THE FISHTANK PRESENTS DRY LAND

A Kansas City Premiere by Ruby Rae Spiegel
Directed by Heidi Van

April 13-23, 2017
Second Stage, MTH Theatre at Crown Center

In Kansas City Premiere Dry Land, young women are swimming in school, drowning in life 

Set in a girl’s locker room of a Florida high school, DRY LAND wrestles with the complexities of friendship and the fears of the future that grip young women arriving at the threshold of adulthood. 

Emerging as the Lena Dunham of the theatre world, 21-year-old playwright Ruby Rae Spiegel — a finalist for the Susan Smith Blackburn prize — writes a brazen, no-holds-barred play about that time in your life when no one else can possibly understand what you’re going through. DRY LAND, a New York Times critics’ pick, is a brave portrayal of the contemporary American teenager that epitomizes What’s Next in American theatre.

“Tender, caustic, funny and harrowing, often all at the same time.” — New York Times

“Spiegel’s simple, fierce play to put a young woman’s capacity for pain center stage — and the choice feels thrilling, even political.” — Time Out New York 

From Director Heidi Van:

DRY LAND is the result of conversations we are refusing to have, unable to have, and because of this - we are failing  women on a global scale.  Spiegel fearlessly presents one of the lesser told, but not lesser known, experiences of being a young woman. This story of teenage girls entering adulthood is devastating, riveting, and full of heart. I had to produce this play - as a woman, and a mother. This play is for our daughters. 

DRY LAND features Emily Sukolics, Erdin Schultz-
Bever, Emily Ho, Cooper Slater and Joseph Fournier. 

Performances run April 13, 14, 15, at 8pm, April 16 at 2pm, April 17, 18, 20, 21, 22, and 23 at 8pm. 

Tickets available online at By clicking our tickets page!

TICKETS ON SALE ON OUR TICKET PAGE!! 

Now Showing!

"The African Company Presents Richard III"

Directed by Sidonie Garrett

Produced by The Black Repertory Theatre of Kansas City, The Heart of America Shakespeare Festival and the Fishtank. 
Forty years before Lincoln ended slavery, and fifty years before black Americans earned the right to vote, the first black theatrical group, was putting on plays in a downtown Manhattan theater to which both blacks and whites audiences flocked. When their competition, Stephen Price, an uptown, Broadway-type impersario, decides to Produce Richard III at the same time, the African company must decide whether to close their doors or “Play on”.
 
TICKETS: General Admission: $30 (Guaranteed Seating – available online only)
Senior Citizens: $25 at the door
Student: $10 at the door

CAST:
Teddy Trice as James Hewlett
Rufus Burns as William Henry Brown
George Forbes as Papa Shakespeare
Amber McKinnon as Anne
Meredith Wolfe as Sarah
Andy Perkins as Constable
Ben Auxier as Price
* * * * * * * * * * * * *

PRESIDENTIAL BRIEFS by Ry Kincaid
with opening act FIRST LADY PARTS 
curated by Heidi Van
7pm First Friday, November 4
7pm Saturday, November 5
7pm Sunday, November 6
7pm Monday, November 7

All TICKETS $10 (clicking ticket tab above will get you to the online box office!)

Presidential Briefs is a one-man musical production, featuring 44 original songs about each and every U.S. President, performed in just under an hour. Composer/performer Ry Kincaid plays a teacher who gives the class a historical, hysterical, bipartisan, and bitchin' lesson on every Commander-in-Chief.

First Lady Parts, curated by Heidi Van, is a brief opening act that pays homage to the women who broke the mold and broke the ceiling! 
* * * * * * * * * *

BEEN FINN by Phil Kinen

Once again, from the outrageous mind of Phil Kinen, who paired Huck Finn with Peter Pan in last year’s Fringe hit Never Ever After, comes another unconventional Huck Finn tale.

Playing at a variety of "Catch It" Times:
Thursday, November 10, at 7:30pm
Friday, November 11, at 6pm & 9pm
Saturday, November 12 at 2:00pm, 5:30pm & 9pm
Sunday, November 13 at 11am, 2pm & 8pm
Tuesday, November 15 at 7pm.

All tickets are $10. See ticket tab above!

BEEN FINN is the story of a middle-aged Huck Finn meeting for the first time his 20-year old bastard son, Benjamin Franklin Rushforth. In their banter of blood lines, imagined friends, lost youth, and kite flying; the estranged pair unearth the ills and inherit sins of their heritage. Father and son desperately seek absolution and reconciliation by the discovery of the one compelling aspect they both mysteriously mirror.

ANIMAL FARM - SEPTEMBER 22 - 25

This weekend only: ANIMAL FARM !!! — The Fishtank and UMKC Theatre present ANIMAL FARM by George Orwell as one of the bi-annual co-productions of the Fishtank 2016-2017 Season.

Reserve your tickets HERE!!! 
Twice a year The Fishtank works with theatre students on a production that fuses form and idea - this fall we approach ANIMAL FARM with a foundation in commedia dell' arte. Directed by Fishtank Resident Artist Brian Buntin and coached by Commedia scholar Patrick Rippeto, ANIMAL FARM plays this weekend only, Thursday, September 22 to Sunday, September 25.

ANIMAL FARM is a fable with a sting. In this timely allegory you will meet beasts whose prototypes have dominated news headlines for many fearful years. Intermingling humor and drama, Animal Farm leaves audiences shaken with the tale of a tragedy that happened in a mythical barnyard far away but could happen in our own back yard.

THURSDAY 9/22 at 8pm* *Pay what you can
FRIDAY 9/23 at 8pm $15 GA, $10 UMKC
SATURDAY 9/24 AT 8pm $15 GA, $10 UMKC
SUNDAY 9/25 at 2pm $15 GA, $10 UMKC

Thank you!

Young Black Victorian and Second Ladies closed on August 12. 

Thank you so much for coming!

Second Ladies and Young Black Victorian EXTEND to AUGUST 12

Fishtank original productions "Second Ladies" by Heidi Van & Katherine Gwynn and "Young Black Victorian" by Rasheedat Badejo extend to August 12! Same low fringe ticket price of $10! 

These 2 plays have been playing to full houses and were developed during the Fishtank Internship and Acting Apprenticeship Program. The program and the productions are supported by The Richard J. Stern Foundation for the Arts and a residency at Missouri Bank! 

Show times and ticket link below!!!

August 3  - SL at 7pm / YBV at 8:30pm
August 4 - YBV at 7pm / SL at 8:30pm
August 6 - SL at 7pm / YBV at 8:30pm
August 8 - YBV at 7pm / SL at 8:30pm
August 11 - SL at 7pm / YBV at 8:30pm
August 12 - YBV at 7pm / SL at 8:30pm

GET TICKETS FOR SECOND LADIES HERE!

GET TICKETS FOR YOUNG BLACK VICTORIAN HERE!

Marilyn/God extended to June 1

MARILYN/GOD extends performances to June 1!

Performances are *Thursday, Friday & Saturday at 8pm

*Sunday at 3pm     *pay what you can performances

Reserve tickets online here!

MARILYN/GOD by Rosary Hartel O'Neill

Extended to June 1Jeff Church and Heidi Van are teaming up for Marilyn/God at the Fishtank

A one-woman powerhouse that looks at how America's obsession with fame and beauty shaped a single woman's rise to- and death from- stardom.   

Heidi Van and Jeff Church (Producing Artistic Director at the Coterie) surveyed many contemporary solo plays about Marilyn Monroe.

We settled on 'Marilyn/God by Rosary' Hartel O'Neill because it is more than a bio-play - it delves into the mind of Marilyn and challenges her, interrogates her and forces her to hold a mirror to herself and see the past she has left behind," says Heidi Van, actor and Fishtank Artistic Director. 

“I am attracted to the piece because is it more of psychological thriller than a vanity play.  It is extremely active - it’s an “in the moment” exploration and very visceral and physical. As an actor I am completely amped-up for it as well as utterly terrified, which seems to be the place to live.”

"Marilyn/God' opens April 2. TICKETS ON SALE HERE!

At Fishtank Performance Studio in the Crossroads Arts District

Apr 2, 2016, 8:00 pm

Opens: Sat, Apr 2, 2016, 8:00 pm

Closes: Open-ended run

Director: Jeff Church

Cast: Heidi Van

GUNPLAY at the FISHTANK

March 4 - March 20, 
Thurs - Saturday at 8pm, 
Sundays at 3pm 

PURCHASE TICKETS HERE!

The idea of the play is not to provide answers, but to raise questions. And it tries to do so by keeping roughly a 50/50 balance in scenes in terms of pro-gun vs anti-gun. 

Commissioned by The Riverside Theatre of Iowa City, Iowa, commissioned Higgins to write “Gunplay” in the 90s following the mass murder on the University of Iowa campus. “They wanted to create a play about 'guns in American life,” said Higgins. The play debuted there in '93, and the following year a couple of scenes from the play were read on Capitol Hill just before Congress passed the bill that's come to be called "The Brady Bill." 




The play is a mosaic of scenes and monologues that slice through American history and depict the beginning of gun culture to our present day. Some of the scenes from American history deal with George and Martha Washington's problems on both the national front and domestic front; with Bat Masterson dealing with the temptation to hide the truth about guns in the Wild West, and with the official recognition of dueling by members of Congress. Some of the contemporary scenes were based on interviews with a police officer who offers her critique of the human heart; with an African-American woman who offers an against-the-grain view of why she is for gun rights; with a gun store owner, and with two women who purchased guns and have widely differing views afterward. Higgins is working on the play for this production and updating the play in a couple of places. “Sadly, the subject matter is just as timely now as it was when I wrote the first draft of this unconventional play.” 

“Gunplay” is directed by Margaret Shelby and Ethan Zogge and features Rasheedat "Ras" Badejo, Connor Branson, Karla Fennick, Joseph Fournier, Laura Jacobs, John Mulvey, Brad Shaw, and Meredith Wolfe. “Gunplay” opens March 4 and runs Thursdays - Sundays till March 20. Tickets are $20 and available online at www.fishtanktheater.com.

FISHTANK COLLABORATES WITH NEW YORK-BASED ONE-MINUTE PLAY FESTIVAL

THE 1st KANSAS CITY 
ONE-MINUTE PLAY FESTIVAL

THREE PERFORMANCES ONLY, 
SATURDAY, JAN 30th 
SUNDAY, JAN 31st
MONDAY, FEB 1st 
All performances at 8PM

AT THE H&R BLOCK CITY STAGE AT UNION STATION, 30 WEST PERSHING, KCMO 64108

TICKETS ON SALE HERE! 

Featuring Brand New One-Minute Plays by:

Andrew Hagerty, Brian Buntin, Brian Moses, Brother John, Charlie Wietcamp, Coleman Crenshaw, Darren Canady, Ellen Kirk, Emma Carter, Frank Higgins, Heidi Van, Jose Faus, Keion Jackson, Kevin King, Lindsay Adams, Michelle T. Johnson, Natalie Licardello, Nathan Louis Jackson, Peregrine Honig, Pete Bakely, Prisca Jabet Kendagor, Rasheedat "Ras" Badejo, Ric Averill, Ry Kincaid, Teresa Leggard, Vanessa Severo, Vi Tran, Vicki Vodrey, Victor Wishna, & W Averill

Directed by:
Heidi Van, Kate Gilchrist, Ian Crawford, Elizabeth Bettendorf Bowman, Andi Meyer, Sidonie Garrett, Matt Rapport, and Bess Wallerstein

Curated & Created by:
 Dominic D’Andrea

The One-­Minute Play Festival (#1MPF) is America’s largest and longest running grass roots theatre company, founded by Producing Artistic Director, Dominic D’Andrea. #1MPF is social barometer project, which investigates the zeitgeist of different communities through dialogue, consensus building, and a performance of 50-100 short moments generated by each community. #1MPF works in partnership with theatres and/or social organizations sharing playwright, educational, or community-specific missions across the country. The aim is to create locally sourced playwright-focused community events, with the goal of promoting the spirit of radical inclusion. #1MPF represents playwrights of different age, gender, race, cultures, and points of career. The work attempts to reflect the theatrical landscape of local artistic communities by creating a dialogue between the collective conscious and the individual voice.

In each city, #1MPF works with partnering organizations to identify programs or initiatives in each community to support with the proceeds from ticket sales. The goal is to find ways give directly back to the artists in each community. Supported programs have ranged from educational programming, youth poetry projects, theatre program in prisons, playwright residencies and memberships, playwrights salaried commissions, community access projects, arts workshops, and other social and artistic initiatives.

Annual partnerships have been created with theaters in over 20 cities including: New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Trenton, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Washington, DC, Baltimore, Boston, Miami, Minneapolis, New York, Seattle, Dallas, Austin, Indianapolis, Anchorage, Honolulu, St. Louis, and more, with partnering institutions like Primary Stages, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Second Stage Uptown, New Georges at New York City Center, Z-Space, A.C.T., Trinity Rep, Victory Gardens Theatre, Cornerstone Theatre Company, The Playwrights Foundation, Boston Playwrights Theatre, Actor’s Express, InterAct Theatre, Mixed Blood, Walking Shadow Theatre, Passage Theatre, Phoenix Theatre, Kitchen Dog Theatre, Salvage Vanguard & ScriptWorks,  ACT, Perseverance Theatre, Round House Theatre, Honolulu Theatre For Youth, and others.

Notable #1MPF contributors have included: David Henry Hwang, Lynn Nottage, Neil LaBute, Tina Howe, Donald Margulies, Nilaja Sun, Tarell Alvin McCraney, Robert Schenkkan, Lydia Diamond, Phillip Kan Gotanda, Kristoffer Diaz, Rajiv Joseph, Sam Hunter, Karen Hartman, Robert Askins, Colman Domingo, José Rivera, Craig Lucas, Mike Daisey, Greg Kotis, Michael John Garcés, & over to 1400 celebrated, emerging, and midcareer playwrights.  For more information visit: www.oneminuteplayfestival.com

Tickets on sale now for The 12 Plays of Christmas

THE THIRD ANNUAL 12 PLAYS OF CHRISTMAS AT THE FISHTANK!

WRITTEN AND PERFORMED BY ELLEN KIRK, RASHEEDAT "RAS" BADEJO, DEVON BARNES, COLEMAN CRENSHAW & BRIAN LAURENCE BUNTIN

DIRECTED BY HEIDI VAN 

RESERVE TICKETS NOW!!!