Author: Rebecca Smith

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November 21, 2018

‘On Shoulders Now’

Vernon and Eddie are survivors of the street. Levon is an Iowa farm boy facing eviction. Noi is a pregnant Jamaican immigrant. It is Christmas Eve, so Vernon, in the spirit of the season, decides to provide shelter to this desperate couple. That shelter is a “house of ill repute,” run by Ms. Lacy and her two companions, Shanel and Carmen. But best laid plans often go awry.
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November 15, 2018

A Singular Retirement

The Kansas City theater community knows Douglas Taylor for his 30-year run as head of Theater Technical Production for Missouri Repertory Theatre (now KC Rep), where he was the all-around go-to guy for stage design and management, construction, lighting, sound and maintenance. On productions ranging from “Hamlet” to “A Christmas Carol.”
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September 19, 2018

Arts News: Introducing the Kansas City Latin Jazz Orchestra

Kansas City’s Latin tempo is rising. That can largely be attributed to Pablo Sanhueza and his seven-piece ensemble, The KC Latin Jazz All-Stars. Marking its..
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September 14, 2018

Artist to Watch: Elroy Hawkins

It’s sad when Kansas City loses a talented performer to a larger market. It’s gratifying when we get one back. Elroy Hawkins (stage name L Roi Hawkins) has returned to the area after 20 years away, appearing in The Black Repertory Theatre Company’s 2017 productions of “Stickfly” and “A Soldier’s Story,” and in the Unicorn’s March 2018 “Informed Consent.”
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September 4, 2018

A New Collaboration with The Coterie

Based on a decade of collaboration with Kevin Wilmott, The Coterie Theatre opens its 2018-19 season with a world premiere by the talented filmmaker and..
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August 31, 2018

Kevin Willmott Goes Global

Kevin Willmott likes to make waves. Right now he’s approaching tsunami levels. Last year the noted filmmaker and professor of Film Studies at the University of Kansas made national news for wearing a bulletproof vest to his classes to protest guns being allowed on campus. Terming the policy “insane,” he says he will continue wearing the vest till the law is changed.
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May 10, 2018

Arts News: J Love Band Brings the Funky

The J Love Band elicits a gamut of audience reactions. At Stock Hill Restaurant and Parkway Social Kitchen, expect rhythmic head nodding; at The Phoenix,..
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May 1, 2018

Artist to Watch: Katie Karel

In 2015 the British actress Carey Mulligan won raves and a Tony nomination for her role as Kyra in David Hare’s “Skylight,” chronicling the heartrending interplay of two former lovers reunited following the death of the man’s wife. This May, Kansas City audiences will be able to see local actress Katie Karel reprise the role of Kyra in the Kansas City Actors Theatre production of Hare’s award-winning play.
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March 29, 2018

Arts News: Fashion Forward

“Can we create jobs in Kansas City through fashion? I do believe so,” says Jennifer Lapka, founder and director of Rightfully Sewn. The nonprofit seeks..
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