Author: Rebecca Smith
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Honors: Vanessa Severo
Over the past decade and a half, Vanessa Severo has emerged as one of the hardest-working actresses in Kansas City, appearing in “Lot’s Wife” and “Cabaret” at KC Rep, “Venus in Fur” at The Unicorn and “Annapurna” and “Blackbird” at The Living Room. And much more. Severo played in “The Miracle Worker” at The Coterie, “Black Pearl Sings” and “West Side Story” for Spinning Tree Theatre [...]
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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.
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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.”
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The Pluses and Pitfalls of Premieres
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 consistently and unions should allow equity actors to perform in them.