Eight events you have to see
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 recommended 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 Theatre presents ‘King Lear’
The play is directed by Ryan Artzberger and stars Theodore Swetz, the Patricia McIlrath Endowed Chair in Theater Arts and Acting at UMKC, in the title role. This tale of tragic hubris, sibling rivalry and heated passions will be produced in a renewed partnership between UMKC Theatre and Kansas City Actors Theatre. Photo by Brian Paulette.
Details:
The show runs through Oct. 22 at Spencer Theatre, James C. Olson Performing Arts Center, 4949 Cherry St., Kansas City, Mo. Tickets can be purchased from the Central Ticket Office.
2. Men’s Soccer
Good to know:
UMKC is Kansas City’s Division I sports team.
Details:
7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 20 and 1 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 22 at Durwood Soccer Stadium, 5025 Cherry St., Kansas City, Mo. Current UMKC students receive free admission to all UMKC athletic events with ID. General admission tickets start at $5 and can be purchased online.
3. KCRep Presents: ‘Fences’
The winner of the 1987 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play that same year, Fences is set in 1950s Pittsburgh against the backdrop of a rapidly changing America. Perhaps the most highly-regarded of Wilson’s soaring ten-play cycle, it tells the gripping story of an African American father and son and the hopes and dreams to which they desperately cling. Powerful and poetic, Fences is a true American classic.
Details:
The show runs now through Nov. 5 at Copaken Stage, 1 H&R Block Way, Kansas City, Mo. Tickets can be purchased online or by calling the Box Office at 816-235-2700.
4. Disgraced
The personal is political in this Pulitzer Prize-winning drama presented by the Unicorn Theatre. Amir Kapoor is a successful Pakistani-American lawyer who is rapidly moving up the corporate ladder while distancing himself from his cultural roots. His wife, Emily, is a white artist whose work explores Islamic imagery. When this couple hosts a dinner party for their colleagues, the veneer of civility gives way to a damaging encounter in this unflinching tale of big-city aspiration, cultural assimilation and the truth hiding just below the deception.
Good to know:
Three UMKC Theatre graduates started Unicorn Theatre.
Details:
The show runs Oct. 18 – Nov. 12. Tickets can be purchased online or from the Unicorn Theatre Box Office at 816-531-7529.
5. Capturado: Faces of Cuba
This is an exhibit featuring photographs by Jimmy Adegoke, Ph.D., professor in the UMKC Department of Geosciences. It highlights the rich diversity of the Cuban people.
Details:
Now through Dec. 15, the “Capturado: Faces of Cuba” exhibit will be on display at the Miller Nichols Library, Ground Floor – Link Gallery, 800 E. 51st St., Kansas City, Mo. It is free.
6. Journeys and Cross-Generational Narratives in Barry Anderson’s The Janus Restraint
Good to know:
Barry Anderson, M.F.A, is a digital motion professor in the Department of Art and Art History.
Details:
Barry Anderson has created a kaleidoscope of epic semi-narrative proportions, which merges mythology, romantic landscapes, and personal symbolism. His work is on display through Oct. 7 at La Esquina Gallery, 1000 W. 25 St., Kansas City, Mo.
7. We Shall Not Be Moved
By taking a seat at a whites-only lunch counter, a group of four freshmen from North Carolina A&T College launched a youth-led movement for African Americans to receive equal service by challenging racial injustice. This non-violent demonstration in Greensboro gained such momentum that it quickly inspired a new generation to stand up for their Civil Rights. This is the story of ordinary citizens who stand witness to a movement forming before their eyes, and the multiple perspectives they have.
Good to know:
Two UMKC graduate theatre students founded The Coterie.
Details:
The show runs now through Oct. 22 at The Coterie, Crown Center, Suite 144, 2450 Grand Ave., Kansas City, Mo. Tickets can be purchased online or by calling the Box Office at 816-474-6552.
8. Fall Opera: Hänsel und Gretel
Join UMKC Opera for a flavorful fairy tale offering. With delightful, imaginative paper scenery by Jeff Ridenour and mouth-watering projections by Kris Kirkwood, this childhood tale is given a toothsome twist. Director Fenlon Lamb stirs in a couple tricks and Humperdinck’s lush orchestral harmonies combine with charming folk melodies for a pitch perfect treat.
Details:
7:30 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 26 at White Recital Hall in the James C. Olson Performing Arts Center, 4949 Cherry St., Kansas City, Mo. For ticketing information, please call the Central Ticket Office at 816-235-6222 or visit the website.
Check the following for other upcoming events: