UMKC’s weekly arts and culture roundup

Every 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 has made UMKC an arts and culture powerhouse. The influence of UMKC-based and UMKC-trained artists extends well beyond the campus’ edge, so their activities are listed here as well.

Featured Event: “American Buffalo”

Kansas City Repertory Theatre is wrapping up its 2012-13 season with David Mamet’s acerbic “American Buffalo,” a modern examination of the underbelly of American capitalism in which every exchange, including friendship, has “business” written all over it. Jerry Genochio directs the show, which runs through May 19 at Copaken Stage.

When three small-time crooks scheme to steal a valuable coin, their long-repressed feelings of bitterness and betrayal explode, leaving them to face harsh realities about business, leadership and ethics.

“American Buffalo” had its premiere in 1975 at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre and opened on Broadway in 1977, where it won an Obie Award and a New York Drama Critics’ Best Play Award.  At the time, New York Times theatre critic Frank Rich called it “one of the best American plays of the last decade.”

David Mamet is a Pulitzer Prize-winning America playwright, screenwriter and film director whose extensive work includes “Sexual Perversity in Chicago,” “Speed the Plow” and “Glengarry Glen Ross” and screenplays for the Oscar-nominated films “The Verdict” (1982) and “Wag the Dog” (1997).

Jerry Genochio, who is making his Rep directing debut, is the theatre’s producing director and has been part of the artistic team since 2005. He has also served as production manager for Alabama Shakespeare Festival, PlayMakers Repertory Company, Sacramento Theatre Company and Southwest Missouri State University;.

The cast of “American Buffalo”:

Robert Elliott (Dan) KC Rep: “The Tempest,” “Born Yesterday,” “Julius Caesar.” Local acting credits include “Two Jews Walk into a War,” “Farragut North” (Unicorn Theatre) as well as many regional theatre productions. Directing: “True West” (Kansas City Actors Theatre), “Amadeus” (Wool Warehouse Theatre), “Spoon River Anthology” (KC Rep). Film: “Kansas City” (Robert Altman), “From the Hip” and “Loose Cannons” (Bob Clark).

Brian Paulette (Teach) KC Rep: “Death of a Salesman,” “The Front Page,” “Saint Joan,” “The Philadelphia Story,” “Inherit the Wind,” “Royal Hunt of the Sun,” and “A Christmas Carol.” Local credits: “God of Carnage,” “The Birthday Party,” “The Collection,” “Glengarry Glen Ross,”  “Fifth of July,” “Talley and Son,” and “Absurd Person Singular” (Kansas City Actors Theatre) and many productions for Heart of America Shakespeare Festival and the Unicorn Theatre.

Robbie Tann (Bob) KC Rep: “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.” Off-Broadway: “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” (Kansas City co-production at New Victory Theatre); “Much Ado About Nothing” (New York Classical Theatre); “Henry V” (American Globe); “History of War” (New York Musical Theatre Festival). TV: “Nurse Jackie”.

What: The Kansas City Repertory Theatre presents “American Buffalo.” Winner of the Obie Award and New York Drama Critic’s Best Play Award, American Buffalo tells the story of Don, Teach and Bob’s struggle to get ahead. Centering on a scheme to recover a buffalo nickel recently sold from Don’s Resale Shop, the three discover realities about business, leadership and ethics, all told from the petty theft view of the pursuit of the American Dream.
Where: Copaken Stage, 1 H&R Block Way, Kansas City, Mo.
When: Now through May 19.
Get more details.

Friday, May 10 – Thursday, May 16

What: UMKC Theatre presents “Burnt by the Sun.” This production opens like the familiar work of Chekhov and then turns into a stunning production hit by violence so sudden and so shocking it echoes the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Where: Studio 116, James C. Olson Performing Arts Center, 4949 Cherry St., Kansas City, Mo.
When: May 3-12.
Single ticket prices are: Adult, $15; Senior (60+), $10; Non-UMKC Student, $10; UMKC Faculty/Staff, $10; UMKC Student, $6. Industry Night is Monday, May 6; tickets are $10.  For tickets, call the Central Ticket Office at (816) 235-6222 or purchase online at www.umkctheatre.org (additional fees apply with online ticket purchase).

What: “Srimary Ptructures” is Justin Beachler’s first solo exhibition at Dolphin Gallery. A painter and conceptual artist based in Kansas City, Mo., Beachler’s work has recently been shown at such Kansas City gallery spaces as Fokl, Spray Booth Gallery and The Base Gallery.
Where: Dolphin Gallery 1600 Liberty St., Kansas City, Mo.
When: Exhibit runs through May 11.
UMKC Connection: Beachler is a graduate of UMKC’s Art and Art History program.
 Get more details.

What: Graduate Recital with Hillary Sametz, viola; Tate C. Addis, piano; Filip Lazovski, violin; Eman Gallehdari-Chalshotori, cello; and Matthew Siegel, piano.
Where: White Recital Hall, James C. Olson Performing Arts Center, 4949 Cherry St., Kansas City, Mo.
When: 5 p.m., Friday, May 10.
It’s free. Get more details.

What: Doctoral Recital with Christopher Puckett, tenor; Richard Williams, piano; and Amanda Hudnall, clarinet.
Where: St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 4041 Main St., Kansas City, Mo.
When: 7:30 p.m., Friday, May 10.
It’s free. Get more details.

What: Student Recital with Shao Zhang, piano.
Where: White Recital Hall, James C. Olson Performing Arts Center, 4949 Cherry St., Kansas City, Mo.
When: 7:30 p.m., Friday, May 10.
It’s free. Get more details.

What: Doctoral Recital with William Shaltis, percussion; and Sharra Wagner, clarinet.
Where: White Recital Hall, James C. Olson Performing Arts Center, 4949 Cherry St., Kansas City, Mo.
When: 2:30 p.m., Saturday, May 11.
It’s free. Get more details.

What: Doctoral Lecture-Recital with Yu Hui (Grace) Lai, flute; and Patricia Higdon, piano.
Where: Diastole, 2501 Holmes St., Kansas City, Mo.
When: 2:30 p.m., Saturday, May 11.
It’s free. Get more details.

What: Doctoral Recital with Charles Pridgen, saxophone; Dan Velicer, piano; Sarah Holmes, violin; and David Boese, cello.
Where: White Recital Hall, James C. Olson Performing Arts Center, 4949 Cherry St., Kansas City, Mo.
When: 5 p.m., Saturday, May 11.
It’s free. Get more details.

What: Doctoral Recital with Erin Jean Lillie, mezzo soprano; Natalia Rivera, piano; and Karen Hauge, flute.
Where: Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral, 415 W. 13th St., Kansas City, Mo.
When: 7:30 p.m., Saturday, May 11.
It’s free. Get more details.

What: Master’s Recital with Lauren Hart, trumpet; Matthew Siegel, piano; John Schaefer, organ; and the Brass Roos Quintet: Kyle Unruh, trumpet; Micaela Barber, horn; Erik Augereau, bass trombone; and Ethan Patterson, tuba.
Where: St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 11 E. 40th St., Kansas City, Mo.
When: 7:30 p.m., Saturday, May 11.
It’s free. Get more details.

What: Doctoral Recital with Shih-Hsun Pan, viola; and Wan-Ju Ho, piano.
Where: White Recital Hall, James C. Olson Performing Arts Center, 4949 Cherry St., Kansas City, Mo.
When: 7:30 p.m., Saturday, May 11.
It’s free. Get more details.

What: Senior Recital with Raquel Vargas-Ramírez, bassoon; Jennifer Edmondson, piano; and James Ryan Morris and Michael Scott, bassoons.
Where: Immanuel Lutheran Church, 1700 Westport Rd., Kansas City, Mo.
When: 7:30 p.m., Monday, May 13.
It’s free. Get more details.

What: Doctoral Lecture-Recital with Bryan Pinkall, tenor; Natalia Rivera, piano; and Nell French, viola.
Where: Village Presbyterian Church, 6641 Mission Rd, Prairie Village, Kan.
When:  5 p.m., Tuesday, May 14.
It’s free. Get more details.

What: Doctoral Lecture-Recital with Bryan Pinkall, tenor; Natalia Rivera, piano and Nell French, viola.
Where: Village Presbyterian Church, 6641 Mission Rd, Prairie Village, Kan.
When: 5 p.m., Tuesday, May 14.
It’s free. Get more details.

What: Doctoral Recital with Eric Jackson, horn; Kelly Hackleman, piano; and Natalia Olinetchouk, soprano.
Where: St. John’s United Methodist Church, 6900 Ward Pkwy, Kansas City, Mo.
When: 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, May 14.
Get more details.

What: Young Composers Institute Concert. The Kansas City Symphony’s Young Composers Institute gives select high school students the opportunity to work one-on-one with a professional composer. Under Adam Schoenberg’s guidance, students will learn about composition through private lessons and group master classes. Students will also benefit from presentations by Kansas City Symphony musicians, librarians and staff.
Where: St. John’s United Methodist Church, 6900 Ward Pkwy, Kansas City, Mo.
When: 6 p.m., Friday, May 10.
UMKC Connection: One of the young composers, Spencer Arrowood, has studied with Mara Gibson, UMKC’s Director of the Community Music and Dance Academy.
Get more details.

What: “The Janus Restraint: The Ascension” is the first entry in an ambitious new multi-faceted work presented by associate professor Barry Anderson. Using Janus, the Roman deity of crossroads and passageways, as a reference point, the artworks incorporate video, sound, social media, performance, photography, and sculpture to focus on themes of identity, adolescence, storytelling, ritual, and cosmology.
Where: Studios INC, 1708 Campbell Street, Kansas City, Mo.
When: May 10 to June 21.  Opening Reception: 6-9 p.m., Friday, May 10.
UMKC Connection: Artist Barry Anderson is an associate professor in UMKC’s Art and Art History department.
Get more details.

What: UMKC’s Gallery of Art presents the UMKC Student Exhibition. All currently enrolled students at UMKC were eligible to submit work across a variety of media, include painting, photography, printmaking, graphic design, and video. The exhibition features pieces by 29 artists.
Where: Fine Arts Building, Room 203, 5100 Rockhill Rd., Kansas City, Mo.
When: Through May 17.
It’s free. Get more details.

What: The Coterie Theatre presents “Bud, Not Buddy.” Bud’s momma never told him who his father was, but leaves a clue leading him to a roadhouse band. This comic ‘Oliver Twist’ story follows Bud “not Buddy” Caldwell as he solves this jazz-era mystery set in the Midwest.
Where: 2450 Grand Blvd., Suite 144, Kansas City, Mo.
When: Now through May 19.
UMKC Connection: Two UMKC graduate theatre students founded the Coterie.
Get more details.

What: “Weekend Comedy,” starring Cindy Williams of “Laverne and Shirley,” features two couples who rent the same Catskills cabin for the same weekend by mistake.
Where: The New Theatre Restaurant, 9299 Foster, Overland Park, Kan.
When: Through June 16.
UMKC Connection: Co-owners Dennis Hennessy and Richard Carrothers are both UMKC graduates and both were presented this year with honorary doctorates by the UMKC College of Arts and Sciences.
Get more details.

What: The Blue Gallery presents Alyssa Monks’ “Presence.”
Where: The Blue Gallery, 118 Southwest Boulevard, Kansas City, Mo.
When: Exhibition runs through June 3.
UMKC Connection: Kelly Kuhn, co-owner of the Blue Gallery, is a UMKC graduate.
Get more details.