UMKC: College Town, City Life
We are Kansas City’s university, and our hometown’s energy influences everything that happens here. We welcome our community to campus for an array of events, and we’re also happy to recommend opportunities on behalf of our alumni and friends. These activities are part of what give UMKC a vibrant campus life, and make UMKC an arts and culture powerhouse.
1. UMKC Conservatory: Fall Opera
Feigned identities, illicit intrigues and spurned lovers frolic and mourn within a hothouse of love and insanity in Mozart’s La fintagiardiniera (The pretend garden girl). UMKC Conservatory Opera explores a brilliant bouquet of tender lovers and even more tender egos. This opera buffa with roots in commedia but overtones of the more dramatic style of the period is a tale of betrayal and redemption that plays out in tuneful arias and intricate ensembles. It is a delightful romp mixed with opera seria to keep the warm and wild nights of summer rolling right into the chill of November. Sung in Italian.
Details:
The Fall Opera is Nov. 15-18 in White Recital Hall, James C. Olson Performing Arts Center, 4949 Cherry St., Kansas City, Mo. Tickets are $12 for the general public; and free for UMKC faculty, staff and all students with UMKC or student ID. Tickets can be purchased online.
2. UMKC Volleball vs. Seattle University
Good to know:
UMKC is Kansas City’s Division I sports team.
Details:
Join UMKC Volleyball when they take on Seattle University at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 10. General admission tickets start at $8 and can be purchased online. UMKC students are free with a current student ID. UMKC faculty and staff can also get $5 admission with a current UMKC ID. Stay up-to-date with UMKC Athletics by downloading the UMKC Roos Athletic App.
3. ‘A Life In A Year’ Part 1: Developing Kansas City
Robert Barrett, a Kansas City-based photographer, recently donated his photographs to UMKC Libraries, giving everyone access to more than 100,000 images. They are the lasting representation of Barrett’s life and experiences, and a rich storehouse of our shared history and culture over the past four decades. Beginning this fall UMKC Libraries is embarking on “A Life In A Year,” a year-long retrospective of Barrett’s work in three parts:
Part 1: Developing Kansas City
Part 2: Focusing on Faces
Part 3: Exposing our Environment
Details:
“A Life In A Year” Part 1: Developing Kansas City will be on display through Dec. 14 in the Link Gallery on the Ground Floor of Miller Nichols Library. It is free and open to the public.
4. UMKC Gallery of Art: TypeHike
The UMKC Gallery of Art and the Kansas City Art Institute present TypeHike, a collaborative, non-profit, design project that supports America’s National Park system, through the use of expressive typography and graphic design.
Details:
The exhibition runs through Nov. 17. The UMKC Gallery of Art is in Room 203, Fine Arts Building, 5015 Holmes St. Free parking is available in the Cherry Street Parking Garage, levels five and six.
5. ‘Always… Patsy Cline’
“Always…Patsy Cline” is more than a tribute to the legendary country singer who died tragically at age 30 in a plane crash in 1963. The show is based on a true story about Cline’s friendship with a fan from Houston named Louise Seger, who befriended the star in a Texas honky-tonk in 1961, and continued a correspondence with Cline until her death. The musical play, complete with down home country humor, true emotion and even some audience participation, includes many of Cline’s unforgettable hits such as “Crazy,” “I Fall to Pieces,” “Sweet Dreams” and “Walking After Midnight.” The show’s title was inspired by Patsy’s letters to Louise, which were consistently signed “Love always… Patsy Cline.”
Good to know:
Co-owners Dennis Hennessy and Richard Carrothers are both UMKC graduates; the UMKC College of Arts and Sciences presented both honorary doctorates in 2012.
Details:
The production runs through Dec. 2 at New Theatre Restaurant, 9229 Foster, Overland Park, Kan. Tickets can be purchased online.
6. KCRep: ‘Of Mice and Men’
A pair of migrant workers in Depression-era California move from town to town in search of work, and dream of buying land and owning a ranch someday. Straight-shooter George protects Lennie, whose sweet, simple-mindedness is juxtaposed by his formidable strength. When the two find work on Curley’s ranch, a series of tragic events lead to one of the most heartbreaking conclusions in American literature. John Steinbeck’s classic text explores the decay of the American dream, and the enduring kindness that bond friends together for life.’ This is a co-production with UMKC Theatre.
Details:
“Of Mice and Men” runs through Nov. 17 on the Copaken Stage, 1 H&R Block Way, Kansas City, Mo. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Box Office at 816-235-2700 or online.
7. The Coterie Theatre: ‘Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Musical
Back by popular demand, the beloved television classic Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer soars off the screen and onto the stage this holiday season. Rudolph and his friends, Clarice, Hermey the Elf and Yukon Cornelius learn what makes you different makes you special. As one reviewer put it, “If adorable is at the top of your Christmas list, save an afternoon or evening for Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Musical… as rich as eggnog!”
Good to know:
Two UMKC graduate theatre students founded The Coterie.
Details:
The show runs through Dec. 31 at The Coterie Theatre, Crown Center, 2450 Grand Blvd., Suite 144, Kansas City, Mo. Tickets can be purchased from the Box Office, 816-474-6552 or online.
Check the following for other upcoming events:
- UMKC Alumni Association events
- Student group events
- Campus Calendar for the week ahead
- UMKC Athletics