Wichita Theatre Newsroom

Voting is now open for the 2024 BroadwayWorld Wichita Awards! Nominations were reader-submitted and now our readers get to vote for their favorites.

Being a fan of Alfred Hitchcock’s works, I was eager to see The Forum Theatre’s production of acclaimed Jeffrey Hatcher's new adaptation of Frederick Knott's Dial M for Murder.  Hatcher’s adaptation of the classic suspense thriller pays homage to the original and is a smart, tight, compelling update of Knott’s tale of jealousy, deception, and homicide. For those who have been fans of all things Hitchcock, The Forum’s production of Dial M for Murder will hit every nuance.  From the dangling burning cigarette to the ever-present liquor cabinet and the constant pouring of whiskey or brandy.

What did our critic think of BETWEEN THE LINES at Newman University?

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.

Time is running out to submit nominations for the 2024 BroadwayWorld Wichita Awards. Don't miss Thursday's October 31st deadline!

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.

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

What did our critic think of DEAR JACK, DEAR LOUISE at Kechi Playhouse?

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.

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.

Time is running out to submit nominations for the 2024 BroadwayWorld Wichita Awards. Don't miss next week's October 31st deadline!

There are just two weeks left to submit nominations for the 2024 BroadwayWorld Wichita Awards. The 2024 Regional Awards honor productions which had their first performance between October 1, 2023 through September 30, 2024.

The American Theatre Guild will present the holiday spectacular, CIRQUE DREAMS HOLIDAZE. This production will kick off the 24–25 BROADWAY IN WICHITA Series at the Century II Concert Hall Nov. 26–27, 2024.

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.

Guild Hall Players staged What the Constitution Means to Me, by playwright, screenwriter and actor, Heidi Schreck, the most produced show of 2023/2024. Nominated for a Tony and a Pulitzer, both in 2019, it’s a mini tour of the American Constitution, weaving personal accounts of how the seemingly distant, lofty, and perhaps decrepit, document plays out in actual American lives, namely, the lives of women. Directed by the accomplished Phil Speary.

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.

Dracula, A Comedy of Terrors is a Bram-new comedy that Wichita audiences can really sink their teeth into. Mix a dosage of Rocky Horror, a generous helping of Mel Brooks and a splash of Monty Python and the results are an evening of hilarity.

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.

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. 

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.

What did our critic think of THE MINUTES at Wichita Community Theatre?

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!