Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Sonlight Productions Presents john & jen


"The Fishtank Performance Studio is a dream space. A space where the fearless show us their dreams on a stage. I love the creative energy here and that folks just think and do and could care less about how much it will cost, what they can or cannot do, say or cannot say."

Read the rest of the story at KC STYLE

Sonlight Productions presents john & jen, an intimate musical by Andrew Lippa and Tom Greenwald featuring Molly Denninghoff & Price Messick, Directed by Nathan Norcross with Musical Direction by Baker Purdon.

PERFORMANCE DETAILS:
October 1*, 2, 4** (Fri, Sat, Mon)
Octber 7, 8, 10 (Thur, Fri, Sun)

All performances 8:00 pm. Tickets $10-$20 sliding scale.
*Opening on October First Friday!
**Industry Night Performance - Monday October 4th

An intimate chamber musical orchestrated for piano and cello, "john & jen" is a poignant portrait of family relationships through the journey of Jen Tracy; both with her brother John who is killed at war and her son John, her brother’s namesake.The show really explores how far-reaching the consequences of our actions can be. Ultimately, Jen must face the fact that the past cannot be changed. Sometimes the only way to atone for past mistakes is to accept them and make a life change moving forward.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

PROP 8 ON TRIAL debuts @ Lawrence Arts Center this Saturday

Fishtank Performance Studio resident artist, Lisa Cordes, will premiere her new performance work, Prop 8 On Trial, in the Mainstage Theatre of the Lawrence Arts Center , in Lawrence, Kansas on Saturday, September 18 at 7:30 p.m. as part of their new play series. The production will be presented the following week at the Fishtank Performance Studio, 1715 Wyandotte, Kansas City, MO, from September 22-25 at 8:00 p.m. each evening.

Saturday, September 18 7:30pm Lawrence Arts Center
940 New Hampshire, Lawrence, KS $15


Fishtank Performance Studio, 1715 Wyandotte, KCMO Shows:
Wednesday, September 22 8:00pm
Thursday, September 23 8:00pm
Friday, September 24 8:00pm
Saturday, September 25 8:00pm
Donations are accepted at the Fishtank on a sliding scale of $5-$15 at the door.

Prop 8 On Trial is based on the federal court case, Perry v. Schwarzenegger
, challenging the constitutionality of California’s Prop 8 that banned same-sex marriage. The trial, and ensuing appeals, will go down in the history books as the civil rights case of a generation, stirring vigorous public debate along the way.

The “Prop 8” trial that began on January 11, 2010 in federal court in San Francisco is a landmark case that marks the first time in the United States' history, same-sex marriage was mentioned, let alone debated, by the federal courts. The June 16 final arguments and August 4 ruling in which Judge Walker ruled that Proposition 8 violated the United States Constitution have elevated the media attention on this case that will likely continue through its appeal in the 9th Circuit District Appeals Court.


It is widely predicted the case will eventually make it to the U.S. Supreme Court. While
trials are inherently dramatic, the case prepared by Ted Olson and David Boies, nationally prominent attorneys who argued on opposite sides of the landmark Bush v. Gore, is a rhetorical Leviathan. By including the deeply personal stories of the gay plaintiffs and witnesses, they bring a
human dimension to their argument, buttressed by internationally renowned experts in the fields of history, psychology, sociology, and economics. The result is the raw material for a riveting piece of theater has been called by one journalist, “a theatrical classroom.”

Take an IMPROV workshop this weekend and get one FREE!


Take this weekend's beginner/intermediate level classes at
Fishtank Performance Studio, featuring nationally recognized
improvisers, JoKyR and Jesster (Joe Rogan and Jesse Parent), and we'll give you a FREE workshop at the Improv-Abilities Training Center!
That's right, two workshops for the price of one! Click the link below for details and RSVP, then contact kessler.tom@gmail.com to claim your free workshop. Don't miss it! This deal will only come around once!
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=148943395124849&ref=ts

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Improv Workshops This Weekend


Improv Workshop in conjunction with the Kansas City Improv Festival

IMPROV 101: It All Begins With "Yes"
10am - 12:30

WHOLE BODY LISTENING
1:30-4
In the class “Whole Body Listening,” Chicago’s Jonathan Pitts, Second City instructor and contributing author of The Second City Almanac of Improvisation, draws on the influence of Sanford Meisner to create exercises that allow actors to access their whole range of emotions and reactions.

Pitts is Executive Director of Chicago Improv Festival Productions,
co-founder of the Chicago Improv Festival, and creator/producer of the College Comedy Championship and the Teen Comedy Fest. He also created and directs Storybox, an improvised one-act production that combines Story Theater, Noh Theatre, and Viewpoints.

He’ll also be teaching an Improv 101 class. To register, visit
http://kcimprov.com/festival, or RSVP here:

Whole Body Listening -
http://www.facebook.com/?tid=1537936842665&sk=messages#!/event.php?eid=141990259171311&ref=ts

Monday, September 6, 2010

Dear Diary continues September 12

Sunday, September 12, 2010
7pm - 10pm
$5 at the door

"Dear Diary..." brings you a night devoted to the mortifying moments of adolescence and beyond--a live reading of real diary entries from some of Kansas City's finest writers and performers. Join us at the Fishtank Performance Studio as we delve into the depths of our readers' most humiliating revelations that, until now, have been collecting dust in boxes. Bad teenage poetry, self-indulgent manifestos and tales of awkward, unre...quited love await you!

Hosted by Lucky DeLuxe
Featuring songs by Blondie Brunetti
Readings by David Wayne Reed, Rita Brinkerhoff, and more!!

Thursday, September 2, 2010

The Howl Factory - September 3


Fishtank Resident & Special Guest Artists perform Allen Ginsberg's epic poem HOWL plus original spoken word inspired by the poem that changed poetry - and a generation. Featuring poets Lisa Cordes, Damian Torres-Botello, Mark Manning, Mel Neet, Jeremy Lillig, Phil Hooser and more with musicians Peter Lawless, Russell Thorpe and company.

Doors open at 8:30, performance at 9pm. Donations accepted at the door $5-15.

(First performed at the KC Gay and Lesbian Film Festival in honor of the premiere of HOWL, a film about the writing of Allen Ginsberg's iconic poem that opens across the country on September 24.)

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...