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: “The Lady from the Sea”

UMKC Theatre kicks off its 2012-2013 season with “The Lady from the Sea,” a provocative and unconventional love story by Henrik Ibsen. Directed by Theodore Swetz, “The Lady from the Sea” will preview October 19, 20, 22, 23, open October 24, and run selected dates through October 28.

The play centers on Ellida, who is in a struggle between romantic imagination and the practical need and comfort of her marriage. She is plagued by the allure of a stranger from her past. The dramatic confrontation is intimate, sensual and terrifying.

Swetz explains that the play contains themes of duty, responsibility and consequence.

“Have you ever been drawn to someone? And, no matter what good things your life held for you – the almost hypnotic spell the “other” has over you drives your thoughts and emotions?” Swetz asks.

“Such is the world for Ellida, in Henrik Ibsen’s absorbing drama, “The Lady from the Sea,”Swetz says.

In addition to directing “The Lady from the Sea,” Swetz serves as the Patricia McIlrath Endowed Professor of Theater – Acting for the department. Courtney Salvage, a second-year graduate actor, plays Ellida Wangel. Logan Black, a second-year graduate actor, plays Dr. Wangel. Antonio Jerron Glass, also a second-year graduate student, plays the Stranger.

What:UMKC Theatre presents “The Lady from the Sea.”
Where: James C. Olson Performing Arts Center, Helen F. Spencer Theatre
4949 Cherry Street, Kansas City, Mo.
When:Previews on October 19, 20, 22 and 23 at 7:30 p.m. Regular shows run
October 24-28.
Tickets: Adult, $15; Senior (60+), $10; Non-UMKC Student, $10; UMKC Faculty/Staff, $10; UMKC Student, $6. Industry Night is Monday, October 22; 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)
Get more details.

 Friday, October 19 – Thursday, October 25

What:An Artist Certificate Recital with Tate C. Addis on piano.
Where: White Recital Hall, James C. Olson Performing Arts Center,
4949 Cherry Street, Kansas City, Mo.
When: Friday, October 19, 7:30 p.m.
Free. Get more details.

What:“Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson.” This is an edgy rock musical about our nation’s seventh president.
Where: Unicorn Theatre, 3828 Main Street, Kansas City, Mo.
When: Now through Nov. 4
UMKC Connection: Co-production with UMKC Theatre. Many of the actors and designers are UMKC graduate students.
Get more details.

What:The Kansas City Repertory Theatre presents “The Mystery of Irma Vep (A Penny Dreadful).”The play has been cited as one of the best plays of 1984 by The New York Times and TIME magazine. The thriller/comedy has been called a gender-bending tour-de-force.
Where: Unicorn Theatre, 3828 Main Street, Kansas City, Mo.
When: Now through Nov. 18.
Get more details.

What:Master class with Ann Bilderback, principal bassoonist of the Kansas City Symphony.
Where: Room 122, Grant Hall, 5227 Holmes Street, Kansas City, Mo.
When: Saturday, October 20, 9:30 a.m.
It’s free. Get more details.

What:Faculty Chamber Music and Dance.Faculty Chamber Music and Dance recital with Keith Benjamin, trumpet; Jane Carl, clarinet; DeeAnna Hiett, choreographer; Patricia Higdon, piano; Sabrina Madison-Cannon, dancer; Aidan Soder, mezzo soprano; Rebecca Sherburn, soprano.
Where: White Recital Hall, James C. Olson Performing Arts Center,
4949 Cherry Street, Kansas City, Mo.
When: Saturday, October 20, 5 p.m.
It’s free. Get more details.

What:A Master’s Recital with Matthew Siegel, piano.
Where: White Recital Hall, James C. Olson Performing Arts Center, 4949 Cherry Street, Kansas City, Mo.
When: Saturday, October 20, 7:30 p.m.
It’s free. Get more details.

What:Conservatory Choirs: Faith, Hope, and Love. The Conservatory Concert Choir, directed by Charles Robinson, presents “Faith, Hope and Love,” the eleventh annual benefit concert for Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
Where: Village Presbyterian Church, 6641 Mission Road, Prairie Village, KS.
When: Sunday, October 21, 3 p.m.
It’s free. Get more details.

What:Doctoral Lecture-Recital with Nicole Wang on viola.
Where: White Recital Hall, James C. Olson Performing Arts Center, 4949 Cherry Street, Kansas City, Mo.
When: Sunday, October 21, 7:30 p.m.
It’s free. Get more details.

What:UMKC Graduate Fellowship Chamber Ensembles perform.
Where: White Recital Hall, James C. Olson Performing Arts Center, 4949 Cherry Street, Kansas City, Mo.
When: Monday, October 22, 7:30 p.m.
It’s free. Get more details.

What:Coaching/master class with the Conservatory’s 2012 Barr Laureate Ensemble eighth blackbird.
Where: White Recital Hall, James C. Olson Performing Arts Center, 4949 Cherry Street, Kansas City, Mo.
When: October 23 and 24, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
It’s free. Get more details.

What:Conservatory Wind Symphony at Californos.
Where: Californos, 4124 Pennsylvania, Kansas City, Mo.
When: October 23 and 24, 7:30 p.m.
Get more details.

What:The Jasper String Quartet presents a master class.
Where: White Recital Hall, James C. Olson Performing Arts Center, 4949 Cherry Street, Kansas City, Mo.
When: Thursday, October 25, 1 p.m.
It’s free. Get more details.

What:Tuba/Euphonium Ensemble, directed by Tom Stein, with guest faculty artist Joe Parisi, trumpet.
Where: White Recital Hall, James C. Olson Performing Arts Center, 4949 Cherry Street, Kansas City, Mo.
When: Thursday, October 25, 7:30 p.m.
It’s free. Get more details.

What:Nick Yarsulik, Forgotten Pieces and Broken Memories. MA Thesis Show of digital artist Nick Yarsulik. Yarsulik’s current work explores the complexity of human relationships, the distortion and intangibility of memory, and the translation of these concepts into computer simulations and animations.
Where: The UMKC Gallery of Art, Room 203 of the Fine Arts Building, 5015 Holmes St., Kansas City, Mo.
When: Now through November 2.
It’s free. Get more details.

What:Poetry Reading: Kevin Prufer & Neil Shepard
Where: The Writer’s Place, 3607 Pennsylvania, Kansas City, Mo.
When: October 19, 7 p.m.
Get more details.

What:Her Art Project: Networking Reception.Join local artists and arts advocates for networking and conversations about supporting women in the arts in Kansas City.
Where: The Drop Bar & Bistro, 409 E. 31 St., Kansas City, Mo.
When: Tuesday, October 23, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Get more details.

What:Social Justice Book and Lecture with Colin Beavan. Beavan’s book “No Impact Man: The Adventures of a Guilty Liberal Who Attempts to Save the Planet, and the Discoveries He Makes About Himself and Our Way of Life in the Process,” challenges audiences to question their environmental impact and to seek ways to live “lighter” in their communities.
Where:Student Union, Multipurpose Room, 5100 Cherry Street Kansas City Mo.
When: Tuesday, October 23, 6 – 7:30 p.m.
Get more details.

What:The Blue Gallery presents Bernal Koehrsen’s “Landscapes from the Spirit” and D. Ross’ “Everlasting.”
The Blue Gallery, 118 Southwest Boulevard, Kansas City, Mo.
When: Exhibition runs through October 27.
UMKC Connection: Kelly Kuhn, co-owner of the Blue Gallery, is a UMKC graduate.
Get more details.

What:The New Theatre Restaurant’s “Social Security,” features Barbara Eden, best known for her role in “I Dream of Jeannie.”
Where: The New Theatre Restaurant, 9299 Foster, Overland Park, Ks.
When: Now through Nov. 4.
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 Coterie Theatre presents “The Presidents Tour,” which tours schools this fall. Students will learn about 44 presidents in 45 minutes.
Where: Call the Coterie Theatre to schedule a performance.
When: Performances began Oct. 4.
UMKC Connection: Two UMKC graduate theatre students founded the Coterie.
Get more details.

What:The American Heartland Theatre’s “Making God Laugh” is a play about God and family.
Where: American Heartland Theatre, 2450 Grand Boulevard, Suite 314, Kansas City, Mo.
When: Now through October 21.
UMKC Connection: The theatre’s founder, Jim Assad, was a UMKC graduate.
Get more details.

What:The Kansas City Symphony presents Dr. Richard Elliott, Organist in Recital.
When: Wednesday, October 24, at 7 p.m.
Where: Helzberg Hall, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts 1601 Broadway,
Kansas City, Mo.
UMKC Connection:The Kansas City Symphony was founded by faculty member Karl Krueger in 1933.
Get more details.