KCMETROPOLIS.org
Kansas City's Online Journal of the Performing Arts

By Michael D. Smith   Mon, Aug 24, 2009

War is hell, but first there's political hell to pay in the often profane comedy In The Loop when a lowly British cabinet minister opens a Pandora's box during an interview and endangers secretive efforts by America and the United Kingdom to launch a war.

His press interview is smooth initially but when Simon Foster (Tom Hollander), UK's Minister for International Development, blunders by saying that war is "unforeseeable" the British government goes into spin control. Wanting to keep a lid on the prime minister's pro-war stance, foul-mouthed communications chief Malcom Tucker (Peter Capaldi) tries in vain to get the clueless Foster to keep his mouth shut.

Foster and his newly-arrived assistant, Toby Wright (Chris Addison) are sent to Washington D.C. where Foster, who's personally against the war, is used to show British support for war. However, Foster is only a hapless piece of meat as a struggle takes place within the State Department as to who is and who isn't on a secret war committee.

Mix in a temperamental U.S. general (James Gandolfini) and a tryst between Toby and his American counterpart Liza (Anna Chlumsky), which results in a pivotal press leak, and you have a political comedy that Stanley Kubrick might have been proud of.

Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove successfully reflected, in comedic form, the fear of a nuclear holocaust during the height of the Cold War in 1964. While In The Loop is not blatantly grounded on the modern day equivalent of terrorism, its story paints the American and UK governments as being hawkish, warmongering spin doctors who manipulate facts to suit their needs in spite of their ineptitude. Particular details reflect how the reliability of information provided to international governments in the months preceding the current war in Iraq was not truly questioned until after it had started.

For most of its running time, In The Loop is brilliantly clever with quick, witty dialogue that oozes dry British humor. Capaldi's tirades are hilarious and would even make Hugh Laurie's sour Dr. Gregory House blush. However, while Dr. Strangelove ended with a bang, In The Loop ends more with a whimper and should have either been trimmed down or had its last third given more juice.

On a letter grade scale from A being excellent to F for failing, In The Loop receives a B+.
    
In The Loop is rated R and has a running time of 106 minutes.

Now showing through August 27
Tivoli Cinemas
Westport Manor Square, 4050 Pennsylvania, KCMO.
Visit www.tivolikc.com or call 913-383-7756 for showtimes.

By   Sat, Sep 22, 2012

Click here to see all the  events on the KC Events performing arts calendar.


How do you list your events on KC Events? It is easy!!
As an arts organziation or musician, you can add and edit your own events.

KCMetropolis.org's mission is to promote traditional and independent classical music, dance, theatre and independent film. We are very sorry, but we do not cover pop, rock, Christian or country music; we do not cover the visual arts or non-performing arts community events. If you would like to send a press release about an upcoming performing arts event, please send to press@KCMetropolis.org.

KC Events Categories are:
Traditional & New Classical Music
Dance
Theatre
Jazz

KCMetropolis.org builds assignments for reviews, previews and interviews exclusively from KC Events.  Please make sure your events are listed inorder to be considered.

To Submit Information:

• Please go to the KCM front page and click on the login tab located at the top right-hand side of the website.
• Create a login account and then sign-in.
• Read the KC Events Terms of Service before proceeding
• On the left-hand nav is a category called Submit Content
• Click on Submit an Event or Manage Your Events.
• Listings will be approved with 48 hours if it fits the KCMetropolis.org criteria.

By KCM Staff   Mon, Aug 03, 2009

It is a quiet week on KCMetropolis.org as August slips away... September brings the official start to the new season and many, many choices.

Click here to see KC Events

Click on "View by Month" and check out all of the events in September and beyond.

If you are a performing arts organziation, you can add your own events to KC Events.  Click on LOGIN at the top right-hand side of KCMetropolis.org, create a unique login - and then follow the directions.

Read the KC Events Terms of Service

Click here for a  quick reference guide to loading in your events.

KCM says goodbye to Fiona's List
With the introduction of the new KC Events calendar and its extended features, 'Fiona' has decided that she can better serve the arts community by resuming her friendly weekly email.  Many of you may also receive the excellent concert recommendations from her husband, John Schaefer, canon musician at Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral. Please watch for both of these informative emails.

'Fiona" has been part of KCMetropolis.org since the first issue on October 5 and we wish her all the best - and applaud her continued dedication to promoting the performing arts in Kansas City.

 

By KCM Staff   Tue, Oct 28, 2008

By KCM Staff   Tue, Aug 25, 2009

The Arts Council of Metropolitan Kansas City is now accepting nominations for the 2010 ArtsKC Awards (formerly known as the BCA Partnership Awards).

 INTRODUCING NEW AWARDS THIS YEAR!

 Virtuoso Award
Will recognize an exceptional individual that has volunteered for a metropolitan area arts organization(s) or artist(s).

Ensemble Award
Will recognize a group of corporate volunteers (from the same company) for their extraordinary support (non-financial) of a metropolitan area arts organization(s) or artist(s).

PARTnership Award
Will honor a metropolitan area business for a partnership, program, or grass roots effort that had, or continues to have, a significant impact on a local arts organization or artist.

 Event Date, Time & Location
Friday, March 5th, 2010
11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Starlight Theatre's Enclosed Stage

 Eligibility
* Individuals and businesses located within the five-county metropolitan Kansas City area (Johnson and Wyandotte in Kansas; Clay, Jackson, and Platte in Missouri) are eligible for nomination.
* Business foundations must be supported by corporate funds and organized for the purpose of providing philanthropic support to be eligible for nomination.
* Winners of the 2009 Kansas City BCA Partnership Awards (listed below) are ineligible to receive the PARTnership Award this year.

Benefits
Each year, the ArtsKC Awards luncheon increases in popularity and is attended by more than 500 metropolitan area business and arts professionals. This is a good opportunity for businesses to showcase their commitment to the arts. Winners will receive:
* A specially commissioned original work of art
* Recognition in all event publicity - including the arts organization or artist for whom they volunteer
* Recognition from the podium and the opportunity to give remarks
* Feature article in the ArtsKC e-newsletter and website

 Deadline and Nomination Instructions
Self nominations accepted & encouraged. Nomination forms and supporting materials must be received no later than 3:00 p.m. on Friday, October 23rd at the following location:
Arts Council of Metropolitan Kansas City
Attn: Melvin Brooks
906 Grand, Suite 10-B
Kansas City, MO 64106
 

Additional Awards
In addition to the aforementioned awards, three businesses (small, medium, and large) and one not-for-profit organization will be recognized for their support of the 2009 ArtsKC Fund Workplace Giving Campaign.

ArtsKC will also present the Spotlight Award to an individual who has dedicated a significant amount of his or her time and talent to the Arts Council of Metropolitan Kansas City.

 Businesses/organizations and individuals are encouraged to self nominate and there are no application fees.    If you have questions please contact ArtsKC Awards Committee Chairman, Melvin Brooks at 816-517-5520 or wkdwnz@yahoo.com or ArtsKC Fund Director of Workplace Giving, Liz Albers, at 816-994-9223 or Albers@ArtsKC.org.

 

Tue, Aug 18, 2009

 Megan Birdsall
Wednesday, August 26 at 7:30 p.m.
Jardine's Restaurant and Jazz Club
4536 Main St., Kansas City, MO
For tickets call 816-561-6480 or online at www.jardines4jazz.com or www.meganbirdsall.com

 Sons of Brasil
Thursday, August 27 at 7:30 p.m.
Jardine's Restaurant and Jazz Club
4536 Main St., Kansas City, MO
For tickets call 816-561-6480 or online at www.jardines4jazz.com or www.stantonkessler.com

 Snuff Jazz Late Show
Saturday, August 29 at 10:30 p.m.
Jardine's Restaurant and Jazz Club
4536 Main St., Kansas City, MO
For tickets call 816-561-6480 or online at www.jardines4jazz.com

 Jeff Harshbarger presents an
Alternative Jazz Series
Sunday, August 30 at 7:00 p.m.
Record Bar
1020 Westport Rd., Kansas City, MO
For tickets call 816-753-5207 or online at www.therecordbar.com or www.jeffharshbarger.com

Rex Hobart and Friends
Tuesday, September 1 at 7:00 p.m.
Record Bar
1020 Westport Rd., Kansas City, MO
For tickets call 816-753-5207 or online at www.therecordbar.com or www.rexhobartandthemiseryboys.com

 

Want to be listed on "Giggin on The Steady"?  Send an email to info@kcmetropolis.org with your information.  We will be adding a new category to the KC Events calendar for Giggin in September - Watch for announcements coming soon.

 

Mon, Aug 17, 2009

Kansas City Symphony
Lyric Theatre
10^th and Central Streets, Kansas City, MO
For tickets call 816-471-0400 or online at www.kcsymphony.org

The traditional kickoff to the Kansas City Symphony season is the 'Pops in the Park' concert over Labor Day weekend at the Theatre in the Park, Shawnee Mission Park located at  I-470 and Renner Road in Shawnee, Kansas. Conducted by the Symphony's ebullient assistant conductor Steven Jarvi, the concert will probably feature favorites from Broadway scores and film music as well as a few classical spectaculars. Bring along your lawn chairs, food and friends for this free introduction to the Symphony season. The gates open at 5:00 p.m. with the concert itself starting at 7:00 p.m.

As for the fall portion of the Symphony's classical season, the local band invites a number of guest performers to its stage, including piano virtuoso Yefim Bronfman for the ravishing Brahms Concerto No. 2 (September 25-27), pianist Alon Goldstein for the world premiere of a new piano concerto by composer Avner Dorman (November 20-22), and cellist Alban Gerhardt in the splendid Dvorak Cello Concerto, this reviewer's personal favorite in the cello repertory (he joins a large crowd in that estimation) (October 9-11).

In addition, Symphony audiences should warmly welcome the return of the Symphony's terrific concert master, Kanako Ito, as a soloist in the beautiful Mendelssohn Violin Concerto (October 23-25).  Ito is the equal or superior of most of the touring violin virtuosos today, combining terrific technique with soulful expressiveness, and her previous solo appearances have been highlights of Symphony seasons past. The October 23-25 concert, by the way, also features Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 3, arguably the best of the six brilliant Brandenburgs, and Haydn's rarely performed but compelling Lord Nelson Mass, featuring the Symphony Chorus with chorus master Charles Bruffy. If you want to mark your calendar for a "can't miss" concert, this would be a good choice.

Conductor Michael Stern has also programmed a number of standard classics for the fall season, including the Rachmaninoff Symphonic Dances (October 9-11), the brilliant Sibelius Symphony No. 3 (November 20-22), and of course Handel's Messiah at holiday time (November 28), this season to be performed in the impressive Community of Christ auditorium in Independence.

Stern is a strong promoter of contemporary symphonic music, of course, so in addition to the Dorman piano concerto mentioned above, you will want to look for Christopher Rouse's Rapture, being performed at the season's opening concerts. This reviewer is unfamiliar with the piece, but the composer describes it as "a progression to an ever more blinding ecstasy."  Hmmm.  Better bring the sunglasses and the Valium.

 

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Lyric Opera of Kansas City
Lyric Theatre
11^th and Central Streets, Kansas City, MO
For tickets call 816-471-7344 or online at www.kcopera.org

The Lyric Opera presents two classics, at the absolute opposite ends of the dramatic spectrum, for its two fall offerings this season. Opening on September 11 and continuing through September 19 is Puccini's melodramatic Tosca, a story of intrigue, seduction, torture and ritual murder which takes place against the backdrop of the Napoleonic wars. Not for the queasy, Puccini's masterpiece contains one of the greatest soprano arias ever written ("Vissi d'arte") and not one but two of the favorite arias from the tenor repertory. And, we should not forget to add, one of the most dastardly operatic villains ever encountered, in the scheming Scarpia.

For its Tosca cast the Lyric Opera's artistic director, Ward Holmquist, has been able to procure some of the finest singers in these roles today. Soprano Lisa Daltirus, who has sung the title role in New York, Boston, Seattle and elsewhere, portrays Tosca. Her lover Cavaradossi is newcomer Rafael Dávila, tenor, who has sung leading roles with the companies of Sarasota, Puerto Rico, Tampa and Austin, along with opera houses in Naples, Salzburg and the Czech Republic.

The villainous Scarpia will be portrayed by baritone Greer Grimsley, who is famed for this role as the Metropolitan Opera and other companies. He also sings leading baritone roles with the opera companies of Seattle (where he is appearing in this month's Ring cycle), San Diego, Vancouver, Pittsburgh and others. Overseas he has appeared in Venice, Berlin, Copenhagen, Prague, Buenos Aires, among others.

The Lyric Opera's second production of the fall is Gilbert and Sullivan's H.M.S. Pinafore, as light-hearted as Tosca is heavy-handed. The cast for this delightful spoof of Victorian manners and mores will be led by Kansas City's terrific Robby Gibby Brand as Sir Joseph Porter (watch for "When I Was a Lad"), along with another baritone with Kansas City connections, Daniel Belcher, as Captain Corcoran. Tenor John-Michael Ball and soprano Ava Pine play the young lovers Ralph Rackstraw and Josephine; both are known for impressive performances at other leading American companies. H.M.S. Pinafore runs from November 6 through 14.

Special note for Lyric Opera veterans: The Opera has eliminated its Monday night performances this season, so your usual tickets may have been switched to a different night. Some opening nights are on Fridays and some are on Saturdays. So check your tickets to be sure you are certain of the night you are attending.

 

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The Friends of Chamber Music
Folly Theater (plus other venues)
11^th and Central Streets, Kansas City, MO
For tickets call 816-561-9999 or online at www.chambermusic.org. 

How do Cynthia Siebert and her Friends of Chamber Music staff manage to do it, year after year? The series brings in world-famous ensembles and performers at ticket prices that are only a fraction of what you would pay on the coasts. Well, we'll leave the secret of her magic with her, and just enjoy what The Friends of Chamber Music has to offer this season.

In the fall, in its Master Pianists Series, The Friends presents the 30-year-old Armenian virtuoso Nareh Arghamanhan in music of Mendelssohn, Beethoven, Chopin and Schumann (October 2, Folly Theater). Praised for her virtuosity, she has been winning Continental piano competitions since she was nine years old. So what were you doing when you were nine?

On October 24, the gorgeously blended a capella vocal group Anonymous 4 (to this listener they always sound like a lot more than four voices on recordings, but seeing them live is believing) in a presentation of scholarly works from 13^th century Spain (October 24, Visitation Church). This group of talented vocalists manages to unearth rare manuscripts of medieval works, and their performances offer us a fascinating insight in to the musical brilliance of bygone ages.

The St. Lawrence String Quartet, an excellent ensemble of two decades' duration, performs works of Haydn, Mendelssohn and Mozart (November 7, Folly Theater) as part of The Friends' International Chamber Music Series.

Another terrific singing group, the Tallis Scholars, reappears on The Friends stage with music by its eponymous composer Thomas Tallis, along with works of Josquin, Nesbett and Byrd (December 10, Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception). These brilliant interpreters of Renaissance music have delighted listeners around the world with more than fifty recordings, and are always a treat to hear.

The Friends of Chamber Music will also offer a "What Makes it Great" program with the effervescent Rob Kaplan and the Zemlinsky Quartet (November 14-15, locations to be announced), along with a free showing of the film Copying Beethoven (November 5, Tivoli Cinemas).

And that's only the fall portion of the season. The Friends will have more delightful concerts coming up for us after the first of the year.

 

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Harriman-Jewell Series
Folly Theater
11^th and Central Streets, Kansas City, MO
For tickets call 816-415-5025 or online at www.harriman-jewell.org 

The Harriman-Jewell Series always brings outstanding performers to Kansas City, and this fall is no exception. The series kicks off on September 15 with the virtuoso young pianist Lang Lang playing Beethoven's Apassionata sonata and works of Albeniz and Prokofiev. The following week we will hear another wunderkind, violinist Stefan Jackiw, who was so impressive in his series debut a few years ago, return to the Folly Theater. His program has yet to be announced.

This reviewer is eagerly anticipating the Kansas City debut on October 3 of tenor Lawrence Brownlee, a high-flying operatic singer whose career in the roles of Rossini, Bellini and the like has rivaled that of the famous Juan Diego Florez, who appeared on the Harriman-Jewell Series last year. Brownlee has established himself as an international star in the same repertory as Florez, and we are privileged here in Kansas City to hear them both, courtesy of Richard Harriman and company.

At the end of the month, another world famous operatic voice will appear on the Series in the person of Deborah Voigt (October 30). Voigt stars throughout the world in the operas of Wagner and Strauss, as well as other composers, and this will be an opportunity for you to appraise her artistry first hand.

Parthinia, a group of four players of viols, medieval stringed instruments, will perform an early music concert (December 13) featuring holiday offerings of William Byrd and other composers.

In addition to these strictly music performances, the Harriman-Jewell Series will also present a couple of dance performances, the Virsky Ukrainian Dance company (October 9) and the Parsons Dance Company, founded by Kansas City native David Parsons (November 13). The latter performance will also feature lead singers from the East Village Opera Company, a group which sings rock-music versions of operatic classics which may appeal to some ears.

In addition to the above, the Series presents pianist Boris Giltburg in a free Discovery Series concert on December 10. He has been identified as a "pianist to watch" by the acclaimed BBC Music Magazine.

Again, this summary only covers the fall season; the Harriman-Jewell Series will have many more presentations after the first of the year.

 

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Kansas City Chorale
Various locations
For tickets call the Central Ticket Office at 816-235-6222;
information is available online at www.kcchorale.org (no tickets available online)

Kansas City's internationally famed Kansas City Chorale, directed by Charles Bruffy, presents two concerts this fall. The first, given October 18 and 20, is entitled "Amazing Grace" and will feature music from Appalachia to the Great Plains, including gospel favorites and several different renditions of the eponymous tune.

The second Chorale concert will be a holiday offering on December 13 and 15, and will offer Benjamin Britten's A Ceremony of Carols, an arrangement of a series of medieval texts.

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Octarium
Corpus Cristi Catholic Church
6001 Bob Billings Parkway, Lawrence, KS
Visitation Catholic Church
5141 Main Street, Kansas City, MO
For information visit www.octarium.org

Octarium, Krista Lang Blackwood's eight-voice a capella vocal ensemble, is to this listener's ears the equal or superior of many nationally famous groups, and the ensemble's recordings make for revelatory listening. This fall the group releases its fourth compact disc, Modern Masters, and will offer a "release" concert on November 14 and 15 in Lawrence and Kansas City, respectively. The disc and concert include music of Lauridsen, Whitacre, Corigliano, Adamo, Hatfield, Paulus, Larsen, Mulholland, Clausen, Stroope, Mechem, Stucky, and Gawthrop.  In particular, the disc and recording will feature On Green Mountains by Steve Danyew, the winner of the 2009 Octarium Composition Competition.

Octarium's concerts are a treat for the ear; this one should be on your "don't miss" list this fall.

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Signature Series
UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance
White Recital Hall
4949 Cherry, Kansas City, MO
For tickets call the Central Ticket Office at 816-235-6222 or purchase tickets online at conservatory.umkc.edu/the_conservatory/signatureseries.aspx

The Signature Series at the UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance opens with the Cypress String Quartet on October 10. This group is a "Generation X Ensemble to Watch," according to Chamber Music Magazine, and appeals especially to younger fans. The quartet will also be in residence at the Conservatory for a time.

All of the other Signature Series performances, including a concert by Kansas City tenor Vinson Cole, now on the Conservatory faculty, will be in the spring.

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Lied Center
University of Kansas
1600 Stewart Drive, Lawrence, KS
For tickets call 785-864-2787 or online at www.lied.ku.edu.

The Lied Center presents many different kinds of performances throughout the year, but of special note to classical music fans are the Orquestra de São Paulo with percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie on October 9 and the Cypress String Quartet on October 28, featuring the music of Mendelssohn.  There will be more classical concerts in 2010, including one by the rising young America mezzo-soprano Sasha Cook of the Metropolitan Opera.

On the dance scene, the Lied Center is presenting the Trey McIntyre Project in a multimedia dance performance on October 23, "Ferocious Beauty: Genome" by the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange on November 7 and Soledad Barrio and Noche Flamenca, "the very heart and soul of flamenco," on November 14.

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Performing Arts Series
Johnson County Community College
Yardley Hall, Carlsen Center
12345 College Boulevard, Overland Park, KS
For tickets call 913-469-4445 or online at www.jccc.edu/home/depts.php/001440/site/toc_events

As always, Johnson County Community College is sponsoring a widely varied series of events at Yardley Hall this fall, but there are several which should be of particular note for classical music listeners. On October 30 Dame Emma Kirkby, an elegant British soprano, will join lute player Jakob Lindburg in a performance of Orpheus in England.  Earlier in the fall crossover artist Tommy Emmanuel, whose guitar performances bridge the pop and classical world, will perform on October 9.

For dance enthusiasts, JCCC is offering the Bad Boys of Dance on October 23-24, and the acclaimed Paul Taylor Dance Co. on November 13-14. There are two December holiday programs on the Yardley Hall calendar, the New England Sigmund Romberg Orchestra and Vocal Soloists in A Viennese Christmas on December 4 (two performances), and Cantus, a male chamber choir, in All is Calm on December 11.

Of course, more is to come after the first of the year at Yardley Hall, including Porgy and Bess in February.

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newEar Contemporary Chamber Ensemble
All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church (and other venues)
4501 Walnut Street, Kansas City, MO
For tickets call the Central Ticket Office at 816-235-6222.
Visit www.newear.org for information (no tickets available online).

newEar keeps Kansas City honest when it comes to contemporary music, with a variety of offerings from contemporary composers that will expand your horizons and, well, stretch your ears.

For its 17^th season this year, New Ear presents two fall concerts. On September 3 (White Recital Hall) and September 12 (Bell Cultural Events Center, MidAmerica Nazarene University, Olathe, Kansas) the group focuses on minimalist music with works by Terry Riley, Phill Niblock, Vladimir Tosic, Barbara Benary and others. This concert is part of the Second International Conference on Minimalist Music.

November 6 sees the group return to its home base at All Souls Unitarian Universalist Church with a concert entitled "American Currents," featuring the works of Stephen Hartke.

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Musica Sacra
St. Francis Xavier Church
52^nd and Troost, Kansas City, MO
For tickets call the Central Ticket Office at 816-235-6222 or online at www.rockhurst.edu/services/musicasacra

On October 18 Musica Sacra, Timothy MacDonald's estimable group which specializes in classical and ancient music performances of spiritual works, presents choral masterpieces by Palestrina, Vivaldi and Mendelssohn. The ravishing tones of Palestrina always bring this reviewer's ears back to the very origins of Italian Renaissance music, and his Missa Brevis is a masterpiece of polyphonic composition. Not to be missed.

Sacra Musica's second performance of the fall is a holiday concert on December 4 of music from the Italian Renaissance, including works of Boccherini and Corelli. Expect some standard Christmas carols to be on tap as well.

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 Kansas City Civic Opera & Kansas City Chamber Orchestra
Goppert Theatre, Avila College
123^rd and Wornall, Kansas City, MO
For ticket information visit www.kccivicopera.org.

The Kansas City Civic Opera and the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra are pairing together for a presentation of Henry Purcell's The Fairy Queen on October 16 and 18 at the Goppert Theatre at Avila College. Purcell's music, surprisingly dramatic and involving for a 17^th century score, has not been previously presented in Kansas City to this reviewer's knowledge. Chamber Orchestra conductor Bruce Sorrell will conduct and David Adams runs the Civic Opera's forces. The opportunity to hear this lively Elizabethan music first hand is not to be missed.

 

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Kansas City Ballet
Lyric Theatre
11^th and Central, Kansas City, MO
For tickets call 816-931-2232 or online at www.kcballet.org.

The Kansas City Ballet opens its season October 15-18 with artistic director William Whitener's version of Carmen.  The popular operatic masterpiece by Bizet has become almost as common on the ballet stage as it is in the opera house, with its exotic Spanish themes, gypsy protagonist, bullfighter antihero and heightened sense of drama. Whitener's version of the story garnered critical and audience acclaim when it premiered in 2007, and the piece returns this Fall to the Ballet's stage.

Also on the opening Fall concert are three other numbers, with choreography by Arthur Saint-Leon, Jessica Lang and Lev Ivanov.

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Wylliams-Henry Contemporary Dance Company
White Recital Hall
Performing Arts Center
4949 Cherry, Kansas City, MO
For tickets call the Central Ticket Office at 816-235-6222.

The Wylliams-Henry dance company, led by Mary Pat Williams of the UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance, will be the first out of the box for ballet companies this Fall with a concert September 10-2 featuring three performances. The choreographers are Canadian Josh Beamish, DeeAnna Hiett and Jose Limon. The Hiett piece, Shadows of Fate, is a world premiere, and the Beamish entry, Trap Door Party, is an American premiere. The Limon piece is a classic rendition of Orfeo.

We hope that this column has whetted your appetite for some of the outstanding classical offerings which our local organizations are producing this Fall. So get out that calendar, pick up the phone or access your web browser, and start planning for a full fall of artistic performances!

 

By KCM Staff   Fri, Aug 14, 2009

The Arts Council of Metropolitan Kansas City is currently seeking proposals for the 2010 ArtsKC Awards luncheon. Now in its 7th year, the ArtsKC Awards has become one of Kansas City's most popular events. Selling out to crowds of over 500 business, civic, and arts leaders, the event features some of Kansas City's best visual and performing arts talent.

Event Date: Friday, March 5, 2010
Honorarium: $400 per group
Event Location: Starlight Theatre's Enclosed Stage
Event Time: 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Application Deadline: Friday, September 18th - 3:00 p.m.

The Arts Council is seeking innovative proposals for up to 4 performances at the 2010 ArtsKC Awards Luncheon. The selected performances will be:

Specifications

• Diverse - vocal, instrumental, theatrical, dance, poetry, etc.
• Appropriate for all audiences
• Representative of the metro area arts community
• No more than three minutes in length
• In full costume (when applicable)

The selected performers' presence will be required at:

• One rehearsal either the day before or the morning of the performance. (TBD)
• The Awards Ceremony on Friday, March 5, 2010, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Starlight Theatre's enclosed stage, 4600 Starlight Road, KCMO

Sold out the past six years, selected performers will showcase their talent before more than 500 metro area business professionals and receive a total of $400 per group, a complimentary lunch and seating if space allows.

Benefits
Performers and their presenting organizations will be:

• Included in all event publicity
• Named in the invitation and program
• Included in an ArtsKC newsletter
• Included in the event's on-stage PowerPoint presentation
• Posted on the Arts Council of Metropolitan Kansas City's website www.ArtsKC.org.

Additionally, performers will have the opportunity to contribute to the event's gift bags.

The opportunity is open to organizations and/or performers residing in the five-county Kansas City metropolitan area (Jackson, Clay, and Platte counties in Missouri and Johnson and Wyandotte counties in Kansas).

Staging
Maximum stage size is 16' x 24' (slightly larger than the 16' x 20' diagram below) and will be supplied by Starlight Theatre/Epic Entertainment. Stairs to the floor will be positioned on both sides of the stage and are the only way to enter and exit the performance space.

Sound and lighting will be provided at no charge. All other expenses will be the responsibility of the performing artist(s).

Eligibility
With the exception of standing microphones, set and prop changes will not be made during the awards luncheon (unless the performers carry them on and off of the stage themselves).

Past performer include:
Alaadeen & group 21, Owen/Cox Dance Group, Heart of America Shakespeare Festival, Alacartoona, Quixotic, Pangea Piano Project, Kansas City Repertory Theatre, StoneLion Puppets/Esoke African Dance and Drum, Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey, KCYA Youth Chorale, Octarium, Puppetry Arts Institute, City in Motion Dance Theater, The Kansas City Boys Choir, Kansas City Symphony, Nine Mile Burn, Traditional Music Society, Ballet North, Heart of America Shakespeare Festival, Heartland Men's Chorus, Rainbow's End Theatre, Ten String Symphony, City Music Company, Coterie Theatre, Louis & Company, Lyric Opera of Kansas City

Interested performers should submit the following items by 3:00 p.m. on Friday, September 18, 2009 to The Arts Council of Metropolitan Kansas City, 906 Grand Boulevard Suite 10-B, Kansas City, MO 64106:

Submission Process & Deadline

Notification
During the first two weeks in October, applicants will be notified, in writing, of the selected performers.  Please contact, ArtsKC Awards planning committee member, Laurie Hess, at 816-843-7952 or mailto:lahess@dstsystems.com..  Previous ArtsKC Awards (formerly the "BCA Partnership Awards") are ineligible.

 

By KCM Staff   Mon, Jun 16, 2008

Many thanks to ArtsJournal.com's editor, Douglas McLennan
~ Formerly an arts columnist and arts reporter with the Seattle
Post-Intelligencer and the Seattle Weekly. Doug writes on
the arts for a number of publications (in his abundant free time)
and is currently acting director of the National Arts Journalism
Program while it reinvents itself ~

*To sign up for ArtsJournal's content in newsletter form*
please click here

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