For the first time, the Leawood Stage Company and Leawood Parks and Recreation Department are teaming up with the Starlight Theatre Academy to offer youth acting classes in Leawood!

SPRING CLASSES begin January 26th!

For class information, contact Starlight Theatre’s Education Department:
(816) 997-1134 or visit www.kcstarlight.com. 
To register, contact Leawood Parks and Recreation:
(913) 339-6700 x 157.

7 week classes only $140 per student! ($145 for non-residents)

All classes are held in conjunction with Leawood Parks and Recreation.

Grades 1-3

Acting I – Adventures in Acting
This class explores the basics of being an actor. Your beginning performer will gain self-confidence as they learn to command a stage and work with classmates to exercise their imaginations. Your child will use improvisation, movement, and storytelling to find character and their own voice. Every student will love this chance to expand their creativity through physical, energizing, and engaging theatre.  Family and friends of Starlight Theatre Academy students are invited to observe the final class session.

Dates:  Thursdays, January 26-March 8
Time:  5:30-6:30 p.m.

Musical Theatre I – Sing Out
This class will guide young singers to share the song in their heart. Children will begin to apply the basics of singing including breath control, vocal projection, pitch and more, in order to craft their skills as a young vocalist. We will work with students to develop confidence on stage and select songs that showcase their fun and unique personalities. Students will be excited to use their voices after learning how to manage and explore their own talents. Family and friends of Starlight Theatre Academy students are invited to observe the final class session.

Dates:  Thursdays, January 26-March 8
Time:  6:30-7:30 p.m.

Grades 4-6

Acting II – Journeys in Acting
This is the next step in developing your student’s acting skills as they explore more techniques in the world of acting with theatre professionals. Your children will stretch their creative thinking abilities by acting with classmates through improvisation and storytelling. Students will apply theatrical vocabulary, various acting techniques, and use of their bodies to create performances onstage. This is the perfect environment for students to build a performance through creativity and cooperation. Family and friends of Starlight Theatre Academy students are invited to observe the final class session.

Dates:  Thursdays, January 26-March 8
Time:  6:30-7:30 p.m.

Musical Theatre II – Showstoppers
Students will strengthen their skills and confidence as vocalists as they sing some of Broadway’s most popular musicals. Students work together to expand their group and solo singing skills through more advanced techniques. Your child will work with instructors to further understand proper breath control, phrasing, tone, and expressing character through song through more challenging selections.  Family and friends of Starlight Theatre Academy students are invited to observe the final class session.

Dates:  Thursdays, January 26-March 8
Time:  5:30-6:30 p.m.

The Leawood Stage Company is proud to announce the casting of the Broadway musical Titanic.

OFFICERS

Eric Magnus                 Thomas Andrews – Designer/Builder

Reed Uthe                      J. Bruce Ismay – Owner

Bob Allen                      Captain E. J. Smith

Gary Stang                    William Murdoch – 1^st Officer

Miles Wirth                   Lightoller – 2^nd Officer

Kevin Rehner                Harold Bride – Radioman

Graham Fairleigh         Fredrick Barrett – Stoker

Ray Zarr                          Henry Etches – 1^st Class Steward

FIRST CLASS PASSENGERS

Bill Ellwood                   Isidor Strauss

Vicky Delaughder      Ida Strauss

Greg Toplikar               John J. Astor

Sarah Montoya            Madeline Astor

Ken Kasten                      Benjamin Guggenheim

Debbie Blinn                 Mme. Aubert

John Van de Voort       John B. Thayer

Diane Garrett                Marion Thayer

Andrew Stout               Jack Thayer

Rob Halifax                    George Widener

Sonja Coombes           Eleanor Widener

Erica Baruth                 Charlotte Cardoza

SECOND CLASS PASSENGERS

Trudy Hurley               Alice Beane

Bill Bergman                 Edgar Beane

Jeff Williams                 Charles Clark

Sara Blakesley              Caroline Neville

THIRD CLASS PASSENGERS

Corey Schooler             Jim Farrell

Rachel Adcock              Kate McGowen

Alisha Garnier              Kate Mullins

Courtney Koval            Kate Murphey

ENSEMBLE

          Michael Abernathy

          JoAnna Bledsoe

          Erin Coleman     

          Jonathan Garnier

          Paula Harms

          Patti Howell

          MB Hurst

          Bianca Jordan

          Julia Kasten

          Rosemary Kasten

          Zach Lofland

          Meghan Newman

          Lexi Pudvan

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 Yetson, 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.

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.

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.

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE THROUGH April 3, 2011

April Bishop
Cultural Arts Coordinator
(913) 339-6700 ext. 157

Theatrical Production of “Down on Memminger”

April 1, 2 & 3, 2011
Friday and Saturday 8:00 p.m.
Sunday 2:00 p.m.
Oak Room, lower level of Leawood City Hall
4800 Town Center Drive, Leawood, KS 66211

Leawood Stage Company Presents “Down on Memminger”

The Leawood Stage Company is pleased to present a script-in-hand dramatic reading of Down on Memminger by playwright Kirby Fields 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.

Down on Memminger is the story of a young man’s interaction with his family and former girlfriend as he deals with uncontrollable pain resulting from a lifelong physical aliment. Directed by Petra Allen, Down on Memminger features actors Paul Anderson, Whitney Beiler, Irene Blend and Michael Bunn.

LSC will host a unique opportunity for audiences to meet playwright, Kirby Fields. 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.

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.

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

The Leawood Stage Company is proud to announce the casting of the following people for the Broadway musical Sunday in the Park with George:

The Leawood Stage Company is pleased to welcome Barbara Nichols and Martha Risser as Director and Music Director, for the first time in Leawood. This will be Kevin Bogan’s first time on the LSC stage, although he has been the MusicDirector for three productions and Directed “Annie Get Your Gun” in the summer of 2008.

LSC will present the Broadway musical Sunday in the Park with George as a concert style production in the Lodge at Ironwoods Park, 14701 Mission Road, Leawood, KS 66224. Friday and Saturday October 15^th and 16^th, performances will begin at 8:00 p.m. Evening performances will be table seated “Dessert Theater”, featuring dessert and beverages for $10 per person or $70 per table of 8.

A free Sunday matinee on October 17th will be theater style seating with no food or
drinks beginning at 2:00 pm.

Sunday in the Park with George is the perfect date night or an event for a group!

Reservations are required for all three performances. For more information, or to make reservations phone 913-339-6700 x157 or email aprilb@leawood.org.
]]> http://leawoodstageco.org/2010/09/08/leawood-stage-company-announces-%e2%80%9csunday-in-the-park-with-george%e2%80%9d-cast/feed/ 0 http://leawoodstageco.org/2009/08/28/leawood-stage-company-announces-%e2%80%9cshe-loves-me%e2%80%9d-cast/ http://leawoodstageco.org/2009/08/28/leawood-stage-company-announces-%e2%80%9cshe-loves-me%e2%80%9d-cast/#comments Fri, 28 Aug 2009 21:47:00 +0000 admin http://leawoodstageco.org/?p=93

The Leawood Stage Company is proud to announce the casting of the following people for the Broadway musical She Loves Me:

LSC is pleased to welcome Steven Eubank as director for the first time in Leawood. We welcome back Kevin Bogan as musical director for his third Leawood show.

She Loves Me will be presented as a concert style production in the Oak Room on the lower level of Leawood City Hall, 4800 Town Center Drive. Two performances will feature “Dessert Theater” style table seating.  Dessert and beverages will be served for $10 per person or $70 per table of 8 on Friday and Saturday October 9^th and 10^th. Performances begin at 8:00 p.m.

A free Sunday matinee will be theater style seating with no food or drinks beginning at 2:00 pm. All performances will be held in the Oak Room of Leawood City Hall, 4800 Town Center Lane, Leawood, Kansas 66211

She Loves Me based on the play Parfumerie by Miklos Laszlo is considered by many to be the most charming musical ever written.

Book by Joe Masteroff, music by Jerry Brock, and lyrics by Sheldon Hanick. She Loves Me was originally Directed and produced on Broadway by Harold Prince in association with Lawrence N. Kaska and Phillip C. McKenna.  The original orchestration was by Don Walker and adapted by Frank Matosich, Jr.

Adaptations of Parfumerie spawned this musical and three films; The Shop Around the Corner in 1940 starring Margaret Sullivan and James Stewart, a musical version In the Good Old Summertime in 1949 starring Judy Garland and Van Johnson, and most recently in 1998 You’ve Got Mail starring Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks.

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