The Lewis and Shirley White Theatre at The Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City has announced its 2018-2019 season of arts and cultural offerings.
The 14th season at The White Theatre, produced by The J’s Arts + Culture Department, includes a variety of genres including well-known Broadway musicals, a Tony-Award-winning play, world-renowned artists in both music and dance and The J’s Artist-in-Residence, the Kinnor Philharmonic.
According to Keith Wiedenkeller, director of Arts + Culture, what makes this season special “is the level of choice and flexibility… there’s literally something for everyone.”
This year’s performance offerings are grouped as Theatre Series, Concert Series and Special Engagements.
Theatre Series
Includes four locally produced shows with some of Kansas City’s best talent. Evening performances are at 7:30 p.m. and matinees are 2 p.m.
• Camelot, Nov. 3-18: Lerner and Loewe’s award-winning musical leaps from the pages of T.H. White’s “Once and Future King” in this classic tale of swords, sorcery, intrigue and romance. Rated PG.
• Cabaret, Feb. 2-17, 2019: Kander and Ebb’s award-winning musical takes audiences back to pre-WWII Berlin where “Life is Beautiful” … but only inside the decadent Kit Kat Club and often not even there. Rated R.
• Inherent the Wind, March 16-24, 2019: Raising issues as relevant today as they were when it was written, this drama uses the Scopes Monkey Trial to explore the complex and sometimes adversarial relationship between faith and science. Rated PG.
• Peter Pan the Musical, July 6-28, 2019: This high-flying musical leads the whole family on a grand adventure to Neverland, a place where anything is possible if you just believe. Rated G.
Concert Series
• An Evening with Amit Peled, Dec. 5, 2018 (7:30 p.m.): Israeli-American, Grammy-nominated, cellist, conductor and educator Amit Peled will continue his quest to make classical music more accessible to all audiences.
• Kinnor Philharmonic Winter Concert, Jan. 1, 2019 (3 p.m.): The White Theatre’s artists-in-residence will perform a New Year’s Day symphonic concert. Champagne reception afterwards.
• Heartland Men’s Chorus, March 31, 2019 (4 p.m.): The unique Heartland Men’s Chorus comes to the White Theatre Stage as it performs a signature “musical documentary.”
• Kinnor Philharmonic Summer Concert, June 2, 2019 (3 p.m.) The White Theatre’s artists-in-residence June concert reflects the long traditions of symphonic repertoire and the historical connection of their educational artistry.
Special Engagements
• Dan Thomas, Sept. 2, 2018 (3 p.m.): Renowned jazz performer and educator Dan Thomas and his band present a unique concert with special emphasis on celebrating the Jewish elements of this amazing art form.
• Open Stage at The J (Dance & Choreography showcase), March 3, 2019 (3 p.m.): This is the third annual dance and choreography festival at The J. Kansas City’s premier companies and best dancers come together to showcase their original works.
• Fire in the Heart, April 6 (7 p.m.) and April 7 (2 p.m.), 2019: Fire in the Heart showcases – through story, music, art, and dance – how the arts can help us process, heal and transcend the most traumatic events. This celebration is titled “Tikkun Olam” (repairing the world).
• Mama Doni, August 11, 2019 (3 p.m.): Mama Doni helps explore the inner child in all of us through laughter, love, dance and song. The award-winning Mama Doni band brings its unique band of “funky music with a Jewish twist” to kids nationwide.
Assisted-listening devices will be available for all performances and many shows include The J’s signature Open Captioning services. See individual show pages on the web site for details. Full descriptions and performance times for each event are available at www.TheWhiteTheatre.org. Auditions for various musicals and plays produced by The White Theatre productions will be held throughout the year.
Ticketing
The White Theatre’s new ticketing program offers four different package options: Full Season, Theatre Series, Concert Series and a Flex Five, “mix and match” option. Season tickets are now on sale. Those purchasing season tickets receive the following benefits:
• Up to 40 percent discount
• First selection of seats
• Discounted single tickets
• Free ticket exchanges (up to the day before the show)
• No online ticketing fees
• Flexible payment options
• First opportunity to buy tickets to Special Engagements and at a discounted price
• 20 percent discount on tickets to select shows at KC Repertory Theatre: “Last Days of Summer,” “Indecent,” and “Pride & Prejudice”
Tickets may be purchased online at www.TheWhiteTheatre.org, by calling the box office at 913 327-8054 or in person. The box office is open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Friday.