Paula Makar

OMG what a fun time I had experiencing BEETLEJUICE at Century II last night! The audience was having a blast, whooping and hollering, and gave the cast a standing ovation at the end of it all!

I had the privilege of interviewing Patrick Oliver Jones, who plays Otho Fenlock, Delia Deetz’ closest friend and Interior Designer who helps her remodel her new home. Patrick also has several ensemble tracks, and understudies the roles of Charles and Maxie Dean. His many stage credits include the original cast of First Wives Club in Chicago, and the North American tours of The Addams Family and Evita. His television credits include co-starring roles on Blue Bloods and Law & Order: Criminal Intent. Patrick is also the award-winning podcast producer and host of Why I’ll Never Make It and Closing Night.

Roxy’s Downtown is thrilled to announce its upcoming production of Stephen Sondheim's acclaimed musical, Company, running from March 26 to April 12, 2025. This Tony Award-winning classic offers a witty and sophisticated exploration of love, life, and the complexities of modern relationships.

ICTRep (Wichita Repertory Theater) concludes its 2024-25 season with Agatha Christie’s classic courtroom thriller WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION, opening Friday, March 28 and performed in the iconic setting of the Historic Sedgwick County Courthouse at 510 N. Main.

Acclaimed by Frank Rich as 'a writer who illuminates the deepest dramas of American life with poetry and compassion,' Lanford Wilson is one of the most esteemed contemporary American playwrights of our time. Nowhere is this more evident than in his latest play, Book of Days, which has won the Best Play Award from the American Theater Critics Association. 

If you’re in the mood for a theatre piece full of atmosphere and passion, make sure you get to Roxy’s Downtown to see their production of Once. It’s heady, intense, and grabs you right in the heart, squeezes hard, and doesn’t let go. It’s quite the existential ride.

 Roxy’s Downtown is excited to present the 8-time Tony Award winning musical Once to Wichita, opening on Wednesday, February 19. Featuring all of the songs from the critically acclaimed film, including the Oscar-winning 'Falling Slowly,' this achingly beautiful, joyously uplifting show strikes an unforgettable chord in audiences.

What a pleasure to see Fiddler On The Roof performed with a live orchestra. It’s one of my favorites, and it’s being performed by the Wichita Community Theatre. You have one more weekend left to see it, as it runs until February 2nd. Forty people volunteered to bring the show to the stage. This large cast made me cry as I recalled the many memories I had performing in this much loved musical.

Wichita Community Theatre continues its 2024-2025 season with Fiddler on the Roof, with a Book by Joseph Stein, and Music by Kevin Connors, and directed by Misty Maynard.

Roxy’s Downtown begins the new year with the hilarious musical [title of show], opening on Wednesday, January 15. Packed with wit, humor, and toe-tapping tunes, this self-referential gem takes you behind the scenes of the creative process, revealing the trials and triumphs of bringing a musical to life.

If you’re looking for something family friendly to get you in the holiday spirit, I advise a trip to the Forum Theatre to indulge in a visually fun and entertaining production of Irving Berlin’s White Christmas. The beloved musical has become a Christmas tradition in many communities across the United States. It’s based on the Paramount Pictures 1954 film of the same name, which starred Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen, and was Hollywood’s all-time highest-grossing musical.

Black Ink Theatre Company Presents Alibi, an Original New Drama Exploring Relationships, Consequences and Justice, which has a limited run from December 6-8. Alibi is an entertaining and thought-provoking new play written by Kiera Abrienne, and directed by Cydnee A. Reese. This gripping drama delves into the lives of a seemingly ordinary group of friends on a cabin getaway. It is a unique perspective on the nuances of friendship and the secrets that can tear them apart. 

Wichita Community Theatre continues their season with A Christmas Carol : A Live Radio Play adapted by Joe Landry and Music by Kevin Connors.

The Forum Theatre is gearing up for its production of Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, which will be presented from Dec. 5 through Dec. 22.

Roxy’s Downtown is pleased to present the highly anticipated return of The Golden Girls, A Parody, back for its 8th season beginning Friday, November 1. Directed by Tom Frye, the beloved production promises uproarious laughter, heartfelt moments, and a nostalgic journey that pays tribute to the original television series.

ICTRep (Wichita Repertory Theater) will continue its 2024-25 season with MS. HOLMES AND MS. WATSON – APT. 2B, opening Thursday, November 14 at 7:30 p.m. in the Welsbacher Theatre at 19th and Oliver.

As I sat in the audience, waiting for the performance of War Horse In Concert, a Pops presentation for the Wichita Symphony, I overhead several audience members discussing their expectations for what they were about to experience. “Is this a play?”  “It looks like there are narrators!” “Is this different from a regular concert?” Most “In Concert” performances are based on well known musicals, but War Horse In Concert is based on War Horse Suite 2022, a symphonic work derived from the score of the play with the same name. The play is based on the original story written by Michael Morpurgo. War Horse: The Story in Concert premiered at London’s Royal Albert Hall in 2016, with music composed by Adrian Sutton, and the narration was adapted from the play script written in 1982 by Nick Stafford. The performance consisted of a very simple staged version of the piece, with multiple actors playing multiple roles, supplying dialogue at the important points in the story. There was also a main singer and a chorus to help convey the emotions that the spoken word can fail to supply. This allows the orchestra to feature the score so the story to be told by both the music and the word. A concert version is usually a scaled down production, sans sets, props, elaborate costumes, and in the case of War Horse, the puppets used to portray the horses. The audience is asked to use their imaginations, and their mind’s eye, to fill in the remainder of the story.

The Wichita Symphony Orchestra (WSO), in collaboration with Wichita Repertory Theater (ICTRep), is honored to present the North American premiere of War Horse in Concert.