College Town. City Life.

Photo by Kyle Rivas, Rivas Photography

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: Conservatory Spring Opera: Handel’s Rodelinda
In one of Handel’s best dramas, we find our heroine Rodelinda, who believes her husband to be dead, forced to marry a despicable character or see him murder her son. How will this story end? The opera is directed by Fenlon Lamb, with coaching by artist-in-residence Estelî Gomez and faculty member Alison DeSimone, and featuring collaborations with Conservatory dance faculty and students. Alison DeSimone, assistant professor of Musicology, will give a pre-show talk at 7 p.m.
Where: White Recital Hall, James C. Olson Performing Arts Center, 4949 Cherry St., Kansas City, Mo.
When: March 22 – 26
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.

March 22 – 28

What: Constellations
Kansas City Repertory Theatre continues its 2016-2017 season with Constellations, directed by Artistic Director Eric Rosen. The production begins March 3 and runs through April 2. If you could hit rewind on a relationship, you might discover the nuances of choice and destiny, and how the two intersect. This spellbinding, heartbreaking love story removes the boundaries of time and space, delving into the infinite possibilities of a couple’s relationship to reveal how the slightest change in conversation might send you down an entirely different path. The scene re-sets again and again, in a fascinating look at love and life from one parallel universe to the next. The cast is comprised of Bree Elrod and Tuc Watkins. They have made their careers in Los Angeles and New York and have come back home to Kansas City for this production.
Where: Copaken Stage, 1 H & R Block Way, Kansas City, Mo.
When: Now through April 2
Tickets can be purchased online or by calling the Box Office at 816-235-2700. Current UMKC faculty, staff and alumni receive a 20 percent discount on tickets.

What: Eclipsed
Five extraordinary women are brought together by the upheaval of civil war in Liberia. Four are held captive as wives of a rebel commanding officer, while the fifth works to free them in this stirring tale of hope, humor and resilience. This Tony Award-nominated drama comes from playwright Danai Gurira, who plays Michonne on AMC’s “The Walking Dead.”
Where: Unicorn Theatre, 3828 Main St., Kansas City, Mo.
When: Now through April 2
UMKC Connection: Three UMKC Theatre graduates started Unicorn Theatre. Tickets can be purchased online.

What: Hyeyoung Shin Solo Exhibition
Hyeyoung Shin, UMKC Department of Art and Art History assistant professor of Print Media, will have her work shown in a solo exhibition titled unapologetic. An opening reception is scheduled for March 10 from 6 p.m. through 9 p.m. She will also give an artist talk at noon on March 11 at Studio Inc.
Where: Studios Inc., 1708 Campbell St., Kansas City, Mo.
When: Now through April 14
It’s free.

What: Shamus Clisset | Chris Kienke at UMKC Gallery
This is the UMKC Gallery of Art’s upcoming group exhibition, Shamus Clisset: Mr. Realistic and Chris Kienke: Hotrods and Handguns.
Where: UMKC Gallery of Art, 203 Fine Arts Building, 5015 Holmes St., Kansas City, Mo.
When: Now through April 14
It’s free.

What: Boeing-Boeing
This stylishly retro production was a monster comedy hit on London’s West End and a Tony winner on Broadway. Bernard is a bachelor juggling a very precarious social calendar. He is engaged simultaneously to three different flight attendants. Helped by his long suffering housekeeper Bertha (Debra Jo Rupp), Bernard has devised a sophisticated timetable so that each girlfriend visits him on their layovers and remains oblivious of the other two. Everything proceeds like clockwork until the arrival of the new double speed Super Boeing which changes the schedules of the airlines. Bernard’s old school friend Robert arrives unexpectedly and unwittingly joins in this farcical whirlwind of mayhem.
Where: New Theatre Restaurant, 9299 Foster St., Overland Park, Kan.
When: 
Now through April 23
For tickets and show times, visit the website.
UMKC Connection: Co-owners Dennis Hennessy and Richard Carrothers are both UMKC graduates; the UMKC College of Arts and Sciences presented both honorary doctorates in 2012.

What: Inside the Art Life of Adrienne Walker Hoard
Beyond her life as a professor at UMKC, Adrienne Walker Hoard, M.F.A., Ed.D., is an accomplished painter, photographer and jewelry maker. Her work will be on display at the Miller Nichols Library.
Where: Dean’s Gallery, Fourth Floor, Miller Nichols Library, 800 E. 51st St., Kansas City, Mo.
When: Now through May 19
It’s free.

What: Bianca Kumar, Master’s Recital
This is a master’s recital for Bianca Kumar, oboe. Performance pieces include Silvestrini: Cinq Etudes Russes pour hautbois seul; Loeffler: Two Rhapsodies for oboe, viola and piano; Ravel/Walter: Sonatine pour hautbois et piano; and Dutilleux: Sonate pour hautbois.
Where: Grant Recital Hall, 5227 Holmes St., Kansas City, Mo.
When: 5 p.m., Wednesday, March 22
It’s free.

What: Ryan Snell, Doctoral Recital
This is a doctoral recital for Ryan Snell, tuba. Performance pieces include Haddad: Suite for Tuba; Broughton: Sonata for Tuba and Piano; Hartley: Suite for Unaccompanied Tuba; Wilder: Suite No. 1 for Horn, Tuba and Piano; and Stevens: Dances.
Where: Central United Methodist Church, 5144 Oak St., Kansas City, Mo.
When: 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, March 22
It’s free.

What: A Raisin in the Sun
The classic story of the Younger family remains universally relevant and deeply relatable more than 60 years after it first hit Broadway. In pursuit of the American Dream, this dynamic African American family wrestles with the push to assimilate into a white Chicago neighborhood, and the pull of their cultural roots. These opposing forces both unite and divide the family, as each grapple with the social issues that challenge their identity – and the personal choices that will determine their future.
Where: Spencer Theatre, James C. Olson Performing Arts Center, 4949 Cherry St., Kansas City, Mo.
When: March 24 – April 16
Tickets can be purchased online or by calling the Box Office at 816-235-2700. Current UMKC faculty, staff and alumni receive a 20 percent discount on tickets.


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