UMKC’s weekly arts, sports 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 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: Christmas Truce, 1914
On a freezing Christmas Day in 1914, thousands of exhausted soldiers cautiously climbed out of their trenches on the 500-mile long Western Front and entered no man’s land. They buried their dead, shook hands with their enemies, sang carols, shared family photos and played football. This unofficial “Christmas truce” lasted for a few hours, and then the First World War resumed – one that would leave 31 million people dead, wounded or missing before fighting ended in November 1918.
The UMKC Departments of History, Communication Studies, Conservatory of Music and Dance and UMKC Libraries will show “Joyeux Noël” (2005), a film about the Christmas Truce, on Friday, Nov. 14, from noon to 2:30 p.m. in Room 451, Miller Nichols Learning Center, 800 East 51st St., Kansas City, Mo. Following the film, there will be a panel discussion of the actual events with musicologist Andrew Granade, Lynda Payne, historian, and film scholar Tom Poe.
For more information, contact Tom Burns at burnstg@umkc.edu or 816-235-1875. Film and discussion are free and open to the public.
Nov. 12 – 18
What: 5th Annual Social Justice Book Lecture
Rebecca Skloot, author of “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks,” will discuss her book and the ethical, economic and moral issues involved in medical research.
Where: Atterbury Student Success Center, Pierson Auditorium, 5000 Holmes St., Kansas City, Mo.
When: Thursday, Nov. 13, 6 – 8 p.m.
It’s free.
What: Volleyball
Set, spike, win! The Roos go up against the Texas Pan American Broncs Thursday and New Mexico State Aggies on Saturday. Saturday is Senior Day, so you know they’ll be pumped.
Where: Swinney Recreation Center, 5030 Holmes, Kansas City, Mo.
When: Thursday, Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 15 at 1 p.m.
It’s free to UMKC students with ID. Children under three are free. Others pay $5.
What: John Manning, tuba, and Alan Huckleberry, piano
Manning, a founding member of the Atlantic Brass Quintet, will give a guest artist recital.
Where: Old Mission United Methodist Church, 5519 State Park Rd., Fairway, Ks.
When: Monday, Nov. 17, 7:30 p.m.
It’s free.
What: Colby Jennings, artist
Jennings uses visual tools to tell a psychological tale, revealing our confusion with what we expect to see and what we actually observe.
Where: Gallery of Art, Fine Arts building, 5015 Holmes, Kansas City, Mo.
When: All are invited to an opening-night reception on Thursday, Nov. 13, from 5 to 7 p.m. Free parking is available in the Cherry St. Garage, 5009 Oak St., levels 5 and 6. The exhibit will remain until Dec. 12. Visit the website at http://info.umkc.edu/art/umkcgallery/contact/, email umkcgallery@umkc.edu, or call 816-235-1502 for more information.
It’s free.
What: “Cosi fan tutte” – the Fall Opera!
Sitcom? Reality show? No, it’s Mozart’s funniest opera taken up a notch, reset in the hectic world of college fraternities and sororities. For more information, visit the Conservatory web site.
Where: James C. Olson Performing Arts Center, White Recital Hall, 4949 Cherry, Kansas City, Mo.
When: Tuesday, Nov. 18 – 21, 7:30 p.m. each evening.
It’s free to all UMKC faculty, staff and students with ID. For others, tickets are $10-$12.
What: Building a Culture of Peace for the Children of the World
This exhibit consists of 30 large educational panels with pictures and dialogue inspiring peaceful resolution, and illustrating how each individual plays a part.
Where: Miller Nichols Library, Room 303, 800 E. 51st Street, Kansas City, Mo.
When: Now through Nov. 15.
It’s free.
What: Jazz Combos
Jazz students of all degree levels perform standards and originals in combos.
Where: Grant Hall, 5227 Holmes St., Kansas City, Mo.
When: Nov. 11, 7:30 p.m.
It’s free.
What: The Who & The What
A new comedy by Pulitzer Prize winner Ayad Akhtar, this play is the story of a Pakistani-American playwright whose latest work is too revealing for her conservative father and sister.
Where: Kansas City Repertory Theatre’s Copaken Stage, 1 H&R Block Way, Kansas City, Mo.
When: Now through Nov. 16.
See the Rep’s website for dates, times and prices.
What: Stephen Lacy
Lacy, an artist and educator from Chicago, will discuss projects he has done with Academy Records, his own platform for live performance, recorded events and ephemera.
Where: UMKC Gallery of Art, Fine Arts Building Room 106, 5015 Holmes, Kansas City, Mo.
When: Thursday, Nov. 13, at 9:30 a.m.
It’s free.
What: Art Sounds Folding Time
ArtSounds, initiated by faculty from the UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance and the Kansas City Art Institute, enters its ninth year of collaborative performances by composers, performers and visual artists.
Where: Kansas City Art Institute, Vanderslice Hall, Epperson Auditorium, 4415 Warwick, Kansas City, Mo.
When: Nov. 11, 7:30 p.m.
It’s free.
What: The New Theatre Restaurant presents, “Shear Madness,” a crazy murder mystery solved by you, the audience. The comedy stars Richard Karn, Tim “Tool Time” Taylor’s flannel-shirted buddy from “Home Improvement.”
Where: The New Theatre Restaurant, 9299 Foster, Overland Park, Kan.
When: Now through Jan. 18, 2015.
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.
Check their website for tickets and times.
What: 2014 Charlotte Street Visual Artist Awards Exhibition
Charlotte Street award winners are exhibiting at the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art. One of the three artists recognized is Garry Noland.
Where: Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, 12345 College Boulevard, Overland Park, Kan.
When: Now through December 21.
Gallery hours are Tues, Wed, Thurs, Sat 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday noon-5 p.m.
UMKC Connection: Garry Noland is an alum (BA) of the UMKC Art History program.
It’s free.