Thursday, July 29, 2010

Thrill Me Opens @ The Fishtank


Thrill Me debuted at the Fishtank last night. Read the Kansas City feature on the show, written by Kansas City native Stephen Dolginoff and directed by Coterie Artistic Director Jeff Church with Musical Direction by Daniel Doss, featuring Shea Coffman and Bryan LaFave. Don't miss the remaining performances Thursday, July 29 at 8:00 p.m. and July 31 at 6:30 p.m. and 11:00 p.m.

Fishtank Resident Artists Fringe @ The Fishtank


Fishtank resident artists Lisa Cordes and Damian Torres-Botello premiered their new work, American Alphabet on Tuesday night to a full house at the Fishtank. And the reviews are in! Remaining performances are Friday, July 30 @ 9:30 p.m. and Saturday, July 31 @ 8:00 p.m.
Tickets can be purchased through the KC Fringe Festival.

Kansas City Star review:
"Some people go to the theater for light entertainment, which can sometimes take the form of thin dramas or overwrought musicals. But a few folks go in search of something true, honest and meaningful. That's what I found at the Tuesday performance of "American Alphabet..."
From the KCFreePress:
"The show is a must-see for the message it gives. It’s true that we don’t learn hate in the classroom, but there sure are a lot of people out there to teach it. And, Damien Torres-Botello and Lisa Cordes remind us that the only thing to do is to keep fighting those who try to teach hate by inventing words to do it."
And from KC Stage blog:
"But where better than the theater to dramatize the high price we pay for our own American stories, and shine a light toward the future?

In all, "American Alphabet" offers up a fascinating and thought-provoking evening of theater. The only hickory stick involved in this teaching is our own difficult history: let the healing begin!"

Monday, July 19, 2010

FRINGE @ THE FISHTANK!

Make the Fishtank Performance Studio your one-stop shopping destination for the 2010 Kansas City Fringe Festival. Check out the video and learn more about the five HOT shows in our COOL space!

Fringe @ The Fishtank from Lisa Cordes on Vimeo.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

Vol. 7: Words & Music - the music of Kevin Hiatt

July 16, 2010 - 8:30pm

World music influenced chamber music meets the spoken word. This concert will present world and KC area premieres of works for oboe and percussion, violin and guitar, and poetry by Kevin Hiatt. Kevin will also perform acoustic solo works on 6, 7, 12 string and baritone guitars.

Performers:
Kevin Hiatt - guitar, spoken word, composer Dustin Mott - percussion
Lauren Wells - violin Patrick Ketter - oboe

http://www.kevinhiattmusic.com/
(816) 379-8105

Monday, July 5, 2010

The Reviews are In!


Read the Kansas City Star review of 53 Days and 52 Nights. In the window for four more shows: July 8, 9, 10 & 12!

Let's just say up front that sitting in a chair on Wyandotte Street to watch a play enacted on the sidewalk and in a big picture window among First Friday's milling crowds may qualify as an act of madness.

Yet, amid the ambient sounds of gallery gawkers, street musicians and the occasional barking dog, a whimsical little show called "53 Days and 52 Nights" works its will on attentive viewers.

Created by Heidi Van and Ingrid Andrea Geurtsen, two performers well versed in the art of physical theater, and directed by Damian Torres-Botello, "53 Days" is European clown show that mixes comedy, charm and poignancy in roughly equally proportions.

It's a tale of two nameless clowns (Van and Geurtsen) who are barred from boarding a train by an officious station agent (Coleman Crenshaw) and then must wait 53 days and 52 nights for the next train. They share a couple of meager meals. They have odd encounters with clothing that seems to come to life (a hat for Van and a coat for Geurtsen). The short clown, Van, goes looking for water but comes back empty-handed.

Eventually the tall clown, Geurtsen, boards the train, leaving her friend behind. Just why the short clown decides to stay is unclear, but Geurtsen and Van have so successfully created distinct personalities that the tinge of sadness in the final moments is palpable.

The live music, which alternates between light-hearted and melancholic, performed by Peter Lawless (accordion) and Daniel Eichenbaum (clarinet), heightens the comedy and colors the poignancy.

This is the latest "window show" from the Fishtank Performance Studio, a nonprofit company in the Crossroads that definitely marches to its own drummer. Kansas City has become a dynamic theater town and this small organization, with its unconventional approach, helps explain why.


The 5th Annual 12 Plays of Christmas

Join the Fishtank for our 5th Annual Holiday Show, THE 12 PLAYS OF CHRISTMAS! by Devon Barnes, Emma Carter , Coleman Crenshaw , Joseph De...