By ALAN HOSKINS, Kansan Contributor

An intricate, time-traveling comic thriller that delighted audiences in London and New York, “Communicating Doors,” will be performed at Kansas City Kansas Community College Thursday through Sunday, April 1-4.

Directed by Sean Taylor of the KCKCC Department of Theatre, the play will be presented at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday in the Performing Arts Center on the KCKCC campus at 7250 State Avenue. 

The comic thriller by Alan Ayckbourn evolves around a London sex specialist from the future named Poopay and played by Brandy Hoover of Bonner Springs.

By happenstance, Poopay stumbles into a murder plot that sends her, compliments of a unique set of hotel doors, traveling back in time.

She and two women who were murdered, Ashley Gerni of SM Northwest and Skye Reid of Baldwin, race back and forth in time trying to re-write history and prevent their own violent ends.

The frantic race begins when Poopay is hired for an evening at the Regal Hotel by an old man played by Brett Baker of Newton who eschews a fling in favor of confessing his role in the demise of his wives.

The old man’s sinister business associate is played by Jonathan Humphrey of Shawnee Mission Christian while Topeka grad Brandon Durkes plays the detective who is called in to help solve the thriller in which Poopay becomes a target and flees into the vestibule and somehow triggers the time machine.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students and senior citizens and are available at the door at each performance.

PHOTO: Bonner Springs graduate Brandy Hoover (foreground) plays the lead role in the Kansas City Kansas Community College comic thriller “Communicating Doors” that will also feature (from left) Brandon Durkes, Ashley Gerni, Brett Baker, Skye Reid and Jonathan Humphrey in performances April 1-4. (KCKCC Photo by Dr. Charles Leader)

Imago Dei is pleased to announce the fall exhibition of No Hope No Faith, featuring works of calligraphy and woodcuts by Kansas City area artist David Johnson. 

The opening reception, scheduled for Sunday, December 13th from 5 – 8 p.m., will be held at the Imago Dei Arts Center located at 1015 Minnesota Ave, Kansas City, Kan 66101.

“We are incredibly honored to display the work of an artist as talented and accomplished as David,” said Lori Triplett, Executive Director of Imago Dei. “Imago Dei is committed to bringing artistic excellence into the local community and this exhibition of David’s work is a great encouragement to our mission.”

David Johnson was a professor of art at William Jewell College for 30 years. 

He has exhibited internationally in multiple group and solo exhibitions over five decades. His work is also featured in numerous public and private collections.

“I have enjoyed the challenge of each process and medium encountered I’ve encountered in my professional career,” said Johnson. “Teaching art as well as creating art consists, in one sequence or another, of observing, thinking, experimenting and responding.”

The work of David Johnson will be on display from December 1st, 2009 to January 2nd, 2010. The Imago Dei Arts Center is open from 10am to 5pm, Tuesday through Saturday.

Tracy Thomas gets ready to deliver a blow to her stalker played by LeVance Rucker while her roommates, Vanessa Hall and Megan Buchanan (right) look on in a scene from the Kansas City Kansas Community College Drama Club’s production of “Extremities” to be performed Thursday through Sunday, Nov. 19-22. (KCKCC Photo by Charles Leader)

From ALAN HOSKINS, Kansan Contributor

Coming on the heels of its highly acclaimed performance of “Rent,” the Kansas City Kansas Community College Drama Club will perform William Mastroimone’s raw and brazen “Extremities” Thursday through Sunday, Nov. 19-22.

Directed by Vicki Wendt, performances will be at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and at 2:30 p.m. Sunday in the College’s Performing Arts Center at 7250 State Avenue. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students and senior citizens and can be purchased at the door.

Fast-paced, violent and sometimes cruel, “Extremities” tells the tale of a stalker, who intrudes up an unemployed young woman who he attempts to rape. However, she swiftly turns the tables, caging him in a fire place and torturing him.

Tracy Thomas, a graduate of Wyandotte High School pursing a degree in Theatre, portrays Marjorie, the subject of the advances of Raul, the stalker played by LeVance Rucker of Clinton, Mo., who is making his acting debut.

The significance of “Extremities” is in the behavior, especially of Marjorie towards Raul, and her roommates who must also deal with the situation. Their roles are played by Vanessa Hall (Terry), a Theatre major who graduated from Turner High School, and Megan Buchanan (Patricia), a graduate of F.L. Schlagle majoring in Elementary Education and Theatre.

A 2008 graduate of KCKCC with an Associate of Arts Degree in Theatre, Wendt is directing her third play for the college. A Washington High School graduate, she has also written three plays produced at KCKCC and been involved in more than a half-dozen other college productions.

Wendt’s husband, Charles Wendt, is in charge of set design while other contributing personnel include Sharon Chase, lighting; Brandy Hoover, property; Skye Reid, costumes; Ian Corbett, sound; Felicia Drury and Jamie Shurtz, graphic design; and Tiffany Garrison-Schweigert, technical direction.

From ALAN HOSKINS, Kansan Contributor:

Outstanding clinicians will work with four area high schools and two jazz combos in a High School Jazz Workshop at Kansas City Kansas Community College Tuesday, Nov. 24.

Saxophonist Chris Burnett, brass specialist Stephanie Bryan and rhythm section specialists James Albright and Scott Prebys will work with the high school bands and KCKCC combos in the workshop to be held in the Performing Arts Center on the KCKCC campus at 7250 State Avenue.

The Tonganoxie High School Jazz Band will open the workshop at 8 a.m. followed by Shawnee Mission North, 9 a.m.; Turner, 10 a.m.; Lansing, 11 a.m.; and two KCKCC jazz combos at noon.

The workshop will be followed by KCKCC’s annual Fall Jazz Concert to be held Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the Performing Arts Center.

Percussion specialist Scott Prebys, the winner of the North Dakota Governor’s Award, will be featured on the Zen Drum, vibraphone and steel drum.

The concert will also feature KCKCC’s multi-award winning Jazz Band and 11 a.m. Jazz Combo along with the 3 p.m. Jazz Combo, Latin Band and Blue Devil Big Band.

Native Americans Joey Criddle (right) and Crisosto Apache (left) will present a program on “Embracing Two-Spirit Traditions” at Kansas City Kansas Community College Thursday, Nov. 12.

Open to the public without charge, the program will be held from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. in Room 2325 on the lower level of the Jewell Center.   

Sponsored by the OQS Diversity Club, Campus Forum, Intercultural Center and Women’s Resource Center, original “traditional American values” and the personal and cultural perspectives will be presented. A reception will follow.

Native American Two-Spirit Traditions embrace gender diversity and have a positive outlook on the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community, which is seen as having the gift of two spirits, both male and female. Transgender individuals are seen as even more sacred because of their physical embodiment. As such, Two Spirits have special responsibilities and expectations within their tribes.

One of two founding members of the Two Spirit Society of Denver and co-director for nine years, Criddle is a member of the Jicarilla Apache tribe. The head singer for the society, he is a graduate of Itawamba College in Mississippi and employed as a respiratory therapist in Denver.

Seeing a need for the Two Spirit people to organize in Denver, which has a large Native America population, Criddle helped found the organization which has provided GLBT Native American people with a safe place for the past 10 years as well as a platform for cultural rejuvenation, bonding and education.

A member of the Mescalero Apache Tribe, Crisosto Apache was born and raised on the Mescalero reservation in New Mexico. A graduate of the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe. N.M., he has also attended Naropa University in Boulder, the University of Colorado in Denver and is currently attending Metro State College of Denver while working with disadvantaged youth. Co-director for the Two Spirit Society, he volunteers his time to conduct Two Spirit educational presentations.
     
 

The United Way of Wyandotte County and Kaw Valley Arts and Humanities will host an art sale on Friday, Nov. 13.

The sale will be held at the Reardon Civic Center from 4-8 p.m. in conjunction with the Kansas City, Kan., Second Friday Art Walk.

“We really want to emphasize the importance of supporting United Way and the emerging downtown art scene with this holiday event,” said Cathy Breidenthal, United Way community volunteer and event chair. “It would be great to see more than 200 supporters at the showcase.”

The art show, entitled Art and Soul of the Community, will feature more than 30 artists from the Kansas City metro area. Items such as jewelry, ceramics, hand-dyed scarves, hand-tooled silver, paintings, photos and other items will be available for purchase.
 

By C.S. Doty, Kansan Contributor

Over 100 people, each bringing on average between three and six items, streamed in and out of the George Meyn Community Center Saturday to learn about some of their most cherished family heirlooms and great antique store treasures. 

Jewelry, coins, art, maps and furniture were all represented, as well as one piece that the volunteers, appraisers and staff where all buzzing about; an etched wine pitcher owned by Silas Armstrong, one of the founders of the Kansas City, Kansas Town Company in 1868.   

“Everybody loves Antiques Roadshow” says Trish Schurkamp, Director of the Wyandotte County Historical Museum, referencing the popular public television program where expert appraisers give eager antique owners historical and value information about their items. 

So when it was time for the Museum to do a fundraiser, the idea to duplicate the premise of the show as a one day event was wholeheartedly embraced. 

Not only was the intent of the event to raise need funds, it also is meant to unite the community by bringing together appraisers, shop owners, auctioneers and the public, to educate them about their items, and about the vast historical resources that exist in Wyandotte County. 

Manions International Auction House in Kansas City, Kansas partnered with the Museum to make this event a reality says Jody Tucker, President of Manions. 

Schurkamp notes that Manions was instrumental in bringing together the resources and appraisers for what she hopes will become an annual occasion. 

The Wyandotte County Historical Museum offers free admission and is open to the public Monday – Friday 9am – 4pm, and Saturdays from 9am – 12pm. 

PHOTO #1 – Jason Roske of K.C. Auction Company examines what is believed to be an original piece from the 1800’s for collector Connie Hudson. 

PHOTO #2 – Collector brings original art for Waldo Antique Store owner Rob Lee to appraise.

By ALAN HOSKINS, Kansan Contributor

One of Kansas City Kansas Community College’s all-time best basketball players is coming home – and bringing a group of talented cagers with him.

The nation’s sixth leading scorer as a sophomore at KCKCC in 2004, Greg Wells and the Harlem Rockets Showtime team will play an exhibition against a Kansas City All-Star team on Friday, Oct. 30.

“It will be high-flying above the rim entertainment with knee-slapping comedy,” promises Wells, who is in his fifth season with the Rockets and carries the nickname “The Finisher” because of his wide array of acrobatic slam dunks.

A fund-raiser for the men’s basketball program at KCKCC, the game will be played at 7:30 p.m. in the KCKCC Field House on the campus at 7250 State Avenue.

In addition, Wells and his Rocket teammates will be on hand for a “Meet and Greet” session proceeding a Blue Devil intrasquad scrimmage on Thursday, Oct. 29. The Rockets will be available to talk with fans, sign autographs and pose for photos starting at 6:30 p.m. in the Field House. The scrimmage will follow.

As a gift to the community, tickets to Friday’s exhibition game have been reduced to $3 in advance and $5 at the door. Advanced tickets can be purchased at the KCKCC Field House or reserved by calling the KCKCC basketball office at 913-288-7113.

"I can’t describe what the men’s basketball program did for me,” said Wells. “I credit all my success to that program. Everything started at KCKCC. So my focus is to come back and give back to the school.”

Wells’ often told story is one of rags to riches. Incarcerated when implicated in a robbery while a sophomore at Washington High School, Wells joined the Blue Devil program in the fall of 2002 without ever playing in a high school game. A reserve for the first half of the season, he was a full-time starter by the end of the season and finished as the team’s third leading scorer (9.9) and second leading rebounder (5.1) in Jayhawk Conference games.

Although just 6-2, Wells led the Jayhawk Conference in scoring as a sophomore with a 22.3-point average and was one of the league’s top rebounders with 8.1 per game to earn first team all-conference honors. Wells went on to Rockhurst after KCKCC before turning professional.

The Rockets’ roster is filled with legends from the Mecca of street basketball, Rucker Park in New York. The roster includes James (Speedy) Willliams, who appeared in the movie “Above the Rim;”   two former members of the Harlem Globetrotters, Clarence (Muggsy) Leggett and Lloyd Loonatic; Jerome (Circus) Holman, who signed a $50,000 contract with Air One; Pat (Daroc) Robinson, Anthony (Air) Gordon and Show Time Springer. The makeup of the Rockets’ opponent is still being assembled.
 

Musical Director Lenora Remmert (seated left) rehearses one of many rock and roll songs that will be performed in the musical “Rent” to be performed at KCKCC Oct. 22-25.  Cast members include Fred Rucker (seated, center) and Tiffany Schweigert Garrison while standing are (from left) skye Reid, Bryan LaFave, Demetrius Hodges, Shea Coffman, Brandon Durkes and Jennifer Dawn Coville. (KCKCC Photo).

Jonathan Larson’s Pulitzer-prize winning Broadway musical, “Rent,” will be performed at Kansas City Kansas Community College Thursday through Sunday, Oct. 22-25.

Directed by Dr. Charles Leader of the KCKCC Drama Department, performances will be at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday in the Performing Arts Center on the KCKCC campus at 7250 State Avenue.

Based loosely on Puccini’s opera “La Boheme,” the musical follows a year in the lives of seven friends living the disappearing Bohemian lifestyle in New York’s East Village.

Maureen, played by Skye Reid, deals with her chronic infidelity through performance art while her partner, Joanne, portrayed by Tiffany Schweigert, wonders if their relationship is worth the effort. AIDS and both its physical and emotional complications pervade the lives of Roger (Shea Coffman), Mimi (Jennifer Dawn Coville), Collins (Brandon Durkes) and Angel (Fred Rucker).

Benjamin (Demetrius Hodges) has sold out his Bohemian ideals in exchange for a hefty income and is on the out with his former friends while Brian LaFave as Mark, an aspiring filmmaker, feels like an outsider to life in general, always behind the camera recording the events but never playing a part.

Leonora Remmert is the Musical Director of the fast-moving, non-stop rock and roll production and features more than two dozen songs, the best known of which is “Seasons of Love.”

“I think it’s relevant for Wyandotte County, Kansas City and today even though it was written 12 years ago,” said Dr. Leader. “The students love it. While it’s about sex, drugs and rock and roll, it’s really about redemption and ultimately salvation.”

In addition to the main cast, members of the Ensemble include Katie Myers, Brandy Hovver, Amanda Harrison, Chris Testerman, Prisca Kendagor, Allison Romero, Stanley Morgan, Yvonne Her, Sparkle Jones, Tracy Thomas, Jasmine Robinson, Vanessa Hall, Orlando Irons, Katherine Garry, Gabbi Brown, Megan Buchanan, Ronnita Shaw, Jessica Kent and Juan Reyes.

Choreographed by Michael Joy and Paula Chappell-Long, Randy Winder is in charge of Sets, Lighting and Property Design; Kelly Vogel, Costume Design; Brian Lechner, Technical Direction; Ian Corbett, Sound Direction; and Felicia Drury and Jamie Shurtz, Graphic Design.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for non-KCKCC students and senior citizens with group rates available to groups of 10 and more. Tickets will be available at the door or reserved in advance by calling 913-288-7106.