UMKC’s weekly arts, sports and culture roundup
Each week, the University of Missouri-Kansas City offers an array of on-campus activities. It’s nothing new. UMKC has a long legacy of hosting countless culturally enriching events. These activities are part of what give UMKC a vibrant campus life, and make UMKC an arts and culture powerhouse. The influence of UMKC-based and UMKC-trained alumni extends well beyond the campus’ edge, so their activities are listed here as well.
Featured Event:
What: UMKC Volleyball vs Grand Canyon
It’s dollar night. Tickets will be $1 along with selected concession items such as candy, hot dogs and soda.
Where: Swinney Recreation Center, 5030 Holmes, St., Kansas City, Mo.
When: 7 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 15
Current UMKC students receive free admission to all UMKC athletic events with ID. Tickets can be purchased online.
Oct. 15 – 20
What: Kristin Weber, Master’s Recital
This master’s recital is with Kristin Weber, oboe; Allison Shinnick, piano; Nathan Humphrey, violin; Gabrielle Padilla, viola; Esther Seitz, cello; and Michael O’Brien, flute. Performance pieces include Dring: Trio for Flute, Oboe and Piano; Jing Cha: Two Chinese Folk Songs; Koetsier: Ballade voor althobo en piano, Op. 90; Hindemith: Sonate für Englisch Horn und Klavier; Mozart: Adagio for English Horn and Strings, K. 580a; and Bozza: Divertissement for English Horn and Piano, Op. 39.
Where: Trinity Lutheran Church, 5601 W. 62nd St., Mission, Kan.
When: 7:30 p.m., Friday, Oct. 16
It’s free.
What: “Transmissions/Signals”
The UMKC Gallery of Art presents “Transmissions/Signals,” the most recent work of Warren Rosser and James Woodfill. Built around a discussion of the extended medium of painting, this work brings focus to the expansive definition that both artists have of the discipline.
Where: UMKC Gallery of Art, Room 204 of the UMKC Fine Arts Building, 5015 Holmes St., Kansas City, Mo.
When: Now through Oct. 16
It’s free.
What: The Learned Ladies
UMKC Theatre graduate students present this play by Moliere, a comedy that illuminates shared human foibles. Come see this wonderful collision of silly academic pretension versus sincere love. The outrageous comic characters will battle it out with rapier-like wit & wordplay so come prepared to laugh heartily and question deeply. The play was translated by Richard Wilbur and directed by Theodore Swetz, the Patricia McIlrath Endowed Professor at UMKC Theatre. Handicapped parking is available in the surface lots east of the PAC. All other guests, please park on levels 5 and 6 in the Cherry Street Parking Garage (50th and Cherry streets).
Where: Room 116, James C. Olson Performing Arts Center, 4949 Cherry St., Kansas City, Mo.
When: Oct. 16 – 31
Tickets can be purchased online. Please Note: The lobby renovations at the PAC may still be underway, please plan extra time for parking.
What: Blueprints to Freedom: An Ode to Bayard Rustin World Premiere
The Kansas City Repertory Theatre presents this play written by and starring Michael Benjamin Washington. Those who stand up for equality in 2015 are following in the footsteps of Bayard Rustin, the lesser-known but powerfully influential civil rights leader who orchestrated the March on Washington and stepped forward himself as an openly gay man at a time when few had the courage to do so. In this ode, an exiled Rustin masterminds “a tribute to the ancestors” 100 years after the Emancipation Proclamation.
Where: Copaken Stage, 1 H&R Way, Kansas City, Mo.
When: Oct. 16 – Nov. 15
For more information visit the KC Rep website.
What: The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures Museum Reopening Celebration
The National Museum of Toys and Miniatures will celebrate its reopening with free museum admission. Explore new exhibits and hands-on activities for a day of family fun! Visit toyandminiaturemuseum.org for more details and parking information.
Where: 5235 Oak St. Kansas City, Mo.
When: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 17
UMKC faculty, staff and students receive free admission year-round to the museum with UMKC ID. For more information, visit the museum online.
What: Karen Kushner, Faculty Recital
This is a faculty recital featuring Karen Kushner, piano, in an all-Frédéric Chopin program on the 166th anniversary of the composer’s death. Performance pieces include Polonaise in C-sharp Minor, Op. 26, No. 1; Mazurka in B-flat Major, Op. 17, No. 1; Nocturne in F-sharp Major, Op. 15, No. 2; Grande valse brillante in E-flat Major, Op. 18; Mazurka in A Minor, Op. 17, No. 4; Nocturne in F Major, Op. 15, No. 1; Andante spianato and Grande polonaise brillante in G Major/E-flat Major, Op. 22; Ballade in A-flat Major, Op. 47; Nocturne in C Minor, Op. 48, No. 1; Waltz in F Minor/A-flat Major, Op. 70, No. 2; Prelude in A-flat Major, KK IVb, No. 7 (Presto con leggerezza); and Ballade in F Minor, Op. 52.
Where: White Recital Hall, James C. Olson Performing Arts Center, 4949 Cherry St., Kansas City, Mo.
When: 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 17
It’s free.
What: UMKC Men’s Soccer vs Texas Rio Grande Valley
Where: Durham Soccer Stadium, 5099 Cherry St., Kansas City, Mo.
When: 1 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 18
Current UMKC students receive free admission to all UMKC athletic events with ID. Single tickets start at $7 and can be purchased online.
What: Chancellor’s Concerto Competition: Final Round
Now in its fourth year, the Chancellor’s Concerto Competition will determine a single winner who will perform a complete concerto with the Conservatory Orchestra during the spring 2016 semester. The winner will be announced following this concert.
Where: White Recital Hall, James C. Olson Performing Arts Center, 4949 Cherry St., Kansas City, Mo.
When: 2:30 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 18
It’s free.
What: Conservatory Singers
Conservatory Singers perform, directed by Robert Bode, with guest ensemble St. Teresa’s Academy Singers, directed by Steven Perry. There will be a pre-concert lecture at 3 p.m. on the music of Gerald Kemner presented by graduate student Michael Robert Patch. Performance pieces include Kemner: Blessings and Praise; Kemner: Prayer; Kemner: Returning Home; Kemner: In the Midst of Life; Traditional: Shenandoah; Kemner: Now, Shout!; Traditional, arr. Brumfield: No Time; Szymko: Nada te turbe; Whitacre: Sleep; Hella Johnson: Will there really be a “Morning”?; and Paulus: “Hymn to the Eternal Flame” from To Be Certain of the Dawn.
Where: Rolling Hills Presbyterian Church, 9300 Nall Ave., Overland Park, Kan.
When: 3:30 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 18
It’s free.
What: Cockefair Chair Public Reading and Interview
Join in the Cockefair Chair public reading and interview with Antonya Nelson. “New Letters on the Air” host Angela Elam will interview Nelson, who is the author of four novels, including Bound (Bloomsbury, 2010) and seven short story collections, including “Funny Once” (Bloomsbury, 2010). Her work has appeared in the New Yorker, Esquire, Harper’s, Redbook, and many other magazines, as well as in anthologies, such as “Prize Stories: The O. Henry Awards and Best American Short Stories.” She is the recipient of a USA Artists Awards in 2009, the 2003 Rea Award for the Short Story, and National Education Association and Guggenhein Fellowships. She teaches in the Warren Wilson M.F.A Program and in the University of Houston’s Creative Writing Program.
Where: Kansas City Public Library Plaza Branch, 4801 Main St., Kansas City, Mo.
When: 6 – 8 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 20
It’s free.
What: October Alt. Lecture KC
The October Alt. Lecture KC features local lecturer Elvis Achelpohl with visiting artist Erik Benjamins to discuss expanded aesthetics within visual practices. The UMKC Department of Art & Art History is collaborating with Alt. Lecture KC series founder, Jessica Borusky. The events pair a local aesthetic producer with someone from outside the city in order to generate creative conversation. With rotating speakers and locations, Alt. Lecture KC promotes creative community growth through unique presentations and dialogue among the Kansas City creatives and those who take on creative practices nationally.
Where: BNIM, 1735 Baltimore Ave #300, Kansas City, Mo.
When: 7 – 9 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 20
It’s free. For more information, visit the website.
What: Wittenberg
UMKC Theatre’s undergraduate actors and master of fine arts design team present this production. The story is about Prince Hamlet at the beginning of another fall semester at the University of Wittenberg. As the prince ping-pongs between the contrary advice from his teachers Martin Luther, professor of theology; and Doctor Faustus, professor of philosophy; the two intellectuals go head-to-head in comic combat for the conflicted Dane’s allegiance. The play is by David Davalos and directed by Tom Mardikes, UMKC Theatre chair.
Where: Grant Hall Theatre, 5228 Charlotte St., Kansas City, Mo.
When: Now through Oct. 25.
Tickets can be purchased online.
What: The Miracle Worker
This is an American story of Helen Keller and her teacher. Helen Keller is a child who has been deaf and blind since infancy. She’s alone in a secret world. She’s disobedient and wild. But Annie, a recent graduate from an institute for the blind, senses Helen’s curiosity and cleverly opens her world to language. Together, they show that even the most overwhelming obstacles can be overcome.
Where: The Coterie, Crown Center, Suite 144, 2450 Grand Ave., Kansas City, Mo.
When: Now through Oct. 25.
UMKC Connection: Two UMKC graduate theatre students founded the Coterie.
For tickets and show times, visit the website.
What: You Can’t Take it With You
In this Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy, Alice wants to marry Tony, the banker’s son and invites his parents to dinner to give their blessing to the marriage. But when Tony’s snooty, high-class parents met Alice’s peculiar extended family – including her grandfather the philosopher, her nutty ballerina sister and the fireworks enthusiast Mr. De Pinna – things become hilariously explosive. Also featuring New Theatre favorites Cathy Barnett, Craig Benton, Deb Bluford, Dodie Brown and Jim Korinke.
Where: The New Theatre Restaurant, 9299 Foster St., Overland Park, Kan.
When: Now through Nov. 29
For tickets and show times, visit the website.
UMKC Connection: Co-owners Dennis Hennessy and Richard Carrothers are both UMKC graduates and both were presented with honorary doctorates by the UMKC College of Arts and Sciences in 2012.
What: Art in the Square
Art in the Square is an initiative of the City of Kansas City to showcase public art while reinforcing the city’s commitment to investing in local artists. The exhibit represents a unique collection of thought-provoking artwork that ranges from whimsical to innovative. The first Art in the Square exhibit, which will be placed in Washington Square Park, will feature art from five local artists. UMKC Associate Dean of the UMKC College of Arts & Sciences Kati Toivanen will have her “Flowering Wall” on display. Toivanen is also a professor in the UMKC Art and Art History Department.
Where: Washington Square Park, Pershing Road and Grand Boulevard, Kansas City, Mo.
When: Now through Dec. 21
It’s free. For information, visit Art in the Square online.