KCRep Announces OriginKC: New Works Festival

Frankenstein, a haunting exploration of a 200-year-old horror tale and Legacy Land, a dark-comedy dive into the legacy of sexual abuse make their world premieres during Kansas City Repertory Theatre's annual OriginKC: New Works Festival, March 6-April 5 at Copaken Stage. OriginKC: New Works Festival engages audiences with the process of creating theater and gives emerging and established playwrights the resources to develop scripts for future seasons at KCRep and beyond.

"OriginKC: New Works Festival continues KCRep's ambitious 2019-2020 season by building on our success and helping to secure Kansas City's position as a great theater town for artists, writers and audiences," says Stuart Carden, artistic director. "The outpouring of interest and support for the annual festival reveals a keen interest in new works, and in how partnerships with major theaters across the country can expand the impact of the Rep's artists while strengthening our commitment to the community."

Frankenstein

March 6-April 5 | Copaken Stage

Opening Night: Friday, March 13, 8 p.m.

Writer and Performer: Kyle Hatley

Director: Joanie Schultz

Based on the story by Mary Shelley

Recommended for audiences ages 12 and older

High-resolution photos: https://kcrep.org/press

A storyteller, accompanied by a live musician, unravels Mary Shelley's iconic story of horrific transformation as a haunting and heartbreaking cautionary tale like none other. "That this classic is as important today as it was when it debuted speaks to the human condition," says Kyle Hatley, writer and performer. "We tell stories because they teach us we're not alone in our misery, our fear or our joy. And while this story is fictional, it is born from a place of suffering, isolation and true confusion over what it means to be alive."

Hatley, a 2011 Charlotte Street Foundation Generative Artist Fellow, directed, performed and produced when he served as 2008-2014 associate artistic director of KCRep. He also served as resident director for the Rep's 50th anniversary season and has graced many stages in Kansas City and Chicago.

Joanie Schultz, director, is a Chicago-based arts leader and director of theatre and opera. She is known for challenging and expanding audiences through diverse works. "Artists have something to say to this country, and I'm excited to be able to propel some of their new work into the world," she says.

Legacy Land

March 7-April 5 | Copaken Stage

Opening Night: Saturday, March 14, 8 p.m.

Writer: Stacey Rose

Director: Logan Vaughn

Recommended for audiences ages 18 and older

High-resolution photos https://kcrep.org/press

This unflinching and darkly funny saga reveals the bizarre legacy that sexual abuse imprints on the lives of sisters Barbara and Denise. Denise's unexpected Thanksgiving homecoming upends the plans that Barbara and her young lover Marcus had for a cozy weekend. When Freddie, Denise's domineering boyfriend, reveals the true reason for the visit, a battle ensues that unearths years of resentment and repressed memories. The sisters are forced to choose whether they will succumb to or overcome their family legacy.

Playwright Stacey Rose stated, "I am absolutely thrilled to be coming to Kansas City to premiere Legacy Land at KCRep! It's such a challenging piece and I truly appreciate the way the KCRep team has offered its love and support thus far. I'm hoping the play will resonate deeply with the audiences and foster empathy, a deeper understanding of the play's themes, and hopefully the motivation to heal."

"Legacy Land examines the power and deep necessity of forgiveness, and the courage of leaving who we once were in our past so that we might bravely love who we are now," stated Director Logan Vaughn. "Because it's within that space the possibility of peace and self-redemption can truly be accessed."

Rose, playwright, is known for groundbreaking work that celebrates and explores the identity and history of black people in America, body politics, and the dilemma of life as "the other." Her plays, which have won numerous awards, have been presented at local and regional theaters throughout the country.

Vaughn, director, has worked with The Public Theatre, Playwright's Center, Playwrights Realm and National Black Theatre among others. She most recently directed the world premiere of Stacey Rose's America V. 2.1 The Sad Demise and Eventual Extinction of the American Negro at Barrington Stage Company.

KCRep is proud to work with the Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault (MOCSA) to provide support and resources for artists and patrons as they explore and engage with Legacy Land. Learn more about the organization at www.mocsa.org.

OriginKC: New Works Festival Activities and Opportunities, March 13-15

Free and Open to the Public

A lineup of opportunities for festival participants to both see and learn about two world-premiere productions. Be there for staged readings of additional new plays and participate in discussions with distinguished panelists from the American theatre community the weekend of March 13-15. All activities take place at Copaken Stage, 1 H&R Block Way, Kansas City, MO, 64105.

Staged readings of new works

The Vast In-Between

The revelation that her neighbor is living a secret, double life shakes married, settled Cate out of a long emotional slumber and sets her on her own journey through temptation and deception. The Vast In-Between considers marriage's long and sometimes difficult middle stretch exploring how fragile love can be.

The Flood

Darren is hard at work on his masterpiece and Edith is hard at work waiting for him to finish it. It seems like she's been waiting forever. The kids are never around and when they are, they're full of accusations. Meanwhile, outside their apartment, the waters are rising, rising rising...

Friday, March 13

· 8 p.m. - Opening of Frankenstein, 8 p.m.

· After the show - Reception in the lobby

Saturday, March 14 (more info can be found at http://originkc.kcrep.org/)

· 9 a.m. - Coffee and continental breakfast followed by a welcome and overview of the day

· 10 a.m. - Keynote remarks from Todd London, head of the MFA Playwriting Program at the New School, School of Drama, and director of theatre relations for the Dramatists Guild of America. Q&A follows, moderated by Lisa Rothe, director of new works, KCRep

· 11:45 a.m. - Frankenstein post-show conversation facilitated by Kanomé Jones, associate producer at Victory Gardens Theater and casting director of Midsommer Flight

· 12:30 p.m. - Lunch for all participants

· 1:30 p.m. - Staged reading of and conversation about a new play, Flood, written by Mashuq Mushtaq Deen. Facilitating the conversation is Liz Engelman, director of Tofte Lake Center, a creative retreat for artists of all disciplines. An experienced dramaturg, Engelman has developed new plays for The Playwright's Center, Denver Center, South Coast Repertory Theatre and others. Head of playwriting and directing at UT Austin, she also has edited several volumes of plays and monologues.

· 3:45 p.m. - Snack break

· 4 p.m. - Panel discussion about new play development. Panelists include Todd London and Liz Engelman along with Jeremy Cohen, a renowned director and playwright who is producing artistic director at the Playwright's Center, and Michelle Volansky, a dramaturg, playwright and associate professor of theatre and dance at Washington College as well as associate adjunct professor at Columbia University and Kanomé Jones, associate producer at Victory Gardens Theater and casting director. Moderated by Lisa Rothe.

· 5:15 p.m. - Break for dinner; festival participants will receive a list of nearby dining establishments

· 8 p.m. - Opening of Legacy Land

· After the show - Reception in the lobby

Sunday, March 15

· 9 a.m. - Coffee and continental breakfast

· 10 a.m. - Legacy Land post-show conversation facilitated by Jeremy Cohen

· 10:45 - Coffee break

· 11 a.m. - Staged reading of and conversation about a new play, The Vast In-Between, written by Laura Eason. Michelle Volansky facilitates.

· 11:45 a.m. - Coffee and snacks

· 1:30 p.m. - Conversation with festival playwrights and directors Kyle Hatley, Stacey Rose, Joanie Schultz, Logan Vaughn and new play playwrights & directors. Moderated by Stuart Carden, artistic director, KCRep

· 2:30 p.m. - Festival Closing Celebration, including remarks, champagne, sparkling cider and chocolate-covered strawberries

Tickets and Information

For tickets to and performance information about OriginKC: New Works Festival, call the Box Office, 816-235-2700, or visit www.KCRep.org. For group ticket sales, call 816-235-6122.

Lead support for this production is generously provided by the Copaken Family Fund and the City of Kansas City, Missouri Neighborhood Tourist Development Fund. KCRep is underwritten in part by the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency, and an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.

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