From The Producing Artistic Director
WELCOME TO THE 39TH SEASON OF BOLDNEWPLAYS
Recipe for success
Tony Award Nominees, World Premieres, and a Musical
Mix with the finest local talent and present on either one of
our two intimate stages. What an incredible recipe for our
38th season!
We must be doing something right. Is it because we feel passionate about what we do? Is it because we produce the hottest new plays being written? Is it because we take a risk on new playwrights and give opportunities to young, emerging artists? Or is it that we continue to feed your heart, your soul and your mind? Whatever the answer, the Unicorn’s recipe seems to be working and we want to share it with you.
We have produced 280 shows in the last 37 years, including
50 world premieres, 11 Pulitzer Prize winners and 12 Tony Award winners. We only produce plays that have never been done professionally in Kansas City or anywhere in the Midwest…or anywhere at all. Usually we are the first theatre to receive permission to do a new play after the New York production. And, attending one of our In-Progress New Play Readings might just give you first glance at the next great play. I love to find the kind of provocative story that gives you something to talk about on the way home or entices you to stay afterwards for one of our many talkbacks with the actors and director.
Theatre is truly collaborative and we team up with two great organizations on two plays this year: Kansas City Actors Theatre and UMKC Theatre. This way, we combine the best professional artists with the brilliant young minds of tomorrow for an experience that transcends an ordinary event.
If you want to feel something and explore current issues, you have come to the right place.
Cynthia Levin
Producing Artistic Director
Bio on Cynthia Levin
CYNTHIA LEVIN (PRODUCING ARTISTIC DIRECTOR) is in her 33rd season with Unicorn Theatre as Producing Artistic Director where she has served as a director, actor, designer or producer for over 200 productions. She directed last season's hits Distracted and Two Jews Walk Into A War..., and also recently directed Green Whales (world premiere), Miss Witherspoon, My First Time, The Clean House, Mauritius, 9 Parts of Desire, The Great American Trailer Park Musical, BatBoy: The Musical and the world premieres of rightnextto me (both at the Unicorn and Geva Theatre Center, Rochester, NY), How His Bride Came to Abraham, Light:Damage, Mercy Killing, Innocent Thoughts and Jack and Jill. At Coterie Theatre she has directed And Then They Came for Me, Frankenstein, Gatherings in Graveyards (I and II), Valley Song and To Kill A Mockingbird. Additional shows at the Kennedy Center include the world premieres of Tigers Be Still and White Devil, Loving Mother. Cynthia is a graduate of Park University where she was additionally awarded an Honorary Doctorate in 2002. She is also a founding board member of the National New Play Network, an organization dedicated to the development and production of new works. She is the 2006 recipient of the Pinnacle Award for Excellence in the Arts from the Johnson County Library Foundation and the 2007 recipient of the Human Rights Campaign Equality Award. This season at the Unicorn Cynthia will direct Red and the world premiere of Hungry..
