JENNIFER MAYS B KCSTAGE www.kcstage.com NOVEMBER 2006 1 Cappies Launch Fifth Year by Beth Ocheskey • [email protected] The Kansas City Cappies are bringing back new ideas for now launching their fifth year their own shows, and voting of celebrating high school the- on what they truly felt was the ater in the metropolitan area. very best they’ve seen all year, Many area schools are reaping that the idea of competition just the benefits of being involved in doesn’t fit. a program that promotes critical The Cappies critics love that analysis, writing, performance they get to see a lot of great and technical skills, and public- theater for free, getting to make Top Billing ity for their theater programs. friends from other schools that Spotlight on Jennifer Mays...........................4 Cappies takes a small team they already have something in COVER: Jennifer Mays appears this month in Over of theatrical critics from each common with, the fact that only the River and Through the Woods and Leading Ladies at the New Theatre Restaurant. participating high school, trains the things done by students them how to write theatrical count for awards, and that the Starring critiques, then sends the critics awards are determined by their National Alliance of Musical Theatre Festival of New Works ...............................2 out to other area high schools votes, not adults. Watch Out: Nonprofit Organizations’s to see and write about their per- Joining the Kansas City Cap- Desire to Mobilize Voters............................3 Cappies Launch Fifth Year.................................1 formances. The best written cri- pies is easy: all a teacher needs tiques are published each week to do is go to www.cappies.com Book-in-Hand in the Kansas City Star as well as and click on the “rules and Acting is a Job..................................................6 several other local newspapers. forms” link. There they will Notes The student critics view both find the link to register their Unicorn Receives Challenge Grant....................... 6 plays and musicals, and are the own schools to be a part of a ones who vote on the awards great new tradition in high Stand-Ins Auditions ........................................................24 that are given out at the Cappies school theaters all over the Calendar.........................................................12 Gala event in the spring. nation. For more details about Callbord..........................................................24 Click!..............................................................24 New schools are joining ev- the program, or to find out Film Clips..........................................................5 ery year and are finding that how to support the Cappies Performances ...................................................8 they have students learning financially, simply e-mail: beth. Cast of Characters more about theater, writing, [email protected]. Scott Bowling....................................Webmaster and teamwork though a fun and Come out this year and sup- Richard Buswell......................... Managing Editor Bryan Colley ............................. Graphic Designer simple process. They also love port your local high school the- Angie Fiedler Sutton ........................... Marketing all the publicity the Cappies gets ater programs. Schedules of all Tricia Kyler Bowling.....................Subscriber Rep for their theater departments. show dates and locations for the Letters to the Editor....... [email protected] Some of the Cappies men- year are at www.cappies.com. tors say that their favorite thing Kansas City’s Cappies are the about the program is that it is designers, actors, technicians, non-competitive. The students playwrights, and directors of are so excited about seeing the future: let’s show them we KCVolume 09 • No.STAGE 11 • Issue 86 • November 2006 the shows, getting published, support their dreams. R [email protected] • 816-361-2325 PO Box 410492 • Kansas City, MO 64141-0492 December Submission Deadline: November 10 www.kcstage.com © Copyright 2006 by KC Stage. All material contained in this publication is the property of KC Stage. Any use, duplication, or reproduction of any or all content of this publication is prohibited except with the express written permission of KC Stage. Printing by AlphaGraphics. R B KCSTAGE www.kcstage.com NOVEMBER 2006 1 National Alliance for Musical Theatre Festival of New Works by Chris McCoy • [email protected] This year marks the 16th annual Festival of New future at Quality Hill Playhouse, the Unicorn, or Works sponsored by the National Alliance for New Theatre Restaurant. Musical Theatre (NAMT)—a national service or- The stand-out surprise of the festival was a ganization with the mission to foster new work piece simply titled Piece. This unique and complex in musical theatre. In their 16 years, NAMT has work by rookies Tara Smith and Scott Alan chron- a prestigious list of musicals which they helped icles the life of one woman as she reflects on her launch to stardom including Thoroughly Modern life and relationship with her mother. Returning Millie, Children of Eden, Honk!, Ruthless!, and most home after her mother’s death from breast cancer, recently, The Drowsy Chaperone. As artistic direc- the protagonist faces the ghosts of her former self tor of the Kansas City Crossroads Musical The- at ages 17, 26, and 35. What is unique about the ater Festival, I had the opportunity to attend this piece is that four different actresses all play the year’s festival in New York City which attracts same character at the different points of her life, musical theatre writers and producers from all while the eldest version of the heroine plays both over the country. Eight musicals were given 45- herself and her mother. The dynamic created by minute readings of excerpts from the piece with this device forces reflection upon how we all turn some of Broadway’s top talent. into our parents with age while learning and try- Although trends in theatre are usually easy to ing to overcome their faults and mistakes. The identify, the NAMT festival spans the gamut of work can best be described as a chamber musical contemporary and traditional idioms of the musi- that brings to mind Jason Robert Brown’s Songs cal theatre genre. Selected by a committee drawn for a New World or the by-gone favorite Quilters. from constituent members from around the coun- Although, the show is early in its development, try, the festival presented a well-balanced and it shows much promise especially in the dynamic varied selection of musical theatre pieces from the score which utilizes musical idioms from the most traditional to the cutting-edge. Eight shows varying decades of the woman’s life. The show is were selected for staged readings while another slated for a workshop production in Akron, Ohio twenty promising entries were highlighted in a for February of next year and it will be exciting to special pre-festival workshop. Below are some of see how the piece matures. my perceptions of the highlights of the festival. One of the most traditional musicals presented Certainly, the gem of this year’s festival was was an adaptation of the Jane Austen classic, the musicalization of the off-Broadway success Emma. Written by Tony-nominated artist Paul Gor- Vanities by Jack Heifner. Chronicling the lives don (Jane Eyre), the story revolves around the aris- of three Texas women as they mature during tocratic Emma Woodhouse who serves as match- the turbulent eras of the 60s and 70s, the musical maker for her comely and ill-fated friend Harriet. utilized a contemporary pop score that lifted the The work plays like a Hello Dolly set in 19th-century work from its somewhat dated theme to bring England. The talent for the reading was exceptional it to a new century. A new, happier ending also including Broadway leading man Brian d’Arcy breathes new life into work making it more up- James; however, the work overall seemed to lack to-date and giving it a musical-style ending that the panache of today’s musical theatre fare. The will uplift even the dourest audience members. show is slated for future production at a major The work is sure to become a favorite at regional, regional theatre whose representatives highlighted community, and dinner theatres, much like the the educational advantage to works based on clas- original. The work currently has producers linked sic literature. Most festival attendees agreed that to it who are, in their words, “keeping their op- this piece would be ideal for college settings where tions open.” Keep your eyes out for this one, for the curricular connections could be best utilized. it is sure to have a local production in the near Continued on page 20 2 KCSTAGE “It’s not the voting that’s democracy; it’s the counting.” ~ Tom Stoppard www.kcstage.com NOVEMBER 2006 3 Watch Out: Nonprofit Organizations’ Desire to Mobilize Voters by Kito B. Robinson • [email protected] The purpose of this article is to provide readers, timing of any election or whether the statement is in particular tax-exempt nonprofit organizations related to a non-electoral event or purpose. (NPO), with general information about the laws More About Lobbying. There is no limit on lob- and regulations pertaining to nonprofit lobbying bying that does not require expenditures, i.e. bona and election activity. In connection with the 2004 fide volunteer activity. Under Code Section 501(h), electoral cycle, July 30 through November 30, NPOs can elect to fall under the lobbying-expen- the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) examined 82 diture test by filling in Form 5768, a one-page form NPOs pursuant to complaints about the NPO’s (“Lobby Expenditure Test”); otherwise the NPO respective political activities. The IRS determined is covered by the substantial lobbying test (“Sub- that approximately three-quar- stantial Lobbying Test”). Under ters of those NPOs participated Lobbying and Election Resources the Lobby Expenditure Test, in prohibited campaign activ- a NPO is allowed to devote a ity.