THE ROOMMATE, UNCLE VANYA, and More Set For Kansas City Actors Theatre's 2025/2026 Season

Kansas City Actors Theatre has announced the line-up for its 21st Season, running from May 2025 through March 2026. The 2025-2026 season will feature a smartly adapted Russian-theatre classic, an unique modern update on a Tudor-era morality play, a new work fresh from Broadway, and one of the definitive thrillers of the stage.

The four plays featured in KCAT’s Season 21 are The Roommate by Jen Silverman; Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov, translated by Richard Nelson, Richard Pevear, and Larissa Volokhonsky; Deathtrap by Ira Levin; and Everybody by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins. All four productions in Season 21 will take place at the City Stage in Union Station.

“We are hoping to build on the momentum of our very successful 20th Anniversary Season, and I think we’ve got a great line-up of shows to do just that,” said Board President John Rensenhouse. “It’s a wonderful mix of classic, innovative, and entertaining work.”

The season will kick off in May 2025 with The Roommate by Jen Silverman, fresh off its critically acclaimed Broadway debut. “The Roommate is an "Odd Couple" for today with lots of that same comedic payoff,” says Darren Sextro, KCAT Artistic Committee Co-Chair and director of The Roommate. The play follows two women from very different walks of life, as they become not only reluctant roommates, but also unexpected friends who change each other’s lives. “What I most love about Jen Silverman's script is that it demonstrates that, no matter how far along we are in our lives, we can still choose to change how we self-define, to alter our paths forward,” adds Sextro. This two-person play will feature Carla Noack and Jan Rogge, and will run from May 28 to June 15, 2025.

Up next, for the first time in KCAT’s 21-year history, comes a play from the seminal Russian playwright Anton Chekhov, Uncle Vanya, in an exhilarating new version translated by Richard Nelson, Richard Pevear, and Larissa Volokhonsky. Pairing one of the greatest plays ever written, with one of the world’s most celebrated Russian translators, this new version is shorter, more intimate, and deeply human. “Uncle Vanya embodies KCAT’s mission of exploring humanity with intelligence, sensitivity, and humor,” says Matt Schwader, KCAT Company Member and director of Uncle Vanya. “This unique adaptation, performed by a cast featuring many of KCAT’s core company members, captures Chekhov’s masterful blend of bittersweet humor and poignant insight. With this extraordinary ensemble, audiences will experience a truly special journey—one that celebrates the complexity, resilience, and beauty of the human spirit.” Mixing the tragic with the absurd in this study of Russian middle-class life, as Vanya and his niece Sonya care for the estate of Vanya’s brother-in-law. When the brother-in-law returns with a new wife, affairs are made known, flirtation brings disaster, and the lives of the family come undone. Uncle Vanya will be presented from August 6 to 24, 2025, with a cast featuring KCAT Company Members Chioma Anyanwu, Hillary Clemens, Nedra Dixon, Jerry Mañan, and Victor Raider-Wexler, with the remainder of the cast to be announced.

From September 10 to 28, 2025 KCAT will bring one of the longest-running Broadway thrillers of all time to Kansas City audiences with Ira Levin’s Deathtrap. A washed-up writer of Broadway thrillers is struggling to find his next great idea, but when a former student of his brings a thrilling new script to his doorstep, he sees a chance to make it big once more. It might just be a chance he’ll kill for! Deathtrap is filled with hilarity and twists in equal measure, leaving audiences glued to the stage until its exciting final moments. It will be directed by Ile Haggins, and features KCAT Company Members Brian Paulette and Christina Schafer, with the remainder of the five-person cast to be announced.

The final show of Season 21, Everybody, comes from a playwright who is a Pulitzer Prize finalist, recent Tony Award® winner, and recipient of the MacArthur Genius Award, whose work embodies KCAT’s motto of “Smart Plays.” A modern riff on the 15th Century morality play, Everyman, it follows the main character of “Everybody” as they journey through life’s greatest mystery: its own meaning. It’s a meta-adaptation with a unique twist, where the role of “Everybody” is chosen by lottery every night. “Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' Everybody is a daring and provocative reimagining of morality plays, challenging audiences to confront their own mortality with humor and unflinching honesty,” says Vanessa Severo, director of Everybody. “This bold choice to stage such a profound and thought-provoking work is a testament to KCAT’s artistic vision and commitment to artistic excellence, pushing creative boundaries, and their dedication to presenting meaningful theater.” Everybody will run from March 4 to 22, 2026 featuring KCAT Company Members Teisha Bankston, Cinnamon Schultz, and John Rensenhouse with the remainder of the nine-person ensemble to be announced.

“Our Artistic Committee has assembled a season that carefully honors every area of our mission. Notably, we've done this by also choosing stories that are smartly crafted with great potential to connect emotionally with our audiences,” said Darren Sextro, Co-Chair of KCAT’s Artistic Committee. Teisha Bankston, Artistic Committee Co-Chair adds, “This collection of plays invites us to collectively think and feel, and perhaps laugh and cry, as we grow. It is a reminder of the simple essence of what it means to be human. As an actors’ theatre, we set forth to craft grounded, visceral narratives, which all four of these plays are. In Season 21 we continue to present: ‘Great Actors. Smart Plays.’”

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