Kansas City theater is all about starting small. What became Kansas City Repertory Theatre, for example, began at UMKC as a summer repertory company that performed in an un-air-conditioned space lovingly referred to by Rep veterans as the Quonset Hut.

Throughout many ancient traditions, the soul is equated with the breath: “atman” in Sanskrit, “ruh” in Sufism, “pneuma” in ancient Greek. In Jewish mysticism, the concept is “neshama,” the part of the soul that is intellect and expression and awareness, of God and of one’s self.