Rebecca Smith

Rebecca Smith

Rebecca Smith is an impassioned supporter of local performances of all types, who welcomes the  opportunity to promote them to KC Studio readers.

Ministering to Musicians

Ministering to Musicians

Sore muscles, instrument wear and tear, tax challenges and stress. Musicians deal with all of them on a regular basis. Fortunately, there is a world of professionals — from luthiers and massage therapists to chiropractors and vocal coaches — to minister to musicians’ needs, and these experts and craftsmen are every bit as remarkable as those we see on stage.

Students and Audiences Alike Reap Benefits of UMKC Graduate Theatre Program

Area theatergoers who haven’t experienced productions by UMKC’s graduate theatre program are missing out on some great shows, such as the funny but shocking “Oh, Beautiful,” by Theresa Rebeck, and William Congreve’s “The Way of the World.” As theatre professor Ted Swetz announced in the planning for Congreve’s Restoration-era comedy, “Get ready, for the shackles have been hilariously thrown off.”

The Job: Gary Mosby, Scenic Designer, Unicorn Theatre

The Job: Gary Mosby, Scenic Designer, Unicorn Theatre

Gary Mosby, whose career as a designer and technical builder/director spans more than three decades, is known for his innovations. For UMKC’s “Five Scenes From Life” (1990), he had the audience watch through prison bars. For Coterie’s 1990-91 production of “Most Valuable Player,” the Jackie Robinson story, he created a baseball diamond and installed bleachers […]

Artist to Watch: Calvin Arsenia

Artist to Watch: Calvin Arsenia

Following a Kauffman Center performance and the release of a new album, the KC-based singer, musician and composer is gaining recognition for his memorable sound. A standing ovation in Helzerg Hall at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts doesn’t happen every day. It did for local musician/singer Calvin Arsenia at the Center’s fifth anniversary […]

The Pluses and Pitfalls of Premieres

The Pluses and Pitfalls of Premieres

KC’s theater companies embrace the risks and challenges of first-time productions. In “Ten Things Theaters Need to Do Right Now to Save Themselves,” Brendan Kiley of Seattle’s entertainment newspaper, “The Stranger,” urges theater companies to produce premieres — frequently. Directors must seek them out, he says, playwrights must hasten their submissions, critics must review them […]