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The Olathe HR Roundtable offers human resource practitioners of member organizations a forum to discuss and share related best practices, emerging trends, and workplace issues. The main purpose of the roundtable is to create a unique environment where information can be shared in an open-exchange format that is collaborative, engaging, and valuable to represented organizations and the HR profession.
Who is it designed for?
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The HR Roundtable was created as a networking and problem-solving opportunity for human resource practitioners who are directly involved in the personnel and hiring process of their organization (i.e. HR managers, recruiters, payroll administrators, etc.).
Can vendors attend?
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Due to limited space and because of the nature of the topics that are openly discussed by the HR practitioners, some attendance restrictions do apply. Thus it is crucial to the group’s success that attendance is restricted to vendors that provide uniquely human resources services and/or products.
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Up to five seats will be reserved for vendors representing a relevant product or service may attend each meeting, with only one representative per business or organization each month.
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Vendors are sometimes the “solutions experts” to the questions and concerns that the HR practitioners have; therefore vendor input is welcome while “sales messages” are not.
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In determining the appropriateness of the various vendors in attendance, Chamber staff will consider the relevance to the hiring and employment situations that the HR practitioners face in their day-to-day jobs or to the topic of the month (i.e. vendors who deal with payroll services, pre-employment testing, staffing assistance, training, benefits, etc.).
Can non-members of the Olathe Chamber attend?
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One representative of a non-member organization is welcome to attend one meeting a year.
Can vendors make presentations to the HR practitioners that attend?
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Presentations are at the sole discretion of the Olathe Chamber of Commerce. Please consider the sponsorship opportunity described below.
The “Quarterly Lunch Sponsorship” program is an exclusive opportunity for vendors to promote their products and services. Please contact Chamber staff for details. It is offered to Olathe Chamber members in order to best serve its membership while continuing to discourage “sales messages” from meeting discussions:
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Vendors are offered an opportunity to provide printed materials and promotional items on a designated table and to be available afterwards to answer questions. Chamber staff will oversee the quantity and duration of displayed items and the length of the meeting.
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On occasion, the Chamber might invite various “experts” to address the group as deemed necessary and helpful to the overall group and topic of discussion. This is not a sales opportunity and may not qualify for the HR Roundtable Lunch Sponsorship program.
Discussion is facilitated by Susan Wallace, Olathe Chamber, Personnel & Projects Manager
To RSVP w/o online pre-payment, you may submit the form below and indicate "RSVP," your name, email, and lunch choice: (1) $11 Catered lunch option but pay at the door, or (2) Free B.Y.O.Lunch option. We will respond to submitted questions at our earliest convenience, or you may call the Olathe Chamber (913) 764-1050.
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Two Blue Springs girls won top honors in the “American Idol” style KC SuperStar competition Sunday at Johnson County Community College.
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You're out under the stars, holding court in the front of your car, the bed of your pickup and/or in the lawn chair of your choice. The massive outdoor movie screen glaring back at you. Kind of like a poor man's Starlight Theatre...
more at KC Confidential
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It’s an exciting time to be a part of the arts community in Kansas City. As the much-anticipated Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts prepares to open its doors, and the Kansas City Ballet makes itself at home in its new studio, the Todd Bolender Center for Dance & Creativity, groups for young professionals are preparing to take advantage of all the new opportunities and growing enthusiasm.
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The UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance is bursting at its seams.
Inadequate facilities, increasing enrollment and the potential to be a part of Kansas City’s emerging cultural scene have led to a bold new proposal.
more at the University News
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And the envelope, please ... the award for best Mainstage Series production of the Topeka Civic Theatre & Academy's 75th season goes to "The Boys Next Door."
more at the Topeka Capital Journal
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 In celebration of annual National Museum Day, scheduled this year for Saturday, Sept 24, 2011, the city of Independence, MO (and many others, including KCMO) has attractions that are joining with hundreds of other museums across the nation to offer… more
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August 24, 1986 – it was a Sunday night – The Kansas City Jazz Festival, on a stage at the south end of Volker Park, presented its finale: Jay McShann with Buddy Tate, Harry Edison, Al Grey, Gus Johnson and Major Holley. I was one of the festival organizers back then. The show lasted two hours. About an hour and a half in, tired at the end of a weekend-long event, our sound man asked me to signal the group to end. I told him I couldn’t do that. He turned, angry, and walked off (he later apologized). I continued listening to some incredible Kansas City jazz.
more at kcjazzlark
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The Maplewood Barn Community Theatre production, dubbed by box office workers as a cross between “Grease” and “Star Wars,” resumed last Sunday in the amphitheatre at Stephens Lake Park after a rainout the night before. Directed by Kayla Kauffman, the show involved a slew of 1950s and ’60s music and several helpings of audience participation.
more at the Columbia Daily Tribune
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If you like everything spelled out for you in black and white, Harold Pinter is not your playwright. The late British author deals in alienation, love, power, menace, marital stress, sexual longing, and the sort of quotidian absurdity that lurks around the edges of bourgeois life. But such a description hardly embraces the entirety of Pinter’s genius, for beneath the purported comedic surface of his plays lies a profound sense of mystery – a dull uneasiness about some unknown force that runs through his oeuvre like an undertow. During August and September the Kansas City Actors Theatre is presenting a rare treat for these parts: not one but four of Pinter’s plays, including his celebrated early work The Birthday Party, in absolutely
more at The Independent
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India: Ancient Land, Modern Opportunities
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
7 – 8 AM, Continental Breakfast
8 – 9 Presentation
Speakers:
Mr. G. Vijayaraghavan, founding CEO of TechnoPark, Trivandrum
Professor K. Balakrishnan, Dean, Asian School of Business
Description:
India is rapidly emerging as an engine of global growth during this century. Understanding India is therefore critical for all types of organizations: businesses, non-profits, governments and regulatory agencies.
To foster such an understanding, the Institute for International Business (IIB) at the KU School of Business is pleased to host a breakfast presentation, featuring Mr. G. Vijayaraghavan, founding CEO of TechnoPark - Trivandrum, India’s first technology park dedicated to the software industry, and Professor K. Balakrishnan, Dean, Asian School of Business, a newly established private business school.
The event is open to the public and time is available after the presentation for one-on-one discussions. There is no cost to attend, but prior registration is required. Contact Suzanne Scales at sscales@ku.edu or (785) 864 3125 before 5 PM, September 9, 2011.
Location: Regnier Hall, KU Edwards Campus, 12610 Quivira Rd., Overland Park, KS 66213
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The University Theatre Association presented “Woyzeck” at the Performing Arts Center Aug. 19-26. Although the German playwright of “Woyzeck,” Georg Buchner, died in 1837 before he could finish his work, the production has since become one of the most influential and performed plays in German theatre history.
more at the University News
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And they’re off! In a fall cultural season to be filled with exciting “firsts,” the Kansas City Ballet leapt from the starting gate on August 26th with the inauguration of its new Todd Bolender Center for Dance and Creativity, located in the restored Power House just west of Union Station.
more at The Independent
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You are invited to nominate an outstanding individual, arts organization, or community for the 2012 Missouri Arts Awards. Missouri citizens, organizations, and communities who have made significant contributions in the following categories are eligible: Arts Education, Arts Organization, Creative Community, Individual Artist, Leadership in the Arts, and Philanthropy.
The Missouri Arts Awards ceremony will honor the recipients in the Rotunda of the Capitol Building in Jefferson City on Wednesday, February 8, 2012.
The nomination form may be downloaded here.
Nominations must be postmarked by Friday, September 2, 2011. Send the Nomination Form, Narrative and Supplemental Materials to: 2012 Missouri Arts Awards Nominations, Attn: Virginia Sanders. Missouri Arts Council, 815 Olive St., Ste 16, St. Louis MO 63101.
If you have any questions, contact Virginia Sanders, Missouri Arts Awards Coordinator, toll free at 866-407-4752, 314-340-6845, or TDD 800-735-2966.
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"I was always interested in live theatre, because it was magical to me." So says Heidi Van, actor, director, producer, and curator of the Fishtank Performance Studio. "My mother was involved in a children's theatre production with the Junior League in Kansas City, Kan. For years, every year they would do this show. And so she would be in it or she'd direct it, but she'd always take me with her, especially when I was young, and I'd just sit there and sometimes I'd be like an animal or a tree, but I was always involved in the production."
more at KC Stage
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The board of directors of the Olathe Community Theater Association (OCTA) is looking for directors for our 2012-2013 season. We'd like to invite you to submit a slate of NO MORE THAN THREE scripts you'd like to direct at OCTA. Send them to us at this email address: ( octa.directors@olathetheare.org), accompanied by your theatrical resume, by September 30, 2011. Additionally, please indicate the months of the year, from late Fall 2012 to late Spring 2013 that you are available.
This year OCTA is selecting its season from submissions from directors and selections from the OCTA Season Selection Committee. We encourage all directors to submit shows that you have a passion for. However, an important consideration to keep in mind when you submit shows to OCTA is that our season is typically five shows, only one of which is a musical. The rest of the season is usually a mix of comedies and dramas. For the best chance of having one of your scripts selected for the 2012-13 season, please include a variety of genres in your submission. If, however, there's one show that's your dream show, by all means, submit it. We'll review it and see if we can fit it into our season. At OCTA we respect and encourage your passion for the material.
Another point to think about is the size of the facility. OCTA productions have certainly stretched and put the facility to the test, but we're not going to be putting on Starlight Express in our space. The OCTA stage and theater are both wonderfully intimate spaces that are geared toward smaller shows -- although many of our past productions have used quite imaginative staging to stretch the space. Please contact us for information on stage dimensions to use as a guideline for any scripts you care to submit. Also, you can obtain a list of our past shows, to give you a sense of the sort of productions that we've done before. (Don't be afraid to submit a show that you see on the list, at OCTA we're open to reviving a production from our history).
At OCTA we own our own building. You get to rehearse in the performance space from Day One. You won't be lugging props or costumes from one location to another. Also, we don't interfere with your artistic decisions. Show us you can do it and we'll help make it possible!
If one of your submissions is considered for our season, we'll contact you to set up an interview. So, take a moment to consider partnering with us to produce a great piece of theater. Send in your suggestions and resume today!
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Captured at TEDx
Location: Kansas City / Nelson Gallery of Art / 8/18/11
Founder / Artistic Director / Creative Director / - Anthony Magliano
Co Artistic Director - Mica Thomas
Executive Producer Visual Content - Stephen Goldblatt
Animation Artist - David Humenczuk
Music: Anthony Magliano, Noel Selders & Laura Scarborough
Projections Director: Daniel Parks
Performers: Laura Jones, Megan Stockman & Devan Smith
Founder / Artistic Director / Creative Director / - Anthony Magliano
Co Artistic Director - Mica Thomas
Editor - Brian Hicks
Camera - Stephen Goldblatt / Shannon Ryan / Dan Long
Music - Anthony Magliano / Noel Selders
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Alicia Espinosa and Sarah Brame…come on down! You are the two lucky winners of our latest giveaway! You will each receive a 4-pack of admission tickets to this weekend’s Kansas City Irish Fest. Be looking for an email from me… more 
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The past few weeks of Grant Fonda’s life would not make for a very stirring motion picture. Although Fonda participated in an international contest that tested his skill and resolve, there was no final scene of victory, only quiet affirmations. No triumphant hoisting of a trophy over his weary head, only subtler moments to be cherished and worthwhile lessons to be tucked away for a future date.
more at the Columbia Daily Tribune
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Kansas City Actors Theatre's production of three one-act plays by Harold Pinter doesn't offer the same level of excitement as its remarkable production of Pinter's "The Birthday Party," but it does showcase some exceptional performances and consistently captures Pinter's unpredictable sense of humor.
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Trenton, N.J.-based documentary filmmaker Kevin J. Williams has spent more than 6½ years trying to get his intriguing debut effort, “Fear of a Black Republican,” made and out to the public.
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Mark Dirks wipes the sweat from his face. Since morning, he’s met about 650 visitors, handing each a gift tote holding a bit of coffee, some brochures and a few sweets. The cloying humidity from the revolving doors doesn’t faze his grin. Smiling at every person as they enter, Dirks is a genuine, heartfelt, happy greeter at Saturday’s Kansas City Ballet open house at the new Todd Bolender Center for Dance & Creativity.
more at kansascity.com
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This is a historic time for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Sporting the most famous brand name in the concert dance world, the troupe is changing artistic leadership for only the second time in its 53-year history.
more at kansascity.com
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We'll conclude this workshop's batch of interviews with trombonist Ryan Heinlein. Ryan's band "Project H" will be doing a preview performance as part of this Friday's show at La Esquina. Ryan has established himself as one of the top jazz trombonists in KC and it's been great get him in a Black House workshop.
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If you’re an arts lover in Kansas City, you might as well dismantle your rearview mirror and throw it away. You won’t need it, because this town is on the cusp of change that seems certain to recast Kansas City in the eyes of residents and visitors.
more at kansascity.com
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This fall, Kansas Citians have even more chances to experience the city’s rich jazz heritage. The eclectic lineup of international visiting artists and local favorites showcases many aspects of the genre. The roster for concert venues, along with festivals, clubs, museums and universities, will fill any jazz fan’s calendar to capacity.
more at kansascity.com
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Delicious libations abound this fall. With champagne corks popping for the new Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts and area arts groups pouring forth their finest, Kansas City is in for a vintage year indeed.
more at kansascity.com
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The fall theater season gets off to a dramatically weighty start with shows that may deliver laughs — potent laughs, in some cases — but are concerned with the meaning of life. And art. And the cosmos. And why people do the crazy things they do.
more at kansascity.com
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The Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts wil host a number of impressive performances. But those are complemented by many high-quality local dance productions. Here is an overview of coming events in the area.
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It was hard to ignore the freight trains. As hundreds of artists, arts administrators and representatives from local and state governments gathered under a tent Friday morning near the new $32 million Todd Bolender Center for Dance & Creativity, a succession of trains threatened to drown out the grand opening ceremonies.
more at kansascity.com
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A quick inspection of ReverbNation's "Top Jazz Artists" chart for Kansas City reveals an anomaly. River Cow Orchestra is the number one act, a distinction it's held for a long time.
more at Plastic Sax
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A quick inspection of ReverbNation's "Top Jazz Artists" chart for Kansas City reveals an anomaly. River Cow Orchestra is the number one act, a distinction it's held for a long time.
more at Plastic Sax
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One hundred years ago Virginia Katherine McMath was born in Independence. Taking her stepfather’s name, she became known as Ginger Rogers and as one of America’s top professional dancers. Maybe it’s time for history to repeat itself with another Independence native, Emily Scott, now 17 years old, who is quickly asserting herself as a formidable competitor in ballroom dance.
more at The Examiner
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The University of Kansas will host a screening of a documentary and panel discussion with Darryl Hunt, a man who spent 20 years in prison for a murder he did not commit. “The Trials of Darryl Hunt” screening and discussion with Hunt and seminal players in his exoneration will be held from Tuesday, Sept. 13 at the Ecumenical Campus Ministries from 4 to 7 p.m.
more at Infozine
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If you’d like to see something that isn’t a sequel or a remake or a sequel to a remake, this fall offers several festivals that can easily meet your budget, even if you don’t have any cash at all.
more at kansasicty.com
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Still the longest-running theatrical production in history, “The Fantasticks” has come to the Lyceum Theatre in Arrow Rock this week. “At the heart of its breathtaking poetry and subtle theatrical sophistication is a timeless fable of love,” the Lyceum’s website says of the sweeping musical.
more at the Columbia Daily Tribune
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MU is set to lease the Missouri Theatre Center for the Arts from the Missouri Symphony Society, said Carole Sue DeLaite, co-president of the symphony society.
more at the Missourian
and an update
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Firefighters have put out a small fire at a rural southwest Kansas farmhouse where four family members were killed in 1959, sparking Truman Capote to write the critically acclaimed novel "In Cold Blood."
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Twinprov performs their Deathly Hallows rap, Dirty Harry Potter Music by DJ Philoneous Tao
Video by Dennis Spielman
Additional Filming by JS
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Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts announced the addition of more Kansas City-area artists to the Grand Opening weekend lineup, including its three resident companies, as well as more than 40 diverse local performance groups.
more at the Kauffman Center
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With all of the historical celebration — and reflection — surrounding the 150th anniversary of the Civil War this year, it’s no wonder the Missouri River Festival of the Arts in Boonville aims to present its own unconventional contribution: a musical one. Among the various events that will take place Wednesday through Saturday, two folk singers cherished in Missouri will wail and holler Civil War tunes, a unique twist compared with the normally operatic and musical feel to the weekend, said Artistic Director David Halen.
more at the Columbia Daily Tribune
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In the 1950s the end of the world seemed a real possibility, thanks to the omnipresent threat of nuclear annihilation. But time passed and we didn't blow up the planet. And we came to realize that the apocalypse doesn't have to be global. It can come in increments, every day, in disasters big and small. It could be terrorists flying planes into buildings, a car jacker tailing you on the way home or bad news from the doctor.
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I was looking for a musical outlet and a fraternity at the same time. I sang with both the KC Symphony Chorus, and The KC Choral and was still looking for fellowship. So, I looked into the Sons Of The American Revolution and Masons, as my grandfather was a member of those organizations. Then it hit me — I remembered singing songs in four-part a capella harmony back when I was in junior high school.
more at the Leavenworth Times
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 The ninth annual Kansas City Irish Fest will be September 2-4, 2011! The premise is simple: celebrate Celtic heritage in the Cowtown! KC Irish Fest occurs at Crown Center Square (2450 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, MO 64108). KC Irish Fest… more
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Numb is part of the OV film series. Numb is the short film that begins Chapter 5 in Volume 1: BIRTH.
This is the behind the scenes, making of Numb.
Shot & edited by Greg James Arendall.
CREW
Numb is Writen, Directed, & Produced by John D. Barnes.
Director of Photography & Edited by Kendal Sinn
Gaffer & Key Grip - Robert P. Campbell
Makeup FX - Micah C. Williams & Deborah Keeney
Scipt Supervisors - Toby Tolbet & Rhianna James
Stoyboards by Rhianna James
Sound Design by Joe Cancha
Still Photography by Greg James Arendall & Don Foote
Executive Producer & Production Assistant - Jeff Chitty
Production Assistants - Greg James Arendall, Kent Allen, Seth Barnes, Luke Barnes, Leighanne Barnes
CAST
Mike Ducey (Man), Lauren Scheufler (Beauty), Kali Kay Barnes (Innocence), Betsy Barratt, Deborah Keeney, & Rhianna James (the Furies)
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As one of the directors of the True/False Film Fest, David Wilson spends a matter of days each spring making impassioned introductions, bringing documentaries he and “co-conspirator” Paul Sturtz find compelling and creative before what has become an increasingly diverse audience. Then, in one of the festival’s hallmarks, he helps forge bonds and cultivate conversations between filmgoer and filmmaker, connecting the wide set of eyes that peered behind the camera with the wide sets of eyes processing the work. On Tuesday, Wilson will be on the other side of the ledger. His short film, “Big Birding Day,” will be introduced to a national television audience when it screens on PBS as part of the widely acclaimed “POV” program, a milestone moment for Wilson on a platform that’s “about as big as it gets in terms of exposure,” he said.
more at the Columbia Daily Tribune
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Think big. That’s something Kansas City isn’t often known for, but that’s all going to change. Wayne Baruch and Chuck Gayton will see to it. The Los Angeles-based event producers have made a career of doing things in a big way, often marshalling hundreds, if not thousands, of performers and crew members in one-of-a-kind spectacles. Their resume includes Super Bowl halftime shows and anniversaries of world-famous landmarks.
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I just got the word that the contact for people interested in utilizing the stage space at the Kansas City Renaissance Festival should email cmartinkcrenfest@gmail.com.
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The Washington National Opera will perform excerpts from Madame White Snake, the Pulizer Prize winning opera by UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance’s Zhou Long, at the Kennedy Center this September.
more at UMatters
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They’ve been filling up our Inbox…updates to Consignment Sale dates! Kansas City is a hotbed for consignment sales and there are lots of deals to be found. Please note that NOT ALL DATES ARE CURRENT– we haven’t yet heard from… more 
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Paul Rudd isn’t the only local boy in the headlines this week. Eric Stonestreet of KCK will star in an HBO biopic about fallen screen legend Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle. Arbuckle, who grew up in Smith Center, Kan., was a big (in every sense of the word) silent film star, until he was accused of raping and accidentally killing actress Virginia Rappe. Her body was found days after she attended a party Arbuckle hosted at an L.A. hotel. He was later acquitted of all charges, but his career was ruined. The TV-movie will be adapted from David Yallop’s biography, “The Day the Laughter Stopped.”
more at kansascity.com
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Walter Coppage, one of our most respected Kansas City-based actors, has been cast in an adaptation of Carson McCullers’ “The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter” at the prestigious Steppenwolf theater in Chicago.
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If you ask drummer Lenny White why the music of Return to Forever, the kind of thing they used to call jazz-rock, has worked so well for so long, he has a simple answer.
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A strange man builds a world using holographic tools for the woman he loves.
This award winning short was created by filmmaker Bruce Branit, widely known as the co-creator of '405'. World Builder was shot in a single day followed by about 2 years of post production. Branit is the owner of Branit VFX based in Kansas City.
More info, background and info on future releases can be at http://www.facebook.com/pages/World-Builder/73936485659 Become a fan and keep in touch.
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It's back to school time and almost every public school in the Kansas City area is facing some kind of budget cut. Parents at one local elementary school decided to take matters into its own hands to save a dance program.
more at FOX4
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Trick or treat on the Mahaffie grounds. $3/person, ages 3 and up. No registration required.
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Learn about the historic Olathe Cemetery from Mahaffie staff dressed in 19th Century clothing. $5/adults, $4/children ages 5-11. Tours meet at Northview Elementary School, 905 N. Walker. Tickets may be purchased in advance, call (913) 971-5111.
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Saturday, September 24; 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Sunday, September 25; 11 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Join us for Mahaffie’s most popular event! Wild West entertainment for the whole family. Performances, children’s games, food and more! $6/adults, $4/children ages 5-11.
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John Stafford’s busy and ambitious schedule is going to earn state and national attention for the choral music program at Kansas City Kansas Community College this coming academic year.
more at the Kansas City Kansan
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Architect Moshe Safdie is one of the guests on the August 23, 2011 edition of “The Charlie Rose Show” on PBS. Rose introduces Safdie as “an architect, theorist, urban planner…(with) over 75 buildings and master plans to his name.” One of those buildings is the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.
more at KCUR
and at Charlie Rose
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Marcus Oatis grew up watching productions by the Kansas City Ballet. But even after auditioning for the company years later, he never expected to get the opportunity to dance with his hometown ballet.
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It's an oft-quoted phrase of sales and marketing that it costs 10 times more to get a new customer than to retain an existing one. Whether or not that statistic is right, it does make logical sense that it costs more money to attract the attention of someone who doesn't know your product than to maintain relations with someone who already is familiar and uses your product.
more at KC Stage
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Dear Academy friends,
We are pleased to announce that there are still a few openings for DISCOUNTED piano lessons this fall!
In conjunction with Dr. Diane Petrella's piano pedagogy class at UMKC Conservatory, we are looking for beginners ages 7–8 who want to learn piano.
Each student will have weekly private lessons (Monday afternoons) with one of Dr. Petrella's graduate students. All lessons will be supervised by Dr. Petrella and will culminate in a recital.
The total cost for the 12-week semester is $180.00, which is a significant discount over the usual Community Music and Dance Academy tuition of $330.00.
All instructors are UMKC Conservatory graduate students in piano performance and pedagogy who are taking Dr. Petrella's class to improve their teaching skills.
If you are interested in this great opportunity for high-quality piano lessons at a low cost, email us at music-ce@umkc.edu<mailto: music-ce@umkc.edu> or call 816-235-2741.
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This is the first installment of a series of short animated music videos I'm making based on silly songs I sing to my son Nathan.
Olaf The Red is the nickname I've given him since he's getting so big. He reminds me of a little viking.
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David Henry Hwang, one of America's most dynamic and versatile playwrights, is the Honoree of the 31st Annual William Inge Theatre Festival, in Independence, Kansas, on the campus of Independence Community College. Hwang will be at the Inge Festival all its four days, from April 18-21, 2012.
more at the William Inge Center
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The UMKC Conservatory Academy, a division within the Conservatory which provides non-credit preparatory performing arts education and community engagement programs, is renewing its Conservatory Connections program with the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art for the 2011-2012 academic year.
more at UMatters
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OTR Events Center will hold an open house to show off their newly remodeled and renovated facility.
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The Olathe Public Library Foundation will be having its annual fundraiser, "A Taste of Literacy" featuring speaker Jeff Lanza, author and retired Kansas City FBI. His book, "Pistols to Press", has received fabulous reviews from national media personalities. He was chosen as the best speaker in the 50-year history of Kansas City's prestigious Plaza Club.
Beef filet with basil shrimp will be served at the event and a cash bar will be available. Attire is business casual. Tickets are $75 per person. Sponsorships are also available. Reservations and payment are due by Sept. 19. For ticket information, contact Emily Baker, 913-971-6880.
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August 25 - 2 - 7 pm; August 26 - 10 am - 4 pm; August 27 - noon - 4 pm. All ex-library materials are buy one, get one free - equal or lesser value. All OPL Friends members will receive $2 off total purchase (one time use - not valid at sack sale). Six-Bucks-A-Bag Sale from 1 - 3 pm, August 28. Buy two bags, get two free. Cash or check. All sales final. Due to space limitations, no strollers or book carts are allowed in the room.
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Throwing dirt and sand may not seem like a good thing, but at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts , it’s revolutionary.
more at the Kansas City Business Journal
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The Barn Players production of SWEET CHARITY is currently seeking an accompanist for the production.
The job would include...
- Auditions on August 28th and 29th at 7pm at St. Pius School...and callback on September 11th at 7:00pm.
- Rehearsals from September 19th - November 2nd...five nights a week.
- Performances from November 4th - 20 (Friday and Saturday night...Sunday matinee).
Stipend: $300.00
Please contact production director Eric Van Horn directly at customcasuals@sbcglobal.net
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Middle school kids in Bourbon County probably won't make the annual trip to Kansas City, Mo., to see a play this year.
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Topeka native and Hollywood actress Katie Keane will talk about what it takes to be a working actor in an upcoming lecture at Emporia State University.
more at the Topeka Capital Journal
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Throughout the ages, muses have inspired mankind to make some of its finest art. Starlight Theatre’s production of the musical “Xanadu” is replete with a muse who is sure to amuse.
more at the University News
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An annual event held to commemorate the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001. T-shirts for participants. Finisher’s medals in marathon and ultra-marathon. Bands play from noon to 9 p.m. Games for the kids, refreshments and more. Proceeds to the Salvation Army Corps in Olathe. www.patriotsrun.us for more.
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When Todd Bolender took over the struggling Kansas City Ballet in 1980, he knew he had to rebuild the company from the ground up. Bolender was 66 and the company was 24 years old. But according to news reports quoting ballet officials, the troupe was surviving “hand to mouth” and would have to hustle to come up with a $275,000 budget for Bolender’s first year.
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The transformation of a long-vacant, grime-encrusted, coal-fired power plant into the Kansas City Ballet’s new Todd Bolender Center for Dance & Creativity is a marvel of recycling.
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As the Kauffman Center has risen before our eyes, another spectacular architectural achievement has been taking shape in a brick building just west of Union Station. After almost two years and $32 million, Kansas City Ballet is ready to unveil the Todd Bolender Center for Dance & Creativity.
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Bryan Colley and Tara Varney’s daring, seminal Hexing Hitler concerns five persons in the hinterland of Maryland who attempt to curse, or hex, Adolf Hitler in 1941. It is influenced by a LIFE story during the war period. Director Tara Varney perceptively turns the play into a meditation on fascism, not on Hitler so much; save for some rather indirect vein. Thematically, it is not as Der Untergang-like as it is Tempest-like in terms of Machiavellian politics, magic, innocence, knowledge, and wrongdoing.
more at Popmatters
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Adam Aldrid saw the end of the world coming - He tried to warn you, he tried to help you prepare. There was only one problem, he got it all wrong. Dead Wait: An ongoing tale of what it means to be alive in a world overrun by the undead.
DEAD WAIT is a new webseries from Happy Underground Productions, chronicling the adventures of Adam Aldrid as he struggles through the end of the world - which you'd think wouldn't be that bad since he's been preparing for it for a while now. Only trouble is, Adam prepared for the wrong apocalypse.
DEAD WAIT, a Happy Underground Production. Starring Dan Hillaker, David Crawford and Vanessa Severo. Directed by Justin Parlette and Eric Havens.
See more at www.dead-wait.com, find us on Facebook, and please follow us on Twitter @dead_wait!
DEAD WAIT is a new webseries from Happy Underground Productions, chronicling the adventures of Adam Aldrid as he struggles through the end of the world - which you'd think wouldn't be that bad since he's been preparing for it for a while now. Only trouble is, Adam prepared for the wrong apocalypse.
DEAD WAIT, a Happy Underground Production. Starring Dan Hillaker, David Crawford and Vanessa Severo. Directed by Justin Parlette and Eric Havens.
See more at www.dead-wait.com, find us on Facebook, and please follow us on Twitter @dead_wait!
DEAD WAIT is a new webseries from Happy Underground Productions, chronicling the adventures of Adam Aldrid as he struggles through the end of the world - which you'd think wouldn't be that bad since he's been preparing for it for a while now. Only trouble is, Adam prepared for the wrong apocalypse.
DEAD WAIT, a Happy Underground Production. Starring Dan Hillaker, David Crawford and Vanessa Severo. Directed by Justin Parlette and Eric Havens.
See more at www.dead-wait.com, find us on Facebook, and please follow us on Twitter @dead_wait!
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Damian Blake is so accomplished a Charlie Chaplin impersonator that watching him is little unsettling — as if the Little Tramp had somehow been projected through time and space into the here and now.
more at kansascity.com
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The two benefit galas that launch the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts’ grand opening weekend, Sept. 16-18, are sold out, but a free celebration offers another opportunity to see the new center.
more at kansascity.com
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In five performances produced by Musical Theater Heritage, I have yet to be disappointed by any show. The variety has been vast — Big River, a more traditional American musical to the all-women cast of 1776. Then there is the charming A Spectacular Christmas. I had the chance to take my father to see Gypsy with Deb Bluford in the lead role and walked out, again amazed at the big bang for the production buck. And now they have staged the collaborative effort of lyricist Tim Rice and composer Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Evita.
more at KC Studio
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Gov. Sam Brownback on Wednesday expressed confidence in arts funding in Kansas despite the announcement that the state lost federal matching grants because he vetoed state funding for the arts.
more at the Lawrence Journal World
and more here
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The festival’s line-up of five short films by maverick metropolitan moviemakers was picked by festival organizer and Fox 4 News (WDAF-TV) film critic Shawn Edwards, who will host a Q&A with the filmmakers immediately following the screening.
more at CinemaKC
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If you don’t get out and into our local live music scene, you might be surprised to learn that high-quality bands such as Hearts of Darkness perform in our clubs and music venues several nights a week. In fact, this represents a special era for the music scene in Kansas City, when you consider what’s going on here and what’s happening to musicians and entertainers who are from here.
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The Topeka Symphony Orchestra announced Thursday that John W. Strickler, its music director and conductor for 22 years, will step down as maestro at the end of the orchestra's 2011-12 season.
more at the Topeka Capital Journal
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Mark your calendars: In just a few days the Kansas City Ballet enters a new era of its 54-year history, as it moves into its new Todd Bolender Center for Dance and Creativity and, just a month and a half later, begins dancing on the stage of the $413 million Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. On August 22 the company begins a two-week celebration of the opening of the Bolender Center in the Union Station Power House, the highlight of which is an inaugural ribbon-cutting ceremony on August 26.
more at The Independent
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I never could figure out why they called that store "Smart & FInal..." I mean, it's got all the same crap as a low rent Target. What's so Smart and Final about that? Then I checked out XANADU at Starlight this week-- now THAT's Smart and Final.
more at KC Confidential
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The UCM Percussion Ensemble, under the direction of Michael Sekelsky, has been selected to perform at the Missouri Music Educators Association 74th Annual In-Service Workshop/Conference Jan. 27, 2012, at Tan-Tar-A Resort in Osage Beach, Mo.
more at the University of Central Missouri
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Filmed in and around Columbia and featuring a production crew and supporting cast of local talent, the movie has garnered high praise on the indie festival circuit. This is the third feature each for director Adam Wingard (“Home Sick,” “Pop Skull”) and screenwriter Simon Barrett (“Dead Birds,” “Red Sands”).
more at the Columbia Daily Tribune
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The Living Room has announced its first formal season, starting with “At the End of Apathy,” an original play by Living Room associate artistic director Bryan Moses.
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When she was invited to volunteer on the Women’s Committee at Starlight Theatre in 1969, Jan Morevitska accepted the offer for a single reason.
“I’ve just always loved theater — we’ve just always loved theater,” she said.
more at kansascity.com
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It’s fall, and that means it’s almost time for the Ringling Bros & Barnum & Bailey Circus! Join in the fun as the circus celebrates 200 years of thrills and excitement at Kansas City’s Sprint… more 
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The Theatre Gym wants to hire a Group Sales Manager. We are looking for a self-starter to aggressively bring in group sales for our next two productions:
PERFORMANCES IN OCTOBER:
Underneath the Lintel: An Impressive Presentation of Lovely Evidences by Greg Berger, a one-man show with Kevin Fewell
PERFORMANCES IN DECEMBER
The Midwest Première of Ken Ludwig's The Fox on the Fairway.
For this part-time position you will receive a stipend plus a bonus for all sales once you've sold a baseline number of tickets.
For further information or to apply for this position contact Art Suskin at 816-210-6266 or asuskin@kc.rr.com
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You wouldn’t know that singer Megan Birdsall is in constant pain, and has been for two years, because her body is allergic to, and is rejecting, the prosthetic jaw which is needed to save her life.
more at kcjazzlark
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In an eblast sent Wednesday, Curtis Sneden, president of the Topeka Performing Arts Center Inc. board of trustees, expressed gratitude that the city’s governing body didn't further reduce the city's funding of TPAC operations but said "even this level of funding will be very difficult to sustain long-term."
more at the Topeka Capital Journal
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Organizers of the Richard Allen Cultural Center’s fourth annual “Jazz by the River” event are hoping once again to use the universal language of music to bring the Leavenworth community together.
more at the Leavenworth Times
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Doug Dimmel’s hands were always moderately shaky, but it was nothing detrimental or even noticeable unless you looked closely, his older brother, Drew, says. Even then, Drew says, he noticed the symptoms in his brother. The Dimmels come from what Drew described as “a long line of shaky-wrist guys.”
more at The Examiner
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'It's like children's theatre for 40-year-old gay people' Rating: 4
Xanadu Starlight Theatre Association
As usual, you can also read this review at my blog: http://angiefsutton.wordpress.com/.
You know it's going to be an interesting night when during the curtain speech, not only does the banner displaying their last show of next season (for the announcement) not roll down, but the scrim that has the 'chalk drawing' of the muses for the opening of Xanadu does fall partially down - and you see a tech person climbing up the scaffolding during the national anthem.
Francis Scott Key would be so proud.
If this had been a more serious musical (if that phrase isn't considered an oxymoron) like "The King and I" or "Guys and Dolls", I might have been worried. But for "Xanadu", a musical spoof of the 1980 cult movie, it just made the night that much more fun.
For those unfamiliar with what little plot there is, it's about the Greek muse Kira, who decides to inspire an artist in Venice in the '80s. The only problem? It's not Venice, Italy - it's Venice Beach, California ... and it's not 1780, but 1980. So, in her attempt to inspire the artist Sonny to achieve the greatest artistic creation of all time, he - of course - comes up with creating a roller disco. Filled with songs by Electric Light Orchestra and Olivia Newton-John (who played Kira in the movie), there's a subplot involving one (well, technically two) of Kira's jealous sisters who determine to make the two fall in love (which of course Zeus has forbidden).
Let's get the comparisons out of the way right away. I love the movie in which this is based on. Gene Kelly's last motion picture, it's one of my guilty pleasure films and when I was younger, I used to listen to the soundtrack (which I owned on LP - look it up, kids) over and over, falling asleep to the sounds of "Suspended in Time" and "Whenever You're Away From Me". Yes, it's a silly plot for a silly musical - but that's kind of what makes it work for me. And that's why I was so eager to see the musical it's based on.
Tongue firmly in cheek, the musical makes no attempt to take itself, the music, or the movie on which it's based on at all seriously. In fact, the subplot mentioned above? Not even in the movie - and I bet the whole reason it got in there was to add ELO's "Evil Woman", sung so wrong it has to be right by Alix Korey (as Melpommene) and Annie Golden (as Calliope).
Elizabeth Stanley does a decent job as Clio/Kira, with her hilariously awful Australian accent as part of her 'disguise' so Sonny won't recognize her, throwing in every stereotype from "Crocodile Dundee" you can think of. It's just different enough from Olivia Newton-John but with a wink and a nod to her portrayal to make the role unique.
Darren Ritchie as Sonny seemed a little disconnected, but I have to give him some kudos for his work during "Suddenly". In a phone booth that's moving a good chunk of the time, while singing to Kira but also on the phone, he somehow still manages to put on roller skates: bet most theatre majors never train to do that!
Local Kip Niven, although not bad as Danny Maguire (the owner of the building Sonny wants to turn into the roller disco, and a prior recipient of Clio's inspiration when he was Sonny's age), is no Gene Kelly, but rather speak-sings the lines like Rex Harrison. The rest of the muses (who also double as several other characters) all had way too much fun with their various parts.
I also have to give a shout out to the audience member in the blue shirt on stage (for no announced reason, there were about 10 or 12 members of the audience on stage) who upstaged the show a couple of times with his obvious enjoyment of the show, from dancing and wearing sunglasses in a too-cool-for-school attitude. The various muses interacted (both on and off stage) with audience members, so it worked.
Act I, for the most part, flies fast - the pacing only dropping a bit in the latter part - and therefore seems much longer than Act II. The songs that weren't in the original movie, for the most part, seem shoehorned into the show, although (as with "Evil Woman" above) they worked better when it was used for humor. And "Dancin'", the merge of '40s Andrew Sisters and '80s hair band sounds, wasn't quite the merge I hoped (and was in the movie), just sort of happening. But I laughed several times, and can say hands down it was the best musical on roller skates I've ever seen. (For the record, I've never seen "Starlight Express"). It's definitely worth seeing.
Quote of the evening? The young (maybe 8?) girl behind me, after a certain line, asking her parents, "What's a nickel bag?" Oh, to be a fly on the wall when they have THAT conversation.
"Xanadu" will be performing until August 21, and more information can be found at www.kcstarlight.com.
 
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Harold Pinter. You may have heard the name. You may have seen him interviewed by Charlie Rose. You may recall the angry Brit who won the Nobel Prize in 2005 and devoted a huge chunk of his acceptance speech to a scathing critique of American foreign policy.
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Free Night of Theatre needs your help. The goal of the Free Night of Theater program is to introduce new theatre-goers to the thrill and passion of live performing arts. This is especially needed in today’s economic times, where too many people think the performing arts are ‘just a luxury’ that can be dropped and cut from government budgets and their own entertainment choices.
If you have access to a web cam, flip cam, or other type of video camera, we're looking for video testimonials as to why people love the theatre and other performing arts. We prefer 30 seconds or less, getting at the core reason. They don’t have to be pretty – they just have to be passionate and/or funny (or both!).
Send all videos to afiedler@kcstage.com before the end of August or upload it yourself and send us the link! Videos must be wmv, avi, mov, or mpg format, 100 MB maximum size in order to be uploaded to the KC Stage YouTube channel – www.youtube.com/user/KCStageMagazine.
Be a theatre missionary, and spread the word as to your love and passion for this entertainment option!
Questions? Comments? E-mail afiedler@kcstage.com.
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The National Endowment for the Arts affirmed Tuesday that the governor's decision to defund the state's arts agency precludes the NEA from offering matching grants to Kansas.
more at the Topeka Capital-Journal
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Adventure and accessibility, youth and maturity, cool cacophony and brilliant blend. These things need not be at odds, at least not in the hands of the Rich Pellegrin Quintet. Pellegrin, a pianist and visiting assistant professor at the University of Missouri, and his four brothers-in-jazz take listeners on a sojourn through the spaces between seemingly disparate sounds and notions on “Three-Part Odyssey,” released earlier this year on OA2 Records.
more at the Columbia Daily-Tribune
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Broadway stars Patti LuPone and Tommy Tune have joined the program for the opening night concert Sept. 16 in the Muriel Kauffman Theatre. They'll add firepower to an evening already studded with tenor Placido Domingo.
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A Finer Night You Really Hoped to See Rating: 3
Cinderella River City Community Players
First off, hats off to the hard working cast and musicians of RCCP's summer production of Cinderella. The singing sounded lovely, and the musicians played well. As is often the case with RCCP, I wished there could have been a larger pit orchestra. However, those that were there played very well. Everyone under the direction of Joshua Shockey was well rehearsed and sounded great.
Unfortunately, this particular production overall fell short of the great theatre the Leavenworth community has come to expect from RCCP. This Little-Community-Theatre-That-Could has proven time and time over the years that small budgets do not stop a community from producing fine theatre. There have been several productions in the last few decades that left the audience wondering what exactly "community theatre" means, because they were so well done. Some memorable examples include Barnum (I believe that was directed by Richard Bayse), Jesus Christ Superstar directed by Eric Van Horn, Blithe Spirit (I apologize for not remembering the director, I believe it was Donna Elmer??) and The Diary of Anne Frank (again, apologies...Rumiko Dodson perhaps?)
My faulty memory aside, these and many other productions over the years have delighted, enlightened, and entertained the audiences of Leavenworth, KS and drawn a well deserved crowd from the whole KC area.
The costuming and set designs for this production of Cinderella were, in short, lazy. Pick a time period and stay there. We all know there is some lee way with fairy tales...but I believe we can agree that costumes from Fiddler on the Roof, Oklahoma and FOOTLOOSE do not all belong in Cinderella!!! Notable exceptions to this catastrophe of clothing were Cinderella, the Fairy Godmother, and the step sisters. These characters looked fabulous, right down to the step sisters' highly amusing wigs.
The stepmother's house looked like an ice cream parlor gone wrong, with a very obvious "invisible" door totally ruining the Godmother's magical entrance into the cottage. Much more could have been done with the ballroom as well...which remained exactly the same for the wedding scene, even though the chorus entered gazing in wonder at the decorations...at least, I think that's what they were doing.
The actors tried their hardest. Linda Finch can always be counted on to put on a good show, and she nearly saved this one. Suzie Stephensen sang beautifully and was the quintessential prancing princess. (It's hard to go deep with that role.) The step family was wonderful, particularly Bernadette Tate. However, I felt like the step mother and two step sisters could have done SO much more if the director knew what she was doing!
And a quick note on the choreography...it was typical (can you say b.o.x. s.t.e.p.), predictable, boring, and unimaginative. Next time, challenge these local "amateur" artists!!! They just might surprise you! (Did you SEE RCCP's Footloose?! Come on now!)
I am still a fan of the RCCP, but if I see the same director is in charge of another production ...I might just have to skip that one. 
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Here's the 2012 Starlight lineup: "In the Heights," June 5-10; "The Addams Family," July 3-8; "Memphis," July 10-15; "Peter Pan" with Cathy Rigby, July 24-29; "Aida," Aug. 3-12 at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts; and "La Cage aux Folles," Aug. 28-Sept. 2.
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You knew it would be a weird night at Starlight Theater when the electronic keyboards and amplified guitar of the "orchestra" accompanied the traditional singing of "The Star Spangled Banner" before the first performance of "Xanadu."
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Sir Tim Rice and Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber’s classic rock opera “Evita” begins with the funeral of Argentina’s most beloved figurehead, Eva Duarte-Peron, and that’s where the Musical Theatre Heritage production on Saturday, Aug. 13 should have stopped.
more at The Vignette
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STRIKING 12
A Barn Junior Production January 6 - 15
Music, Lyrics and Book by Brendan Milburn,
Rachel Sheinkin & Valerie Vigoda
THE GIRL WHO WAS PLUGGED IN
Music by Alan Menken
Lyrics by David Spencer
Book by Alan Brennert
Directed by Jason Coats
HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING February 24 – March 11
Music, Book and Lyrics by Frank Loesser
Directed by Eric Van Horn
XANADU April 20 – May 6
Music and Lyrics by Jeff Lynne & John Farrar
and Book by Douglas Carter Beane
Directed by Guy Gardner
PRELUDE TO A KISS June 1 - 17
By Craig Lucas
Directed by Darren Sextro
PARALLEL LIVES July 20 – August 5
By Kathy Najimy & Mo Gaffney
Directed by Tiffany Garrison-Schweigert
DISNEY'S 101 DALMATIANS, KIDS
A Barn Kids Production
Session 1: June 19 – 21
Session 2: July 24 - 26
Music and Lyrics by Mel Leven, Randy Rogel, Richard Gibbs, Brian Smith,
Martin Lee Fuller & Dan Root
Book adaptation and additional lyrics by Marcy Heisler
Music adapted and arranged by Bryan Louiselle
Directed by Jason Coats
BLOOD BROTHERS September 14 - 30
Music, Book & Lyrics by Willy Russell
Directed by Eric Magnus
CURTAINS November 2 - 18
Music by John Kander
Lyrics by Freb Ebb, John Kander & Rupert Holmes
Book by Rupert Holmes
Directed by Kipp Simmons
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A Kansas legislator who stood up to Gov. Sam Brownback and tried to preserve state funding of the arts received a national award Monday.
more at the Lawrence Journal-World
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Some people seem to have show business burning in their blood. Once in a while, it becomes apparent even at the youngest of ages. And a small selection of Theater Reaching Young People and Schools, or TRYPS, participants are sure of what they want their destiny to be — and are willing to engage in the difficult training, endless rounds of auditions and even the simple grunt work it takes to get there.
more at the Columbia Daily Tribune
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"I See Your Face Before Me" from Wee Small Hours by Nathan Granner and The Wee Small.
download at Nathan Granner
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A knowledgeable friend doesn't share my enthusiasm for the American Jazz Museum's bookings for the 2011-12 Jammin' at the Gem season. Most of the artists, he notes, regularly perform in Kansas City. That may be true, but I don't mind repetition when musicians are of this caliber. The only truly disappointing aspect of the new season is the apparent reduction of the series from six to five concerts.
more at Plastic Sax
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The Mustang Club of Greater Kansas City is proud to host a very special cruise night for all makes and models of cars to benefit The *** Cancer Research Foundation at the Kansas City stop for the Buffalo to Burbank – Cruising for a Cause campaign with Mary Coffey and cross-country cruise in her Pink Saleen Mustang.
All donations will go directly to The *** Cancer Research Foundation, where 90 cents of each dollar go directly to research.
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As all of us in Kansas City are complaining about the heat wave of 90 and 100+ degree days, I think there is no one happier that the Scenic Artists of the Lyric Opera of Kansas City. The Scenic Artists are our painters. They are the group of artists that have a unique eye for color, dimension, and perspective. These artists paint scenic items from just a few feet away, but also must have an understanding of how these items will look from the audience’s perspective up to 100 feet away.
more at the Lyric Opera
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The Musical Theatre Heritage concert production of this modern classic — arguably the best show Lloyd Webber and Rice wrote together — is a musically electric affair, graced by talented singer/actors.
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Arguing it has and can play a vital role in the economic development of Topeka, the board of trustees of the Topeka Performing Arts Center has issued an e-blast asking TPAC patrons to lobby the Topeka City Council against cutting its annual public tax subsidy.
more at the Topeka Capital Journal
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Cinderella should have stayed in her corner Rating: 1
Cinderella River City Community Players
Unfortunately, I had read the previous reviews of this show prior to attending. Sometimes these are completely off-base, in my opinion; but this was not the case in this instance.
I have loved the music and fairytale story of this musical for years, having seen the original production on TV as a child. Regrettably, this production had none of the life and magic I remember. The set was uninspired and poorly executed. Some of the costumes were acceptable, but many of the dresses looked like re-cycled prom gowns. The choreography was very basic and not particularly well performed. The "magical" appearances and transformations were anything but (although Cinderella's dress transformation was well-done).
People seemed lost on stage many times, and this falls on the shoulders of the director. It looked as if the actors were not given proper guidance in portraying their roles, and the result was a boring, endless show. I have come to expect much higher quality from RCCP, and this was a real disappointment.
A couple of performers do merit some kudos. Suzie Stephenson as Cinderella has a lovely voice and a nice stage presence. The step-sisters were entertaining, especially Bernadette Tate.
Overall, Cinderella would have been better served staying in her "own little corner in her own little chair."
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When the first pulsing minor notes of the locally made documentary “Zielinski” ushered in clips of the oft-controversial and eponymous central figure of the movie, viewers at True/False Film Fest might have been lulled into thinking synthesized sounds were everything composer Mark Speckman was about. The gloomy and rhythmic bloops of “electronic music” — Speckman’s term — set up the tone of the film with a pounding aura of mystery.
more at the Columbia Daily Tribune
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It's in HD, so feel free to watch it in full screen with headphones to check out the original score.
Created by Trevor Hawkins & Justin Gardner.
MammothMedia.tv
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Director Patrick Rea’s shorts have been winning awards for jolting or amusing viewers with science fiction or fantasy themes. His latest short, “Hell Week,” however, is disturbing because he and writer Michelle Davidson kept the setting in the real world.
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 Happy Sunday! This week is bittersweet for most– the lazy, no-homework, sleep-in-late, stay-up-late days of summer are over. School begins. Fall sports, back-to-school days and nights, homework and crazy schedules will soon fill our
… more
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When people talk about the “magic of theater” they rarely think about staple guns and PVC pipe. But creating dreamscapes is hard work — noisy, dusty, smelly — and at the Lyric Opera Center near 18th and Charlotte streets crews are busy constructing three-dimensional images of the Forbidden City for a promised blockbuster production of Giacomo Puccini’s “Turandot.”
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These days the most interesting — and most popular — musicals seem to be those that find a way to acknowledge with a wink and a nod that you are, after all, watching a musical. It’s a way for the creators to say to the audience: Aren’t musicals dumb? And isn’t it great?
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Gutsy Selection, Zestful Production Rating: 4
Love's Labours Lost She&Her Productions
She&Her Productions has made an ambitious selection in choosing "Love's Labour's Lost," one of Shakespeare's less frequently performed masterpieces, as its inaugural production of the season at the River's Edge Theater. And last night, before a small, opening night audience of less than 25 people, the little, relatively new community theatre in Kansas City's River Market did a valiant job pulling it off.
Under the direction of Jeremy Riggs, the production uses a bare stage with little more than two benches and some really remarkable and fabulous period costumes designed and built by Christie Artzer. The whole effect of the sparse set and costume-heavy production is strikingly similar to what the theatre audience in Shakespeare's day might have experienced. I initially wondered about the prudence of having a curtain time of 8:00, especially for a Shakespeare production, but it's time that the early-to-bed folks in K.C. experienced a curtain time more akin to that in the rest of the civilized world--and it at least allows them to have a leisurely dinner without rushing to the theatre.
The play centers on three young men who make a three-year vow of chastity in order to pursue a rigorous course of studies under Ferdinand, the King of Navarre. Immediately thereafter enter a French princess and her three ladies in waiting, resulting in libidinal frustration, confusion, and the imminent breaking of vows. The casting for this show has been wisely executed for the most part, with the strongest talent delegated to the performers who have the most important roles. Of the three young men, Berowne (Corbin Hernandez) is the central figure and his performance was the most memorable, while his paramour, Rosaline (Keely Siefers), gives him a real run for his money. As the Princess of France, Mackenzie Goodwin makes a remarkably powerful showing that evinces poise and ease onstage, and her delivery of lines shows her training and artistry.
Much of the more gratuitous comic relief emanates from the secondary plot. The Spanish braggart Don Adriano De Armado, played to the hilt by Rick Williamson, and his page Moth come into conflict with the fool Costard (Joshua Gleeson) and the dimwitted constable, appropriately named "Dull." Of the secondary characters, the performance of Gleeson's Costard, accompanied by lots of very visually funny pratfalls, really stands out as lively and inspired; the parody of classic Spanish "machismo" on Williamson's part also is certainly quite funny and memorable at times.
Riggs has created some funny stage business as well, including outfitting Moth with a very short sword, giving Maria a prop which she continually munches on (although I was not sure what it was; it seemed like a french fry), and employing the back-of-the house exit for a hunting scene. Be prepared for some measure of audience involvement, and one character at one point crawls on his knees through the second row of theatre seats. Riggs has also added in a few lines of modern dialogue to accompany the entrances and exits of the characters as background fodder, which works quite well, and has written some really great original music that is played in the background to accompany certain scenes. The Spanish music played to intensify the comic musings and machinations of Don Adriano really works to support his character and make it all the more memorable.
Obviously, Shakespearean language can be a challenge for any actor, and especially for some of the less inexperienced players, and sometimes there is a little too much close adherence to the iambic pentameter in this play--which features one of the highest ratios of poetry to prose in Shakespeare's works. A few of the performers seemed a little nervous and stiff when they first came onstage, but they seemed to loosen up as the opening night performance went on. Because the theatre is quite intimate, there is really no need for mics. Although her acting was solid, Katherine (Cassidy Kirch), could have worked a little more on her projection—although she did not have much dialogue, so it didn't detract from the play's overall success.
Overall, for a community theatre endeavor, this is a well-constructed and enjoyable show that isn't done often, and even less so in K.C., so it is definitely worth attending. And, if backstage rumors are to be believed, She&Her Productions is planning on tackling and mounting a Shakespearean work every August, so we certainly look forward to seeing what ambitious show they'll undertake next season. 
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Toccata is a kind of catch-all term to describe a dazzling, virtuosic piece of music.
Organist Jonathan Gregoire will toss off some toccatas and other showpieces when he performs a recital at 2 p.m. today at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, 416 W. 12th St.
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A couple years back I heard a late night comic tell this joke: "Last month 500,000 people lost their jobs. Which means today there's half a million new blogs."
more at kcjazzlark
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Thanks to everyone who entered our latest giveaway– we have randomly selected two winners. Each lucky person will receive 4 tickets to an upcoming Sporting KC game!!
We have 4 tickets to each of two games: Wednesday, Aug 17,… more 
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Last week an exhausted Cheryl Kimmi was tallying box-office receipts after 10 days of running nonstop from the moment she woke to the second she crashed at night.
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Former Kansas Citian Chuck Michael is happy if you don’t pay attention to his work in a movie. For two decades, he’s been making his living as a sound designer — coming up with or manipulating the noises you might hear in a given scene — or a supervising sound editor — collecting and assembling the sounds into the final soundtrack.
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The debut season of “CinemaKC,” showcasing the works and words of Kansas City area filmmakers, will be rebroadcast in its 14-week entirety.
more at CinemaKC
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“Why not make my detective a Belgian?” renowned mystery writer Agatha Christie mused in “An Autobiography.” “I could see him as a tidy little man, always arranging things, liking things in pairs, liking things square instead of round. And he should be very brainy — he should have little gray cells of the mind. ...”
more at the Columbia Daily Tribune
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What does it take to sing, strum and otherwise make live music for sometimes little or no money in the subterranean recesses of the Big Apple? Find out in “Busking the System,” an entertaining and enlightening documentary feature film that follows several young “buskers” or street musicians as they seek artistic success and most importantly pocket change in the New York City subway system.
more at CinemaKC
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ABC’s summer reality hit “Expedition Impossible” is fueled by the star power of the sassy Fuller sisters. Turns out that a bit of typical sibling bickering is an asset when it comes to competing on a show produced by reality guru Mark Burnett.
more at 435 South
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A few readers of Plastic Sax know that the author of this blog frequently attends performances of music other than jazz.... I caught myself thinking about jazz at the other shows I attended. I wondered, for example, what members of each audience might be willing to attend a jazz performance.
more at Plastic Sax
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American Heartland Theatre has a sizzling new production featuring country-western music called The Honky Tonk Angels. The play, written by Ted Swindley, who created Always .. Patsy Cline, uses terrific music and a lot of humor to keep the audience fully engaged from start to finish.
more at KC Active
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Andy Parkhurst was his usual friendly self to the new member of the European touring cast of “West Side Story.” It was the spring of 1998 in Milan, and Michael Grayman had just joined the show as a “swing,” an understudy for multiple roles.
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Independent filmmaker Rodney Thompson of Kansas City is a graduate of Central High School, the University of Missouri and San Francisco State University, where he earned a master’s degree in film arts.
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Leawood Stage Company members might have preferred a slightly different script, but they were pleased with how a City Council meeting ended last week.
more at the Johnson County Sun
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Ballet Folklorico de Topeka will celebrate its 35th anniversary with a concert Saturday in White Concert Hall as it prepares for its next 35 years.
more at the Topeka Capital Journal
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July 27, 2011: Crews are painting backdrops and carpenters are shaping roofs with saws to create the scenery for "Turandot," the Lyric Opera of Kansas City's inaugural production in the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. KCUR's Laura Spencer walked through the Lyric's Opera Center (under construction) in the East Crossroads with R. Keith Brumley, Director of Design and Technical Production. 
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 We’ve got a terrific giveaway as summer comes to an end…we will have TWO lucky winners! And, each winner will receive 4 tickets to an upcoming Sporting KC football game! (That’s soccer for all you Midwesterners!!)
The tickets come courtesy… more 
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Artist Sonie Ruffin knows how to put together an exhibit that crosses cultures and disciplines, appeals to a broad public and brings new names into the art loop.
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Some of our most loyal supporters talk about why they continue to believe in the work Unicorn Theatre does. Testimonials by Michelle Keller, Mark Titus, Steve Metzler and Julie Thatcher mixed with some clips from some of your favorite shows. For more information on how you help the Unicorn in "Writing our Future" visit www.unicorntheatre.org
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17 Kansas City teens from 12 area high schools perform in Xanadu as members of Starlight's Blue Star All-Star Chorus.
Meet the rest of the Xanadu cast here
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She was an actress and a nightclub singer who ultimately wielded formidable political power in her native Argentina. And in many ways her story seemed made-to-order for musical theater. Without question, Eva Duarte Peron lived a classic rags-to-riches tale, but one with an inescapable political timbre.
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We are at the dawn of the era of the arts in Kansas City. This fall, the opening of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts and the Todd Bolender Center for Dance and Creativity will transform our landscape and the image of our city. These openings and the growth of our creative industries, thriving museums and performing arts companies make it clear that Kansas City is America’s creative crossroads.
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What began as a sketch on a napkin has become an architectural icon and home for the performing arts in Kansas City. The Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts has changed Kansas City’s skyline, and will soon change the experiences of artists and audiences throughout the region.
more at The Kauffman Center
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Come celebrate our new expansion!
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Held on Thursdays at 9 a.m. at different Chamber member businesses, our coffees are the largest weekly networking event in the Kansas City area. Expect to meet 150 to 250 people each time!
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Held on Thursdays at 9 a.m. at different Chamber member businesses, our coffees are the largest weekly networking event in the Kansas City area. Expect to meet 150 to 250 people each time!
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Held on Thursdays at 9 a.m. at different Chamber member businesses, our coffees are the largest weekly networking event in the Kansas City area. Expect to meet 150 to 250 people each time!
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Held on Thursdays at 9 a.m. at different Chamber member businesses, our coffees are the largest weekly networking event in the Kansas City area. Expect to meet 150 to 250 people each time!
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Find the right pet to match for your lifestyle! The Pet Connection will also be available to micro-chip your dog or cat for $25. Proceeds go to homeless pets.
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A fundraising effort to build a new community theater building is now just $900,000 from its goal after a large gift from a well-known foundation.
more at the Lawrence Journal World
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Slavery isn’t something that disappeared at the end of the Civil War. In fact slavery, specifically sex slavery, is the fastest growing human rights issue on Earth.
more at Butler's Cinema Scene
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By day, Tim Marks is an employment lawyer with Marks Law Office and at Constangy, Brooks & Smith — and a graduate of KU and Duke Law. But by night, he can be anything he wants to be. That’s the beauty of improvisational acting.
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A big disappointment Rating: 1
Cinderella River City Community Players
My kids and I were left unimpressed with the River City Community Players show Cinderella. I had hoped it would capture the wonderful excitement we have seen with other performances in the area and there was none. Last summer we went to Leavenworth to see Annie and the kids loved it and wanted to go back. This show they fell asleep and instead of a chattering car ride home they were restless and expressed how "dumb" the show was. I thought it was the same director of Annie but I was incorrect and he only did the music.
It wasn't all bad it was just boring. The different people singing were fine but when they weren't singing the dialogue moved along so slow. There was no funny or zany characters like there usually are. I smiled a couple times with the step sisters but that was all.
The look of the stage was also bland. Even my kids saw the fairy godmother walk through the door on the set and when Cinderella asked where did you come from, they spoke right up and told me. I understand community theaters don't have big budgets but could you have made the door less obvious. The rest of the scenery showed no magic in the kingdom. I could say more but I will leave it at very unimpressive.
Some of the costumes were very good and some were just inappropriate a lot of old prom dresses were used for some reason. It was like a mix of modern day and fairytale.
I know people worked very hard on this show and from friends I know how much effort and time the cast puts into it but it is sad to see such a beloved story and musical fall so short on entertaining. I understand community theater is not professional but more care should be put into presenting a show that cost me gas and ticket money. I guess that is why I am writing this because I thought I was taking the kids to see the magical fairy tale of Cinderella but all we got was the Cinderella part.
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Heavenly Rating: 5
The Honky Tonk Angels American Heartland Theatre
Honky Tonk Angels is an absolute must see. What an incredibly talented cast and band. It is hard to imagine three voices so perfectly matched. One could easily fall in love with each of the characters for various reasons - Teri Adams as Angela is a truly "stand by your man" kind of woman with a rich voice. Colleen Grate as Darlene plays an innocent yet determined country girl destined to achieve greatness in the country music world. What a beautiful and vocally talented young lady. Jessalyn Kincaid as Sue Ellen was totally captivating. When you look and sing as good as she does, you'd have to be dead to not be captivated. Together with an outstanding band, beautiful costumes, an attractive set, and incredible lighting, this show has it all. This was one of the most energetic, entertaining productions I have seen in years. And when you consider the consistantly fabulous productions of the American Heartland Theatre year after year, that is really saying something.
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The Aristocat-Kids opened their hearts – and goodie bags – to help Wayside Waifs last week.
more at The Vignette
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 In case you missed Part 1 of my Roadtrip wrap up…it was an I-70 tour de force. We had LOTS of fun in Indianapolis and jumped on I-70 for the quick trip to Oxford, OH. Oxford is… more
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A home blessing is a significant event for our Heartland Habitat for Humanity families where they are taking possession of their new home pnce it is completed. Sponsors, volunteers, and others are recognized for their contribution to this home and the new homeowner and their family offer their thanks as well.Mina Foster and her family are taking possession of this home in Olathe that has been built with the support of the community and the partnership with the Olathe School District
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The Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts will hold its grand opening in mid-September, but finishing touches are already well underway, from the installation of the 5,548-pipe Casavant Freres organ in Helzberg Hall, to the addition of decorative touches in reception suites, to the finishing of the parking garage. Meanwhile, the Center has unveiled some of its bookings for the 2011-12 season, including Aretha Franklin, Philip Glass, and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Architect Moshe Safdie was in town recently, and Steve Kraske and KCUR's arts reporter Laura Spencer took a walk through the new facility with him. We'll also visit with Jane Chu about the latest developments in construction, highlights of future programming, and how the center is working with local performing arts organizations to get them on the new stages. 
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The cartoons began as a subversive attempt to amuse and distract my colleagues at The Star during long staff meetings. Often the characters were circus clowns or men screaming because their hair was on fire.
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Next summer Starlight Theatre will move indoors. In what could be seen as a growing relationship between Starlight and the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, Starlight will produce "Aida," the lavish Broadway musical by composer Elton John and lyricist Tim Rice, at the new downtown performance space in 2012.
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If you love film you can’t afford NOT to watch”CinemaKC,” the homegrown half-hour TV program that spotlights area filmmakers.
more at Butler's Cinema Scene
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No Magic Here Rating: 2
Cinderella River City Community Players
Opening night for Cinderella drew a respectable crowd eagerly awaiting the magic of Cinderella to unfold - it didn't. While there were several outstanding and memorable performances (I'll get to these later), it mostly lacked energy, excitement, fun and most of all the whimsical magic that should be a part of any production of Cinderella. The Godmother, nicely played by Tisha Entwistle, is supposed to magically appear from outside to inside Cinderella's house. What happens is that she simply walks through a "hidden" door in the set and is all of a sudden "magically" there. Very lame, as was the set. While the set was functional and scene changes moved smoothly, it was on the level of a very good elementary school production. The conversion of the mice to carriage horses lacked any imagination and the carriage itself (consider it part of the set) was pretty sad.
The one bit of "magic" that was truly awesome, however, was when Cinderella went from her rags to her ball gown. That was a very nice moment.
However, several strong performances were turned in. Cinderella, played by Suzie Stephensen, was absolutely delightful. She has an extremely beautiful voice and very nice presence on stage. Brandon Johannes, portraying the Prince, captured the audience with his wonderfully rich and expressive voice. He and Cinderella were very well matched, vocally, on stage. While Tracy McClung, as the Stepmother, and Sarah DaMetz as Joy and Bernadette Tate (as the stepsisters) gave very entertaining performances and were very strong vocally, I was disappointed that they weren't allowed to have more fun with their characters. These are very talented ladies who could have given so much more if they had been directed and allowed to. Linda Finch and Mike Forsythe, as the Queen and King, were perfect for their roles and were very entertaining.
Costumes for the production were fitting (no pun intended) and nicely done. Everyone looked great! Kudos to Joshua Shockey for his musical direction. Vocally, this was a very good production. I was disappointed in the direction. The staging was simple and safe, overall characterizations could have been bigger and more fun, and better use of the stage could have been made.
By their reaction, the audience did enjoy the production and were very entertained. And in the end, that's what really matters.
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When Kansas City singer/songwriter Phillip Bradley was chosen to appear in a documentary about buskers who perform on the streets and subway platforms of New York City, he didn’t know what to expect. He headed to Manhattan, slept on a friend’s couch and took his music to the people of New York while a film crew shot it all.
more at lawrence.com
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I heard some spectacular jazz that you didn’t. I can say that to all but about 80 people in the world.
more at kcjazzlark
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Preliminary data from the state shows that district students again made Adequate Yearly Progress for exceeding goals in math and reading.
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Stroll through Starlight Theatre and stop for a break at some of Kansas City’s best neighborhoods along the way.
more at kansascity.com
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Jim Neihart sat behind the piano in a church basement and challenged six students holding instruments. “I’ll play the piano, and let’s just see how far we can go,” he told them on a recent Saturday morning as they tackled a Mozart selection.
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The district and Olathe NEA have a tentative contract agreement for 2011-12.
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Bruce Branit’s bosses demand a lot. One week, they may ask him to land a spaceship on a building. Another week, they may ask him to dissolve a house into mercury or raise an army of 100,000 soldiers. Hollywood executives expect a lot.
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The exhausted Kansas City cliche says we’re known only for jazz and barbecue, but signs are pointing to a very different identity for a city that is too seldom on the national radar. Try this out and see how it sounds: Kansas City, theater town.
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Enter your contact info at the link for a chance to win two free tickets to the August 13 matinee of Imago Dei's "Steel Magnolias". More information at Imago Dei's website ( www.imagodeiarts.org).
http://kwiksurveys.com?u=imago-steel
This contest is open to anyone, and multiple winners will be chosen. It closes August 10 at noon, and winners will be picked at random.
A reminder that these tickets are only good for the August 13 matinee performance.
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Recent federal regulations have changed how graduation rates are calculated in U.S. school districts.
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You’ve probably heard of JAZZOO, the annual Kansas City Zoo benefit party that happens each June. Just as JAZZOO marks summer’s beginning, Kids’ JAZZOO is sure to become an annual tradition that marks summer’s end.
This year at Kids’… more 
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"Stan Herd: Man of the Land"
Produced by: Miller Meiers / Herd Productions, LLC
Executive Producers: Robert Meiers, Stan Herd
Concept: Robert Meiers
Director: Chris Blunk
Director of Photography: Jeremy Osbern
Editor: Stephen Deaver
Gaffer: Jon Breitkreutz
Sound: Parker Brown, Ty Johnsrud
Music: John Stephen Howard
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It’s not too soon for all you filmmaking tyros to begin gearing up for the 10th annual 48 Hour Film Project, the world’s largest timed filmmaking competition.
more at Butler's Cinema Scene
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It was during her fourth week of racing across the Moroccan desert for ABC’s reality show “Expedition Impossible” that 22-year-old Overland Park resident Kelsey Fuller thought she might not make it.
more at Ink
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The chairwoman of the reorganized Kansas Arts Commission has asked the National Endowment for the Arts to continue funding programs in the state amid concerns from commission members about how much money will be available for awarding grants in the state.
more at the Lawrence Journal-World
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John-Michael Zuerlein has performed for Kansas City audiences plenty of times, but never before a crowd of 8,000. This week he gets his chance when he returns with the national tour of “Mamma Mia!”
more at kansascity.com
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Blue Springs City Theatre is looking for a music director for our upcoming Christmas production of Scrooge. Due to unforeseen circumstances, our music director had to back out. If you are interested in the position, please contact the director, Andrew McKinley for more information about the position, requirements and stipend. Auditions will be held in September with rehearsals running from October to December. Performance dates are December 1-4 & 8-11.
more at BlueSpringsCityTheatre.com
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Starlight Theatre recently announced its Blue Star awards, which recognize outstanding achievement in local high school theater. The recipients include:
- Outstanding Overall Production: Raymore-Peculiar. “Crazy for You”
- Outstanding Scenic Design, Tier I ($0-$1,500): Winnetonka. “Cats”
- Outstanding Scenic Design, Tier II ($1,501-$5,000): Raymore-Peculiar. “Crazy for You”
- Outstanding Lighting Design: Winnetonka, “Cats”
- Outstanding Technical Crew: Raymore-Peculiar, “Crazy for You” Deck/Set Crew
- Outstanding Costume Design, Tier I ($0-$800): Winnetonka “Cats”
- Outstanding Costume Design, Tier II ($801-$2,500): Raymore-Peculiar, “Crazy for You”
- Outstanding Hair and Makeup Design: Winnetonka, “Cats”
- Outstanding Artistic Contribution by a Student: Ruskin, Kyra Jones & LeAundre Williams, “The Wiz,” choreography
- Outstanding Technical Achievement: Lee’s Summit West, Abby Dorning
- Outstanding Ensemble: Raymore-Peculiar, “Crazy for You”
- Outstanding Actress in a Lead Role: Kearney, Katie McKernan as Rosie, “Bye Bye Birdie”
- Outstanding Actor in a Lead Role: Raymore-Peculiar, Seth Jones as Bobby Child, “Crazy for You”
- Outstanding Actress in a Featured Role: Shawnee Mission West, Emeri Eaton as Miss Hannigan, “Annie”
- Outstanding Actor in a Featured Role: Lee’s Summit, Vince Woods as Aaron Fox, “Curtains”
- Outstanding Female Ensemble Member: Saint Thomas Aquinas, Abby Hadel, “West Side Story”
- Outstanding Male Ensemble Member: Raymore-Peculiar, Josh Wagner, “Crazy for You”
- Rising Star Scholarship Recipients: Shawnee Mission North’s Patrick Lee and Park Hill’s Talya Groves
more at Starlight Theatre
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"I hate 'happy jazz,'" a young jazz musician commented at Plastic Sax a few months ago.
more at Plastic Sax
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As students, faculty and staff across K-State become immersed in the pages of Dave Eggers "Zeitoun" -- this year's Kansas State Book Network selection -- filmmakers are preparing an animated version of the book, which is a nonfiction account of a Syrian-American contractor who elected to stay in New Orleans when warnings of Hurricane Katrina began to pour in.
more at Infozine
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Virtuoso instrumentalists with international reputations and singers with Topeka roots making their marks on stages and in concert halls will highlight the Topeka Symphony Orchestra's 66th season, series tickets to which are on sale.
more at the Topeka Capital Journal
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Meet Todd DuBail of Las Vegas. He’s appearing through Aug. 20 in “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” at the New Theatre Restaurant in Overland Park. Among other roles, DuBail plays the Pharaoh in the musical based on the coat-of-many-colors story from the Old Testament.
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"You already know you're gonna love it!" That's what Mamma Mia's print ads proclaim. And it must be true since after just 2 years the North American Tour of what's been described as 'the world's most popular show' is making a return trip to Starlight this week.
more at KC Confidential
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 Oh, Proud Death Rating: 4
Hamlet vs. Zombies KC Fringe Festival
This is a merging of two genres that works surprisingly well. At its heart, this is a shoot'em up, as so many Zombie movies are. One of the reasons that it worked so well is that the actors were almost uniformly good. I get the feeling that whoever wrote the script was particularly fond of the original Horatio (as I am), as he is given a lot of time on stage and is very well played, to boot. Eli Kurtz as Hamlet plays a cerebral but not so melancholy Dane. He and Horatio play off of each other beautifully, especially when discussing the disposal of Hamlet's dead/undead/dead again father. Hamlet's mother is well played as a ditzy brunette. Ophelia is definitely an improvement over the original, first bothered by her defenselessness and then going Rambo on the zombies. Claudius is dead on sneaky, sniveling evil.
Loved the confetti for blood as special effects, and the revolving troop of zombies that kept coming back as new zombies. The confetti made it obvious and yet funny every time a zombie bought it. The fact that they did not use blanks but had the characters say bang when their guns went off was a little odd, but the characters didn't forget or seem self-conscious and I quickly got used to it.
The play was at its best when improving on Shakespeare, such as having Hamlet say his soliloquies into his cell phone, or the much more logical plot line involving Rosencranz and Guildenstern. I think it missed a few opportunities for humor-it was not laugh out loud funny. There was too much action in the last part and not enough suspense. After all, in the original most everybody dies in the end-there should have been more doubt as to who was going to make it. All in all, it was a good play and I am looking forward to whatever Skinny Improv brings us next year.
(oh, and the kissing was just gross. Yech)
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The Chestnut Fine Arts Center in Olathe, KS is seeking a responsible person to run the spotlight and usher for their fall production of Jukebox and Bobby Socks. The show runs Thursday - Sunday from Sept. 15 - Oct. 16. Individual must be available for Tech and Dress rehearsals the week prior to opening. This is a paid position. Please contact Brad Zimmerman if you are interested at 913-764-2121 or chestnutfac@comcast.net.
more at the Chestnut Fine Arts Center
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A second of the founders of the Prairie Village Jazz Festival has left the planning committee for this year’s event, citing a situation that has been “untenable for several months.”
more at the Prairie Village Post
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Demi Lovato's newest single, "Skyscraper"
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<br><br>th Artistic Director, Eric Rosen talks about the upcoming production of August: Osage County at Kansas City Repertory Theatre September 16- October 9, 2011. Tickets are now on sale! Visit KCRep.org or call 816.235.2700 to order!
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Just moments before the Maplewood Barn Community Theatre closes its summer run of Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice,” Mayor Bob McDavid, city officials and other key players will participate in a groundbreaking ceremony, an important first step toward building a new barn facility to replace the theater company’s historic home, lost to fire in April 2010.
more at the Columbia Daily Tribune
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Centuries after it was likely first told, the story of “Cinderella” remains a familiar one to many. Over the years there have been numerous retellings of the tale of a young underappreciated woman who eventually finds the love of a prince, the most famous of which now are likely the 1950 animated Disney film version and the Rodgers and Hammerstein stage musical.
more at the Leavenworth Times
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Mitteleuropa took center stage at Johnson County Community College's Yardley Hall Wednesday night in a concert of music by Beethoven, Dohnányi and Schubert performed by the Miami String Quartet.
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Depressing Rating: 3
Worth KC Fringe Festival
There are some fine performances in this play. This is one of only two serious dramatic pieces that I caught at this year's Fringe Festival. In fact, I would have to say that all of the performances were excellent. Of particular note was the mom and wife (and sister to the mob boss) who played her part with a fragile rigidity.
I gather that the play was about assessing a person's worth in society, souls being bargained and traded, deals being struck. But ultimately the story says that life is worthless. The most sympathetic character does something heinous, which led me to become unsympathetic to his plight and his ultimate demise. The other characters are no better-the mom lives in a state of denial and has no heart, the dad wants to run away but lacks the courage to do even that, the mob brother appears to want to help but is unmoved by the damage he has wrought. The hookers fare even worse. Ultimately, the play is misogynistic in its portrayal of women.
There is a certain nobility to living a life of quiet desperation, but not in this story.
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The Olathe Board of Education approved the district's 2011-12 budget by a vote of 7-0.
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A SHORT FILM BY ZAC EUBANK (and all these people too)
Audio, all the stuff you heard: Alex Niedt
Starring (In No particular order):
Man = Jason Turner
Date #1 = The Becca Scott
Date #2 = Brittney L. Schmitz
Date #3 = Krystal Heib
Interrupting Ex = Ellisa Schrader
Special Thanks: KCity Coffee, FUD, Starkers, Garden House Flower Shop, Jared Walters, Jennifer Seward
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Presented by Cedar Lake Village and Hoeger House, the bike rally benefits the Olathe Senior Center and its 50-plus program. $10 per person; donations appreciated. Tours of Hoeger House and Cedar Lake Village. Music, food, drink, and prizes.\
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The True/False Film Fest has announced the 2011 documentary “Last Days Here” will be featured at the second annual Boone Dawdle on Aug. 20.
more at the Columbia Daily Tribune
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Topic: "Cost-Effective Staff Development"
Tuesday, August 16, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
In today's market, the reality of "doing more with less" often leaves employees feeling frazzled, overwhelmed, and disconnected from their co-workers. This month's meeting will focus on creative and effective ideas to help combat workplace symptoms of an economy in crisis and to bring the "FUN" back to the office through (but NOT limited to!):
*Employee training
*Team building
*Volunteer programs
*Recognition
Bring with you a list of questions or best training and staff development ideas to share. As always, if you have personal experience I these areas please plan to join us!
What is the HR Roundtable?
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It offers a unique environment for human resources practitioners to interact with their peers on a monthly basis, discuss and share related best practices, emerging trends, and workplace issues.
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Meeting registration opens two weeks prior to the event date and ends the Friday before the meetng date. Cost is $11 per person for catered lunch or FREE for the "B.Y.O.Lunch" option. Complimentary Pepsi beverages always available.
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Payments for catered lunch are accepted online or at the door. Notify staff of B.Y.O.Lunch option via email or phone call. Cancelations must be received by 5 p.m. on the Friday prior to the event in order to avoid charges.
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Space is limited to 30 people. A waiting list will be maintained as needed and individuals will be contacted if space becomes available.
Mission Statement:
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The Olathe HR Roundtable offers human resource practitioners of member organizations a forum to discuss and share related best practices, emerging trends, and workplace issues. The main purpose of the roundtable is to create a unique environment where information can be shared in an open-exchange format that is collaborative, engaging, and valuable to represented organizations and the HR profession.
Who is it designed for?
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The HR Roundtable was created as a networking and problem-solving opportunity for human resource practitioners who are directly involved in the personnel and hiring process of their organization (i.e. HR managers, recruiters, payroll administrators, etc.).
Can vendors attend?
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Due to limited space and because of the nature of the topics that are openly discussed by the HR practitioners, some attendance restrictions do apply. Thus it is crucial to the group’s success that attendance is restricted to vendors that provide uniquely human resources services and/or products.
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Up to five seats will be reserved for vendors representing a relevant product or service may attend each meeting, with only one representative per business or organization each month.
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Vendors are sometimes the “solutions experts” to the questions and concerns that the HR practitioners have; therefore vendor input is welcome while “sales messages” are not.
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In determining the appropriateness of the various vendors in attendance, Chamber staff will consider the relevance to the hiring and employment situations that the HR practitioners face in their day-to-day jobs or to the topic of the month (i.e. vendors who deal with payroll services, pre-employment testing, staffing assistance, training, benefits, etc.).
Can non-members of the Olathe Chamber attend?
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One representative of a non-member organization is welcome to attend one meeting a year.
Can vendors make presentations to the HR practitioners that attend?
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Presentations are at the sole discretion of the Olathe Chamber of Commerce. Please consider the sponsorship opportunity described below.
The “Quarterly Lunch Sponsorship” program is an exclusive opportunity for vendors to promote their products and services. Please contact Chamber staff for details. It is offered to Olathe Chamber members in order to best serve its membership while continuing to discourage “sales messages” from meeting discussions:
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Vendors are offered an opportunity to provide printed materials and promotional items on a designated table and to be available afterwards to answer questions. Chamber staff will oversee the quantity and duration of displayed items and the length of the meeting.
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On occasion, the Chamber might invite various “experts” to address the group as deemed necessary and helpful to the overall group and topic of discussion. This is not a sales opportunity and may not qualify for the HR Roundtable Lunch Sponsorship program.
Discussion is facilitated by Susan Wallace, Olathe Chamber, Personnel & Projects Manager
To RSVP w/o online pre-payment, you may submit the form below and indicate "RSVP," your name, email, and lunch choice: (1) $11 Catered lunch option but pay at the door, or (2) Free B.Y.O.Lunch option. We will respond to submitted questions at our earliest convenience, or you may call the Olathe Chamber (913) 764-1050.
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In March 1985, Gwyn Mitchell was focused on doing her job. At 33, she supervised a commercial cleaning crew in a large Springfield, office park. Since the crew worked after-hours, the building owner took Gwyn to meet Rick Hunley, the building’s head of security.
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Two local filmmakers have an Emmy nomination thanks to the humble hummingbird. Photographer Andrew Wegst, who is based in Kansas City, and producer/director Ann Johnson Prum, a former Lawrence resident, received an outstanding nature programming nomination for “Hummingbirds: Magic in the Air,” an episode of PBS’ “Nature.” The awards will be announced in September.
more at kansascity.com
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The Kansas City Symphony is pleased to share our sixth of ten videos in the Helzberg Hall Series. In this video, Michael Stern shares why the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts is so exciting for Kansas City, and for the Performing Arts in general.
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Wonderful Performance Rating: 5
iMime, There's an App for That Byrd Productions
This was one of my favorites of the Fringe Festival. From the comedy of Angry Birds to the dramatic depiction of a lost soul bargaining with God, this hour of miming was highly entertaining and riveting.
What was most impressive was Kirsten Stephens' ability to express herself with body and facial expressions. Her facial expressions of two different people riding a roller coaster were priceless. She used her entire body for effect. You could see that every gesture and pose was part of the plot and used to communicate to the audience, much like a very good dancer. Timing was wonderful, both for comedic and dramatic effect. Every small vignette had its own build up and resolution.
I also loved the use of props, the Ipad and the glow in the dark underwear.
I suppose I would have understood the Angry Bird bit more if I had ever actually played the game, but I still got enough to really enjoy it.
Kudos to the artist.
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First things first: Your humble theater critic is not the target audience for "Mamma Mia!" I've seen this good-natured show several times -- too many, really -- and my response to this wildly successful jukebox musical has changed with each viewing. (I don't include the unwatchable film, which failed to capture the stage production's modest charm.)
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The Olathe Public Schools Alumni Association will honor seven alumni during its Wall of Honor banquet on Oct. 5.
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"Reflections of Jazz", addresses some of the complexities and multi-faceted expressions that have accompanied the life and times of the genre, we know as jazz. This video is the making of the exhibition curated by Sonie Joi Thompson-Ruffin.
The influence of jazz has trickled down into a number of different aspects of global culture, including visual arts, film & photography. To help showcase that influence, the museum presents special exhibitions inspired by jazz music. The American Jazz Museum's Changing Gallery exhibition space showcases artists several times each year, with focused educational performances, lectures & workshops to support each exhibit. The Changing Gallery space is free and open to the public during regular museum hours. For more information about this space and any upcoming exhibits, please contact the American Jazz Museum at 816-474-8463 
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Held on Thursdays at 9 a.m. at different Chamber member businesses, our coffees are the largest weekly networking event in the Kansas City area. Expect to meet 150 to 250 people each time!
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Cynthia Levin and Board President Gary Heisserer talk about why they love the Unicorn. For more information on how you can help the Unicorn in "Writing our Future" visit out website at www.unicorntheatre.org
Jason Loewith, Executive Director of the National New Play Network, talks about the state of contemporary theatre and how the Unicorn has played and will continue to play a vital role in its ability to thrive.
Kansas City stage favorite Walter Coppage talk about why he loves to work at the Unicorn. For more information on how you can help in "Writing our Future" visit the Unicorn online at www.unicorntheatre.org
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Never underestimate the power of peanut butter and jelly. That's what two teachers learned when they launched Project PB&J.
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The final program for the 2011 Summerfest chamber music series was a nice culmination of this year’s “Transformation” motif. Saturday night’s concert in White Hall at the University of Missouri-Kansas City offered a well-rounded assortment of pieces that each showcased this theme, transitioning from traditional to contemporary, intimate to expansive.
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The memories of Ginger Rogers’ final birthday celebration 17 years ago this month are still etched in the minds of Independence residents who were closely involved.
more at The Examiner
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Little tykes at the Lawrence Arts Center will be getting plenty of exercise this coming school year and they probably won’t even realize it. That’s because it will come in the form of fun — like dancing, acting or marching to music.
more at the Lawrence Journal World
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The Kansas City region should be a center of the arts. We should be a center for bio-sciences. Have a region-wide light rail system. We should improve our schools. We should market ourselves better. There's a wealth of great talent in the Kansas City area, and entrepreneurism is plentiful in the region. But sometimes Kansas and Missouri don't get along. And occasionally, it can lead to unhealthy competition from businesses on either side of the state line. On May 31st, Steve Kraske welcomed Kansas City Chamber of Commerce Chair Greg Graves and Chamber CEO Jim Heeter to explain an attempt to go above the state line and determine five tangible and specific goals to which the entire region can commit. The incoming Chair of the Board of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce Frank Ellis will also join the conversation. On Tuesday, the Chamber will narrow the list and get closer to determining the "Big 5." Today we'll discuss them at length. 
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"Honky Tonk Angels" is showing at the American Heartland Theatre at Kansas City's Crown Center until August 21, 2011. Get tickets online at http://www.ahtkc.com. 
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Every now and then one of the big exhibition chains decides it wants to get into the art film business. The truth is that they really don’t want to — it’s way too much work for too little money — but they insist on doing so, anyway. And usually botch the job.
more at Butler's Cinema Scene
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Missouri Lawyers Weekly is holding the first ever Patrons of the Arts Awards. The Award Gala will be held Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at The Sheldon Ballroom & Concert Hall in St. Louis, Missouri. See the letter from S. Richard Gard, Jr., the President & Publisher of Missouri Lawyers Weekly here.
The Patrons of the Arts Awards will recognize those lawyers and accountants who provide extraordinary support and leadership to artists, arts organizations and the arts. A portion of the ticket sales will go to the Kansas City Volunter Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts and the St. Louis Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts.
If you are an artist or an arts organization, what attorneys or accountants have helped you or your organization? Do they serve on your board? Do they volunteer for you? Are they true Patrons of the Arts?
If you are an attorney or accountant, who of your collegues stands out as a supporter of the arts?
The nomination process is simple. The form for nominations can be found here. The form provides all the details about the nomination process and nomination catagories.
Please don't delay! The nomination deadline is August 5th. This is a great opportunity to recognize those in our community that make the arts community in Kansas City better by their support. It is also a great way to support the KCVLAA.
So please, nominate liberally and often! Do it before the deadline of August 5th and spread the word about this opportunity!
You can find additional information at: http://molawyersmedia.com/events/patrons-2011/
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Today the press is referring to it as the Boone Theater. But that was its second name. It opened in 1924 as the New Rialto. When I was in there, in the 1980s, we called it the Armory Building, for its last use before the Mutual Musicians Foundation bought it from the city for a buck.
more at kcjazzlark
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“I’m a hoarder,” said Benjamin Meade of the footage he has collected since 1975 and stores in his upstairs editing studio next door to the Pilgrim Chapel on Gillham Road. The material he showed me will never be found in a Red Box kiosk.
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"I'm not done yet" Rating: 3
Jet Propulsion KC Fringe Festival
As usual, you can also read this review at my blog: http://angiefsutton.wordpress.com/.
In the program for "Jet Propulsion", written by my friend (as well as KC Stage December spotlight and Stage Savvy podcast episode 3 guest) Pete Bakely, it's mentioned that this play is still in progress. And for better or for worse, it definitely feels like it still needs some work, but it's got some major potential.
It's the story of Jack Parsons, inventor of rocket fuel, played by Matt Leonard, and his relationship with L. Ron Hubbard (Ryan Neal). There's also some stuff about how the two of them helped summon the beast of Babylon (Virginia Hubbard, if I understood the plot correctly) from a ritual from Aleister Crowly (Jeremy Lillig).
But it's not an exact telling of the story. It's set up as a vaudeville act between the two, with Neal dressed in circus gear and Lillig, as Crowly, doing ventriloquism. It's an intriguing show that I still need to digest fully, and am still not quite sure what it was all about. I'm not sure the combination really worked for me, but don't know how it would have gone had I seen it at a different time and place (i.e., that it wasn't my 16th show of the Fringe and that it wasn't an late evening performance).
Leonard does angry real well, as I expected having last seen him in She&Her's The Pillowman. But he never seemed to grow from that. Neal's Hubbard came across as trying too hard, but I don't know how much was to how the character was written, the direction (by Philip Blue Owl Hooser), Neal's interpretation.
It was almost like a summary of all the other shows I had seen. It was based on historical events with a paranormal aspect, much like "Hexing Hitler"; it had the history and magic of "Mister Gremory's Cabinet of Curiosities"; it had the highbrow smarts of "Most Extreme Ocean Adventure" and "Camelot is Crumbling"; and had the overplaying of humor as in the Holy Cow! Improv and the Bottoms Up Sketch Comedy - with a little bit of the scientific humor of "Scientist Turned Comedian".
"I'm not done yet", says Leonard - and it's true. The show has a good foundation, and has a lot of good in it. It's just not there yet. I hope to see a further version of it - preferably when I haven't been overloaded.
The 2011 KC Fringe Festival is over, but knowing Pete, there's a future restaging of this in the future. 
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The scariest thing in the world - is nothing Rating: 3
Mister Gremory's Cabinet of Curiosities KC Fringe Festival
As usual, you can also read this review at my blog: http://angiefsutton.wordpress.com/.
Magic is all about the stage presence and the ability to hold an audience. You can know all the tricks in the proverbial book, but if you have no chemistry with the audience or have a flair for the dramatic, you will never amount to more than just doing tricks for your friends and family.
Dustin Curry, as Mister Gremory (to rhyme with 'memory'), definitely has stage presence. As I told him afterwards, he is smooth with an extra 'oooh'. And it's his chemistry that really holds together this series of magic and sideshow tricks, although he did seem to stumble a bit and be off his game from time to time during the night I saw him.
On stage right stands the cabinet of the title, and Curry gets props (literally, in this case) for the various oddities he uses throughout the night. While I, as a magic enthusiast, tried to enjoy it as a performance and not figure out how he did things, he does start out with a trick he then goes to explain - which I really enjoyed.
However, it was the ending of the show that I felt was the best bit. Calling forth any ghosts that may haunt the theatre (ghosts in a theatre? Who knew? <sarcasm mode off>), the room was plunged into darkness and the audience is presented with a five minute section that to me was positively Hitchcockian, actually doing very little (i.e., showing nothing) and letting the atmosphere and a few extras I won't explain (as I don't want to be that person) be the best trick of the night.
While Curry is no David Copperfield or Amazing Jonathan, for $5 I wasn't expecting much - and got a lot more than I imagined. I was happily impressed with Curry and his dark show, and would willingly see him again if he ever came back to Kansas City.
The 2011 KC Fringe Festival is over, but you can see a promo video and more information about Curry at www.dustinthedubious.com.
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Film Classics presentation better than Heaven Rating: 3
Film Classics Presents: Heaven So Far KC Fringe Festival
I finally caught this show at the Hangover presentations. I loved the Film Classics presentation by De De DeVille. Fun, witty, and just plain drunken pleasure.
The film being presented, Heaven So Far, did not please me so well. To be fair, it paced about as well as B movies of the fifties tended do in reality. However, that pacing left me bored, wanting desperately for De De to interrupt with another announcement. De De frequently fast forwarded the play within the play and just told us what we missed, for which I am grateful.
The actors in Heaven So Far did a fine job. The sexual innuendos were obvious and took too long to set up in my opinion. There were great moments in the show, separated by lengthy periods of getting around to the point.
Not a bad show. Not a great show. Just an amusing diversion if you have nothing better to do. Plenty of clever bits, but too much in between waiting for those bits to happen.
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Well, we made it! Safe and sound at home in KC after 6 days on the road. Looks like we made it just in time to welcome the 104-degree day that awaits us tomorrow!
 We had a… more
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"I'm beating a dead horse!" Rating: 3
Bottoms Up Sketch Comedy Show KC Fringe Festival
As usual, you can also read this review at my blog: http://angiefsutton.wordpress.com/.
In the introduction to the Bottoms Up Sketch Comedy Show, the team of people that make up the troupe indicate that this is the 'best of' their material.
While some of it was definitely good humor, the hour of comedy as a whole was a mixed bag.
It started with a bit where they explain they are not a burlesque company and there will be no boobs, a good and funny start to the evening. It then led into what I thought was the funniest bit of the evening, an audition for the GPS voice by the man who is behind the Speak & Spell. The 'pizza as birth' and the coffee superpower one were also strong comedy bits.
The group was obviously having a lot of fun, which somewhat made up for the bits that didn't work (the turtle conversation post coitus was probably the weakest in my opinion), and they obviously had a ton of fun with sound design, as the sketch involving the new medical option "Aleak" was followed by the song "Under Pressure" by Queen.
Some of the bits, like the horror movie/Who's On First mashup, have been done before (although I did give a groaner of a laugh at the tag), but the item that ended up being a running joke - while I knew what was coming the third time around, I still had to laugh in spite of myself.
This was no Saturday Night Live during its good years, but it was better than Saturday Night Live during its bad years. Let's hope Bottoms Up grows from here, and just keeps getting better - it's a good start.
The 2011 KC Fringe Festival is over, but Bottoms Up is, according to their Fringe bio, a Kansas City based sketch comedy show, and is on Facebook ( http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Bottoms-Up-Sketch-Comedy/191819210832301).
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Spectacular Rating: 5
Never Invite Old Men to Your Wedding KC Fringe Festival
This was a collection of story telling, using music and other medium. All of the performers were spectacular and powerful, but that should be no surprise here. Danny Cox is a legendary entertainer in the Kansas City area, having appeared in many plays. For those of you that saw House With No Walls a few years ago at the Unicorn, he was the lead actor in that play.
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A play about troubled teens with total reality Rating: 5
TLC KC Fringe Festival
The performers all played characters that were real children that have been at TLC, a group home in Olathe for children in need of care and juvenile offenders, removed from their family homes. It is a stark portrayal of the troubled lives that led to them residing at TLC and the adverse impacts of being in a group home, as well as the positive impact that a caring counselor can have on their lives. Some of the characters in that were portrayed have since died in real life. I know how realistic this play was because I have done a lot of work with troubled juveniles from dysfunctional homes. As an attorney, I have specialized in Juvenile cases in the past and I have been a foster parent, adopting one of my foster sons. If you want to understand these youth, go see this play if it is performed again elsewhere, but take a tissue or two with you.
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Surprisingly Incredible Rating: 5
The Mask of the Broken Heart KC Fringe Festival
This was seriously one of my favorite shows of Fringe. Really amazing how much we got into the story and cared about each of the 13 unique characters portrayed (or hated them). Great work with very simple, limited props and the fabulous masks to create such an engaging story!
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The Board of Education will receive good news about student learning during its meeting Aug. 4.
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Let's See the Toon Warp Again! Rating: 4
The Rocky & Bullwinkle Horror Picture Show Parody KC Fringe Festival
Egads! Productions' The Rocky and Bullwinkle Horror Picture Show Parody
It is no secret to my readers that I have a special place in my heart for Steven Eubank of Egads! Productions. So, of course, The Rocky and Bullwinkle Horror Picture Show Parody was at the top of my Fringe list. I managed to make it to the closing night and the theatre was packed.
This Eubank and Doss collaboration was nothing short of "astounding". The fact that they found ways to connect a favorite cartoon to the iconic Rocky Horror Picture Show and made a complete 80 minute show out of it was most impressive. I was also very glad to see Eubank on stage again as Dr. Bad-n-uffski (Boris/Dr. Frank-N-Furter) as I haven't seen him perform since last year's Fringe Festival in Khaaaaan! The Musical.
All of the actors were marvelous, each one nailing the cartoon voices spot on. I was especially impressed with Aurelie Roque's Natasha, Doogin Brown's Bullwinkle, and Samn Wright's Dudley Do-right. My favorite performance was given by Noah Whitmore as Whip-Lash (Snidely Whiplash/Riff-Raff). His vocals on "Toon Warp" were wonderful and man, can he work a mustache! While everyone was very talented, I found the weakest link to be Rachel Pallente as Missile "Missy" J. Veiss (Rocket "Rocky" J. Squireel/Janet Weiss). She had a great voice, but she didn't capture the spirit of the parody as well as the others. The costumes (courtesy of Casey McNamara and Regina Weller were clever) and the wigs (by Kelsey Kallenberger) added a really great touch. Also, I absolutely LOVED the projections (by Weller) featuring the silhouettes of the cartoon characters
While I commend Eubank and Doss and their efforts to include every song from Rocky Horror Picture Show, I felt that the show ran long and that a few songs toward the end were disjointed and unnecessary (particularly "The Floor Wax Show" and "I'm Up the Creek"). I think the show would have benefited by their absence, but I understand the motivation behind putting them in the production in the first place. I also struggled to hear some of the clever lyrics due to the poor audio balance. The musical tracks, while fabulous, often drowned out the actors' voices.
I loved the show and laughed my butt off, but due to the sound issues, unnecessary songs, and slightly disappointing "Missy" I will have to give my very first 4 out of 5 to an Egads! Production. I would recommend this show to anyone (mature audiences only though) but they, unfortunately, have no plans to extend their run. However, Egads! will be reprising their incredible production of Evil Dead! The Musical this October, so mark your calendars. That is one you won't want to miss.
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Incredible Artistry & Storytelling Rating: 5
Tordu Vol: A Twistsed Tale of Flight KC Fringe Festival
Watching aerial arts is always very impressive and entertaining, and so we expected to enjoy this show. However, we were blown away by the quality, the artistry, and the fact that each piece told a story through the exquisite performance and near-flawless execution! Each number seemed well designed and full of passion, be it joy, sadness, anger, love, you could feel them all.
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Good Show Rating: 5
Kansas City Dreaming KC Fringe Festival
Saw the show on the 7/26 - enjoyed it a lot.
Deciding to tie everything together with the dream theme was inspired. We were surprised how they were able to fit the acts into it. Every bit a little risque - but not offensive. Always a pleasure to see Lucky Deluxe on stage, too.
The burlesque was impressive, as were the puppets. That piano player from the Freakshow Deluxe show I saw was really great, too! I would attend this show again. 
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Visitors to this website will find the most updated news from the district right at their fingertips.
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I'm lucky, you're lucky, we're all lucky. Rating: 5
Getting Lucky KC Fringe Festival
I went to this show not really knowing what to expect. Stand up and burlseque all in one cozy, intimate atmosphere.
Lucky is a very funny lady. I like listening to her tell her tales. Her since of humor is casual and honest, as all good comedians tend to be.
She is a trooper. She was not feeling well, but rather than cancel her show, she incorporated her under-the-weather misery into her performance. Everyone had a good time.
She was chosen as one of the Hangover Shows of the Fringe and she really deserves the spotlight.
So, kick back, sit on some pillows, relax and have a grand time. 
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Disappointing Rating: 1
A Scientist Turned Comedian KC Fringe Festival
Don't care for the style. It's like a teacher teaching a course, but adding jokes, none of which were very funny.
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Not your usual stand-up routine Rating: 4
I Love You, (We're F*#ked) KC Fringe Festival
The presentation is charming, off-hand and off-beat. This show is a collection of songs and stories about growing up, openly discussing growing up gay, but not entirely that.
It also explores the changing nature of relationships the commonality between both gay and straight experiences. The humor sometimes is unfunny. Sometimes the punchline hits you 20 minutes after the setup. It's kinda like the joke about the comedian who builds a house and has one brick left over, so he throws the brick up into the air.
Where's the funny? But we listen to some stories about blood, given horrifying unfunny images, preparing us for the final story about blood, which is the most horrifying of all, and we laugh.
This stand-up comedy routine requires patience before the comedy hits, and when it does, you appreciate the journey it took to get there.
This is so off-beat, I'm sure the mainstream won't readily appreciate it. But who cares? This is the fringe.
And what about the reviewer who thought he was so clever with his reviews? He got hit in the head by a dive-bombing duck. In the duck's mouth was the brick.
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My dreams are spiraling into heaven Rating: 5
Spiral Dream KC Fringe Festival
I've seen a lot of fire spinning. I've got several friends who spin poi and I've watched them perform. I'm not an expert, and it's a skill I don't have, but I can appreciate how difficult it is to perform.
I am amazed at what a real expert can accomplish with fire, and this group is amazing. My main criticism of this show is that there is so much going on, it's hard to see it all in one sitting, and I want to see it all, because they are doing incredibly interesting things with fire.
This group goes into new and innovative directions, using fire to tell stories and develop relationships between characters. They have gone beyond merely spinning and dancing to the music, which is where most of the fire work I have seen stops.
If you get the chance to see them work, it will definitely be worth it to make time for them in your schedule.
Be sure to bring your lawn chairs with you. This has been my personal favorite show of the Fringe.
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Dr. Who and zombies? Rating: 4
The Storybook Guide to Zombie Survival KC Fringe Festival
I have to admit, I was avoiding this show. I'm glad I finally saw it. While it does deal with the subject matter of zombies, it's clear that the tastes of these performers follows my own.
After all, our intrepid heroes are braving the dangers of hordes of zombies to pick up a collection of Dr. Who audio books to make their escape from the zombie apocalypse more enjoyable. It's nice to know some people have their priorities straight.
The script for this show is great, and while the actors had the scripts available for reference, it was not reader's theatre. My only real criticism of the show is about the storytelling. There were times when the story was rushed through, not giving the audience time to absorb or react to what was said. This problem was only an occasional one, and didn't really detract from the overall production.
The talk-back session about surviving a zombie apocalypse was equally fun. Silly questions with equally silly answers, with which weapons were the best to take along and the references for those answers. These guys know their stuff.
I didn't really expect to enjoy this show. I was pleasantly surprised that I really did like it.
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One of the tightest shows of the Fringe Rating: 5
Cirque du Gay: Exposed KC Fringe Festival
Combine Cirque Du Soleil with a gay attitude and gay jokes, maintain the same high performance standards, and what do you get? A very tight performance by some very talented men.
You can intend the pun or not, at your discretion.
Most of the shows at the Fringe seem to be a group of talented performers throwing something together and depending on their talents to pull it off. The hard work doesn't always show.
The hard work definitely shows in this production. This show is not simply one with great potential, it is a complete product ready for performance in other venues.
The magic is real. The clowning is funny. The spectacular displays of physical movement and strength are dynamic. The tap-dancing could use a little more flash, but what's there is done extremely well.
I was awed and ashamed that it took me so long to catch this show.
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8( Rating: 1
The Emoticons Present KC Fringe Festival
This is the worst show I have seen in a very long time. I was intrigued by the idea that cell phone use was encouraged. I was curious to see how texting back and forth between the audience and cast could be entertaining.
Answer: It isn't.
The use of cell phones was not only annoying, but distracting. Trying to interact using this medium doesn't work. Here's why.
It takes time and attention to text. Send your message in Morse code, it works just as well. The ringing of phones makes you wonder who is getting the message, what the message will be, or even if you will hear it.
There is a time lag between the time the text is sent and the time it is received. Whatever you were texting about on stage is no longer relevant by the time the text comes in.
And the performers were constantly distracted by the text messages, losing the through line and flow of the performance. Ultimately, the show made no damn sense.
We have a bunch of kids on stage with what seems like a cool idea to incorporate modern technology into a theatrical production. Unfortunately my reaction remains the same as it was before they put on this show.
Leave your cell phone at home.
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