Friday, January 8, 2010

Lenexa Arts Council vacancy

Lenexa is seeking a volunteer to fill a vacancy on the Lenexa Arts Council. Positions on the arts council are filled by the appointment of the mayor, with the consent of the City Council. Arts council terms are three years; the term for this position would run through April 30, 2011.

The Lenexa Arts Council works to promote public awareness of fine and performing arts. The nine-member council meets monthly, recommends art for purchase and coordinates art exhibits, performances and events within the city.

To be considered, submit an application to the attention of City Clerk David Bryant by the close of business on Friday, Jan. 29. Applications and more information are available on the volunteer opportunities page of the city website.

Showbiz Dec 2009

from the December 2009 issue of KC Stage

Artist, INC Spring 2010 Seminar
Artist, INC is a cutting edge training seminar that addresses the specific business needs and challenges artists of all disciplines face every day. Limited to 25 participants per session, artists gather one night a week to learn business skills specific to their art practice and apply those skills cooperatively with their peers. Using an innovative class design, artists learn and grow together through artist facilitator mentoring, small group application activities, as well as large group discussion and multi-media lecture. KCArtistLink is now accepting applications for the third round of the popular artist professional development program to be held on Monday nights from March 1 through April 19 from 6:30pm to 9:30pm at UMKC’s Small Business and Technology Development Center located at 4747 Troost. Artists of all disciplines including visual, dance, theatre, film, music, and writing are encouraged to apply. Applications are due at 5:00pm on Dec 7. For more information on the Artist, INC program and application materials please go to www.KCArtistLink.com/ArtistINC or contact Diane Scott at scottdia@missouri.edu or 816-235-6769.

Dana Knapp Joins MAAA
Dana Knapp has joined Mid-America Arts Alliance as director of programs, a newly created position to focus on developing, integrating, and overseeing the organization’s Performing Arts, Visual Arts and Humanities, and Professional Development programs. Knapp comes to Mid-America with 20 years of experience at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, where she began her career as an exhibit designer. She has served as the Nelson’s director of planning for the past 10 years, overseeing the construction of the Bloch Building, which was ranked by Time Magazine as Number 1 in the “Top 10 Best (New and Upcoming) Architectural Marvels”. Dana also served in the areas of long-range strategic planning, collections presentation planning, and audience development planning. Knapp holds BFA degrees in both design and art history from the University of Kansas, and a Master’s of Public Administration from the University of Missouri-Kansas City Bloch School of Business. For more information about the Mid-America Arts Alliance, visit www.maaa.org.

KC Ballet Ball
The Kansas City Ballet Guild will host the annual Ballet Ball to celebrate the fascinating rhythm of dance on Mar 6, 2010 at the Muehlebach Hotel located in Downtown Kansas City. Cocktails will begin at 6:30pm and dinner will commence at 8:00pm.The Kansas City Ballet will perform a preview excerpt of George Balanchine’s Who Cares? Proceeds from the Ballet Ball will provide ongoing support for the financial success of the Kansas City Ballet, the Kansas City Ballet School, and community education. Tickets for the Ballet Ball start at $250 and Benefactor Levels start at $1,000 and above. The Ball will feature the presentation of the Pirouette Award and special performances by the Kansas City Ballet. For those interested in attending or contributing to the Kansas City Ballet, please visit www.kcbguild.org or contact Melinda Petet at (816) 531-7114 or balletball@kcballet.org.

MAC Budget Update
Governor Jay Nixon announced another round of budget cuts and expenditure restrictions for the state of Missouri. These cuts included $4.4 million from the Missouri Arts Council, cutting a total of $204 million from the state budget. These cuts include 200 full-time jobs and 450 part-time jobs. Already this year the Nixon administration has made $430 million in spending cuts to the state’s $23.7 billion budget. Although these additional cuts are being made, the Missouri Arts Council has the ability to take money from the Missouri Arts Council Trust Fund to honor their grant commitments. The fund was created by income tax paid by non-resident professional athletes and entertainers. The $4.4 million expenditure restriction will be covered by the fund; therefore, there will be no cuts this fiscal year on arts council grants that were awarded in July. The monthly strategic grants program will also continue uninterrupted. For more information about the Missouri Arts Council, visit www.missouriartscouncil.org.

Shakespeare Fest 2010 Show
The Heart of America Shakespeare Festival announced their 18th season of free professional Shakespeare productions in Southmoreland Park. The 2010 show will be King Richard III, starring Bruce Roach as Richard. The show will perform June 15-July 3, 2010, with no performance on June 21. More information can be found on www.kcshakes.org.

Subscribe to KC Stage for the print magazine and online access to the latest issue. 

Cathy Barnett interview


Cathy Barnett, one of Kansas City's favorite performers, is a kick in the ass. She's joyfully verbose, wickedly funny and incessantly animated, all qualities she'll use to great effect as she stars in the Unicorn Theater’s upcoming musical “Grey Gardens.”

more at The Examiner

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Störling Dance Theatre interview


Collaborators Jeremiah Enna, Mona Störling-Enna and Tobin James are again uniting to share the story of a runaway slave, making her way north via the Underground Railroad in the dance performance titled “Underground.” The show will be at 7 p.m. Feb. 12 at the Music Hall. Jeremiah is the executive director of the Culture House and Störling Dance Theater. His wife, Mona, is the artistic director and James is the assistant artistic director. 

more at KC Studio

Special Touch Quartet interview


Barbershop music often conjures up images of four men in stripped vests and straw skimmer hats, singing music of a bygone era without instruments. Well, folks, the ladies have stepped up to the plate too and are finding sweet harmonies. 

more at KC Studio

Dec Film Clips by Larry F. Levenson

from the December 2009 issue of KC Stage
  • TLC’s What Not to Wear taped a show in St. Louis, surprising a Webster University professor.
  • Latin men 25 to 30-years old were sought for a national Keystone Light print ad to be shot in K.C. Wright/Laird Casting was the local contact.
  • The History Channel visited Missouri. A crew was in St. Louis and Ste. Genevieve working on a story about a duel that took place in the 1850’s.
  • OKNY, Inc. is looking for actors to work in the feature movie Around to be shot in K.C. Contact them at www.oknyonline.com.
  • K.C.’s RSVP Productions was working on a reality show entitled Bowling the Boss. They were looking for an employee and boss who work for a K.C.-area company. For information, contact them at info@rsvpfilmvideo.com.
  • Wright/Laird Casting, Kansas City, held auditions on the Country Club Plaza for a McDonald’s project.
  • Wide Awake Films is continuing work on Leedy, a documentary about Jim Leedy, the K.C. artist, and ceramicist.
  • Director C.M. Downs held auditions in K.C for Fetch, a feature movie to be shot in Nov. and Dec. You may contact them at casting@drippingdead.com.
  • HGTV shot in Ballwin and Kirkwood following two couples buying new homes.
  • Hermann, Hannibal, and Branson have are all being scouted for feature films and television projects. 
Subscribe to KC Stage for the print magazine and online access to the latest issue.

Top Rated Shows: Jan 4-11

Ratings - Top Ten Rated Shows of the Last 3 Months
  • 5.00 Dreamgirls - Ruskin High School Theatre (4 Votes)
  • 5.00 Palomino - Kansas City Repertory Theatre (2 Votes)
  • 5.00 Madeline's Christmas - Theatre for Young America (2 Votes)
  • 4.50 The Fontina & Gruyere Show - Byrd Productions (2 Votes)
  • 4.13 Into The Woods - Kansas City Repertory Theatre (15 Votes)
  • 4.00 It's A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play - American Heartland Theatre (3 Votes)
  • 4.00 Killer Joe - UMKC Theatre (2 Votes)
  • 4.00 Maul of the Dead - The Coterie Theatre (2 Votes)
  • 4.00 Martin City Melodrama's 25th Season! - Martin City Melodrama & Vaudeville Company (2 Votes)
Reviews - Five Most Recent of Past Performances
  • 5.00 HMS Pinafore - Lyric Opera of Kansas City (1 Vote)
  • 4.00 It's A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play - American Heartland Theatre (3 Votes)
  • 3.67 Little House on the Prairie - The Coterie Theatre (3 Votes)
  • 3.42 Cabaret - The Barn Players, Inc. (19 Votes)
  • 2.00 The Laramie Project (Undergraduate Fall Production) - UMKC Theatre  (1 Vote)
Rate or review events at KC Stage.

Takács Quartet and more music this weekend


The Takács Quartet, which has won Grammy and Gramophone awards for its recordings of all 18 Beethoven quartets, will perform a program of quartets by Haydn and Beethoven, at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Folly Theater, presented by the Friends of Chamber Music.

more at kansascity.com