Paula Makar

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.

The William Inge Center for the Arts at Independence Community College, Independence Kansas, announces John Patrick Shanley as the Honoree for the 42nd William Inge Theatre Festival, which takes place April 17-19, 2025. Shanley will be presented with the William Inge Distinguished Achievement in the American Theatre Award. The Festival will include the 8th New Play Lab, a partnership with the Kansas Arts Commission and Independence Community College, performances, workshops, panel discussions and social events.

Wichita Community Theatre continues its 2024-2025 Season with Deathtrap by Ira Levin.

Join The Burford Singers, a volunteer community chorus showcasing talent from across Cowley County, for an unforgettable experience! Since 2012, the group has delighted audiences under the guidance of former Ark Citian John Dalton-White.

The Forum Theatre opened their 2024-2025 Season with a bang last week with the groundbreaking Rock Opera, The Who’s Tommy, based on the 1969 rock opera Tommy by The Who. If you have never seen this high-energy musical before, I highly recommend you see it before it closes. It is a unique piece of theatre that is not to be missed.

The Forum Theatre will present the  groundbreaking rock opera, The Who’s Tommy, a powerful story of a young boy's journey to self-discovery and the electrifying music that has captivated audiences for decades.

GUILD HALL PLAYERS presents WHAT THE CONSTITUTION MEANS TO ME by Heidi Schreck, which runs September 26-29, 2024. The 2017 play was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize and the Tony award as Best Play. 

Roxy’s Downtown is thrilled to present the regional premiere of Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors, a 90-minute comedic reimagining of the gothic classic, opening on Wednesday, September 25. The play was first commissioned by the Maltz Jupiter Theatre in Florida and premiered off-Broadway at New World Stages in September 2023.

The upcoming thriller 'A Very Flattened Christmas' will be shown at the Hyde Out, 452 N. Hydraulic, every Saturday in October at 8.

Things My Mother Taught Me is a sweet little situation comedy written by television writer Katherine DiSavino. DiSavino also wrote Seasonal Allergies and Nana’s Naughty Knickers. The play opens with Olivia and Gabe, both in their late 20s, moving from New York into their first apartment in Chicago together. Unfortunately their moving day doesn’t go exactly as planned, and is further complicated when their parents show up to help them! Then, to make matters worse, their moving van is stolen! This character study gives us an intimate look into the family dynamic.

Kechi Playhouse continues its season this September with Things My Mother Taught Me by Katherine DiSavino. This play is a comedy that looks at generational differences and how we can learn from everyone. The story follows young couple Olivia and Gabe who are moving into their first apartment together. They’ve just packed up all of their belongings and driven halfway across the country to start a new life together in Chicago. Their moving day doesn’t go exactly as planned, though, and things become slightly more complicated when all of their parents show up to help!

The Minutes, written by Tracy Letts, is a dark comedy that tells the story of a small-town City Council meeting, where the mundanity of local bureaucracy is threatened by a dark truth, and asks the question “What kind of town do you want to live in?”

Roxy’s Downtown is thrilled to continue its 2024/25 theater season with the evocative musical The Hunchback of Notre Dame, opening on Thursday, August 22. This lushly scored retelling of Victor Hugo’s epic story of love, acceptance and what it means to be a hero features a soaring score by Alan Menken with lyrics by Stephen Schwartz.

If you’re looking for a swashbuckling good time, do yourself a favor and see the original RomCom, Cyrano de Bergerac, at The Kechi Playhouse. Learn more and see how to purchase tickets.

On July 31, 2024, I had the privilege of seeing an incredibly scintillating production of MatildaThe Musical, presented by Music Theatre Wichita in the Century II Concert Hall. I’m ashamed to say I knew next to nothing about the book, but I have seen myriad clips of the musical numbers.

On July 24th, 2024, I had the great pleasure to see the storied musical Into the Woods at Roxy’s Downtown. This exceptional production runs until August 9, so hurry and get your tickets before they are completely sold out! I hear there are only a few select nights left. The piece moves at an engaging pace, is visually rich, and there are many delightful surprises that will keep you at the edge of your seat.

What did our critic think of TRAVESTIES at ICT Rep At The Welsbacher Theatre At The WSU Metroplex On Oliver & 29th? I had the unique pleasure of attending ICT Rep’s production of Tom Stoppard’s Travesties on its final performance. The comedy ran for one week, July 18-21st, at the Welsbacher Theatre in the WSU Metroplex building on Oliver & 29th. It was a delightful way to wile away a hot July Sunday afternoon. It brought back pleasant memories of youthful Sunday afternoons spent in the Court House Theatre at the Shaw Festival on Niagara-On-The-Lake. Scripts like Travesties are not de rigueur here in Wichita. Wichita Community Theatre presented Stoppard’s most well known play, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead quite a few years back.