KANSAS CITY, MO.: Kansas City Repertory Theatre has announced its 2020-21 season, the first under new artistic director Stuart Carden.
“From new works to what has become a holiday tradition for 40 years running, our new season is ambitious and expansive,” said Carden in a statement. “It will keep audiences’ toes tapping, their hearts racing, and their imaginations soaring with stories and characters that bring the joys and struggles we all share into new, sharper focus. It’s a lineup that will help cement Kansas City’s reputation as a great theater town for artists, writers, and audiences.”
The season will commence with The Old Man and The Old Moon (Sept. 11-Nov. 4), written by PigPen Theatre Co. This brand-new American fable chronicles the Old Man as he battles land, sea, and sky to find his missing wife. This production, which will feature a live indie-folk band and puppetry, will be directed by Carden in collaboration with PigPen Theatre Co.
Just in time for Halloween is Kate Hamill’s new adaptation of Dracula (Oct. 16-Nov. 8), based on the classic novel by Bram Stoker. This version promises to turn the familiar tale on its head with Hamill’s signature style and postmodern wit.
Next up is Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol (Nov. 20-Dec. 27), which will performed for its 40th year at KCRep in 2020. This beloved Kansas City holiday tradition will be directed by Jason Chanos.
Kicking off the new year is Marco Ramirez’s The Royale (Jan. 29-Feb. 21, 2021). This new play is inspired by real-life boxer Jack Johnson, a Black man at the height of the Jim Crow era who became the heavyweight champion of the world. Stuart Carden and Stephanie Paul will direct.
From Feb. 19 to March 21, 2021, Flood, by Mashuq Mushtaq Deen, and The Vast In-Between, by Laura Eason, will be performed in repertory as part of OriginKC: New Works Festival. Flood follows Darren as he tries to finish his masterpiece despite rising waters outside his house. The Vast In-Between watches married Cate as she journeys through temptation and deception to uncover the double life of her neighbor.
The season concludes with In the Heights (March 19-April 11, 2021), a splashy musical from composer/lyricist Lin-Manuel Miranda and playwright Quiara Alegria Hudes. In the Heights examines the vibrant New York community of Washington Heights, a neighborhood on the brink of change, and questions which traditions you take with you and which ones you leave behind.
Kansas City Repertory Theatre was founded in 1964. Its mission is to advance the art form while cultivating passionate audiences, artists and advocates to invest in its region’s creative future. It serves as the professional theatre in residence at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
