Leawood Parks and Recreation and the Leawood Stage Company are pleased to offer “Will’s Players” a camp presented by the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival. This half-day, one week camp will be held in the Lodge at Ironwoods Park, 147th & Mission Road in Leawood, Kansas, Monday through Friday, July 9 – 13 from 8:30 – 11:30 am.

Campers will explore literature and the life and times of Shakespeare while creating their own version of a play. Drama, visual arts and storytelling come together in this delightful camp.

This Camp Shakespeare offering is a Summer Education Program presented by the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival. The festival’s education faculty includes theatre professionals, actors, and teachers with years of experience teaching and performing Shakespeare.

Will’s Players campers will participate in games, crafts and improvisations. They will share their work with friends and family during the final day of camp.

“Will’s Players” is designed for children ages 5 – 8. The fee for the five day camp is $125.00 per camper.

For more information please call (816) 531-7728 or go to www.kcshakes.org.

Register for “Will’s Players” with either the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival or Leawood Parks and Recreation online at http://webtrac.leawood.org/, or by phone at 913-339-6700 x154.

EIGHTH ANNUAL “TAKING TEA WITH SHAKESPEARE & FRIENDS”

The Leawood Stage Company, Leawood Parks & Recreation, the Magna Carta Chapter of the Daughters of the British Empire and The Barn Players will host the eight annual “Taking Tea with Shakespeare” on Sunday, April 22^nd. There is nothing so quintessentially British as taking afternoon tea while enjoying the literature of Shakespeare.

Tea, along with a vast array of delectable tea sandwiches, scones and other sweets will be served by members of the Magna Carta chapter of the Daughters of the British Empire. During the tea, the Barn Players will present selected scenes from Shakespeare performed by Christiana and David Martin.

Doors of the Community Center will open at 1:30 p.m. and guests will be greeted with live music, Highland dancing, and displays by the sponsoring groups. A silent auction, raffles and door prizes will add to the ambience of the afternoon in honor of the Bard’s birthday.

Some attendees wear hats but there is no required dress code.

Seating is limited. Due to popularity, seats have sold out rapidly each year. Reservations are required and it is suggested that reservations be made early to secure seating for individuals at $17.00 per person or for a group at $96.00 for a table of 6. To make reservations or more information please call (913) 339-6700 x157.

The Leawood Stage Company’s production of Fiddler on the Roof will be performed July 12, 13, 14, 15 & 19, 20, 21, at the Ironwoods Amphitheater in Ironwoods Park.  Showtime is 8:00 pm, admission is free.

Additional information will be added closer to the time of the production.

Calling all actors, singers and dancers ages 7 through adult.

Leawood Stage Company is pleased to welcome Julie Ewing as director of her first production with Leawood. Julie has worked in video and film production and for many of the theater companies throughout the metropolitan area. Julie Ewing has put together an amazing artistic team consisting of Emmy Award winning Music Director, Darin Parker and Choreographer Marc Wayne, known to the Kansas City Arts scene for his work with Störling Dance Theater and his own acclaimed contemporary jazz/modern company Maxxas Dance Theatre.

 Fiddler on the Roof is simply Broadway at its very best.  This musical includes some of the most loved songs the world over. Its celebrated score by Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick features songs such as “Sunrise, Sunset”, “If I Were A Rich Man”, and “Matchmaker”.

Based on Sholem Aleichem’s stories by special permission of Arnold Perl, Fiddler on the Roof is rich in historical and ethnic detail. In the little village of Anatevka, Tevye, a poor dairyman, tries to instill in his five daughters the traditions of his tight-knit Jewish community in the face of changing social mores and the growing anti-Semitism of Czarist Russia.

The show has touched audiences around the world with its humor, warmth and honesty. The universal theme of tradition cuts across barriers of race, class, nationality and religion, leaving audiences crying tears of laughter, joy and sadness

We encourage performers with all types of backgrounds, ethnicity and experience from 7 to 77 to audition. Be a part of this fabulous community theater experience where the Leawood Stage Company focuses on family fun for the 14^th year. Fiddler on the Roof features great roles for adults and teens.

Everyone auditioning must be prepared to sing 16 measures from any musical, other than Fiddler on the Roof, with live accompaniment. There will be an accompanist provided so all those who audition are requested to bring sheet music in your key. Everyone should also be prepared to participate in a short dance/movement audition. Comfortable dress and shoes are suggested for the dance audition. Bring a photo and resume if available. No appointment time is necessary.

The production of Fiddler on the Roof will be performed July 12, 13, 14, 15 & 19, 20, 21, at the Ironwoods Amphitheater in Ironwoods Park.  Rehearsals will begin June 3^rd and will run Sunday through Thursday evenings.

Additional opportunities for staff, volunteers and orchestra members are available. For more information contact April Bishop at the City of Leawood, 913-339-6700 x157, or Email stageco@leawood.org, or go to the LSC website at www.leawoodstageco.org.

This production of Titanic: The Musical will honor the 100 anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. The musical is based on the true story of the maiden voyage from Southampton, England to the sinking in the Atlantic by an iceberg. The show examines the lives of the passengers and crew dealing with class issues, immigration and vulnerability in the face catastrophe. It opened on Broadway in 1997 and won 5 Tony Awards including Best Musical.

“Titanic’s” expressive lyrics by uplifting score by Maury Yeston, and brilliant book by Peter Stone, create a moving and memorable experience for the cast and audiences.

Directed by Shelly Stewart, with music direction by Kevin Hershberger, this Leawood Stage Company production will be presented concert style. Performances will run, Friday, April 13 thru Sunday, April 15, 2012 at the Lodge in Ironwoods Park at 147^th & Mission Road.  Admission is $5.

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Leawood Stage Company Presents Play Development Workshop

The Leawood Stage Company is pleased to present a free workshop on the Process of New Play Development in the Oak Room on the lower level of Leawood City Hall, 4800 Town Center Drive beginning at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, October 29^th.

You’ve seen new plays – but how do they get to the stage?  The American theatre is begging for new models of play development and there is widespread agreement in the field that the choices of new work nationwide are becoming homogenized.

The workshop will be presented by New York City based staff members Morgan Allen and Erin Detrick of New Dramatists, the nation’s premier laboratory for playwrights.  They will take participants through a crash-course in the old models, why they don’t work, and how New Dramatists is working to improve the quality of life for playwrights.

Morgan Allen is in his sixth season as General Manager of New Dramatists, where he oversees and manages bookkeeping/financial accounting, benefits administration and participates in budgeting and financial reporting, as well as coordinating the annual Spring Luncheon, among other responsibilities.  As a playwright, he is the co-author with Mitch Montgomery of Triumph of the Underdog, which was produced during the 2008 New York International Fringe Festival.  His short play, Leap, was featured as part of Prospect Theater Company’s Dark Nights Series in 2006 and can be seen as part of the LSC production of Six One Act Plays.

Erin Detrick is in her fourth season as the Artistic Programs Administrator at New Dramatists, and first had the pleasure of working with the organization as an intern in 2003.  Previously, she was the Publications Director for Playscripts, Inc.  With Playscripts, she co-edited Funny, Strange, Provocative: Seven Plays from Clubbed Thumb and three monologue collections.  As a dramaturge, Erin’s freelance credits include work with Actors Theatre of Louisville, Cleveland Public Theatre, the 24Seven Lab, Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre, and a variety of workshop productions.

The Leawood Stage Company will host this unique opportunity for audiences to learn more about the process of developing a script.  As part of our mission, LSC will present this workshop free of charge for the education of the community.  This New Play Development Workshop will be held in association with the Leawood Stage Company’s production of Six One Act Plays.

See a free staged dramatic reading of Six One Act Plays by four playwrights in the Oak Room on the lower level of Leawood City Hall, 4800 Town Center Drive. Friday and Saturday performances will begin at 8:00 p.m. with a Sunday matinee at 2:00 p.m. Following each performance the audience will interact with the playwrights in a question and answer period.  Discover how they were inspired to write their plays and about their process.

For more information contact the Cultural Arts Coordinator at the City of Leawood, 913-339-6700 x157.

Leawood Stage Company Presents Four One Act Plays

EVENT:               Theatrical Production of Six One Act Plays

DATE:                 October 28, 29 & 30, 2011

TIME:                Friday and Saturday 8:00 p.m.
Sunday 2:00 p.m.

LOCATION:    Oak Room, lower level of Leawood City Hall
4800 Town Center Drive, Leawood, KS 66211

ENTRY FEE:       Free Admission

The Leawood Stage Company is pleased to present a script-in-hand dramatic reading of Six One Act Plays by playwrights Morgan Allen, Catherine Filloux, David Hanson, and Richard Pauli in the Oak Room on the lower level of Leawood City Hall, 4800 Town Center Drive. Three free performances will be held on Friday and Saturday at 8:00 p.m. and a Sunday matinee will begin at 2:00 pm.

The production includes two plays written by Richard Pauli “Jack Makes a Deal”, a humorous twist on the Jack and the Beanstalk tale, and “Hanging Offense” a conflict between backyard neighbors discussing homeowner regulations. Also two works by David Hanson will be presented, “Buffer Violation” where businessmen make a deal in the men’s room and “The Boy Who Sang on Busses” a peek at the schoolboy’s quest to complete a homework assignment co-written by Hanson and his son Henry.

The lighter side of the production is balanced with 2 plays with a serious message; “Leap” based on a true story of a North Korean couple leaping to freedom and political asylum written by Morgan Allen, and “White Trash” a look at an environmental problem through the eyes of shorebirds by Catherine Filloux.

LSC will host a unique opportunity for audiences to meet the playwrights following each performance. The audience will interact with the playwrights in a question and answer period. Discover how they were inspired to write their plays and about the writing process.

Don’t miss this multiple works production and a chance to interact with the playwrights. For more information contact the Cultural Art Coordinator at the City of Leawood, 913-339-6700 x157.

Leawood Stage Company Holds Auditions for the musical “Titanic”

EVENT:               Auditions for a Concert Style Production of “Titanic”

DATE:                 November 5 & 6, 2011

TIME:                  Saturday, November 5   1:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, November 6     1:00 – 5:00 p.m.

LOCATION:        Leawood City Hall, Oak Room
4800 Town Center Drive
Leawood, KS 66211

The Leawood Stage Company will hold auditions for “Titanic” on Saturday, November 5^th and Sunday, November 6^th from 1:00 to 5:00 pm in the Oak Room of the Community Center, on the lower level of Leawood City Hall (enter the building through the north doors). Call backs will be held Sunday November 13^th by appointment.

This production of “Titanic: The Musical” will honor the 100 anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. The musical is based on the true story of the maiden voyage from Southampton, England to the sinking in the Atlantic by an iceberg. The show examines the lives of the passengers and crew dealing with class issues, immigration and vulnerability in the face catastrophe. It opened on Broadway in 1997 and won 5 Tony Awards including Best Musical.

“Titanic’s” expressive lyrics by uplifting score by Maury Yeston, and brilliant book by Peter Stone, create a moving and memorable experience for the cast and audiences.

Directed by Shelly Stewart, with music direction by Kevin Hershberger, this Leawood Stage Company production will be presented concert style. Be prepared to sing 32 measures from any musical with live accompaniment. There will be an accompanist provided so all those who audition are requested to bring sheet music in your key. Bring a photo and resume if available. No appointment time is necessary.

Performances will run, Friday, April 13 thru Sunday, April 15, 2012. Be a part of this unique community theater experience as the Leawood Stage Company begins their 14^th season of presenting high quality entertainment.

For more information contact the Cultural Art Coordinator at the City of Leawood, 913-339-6700 x157.

Playwriting Workshop
by playwright Kirby Fields

April 2, 2011

Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Oak Room, lower level of Leawood City Hall
4800 Town Center Drive, Leawood, KS 66211

Free Admission!

Leawood Stage Company Presents a Playwriting Workshop

The Leawood Stage Company is pleased to present a free workshop on Playwriting in the Oak Room of the Community Center, lower level of Leawood City Hall, 4800 Town Center Drive beginning at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, April 2nd.

The workshop will be presented by New York City based playwright, Kirby Fields. He will take participants through a discussion of a play’s structure and apply it to a number of examples. Writers should leave with an idea for a short play of their own.

Kirby Fields received his MFA in Playwriting from Carnegie Mellon University. His plays were developed as part of the Kettle of Inspiration Reading Series, the Michigan Theater Festival, the F.A.C.T. Words & Wine Series and Beginnings at Happy Ending. Fields’ play Flood was featured in the 2010 Samuel French Off Broadway Short Play Festival and another play was accepted at the upcoming NY 15-Minute Play Festival. He is a founding member of the 61A writers group and a regular contributor to PopMatters.com.

After growing up in Joplin, MO, Fields arrived at the University of Kansas for graduate school. While at KU, Kirby fell in with Paul Lim and English Alternative Theater (EAT), a theater company housed within an English department. Inspired by EAT’s commitment to produce student works, Fields decided to put down on paper an idea that had been brewing for a number of years. He wrote his first play over spring break and by fall it was in front of an audience. That was the turning point; playwriting took over Fields’ focus.

The workshop will be held in association with the stage production of Down on Memminger presented by Leawood Stage Company the same weekend. Down on Memminger is an exploration of a young man’s interaction with his family and former girlfriend as he deals with uncontrollable pain resulting from a lifelong physical aliment.

The Leawood Stage Company will host this unique opportunity audiences to learn more about the process of creating a script. As part of our mission, LSC will present this workshop free of charge the education of the community. Space is limited so reservations requested.

See a free staged dramatic reading of Down on Memminger by playwright Kirby Fields in the Oak Room of the Community Cetner, lower level of Leawood City Hall, 4800 Town Center Drive. Friday and Saturday performances will begin at 8:00 p.m. with a Sunday matinee at 2:00 p.m. Following each performance the audience will interact with the playwright in a question and answer period. Discover how Fields was inspired to write the play and about his process.

For more information or to make reservations, contact the Cultural Arts Coordinator at the City of Leawood, April Bishop 913-339-6700 x157.