KC Rep Sets 2015-16 Season: 'SUNDAY IN THE PARK,' 'ANNE FRANK' & More

Eric Rosen, Artistic Director of Kansas City Repertory Theatre has announced KC Rep's 2015-16 season, a diverse mix of cutting edge world premieres and re-imagined American classics. "With four world premieres balanced with three innovative stagings of American classics, it's among the most ambitious seasons the Rep has yet produced," Rosen said. "I'm particularly proud of a season that balances a collection of artists whose work is at the forefront of the American theater with stories that are powerful, moving, and deeply meaningful for our city and region."

A major step forward for this ambitious company is the opening of its newly renovated home at Spencer Theater on the campus of UMKC, where half its season is staged, in addition to its recently opened downtown theater, the Copaken Stage. "The completion of the first phase of the Rep's 50th Anniversary Campaign will make a long held dream come true," Rosen added. "The new Spencer, designed by the acclaimed team at Helix Architects, will give our audiences and artists a world-class facility to enjoy our nationally recognized productions. With two new lounges, beautiful new restrooms, greatly expanded spaces for 'public square' conversations, and a newly refurbished theater with brand new acoustical, lighting, and technical capacities, the home of the Rep will be as energetic and creative as the work on our stage."

The new Spencer Theater will open with performances of the Rep's beloved A Christmas Carol, and the first mainstage subscription production in the new theater will be The Diary of Anne Frank.

THE 2015-16 SUBSCRIPTION SEASON

Sunday in the Park with George
Music & Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
Book by James Lapine
Directed by Eric Rosen
Venue To Be Announced
September 11 - October 4, 2015

Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's stunning Pulitzer-Prize winning masterpiece is one of the most beloved musicals in the contemporary canon. The struggles of the great painter Georges Seurat to complete his famous "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte",are paired with the story of his fictional grandson, also an artist, to find his voice. Widely acknowledged as one of Sondheim's most breathtaking scores, Sunday merges past and present into a beautiful, poignant evocation of life, love and the quest for artistic brilliance.

Blueprints to Freedom: An Ode to Bayard Rustin
A World Premiere
Written by Michael Benjamin Washington
Directed by Phylicia Rashad
Co-production with La Jolla Playhouse
Copaken Stage
October 16 - November 15, 2015

In the sweltering political and racial upheaval of 1963, Bayard Rustin - the brilliant proponent of non-violent civil resistance - orchestrates an unprecedented march on Washington D.C. for jobs and freedom. Distanced from the Civil Rights movement by both internal and external forces, Rustin grapples with his last chance for professional restoration and spiritual redemption as he masterminds "a tribute to the ancestors" exactly one century after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. A World Premiere production directed by acclaimed actor and director Phylicia Rashad.

The Diary of Anne Frank
A Play by Frances Goodrich & Albert Hackett
Based upon Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl
Newly Adapted by Wendy Kesselman
Spencer Theatre
January 29 - February 21, 2016

In Wendy Kesselman's adaptation of the classic Pulitzer Prize winning play, the unforgettable story of Anne Frank is given rich new life, incorporating parts of her diary that were not included in the original publication. The triumph of the human spirit against unthinkable horror has profound relevance and meaning for every generation, and the Rep's production honors the brilliant mind of a young girl whose death came to embody the worst atrocities of the Holocaust.

Roof of the World
A World Premiere
Written by D. Tucker Smith
Directed by Eric Rosen
Copaken Stage
February 26 - March 27, 2016

This epic love story about a British explorer and an Indian spy plays out across the snowy landscape of Central Asia and the drawing rooms of London. At stake is one man's dream, one woman's destiny and the most precious jewel in Queen Victoria's crown. This thrilling adventure story will be brought to the stage by the Rep's Artistic Director Eric Rosen, who brings his trademark theatrical vision to the work of the exciting and talented D. Tucker Smith.

The Fantasticks
Books and Lyrics by Tom Jones
Music by Harvey Schmidt
Directed by Jerry Genochi
Spencer Theatre
March 18 - April 10, 2016

Harvey Schmidt and Tom Jones' musical fable The Fantasticks gives the appearance of a heartwarming tale about a boy and a girl, whose fathers lovingly hatch a plan to bring them together. But when they employ the sly El Gallo to assist them, nothing turns out as simply as they had hoped. The young lovers must experience the harsh and turbulent realities of life before they can truly appreciate each other's love, having grown wiser and more mature throughout their journey. Though the longest running musical in history, you won't want to miss the uniquely innovative and magical production from Jerry Genochio, acclaimed director of this season's An Iliad.

New Works Fest
Copaken Stage
April 22 - May 22, 2016
Curated by Marissa Wolf, Director of New Works

Fire in Dreamland
A World Premiere
Written by Rinne Goff
Directed by Marissa Wolf

A world premiere from celebrated playwright Rinne Groff (Saved!, Compulsion) and the Kansas City Rep directing debut of Marissa Wolf. In this powerful coming of age story, a young woman named Kate is seduced by the vision of an upstart Dutch filmmaker who has thrown himself into an epic film about the tragic 1911 fire on Coney Island. As past and present converge in this haunted, battered landscape, Kate must find a way to rebuild her own life amidst the ruins.

Lot's Wife
A World Premiere
Written by Kansas City Rep Artistic Director Eric Rosen

Adam Mace, a promising playwright with a troubling past, has written his first new play since the tragic death of his wife and infant child. Set as a 1930s noir thriller, his script raises suspicions that its author is actually confessing to murder. Old wounds between ex-friends and lovers are opened fresh as actors are made to play themselves, a director dreams of a career changing scandal, and even the dead take the stage to tell their side of the story in an epic meta-theatrical murder mystery that is at once heartbreaking and hilarious.

2015 HOLIDAY CLASSICS RETURN!

A Christmas Carol
Based on the book by Charles Dickens
Adapted by Barbara Fields
Directed by Jerry Genochio
The Grand Reopening of The Spencer Theatre
November 20 - December 24, 2015

Kansas City's favorite holiday tradition is back for its 35th season, presented in the magnificent new Spencer Theatre! A ripping good telling of the classic story of Ebenezer Scrooge, the curmudgeonly businessman who requires the intervention of a few spectral guides to understand the true meaning of Christmas and life. Complete with lively musical numbers, ornate costuming, and dashing stagecraft, Dickens' classic tale of hope and redemption continues to remind us what's really worth celebrating - at the holidays, or any time!

The Santaland Diaries
Written by David Sedaris
Adapted for the stage by Joe Mantello
Directed by Eric RosenCopaken Stage
December 3- 24, 2015

David Sedaris' hysterical tale of elfin' woe is a hilarious send-up of his brief, misguided career as a Macy's elf. Last year's hit production returns, featuring a hilarious score of twisted holiday favorites against the twisted landscape of Sedaris's unmatched wit. The Santaland Diaries skewers our sentimental love of all things Christmas-in a production that has become a beloved part of the Rep's annual celebration of the darker side of the holidays.

2015-16 season tickets range in price from $72 to $317. For subscription and ticket information for Kansas City Repertory Theatre's 2015-16 season, please contact the Box Office at 816.235.2700 or visit www.KCRep.org.

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