Kansas City Actors Theatre Mounts Regional Premiere of MY OLD LADY

Kansas City Actors Theatre will continue its Season Twelve on January 14th, 2017 with award-winning author Israel Horovitz's play My Old Lady, directed by Darren Sextro.

Kansas City Actors Theatre introduces an acclaimed but neglected playwright with this, his love letter to France. When a failed American novelist inherits a luxurious but crumbling Paris apartment, he's sure his fortune has turned...until he learns that the apartment comes with a nonagenarian tenant and her spinster daughter. Not only is this a Kansas City premiere, but it is the first time an Israel Horovitz play has been professionally produced here in nearly 25 years.

"We're a bit obsessed with sharing writers that are rarely, if ever, produced here in Kansas City," says Darren Sextro, director of My Old Lady. He previously directed KCAT's production of Crimes of the Heart and is a member of the KCAT Artistic Board. "We're kind of fascinated with Horovitz because he's such a cool guy and he's done so much over the decades. Recently he's done work that honors the vibrant and romantic lives of older people, but the bottom line is that he has an interesting perspective on the world, and nothing of his has been produced on a KC stage in more than 20 years."

The cast of My Old Lady, Kathleen Warfel, David Fritts and Jan Rogge, all have been a part of Kansas City's professional theatre scene for at least 30 years. "Working with three artists who have this well-established of a working relationship is a rarity," Sextro says, "probably because the nature of professional theatre is so transitory, and the idea of a single production completely populated with artists who have a 30-year on-and-off working relationship with each other is rare." Sextro is intrigued to see how their years of experience have helped these artists develop a process for how they go about working together.

With a large slate of plays to choose from, Sextro said that KCAT chose My Old Lady because, "We know that a core part of our audience likes to see themselves on stage...older people who still want so much out of life but are already being discounted. It also helps that the show is funny and romantic and provides three great acting roles, especially two for middle-aged and older women, which is an artistic group that deserves more opportunities than they're offered."

As mentioned, the cast features Kansas City Actors Theatre's Artistic Committee Member Jan Rogge as Chloe, Kathleen Warfel as Mathilde, and David Fritts as Mathias.

Performances will take place at Union Station's H&R Block City Stage Previews start January 11th, opening night will be January 14thand performances will conclude on January 29th,

Audience talk-backs will follow performances on January 18 and January 27.

For tickets, call the Central Ticket Office at 816-235-6222 or go to www.kcactors.org.

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