The Heidi Chronicles

by Wendy Wasserstein

directed by Donna Thomason

Studio 116, James C. Olson PAC

FOR TICKETS:    816.235.6222

UMKC Theatre Announces 2008-2009 Season:

“The Heidi Chronicles” Kicks Off Entertaining Line-Up

KANSAS CITY, MO (September 5, 2008) – University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) announces the 2008-2009 season for its MFA graduate theatre program featuring comedy and tragedy as well as American contemporary works and European classics. The season kicks off in mid-September with the award-winning “The Heidi Chronicles,” and culminates with a world premiere and original work called “The Master and Margarita” in April 2009.

“As one of the top-ranked graduate theatre programs in the country, UMKC Theatre productions are a well-kept secret in Kansas City. We invite the entire community to come and experience the exceptional talent and professional productions that entertain and inspire audiences year after year,” said Kristi Lewczenko, Director of Marketing for UMKC Theatre.

The 2008-2009 season begins on Sept. 20^th with “The Heidi Chronicles,” the Wendy Wasserstein play that won both the Pulitzer Prize and a Tony Award. The comedy traces the life of Heidi Holland through the turbulent 1960s into the late 1980s, painting a complex portrait of what it takes to assume adulthood. Donna Thomason directs this coming-of-age play that offers wit and intensity, and holds a mirror up to our inner selves. Performances will be in the Studio116 theatre at the James C. Olson Performing Arts Center on the UMKC campus, 4949 Cherry, KCMO. (“The Heidi Chronicles” production dates are listed below.)

The season continues with Moličre’s “Tartuffe,” Sept. 27 to Oct. 5 in the Helen F. Spencer Theatre at the James C. Olson Performing Arts Center. On Sat., Oct. 4, UMKC Theatre will host the 4^th Annual Benefit for UMKC Theatre Student Scholarships. The special evening will feature a pre-performance reception at 6:30 p.m. with the performance at 7:30 p.m. and a dessert intermission. Reservations requested by Sept. 26, 2008. Tickets are $50 through the Central Ticket Office, 816.235.6222.

 The unique genius of Tennessee Williams shines through in “Five By Tenn,” running Nov. 29 to Dec. 14. This powerful collection of portraits of the disenfranchised and the lost will touch audiences in a surprisingly immediate way.

The co-production of “Our Town” with the Coterie Theatre begins 2009 and promises to be an innovative production of this well-known play. Directed by Jeff Church, this timeless play is hosted by a stage manager who helps relive a special day in the life of a girl named Emily. The show runs Jan. 27 to Feb. 20 at the Coterie Theatre. Tickets are available through the Coterie Theatre Box Office, 816.474.6552.

In February, a play based on Charles Dickens’s classic novel “Great Expectations” is a perfect winter tale as it explores childhood terrors and hopes -- and adult dreams and regrets. Running Feb. 7 to 22, the Gothic mystery thriller will be directed by Lucy Maycock in the Studio 116 theatre at the James C. Olson Performing Arts Center.

Concluding the season, UMKC presents “The Master and Margarita,” a world premiere production of Russian writer Mikhail Bulgakov's great novel, in a version by multi-award winning screenwriter and playwright Ron Hutchinson, and directed by Barry Kyle. The book was banned in the Soviet Union and described by many as the greatest novel of the 20th century. A hilarious and amazing work, the play is part circus, part philosopher's stone, and part heartbreaking love story.

“A vast work of the imagination, ‘The Master and Margarita’ may be the biggest production we have ever attempted,” said Barry Kyle, the play’s director. “The Master and Margarita” will run April 24 to May 3, 2009 at the Spencer Theatre.

Season tickets for the six graduate productions and two additional undergraduate shows are $79 for adults and $40 for students. Single tickets for all performances except “Our Town” are available through the Central Ticket Office at 816.235.6222. Single tickets are adults, $15; seniors $10; students, $6; and groups of 10 or more, $5 each. 

“The Heidi Chronicles” Dates:

More information is available online at www.umkc.edu/theatre/.

UMKC Theatre has been ranked by U.S. News and World Report among the top graduate theatre training programs in the country. The program trains a select group of highly talented actors, designers, stage managers and dramaturges for careers in the performing arts. Graduates from the UMKC program are invited to the most prestigious New York competitions and auditions to exhibit their work and secure positions with national and international performing companies. The program is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Theatre (NAST) and is a member of the University/Resident Theatre Association (U/RTA).

The University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC), one of four University of Missouri campuses, is a public university serving more than 14,000 undergraduate, graduate and professional students.  UMKC engages with the community and economy based on a three-part mission: visual and performing arts, health sciences, and urban engagement. UMKC has been designated as Missouri’s Campus for the Arts.

For interviews and press passes to performances, contact Tracey Mershon, 816.478.6299 or tracey@mershonandmcdonald.com.

###

Director's Bio

Donna Thomason (Director) Known to Kansas City audiences as an Actor - Director, Donna most recently appeared onstage as Diane in The Little Dog Laughed at the Unicorn Theatre. Other Unicorn appearances include The Sisters Rosensweig, and Lips Together, Teeth Apart (Drama Desk Award – Best Actress). In the past few years, Donna has spent most of her time directing and producing. She recently directed Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? for Actors Theatre KC; Stories My Grandmother Told Me, Tuesdays with Morrie, Leaving Iowa and The Dinner Party for AHT: and Annie for Starlight Theatre. She is the Interim President and Creative Director for EPIC Entertainment, a Starlight Theatre Company, where she scripts, designs and directs a myriad of corporate and not-for-profit events both locally and in major cities across the U.S. Donna and EPIC have also earned 5 Telly Awards in the past 3 years for original corporate video productions. Broadway: Annie, Surprise!, and Back on the Town ~ some ran, some didn’t. Previous local stage appearances include Steel Magnolias (Drama Desk Nomination/Best Actress), Grand Night for Singing (Drama Desk Nomination/Best Supporting Actress) ,and Sylvia at AHT, two productions of The Wizard of Oz, Phantom, Camelot, Peter Pan at Starlight Theater; Kindergarten, Comedy of Errors and four seasons of A Christmas Carol at Missouri Rep; Lumberjacks in Love at The New Theater; and Putting it Together at QHP. Donna is married to Actor and UMKC professor, Dr. Gary Holcombe…and they have a spirited and treasured 3-year-old named Gussie. “I am thrilled to be marching through the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s again with these terrific students; hopefully, this time, the growing pains will be less troublesome.”