Category Archives: performARTS

Artistic Director, Playwrights, Actors and More Unite for Distinctive Theater

In ancient folklore, the unicorn was often seen as a creature with the ability to bestow magical and medicinal properties. Here in Kansas City, the Unicorn Theatre may just be the place for a medicinal balm for the spirit and a magical journey that looks at a different place in contemporary culture.

For almost 40 seasons as a theater and nearly 35 under the watchful eye of producing artistic director Cynthia Levin, the Unicorn Theatre stays true to a mission to produce provocative and new plays. Levin seeks out living playwrights who can spend time in the theater, developing the production, and listening to their written words take shape. The ever-growing innovation of emerging and established actors, directors, playwrights, designers, technicians and administrative staff is another key component to the theater’s mission.

In 1974, three UMKC Theatre graduates rented an old warehouse in the historic River Market area and called it Theatre Workshop and produced the first show. In two years, the theater was creating a reputation of taking on world premieres and gaining grants. Ten years after the founding, the theater joined the Actors Equity Association, the national union for professional actors and stage managers. In 1986, the theater moved to its current location at 38th and Main.

“It’s difficult to take the time to look back because we are always moving forward,” Levin says. “Not a lot of theaters reach the age of 40, especially those of our size. I would say in the last 20 years, we have felt the strengths of this theater and it just keeps getting stronger. We have solidified our place in the community.”

Levin appreciates the longevity, but she also relishes the work that so many have done to nurture the Unicorn Theatre. “This theatre is my extended family. My entire adult life has been spent here and I treasure the people I get to work with. The commitment to concentrate our efforts on contemporary work is so critical and we must keep evolving or risk becoming stagnant.”

There’s no fear of stagnation at the Unicorn Theatre. Levin strives to find diversity in the voices she presents on the Mainstage or the Jerome Stage. “About 25 years ago when I was searching for plays by African-American women, which no one was doing, I found it was a difficult task due to what was being published. My goal has always been to seek out plays by those underserved voices and that includes race, gender and sexual orientation.”

The two most time consuming aspects of her job are searching for plays to fill a thought-provoking season and the hiring the actors, artists, directors and more. “I take great care with this,” she says. “If these two things are not successful, nothing else matters. These tasks are never done. I also help lead the business side, along with Managing Director Jason Kralicek. There are eight full-time staff and at least 125 artists that are hired during the season. During the day, it’s the business of fund-raising, marketing and more. In the evening, it’s about the stage and the stories.”

In more than three decades, the enthusiasm and energy of Levin flows to the staff and the actors. “In choosing the people, I am constantly learning and intentionally involved. We bring in specialists. If we are working on a play about death row, then we bring in people from the community who spent time on death row. It’s about doing the research. We are often the first in the Midwest to tackle certain subjects.”

Four more productions are up for the 2012-2013 season. In late January, the Unicorn will buzz with BlackTop Sky by playwright Christina Anderson, a native of Kansas City, Kan. Anderson attended Brown University and received her master’s in fine arts from Yale. “It’s another world premiere, our 57th” Levin says. “Christina also spent time with the young playwrights group at the Coterie. Ironically, as a professional playwright, she’s never been produced here. It’s exciting because she’s a young African-American female who shares a non-traditional story. There’s a sort of magical realism to her work. The dialogue has a poetic and hip hop quality. Three young people are at the intersection of their lives and they are asking questions that apply to any one regardless of race or class.”

Anderson is going to be a big deal, Levin says. “It’s the coolest thing to be at the forefront of new American theater. I am interested in what young playwrights have to say. We are often part of that playwriting process. There are many steps before a play hits a stage, probably 12 to 18 months before production begins. It takes time.”

David Lindsay-Abaire’s Good People hits late February. Levin describes the play as another look at the struggles in certain neighborhoods. This time, the scene is set in south Boston where the working poor are trying to rise above their circumstance. “It’s funny and sweet and a wonderfully written play. So often, plays tell us how to think or feel but I love scripts like Good People that allow you to draw your own conclusions.” This play will be co-produced with Kansas City Actors Theatre.

Levin takes up the director’s role with My Name is Asher Lev, by Aaron Posner and adapted from the novel by Chaim Potok. “Again, we look at family and culture. This time, it’s an ultra-orthodox family and the idea of their son becoming a painter, which comes into conflict with their strong religious beliefs. Immigrant families often wanted their children to have a trade, not a hobby. The friction comes from culture and religion. Asher clearly needs to be a painter to become a whole person. Following one’s dreams and desires can be a tough road.”

The season ends with Katori Hall’s The Mountaintop in June. The main character is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The setting is the Lorraine Motel, Memphis, the night before his assassination and right after he gave his speech, “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” which foreshadowed his death. “He is visited by a ‘cleaning woman’ who must prepare him for what is to come. We get to know a very human side of Dr. King. It is an incredible play.” says Levin.

Plays allow an audience to vicariously experience many of the values and characteristics of the people who populate the planet, Levin says. “People we may never get an opportunity to know and places we may never get to see. I look for plays that are relevant to our community and the times that we live in, plays with a social conscience. I want people to learn something in our theatre that they did not know before they walked in.”

Levin has to stay on top of the latest topics and trends. She examines the news and what issues will become part of theater. It might be warfare, AIDS, marriage, attention deficit disorder to name only a few. “I can’t rely on a catalogue of plays already published. I have to look at what is being written today. I know we will aim for those scripts in 12 to 18 months.”

As for the stages, Levin still thrills at the intimate theater spaces. “I can take an artistic risk with a theater that seats 150,” she says. “Those who are seeking something different find us. We may work on our own production or we seek out collaborations with other groups. Inspecting Carol in December was a co-production with us, the UMKC Theatre Department and the Kansas City Actors Theatre. It’s about making the most of our resources and maintaining great relationships with colleagues.”

“We work closely with the Coterie too. I will be down there in January, directing Number the Stars. Jeff Church (the Coterie’s artistic director) often directs here. I hope people in Kansas City know what they’ve got here. I’ve stayed in this city because of the incredibly committed support I have felt from the audience and funding community and the amazing number of talented artists. This is not only a great city to make a living as an artist but it has also become a great city to see art!”

What performing arts venues are some of the oldest in the Kansas City metropolitan area? There’s the Gem Theater that opened in 1912 as the Star before being renamed in 1913. How about the original Midland which opened in 1927? A few months later in early January 1928, the Uptown Theater opened. A more rough-and-tough venue, Memorial Hall, opened in 1925. Then there’s the art deco looks of the 1936 Municipal Auditorium and the adjoining Music Hall. However, the grand dame of all these buildings is the Folly Theater, 112 years old and the recipient of recent facility improvements, and soon, a new marquee sign.

The Folly Theater, wrapped in its brick façade, like a burlesque dancer before she takes the stage, is more than just the building, but a true fixture in Kansas City’s history. Executive Director Gale Tallis says the Folly is like the counterpoint to the Kauffman Center. “We are the veteran hall similar to Carnegie in New York while the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts is new and more similar to Lincoln Center.”

Completed in 1900, the Folly Theater and adjacent Edward Hotel were the center of the theater world in Kansas City for many years. Designed by Kansas City architect Louis Curtiss, “The Grand Lady of Twelfth Street” was managed from 1902 to 1922 by a legendary character named Joe Donegan, who brought the biggest showbiz names in the country to Kansas City. The Folly stage played host to vaudeville and burlesque greats such as the Marx Brothers, Fanny Brice and Gypsy Rose Lee, as well as prizefighters like Jack Dempsey and Jack Johnson.

In the 1970s, the building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places, and restored to its early glory through a monumental renovation effort. Tallis says the building was close to demolition, but luckily city leaders, Joan Kent Dillon and Willliam Deramus III saw value in saving the Folly.

“We produce three series – the Folly Jazz Series, the Folly Kids Series and the Folly Cyprus Avenue Live Series. In Addition, our rental clients such as the Harriman-Jewell Series, Friends of Chamber Music, Alvin Ailey II, the Heartland Men’s Chorus and the Kansas City Women’s Chorus. There are unique events such as the American Red Cross Genevieve Byrne Speaker Series or a bodybuilding competition, for instance. City in Motion hosts recitals here as does Betty Tillotson and her school of dance,” Tallis says. “There’s such diversity in programming. Just think about the people who have sashayed, swayed or walked across the stage.

As an example, just in the month of November, performances include the Heart of America Youth Ballet’s Cinderella; Harriman-Jewell Series with opera great and hometown star Joyce DiDonato; Friends of Chamber Music with pianist Jonathan Biss; Cyprus Avenue Live presenting American singer-songwriter Roseanne Cash; and the Kansas City Civic Orchestra. “We treasure the diverse audience, and this year, we are bringing in some younger jazz musicians such as Israeli clarinetist Anat Cohen Dec. 14,” Tallis says. “Of course, we applaud Cyprus Avenue Live’s diversity such as Los Lobos, Randy Newman and Blind Boys of Alabama. Even the unique teaming of Bill Shapiro with the Wylliams/Henry Contemporary Dance Company was such an experience.” Tallis says the performers like country singer-songwriter Shelby Lynne, gospel artist Mavis Staples and opera soprano Renee Fleming find a palpable energy on the stage.

An experience is defined as the fact or state of having been affected by or gained knowledge through direct observation or participation. Tallis says the Folly provides an intimate space to experience performances. “The audiences feel close to the performer and vice versa. The acoustics are beyond parallel. Think about this way … in 1900, the concept of amplification didn’t exist. Performers had to have help from the building itself. When it was restored, the original beauty was returned as was the desire to be one of the best theaters for performance.”

Children and families also find a place at the Folly Theater with the Kids’ Series. In this next season, children will find some familiar stories being told on the stage: Charlotte’s Web, Laura Ingalls Wilder and Skippy Jon Jones. On April 4, a group of Kansas City musicians will share a narrative about jazz, aimed at young listeners.

As executive director and part of a small staff, Tallis wears many hats. She not only schedules the talent on the stage, she has to make sure the building is looking its best. To mark its revitalization, and the 30th performing arts season since the Folly was saved, on Nov. 3 there will be a benefit called “Light the Lights.” Vocalist Sam Harris, the original Star Search winner, will perform tunes from the Great American Songbook and a few pop hits.

The crowning achievement for the evening will be turning the switch on the new marquee. “The Folly has not had any sign since 1974. The revitalization will continue to remind people that we are an exciting performance venue.”

Even the history and the ghost stories perpetuate the allure of the Folly Theater. Over the years, Folly employees and theater-goers have told some strange tales. A former custodian reported seeing a mysterious male figure in a bowler hat, who some believe is the ghost of Joe Donegan. The ghostly figure of a woman in a long gown rushing toward the stage, as if late for her cue, has also been described. “When we give tours to younger kids, tweens and teens, the ghost stories really draw them in.”

Where does a 112-year-old building go from here? As part of Kansas City’s history, the movement is forward and in the right direction, Tallis says. “We have great support here. In addition, we continue to present world class acts. In order for the Folly to thrive, we need patrons to come to our shows, become donors for our cause, and to remember the historic value of the Folly. Kansas City supports its artists and its venues. We want to continue to fuel that energy. Even the New Century Follies group, bringing burlesque and vaudeville back to the theater engages the audience, and brings a new, young and artistic energy to the theater as it continues to thrive.”