Bethel AME Church "Living Last Supper" preview by Tim Linn

It’s been a Passion for some of them for 20 years.For others, it’s a new experience. But for those involved in the annual Living Last Supper at Bethel AME Church — scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday — there is no question why they continue.

more at the Leavenworth Times

Unicorn "Ruined" review by Paul Horsely

It takes mettle to write a play about turmoil in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where civil wars have brought years of rampant pillaging, murder and sexual abuse. Ruined is a problematic but gutsy play, and it won Lynn Nottage the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2009. The Unicorn Theatre’s production of Ruined, a co-production with UMKC Theatre that opened April 16th, has much to offer, and brings home much of the horrible realities of a situation that continues to rage in the Congo. If there are moments of sluggishness in the show, which Ricardo Khan directs, and if at times the play thwarts one’s yearning for satisfying dramatic conclusions, it is on the whole a powerful, savvy piece of theater brought off with panache by several strong performers.

more at The Independent

Starlight 2011 season promo

2011 Kansas City Starlight Theatre Broadway Season:

The King and I - June 6 - 12

9 to 5 The Musical June 21 - 26

Guys and Dolls - July 12 - 17

Cinderella - August 2 - 7

Xanadu - August 15 - 21

Faction V8 promo by Zac Eubank

Faction V8 April 27th

Kauffman Center taking donations for Children's Wall

The Kauffman Center is committed to engaging and inspiring our community's children for generations to come. Donate to the Children's Wall and you will forever connect your child to this iconic building while helping us complete the capital campaign. Your child's hand, along with his/her name and age, will be permanently included in this colorful, artistically-arranged design of 1,000 handprints.

This is a $1,000 donation, which is fully tax-deductible and payable over multiple years. Handprints submitted by May 1, 2011 guarantees your child's hand will be in place for the inaugural season. RSVP for the final handprint-making event at our construction site office: Sunday, May 1, from 2:00-4:00 p.m. by replying to this email. Or call Jennifer Lapka Pfeifer at 816-994-7238 if another date and time is more convenient to you.

End of an era for the Crossroad's Film Row

For decades, Film Row - the area between 17th and 19th streets on Central and between Wyandotte and Broadway on 18th Street - was the midwest's connection to the movie biz.

more at KC Confidential

Bassoon reed maker Leigh Miller Muñoz interview by Brenna Hawley

Leigh Miller Muñoz hunches over a table filled with supplies.Wood, Duco cement, an X-Acto knife and crochet thread are all laid out. Metal instruments with pointed pricks sit on shelves above her. The room is 70 degrees, at precisely 30 percent humidity. Reruns play on the flatscreen television next to the table.

more at the Lawrence Journal-World

UMKC Professor Zhou Long wins Pulitzer Prize

Zhou Long, UMKC Conservatory Research Professor of Music Composition was just awarded a Pulitzer Prize for Madame White Snake, which premiered on February 26, 2010 by Opera Boston at the Cutler Majestic Theatre. Madame White Snake is a deeply expressive opera that draws on a Chinese folk tale to blend the musical traditions of the East and the West. Libretto by Cerise Lim Jacobs.

more at UMKC 
and at kansascity.com
and at NBC Action News
 and at KCTV-5 
and at the New York Times