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ABOUT US




 
 

GIVE THE GIFT OF UNICORN THEATRE

Ernie Nolan
Artistic Director

Ernie Nolan is an award-winning playwright, director, and choreographer, and has made significant contributions to the world of theatre for young audiences and beyond.Read More

Favorite Unicorn Shows: La Cage Aux Folles

Jason Kralicek
Managing Director

Jason Kralicek proudly plays the role of Managing Director of Unicorn Theatre.
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Favorite Unicorn Show: Bat Boy: The Musical

Nathan Gwartney
Director of Marketing

Nathan Gwartney is an arts administrator and producer specializing in communications and audience development.
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Favorite Unicorn Show: Red

Taylor Jene Sullivan
Production Manager

Tanya Brown
Resident Stage Manager

Tanya is our amazing Resident Stage Manager. The stage manager is the person who runs the show (literally!)
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Favorite Unicorn Show: Too many to choose

Michael LeDesma
Box Office Manager

OUR MISSION

Unicorn Theatre enhances the Kansas City community by developing and producing high-quality, thought-provoking plays that have never been seen in the region. We illuminate social issues by shining a light on diversity and inclusive stories which include race, religion and gender identity. Unicorn creates opportunities for the advancement of emerging and established actors, directors, playwrights, designers, technicians and administrative staff.

OUR VISION

By producing provocative new plays Unicorn Theatre fosters the next generation of great American writers and artists, creating innovative and intimate theatrical experiences that transcend the ordinary. We inspire the community to think and feel deeply; to see the world in new and different ways. Unicorn strives to be one of the preeminent homes for new plays in the country.

OUR ANTI RACIST STATEMENT

As a theatre company with a predominantly white staff and board, Unicorn commits to serve as an ally to communities of color. We know that formal, institutionalized statements offering solidarity without accountability are not enough and have the potential to do further harm. Therefore we commit to the following steps:

  • We will continue to program stories that illuminate social issues, highlighting diversity and inclusive stories which include race, religion, and gender identity.
  • We will include more BIPOC voices on our board and staff and we will seek out resources beyond our current scope to achieve this goal.
  • We will increase percentage of employment of BIPOC artists and technicians.
  • We will create and secure funding for an apprenticeship program to bring young local BIPOC to the Unicorn who are seeking additional experience in Administrative and production work.
  • We will promote an environment that actively works against racism, harassment, discrimination and white supremacy.
  • We will begin board and staff anti-racism learning and we will seek professional outside support in the future.
  • We will examine where we spend our dollars with outside vendors and seek out partners who are also committed to anti-racist practices and accountability.
  • We commit to listening to and learning from communities of color and calling ourselves out as we discover where we are not doing and have not been doing enough.
  • We acknowledge that these commitments need to be measurable and have timelines associated with them. We will review these goals regularly and hope to have made significant progress on these goals in the next 13-18 months depending on when live theatre can resume.

We acknowledge that Unicorn Theatre is on the unceded land of the Kickapoo, Osage, Kaw, and Sioux peoples. We acknowledge their elders both past and present, as well as future generations. Unicorn Theatre also acknowledges that it was founded upon exclusions and erasures of many Indigenous peoples, including those on whose land this institution is located.  Kansas City Missouri is also on land where enslaved Africans have lived and been subjugated to free labor.  This acknowledgement is part of our commitment to beginning the process of working to dismantle the ongoing legacies of settler colonialism.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

WORK WITH US / EMPLOYMENT

AUDITIONS AND DESIGNER SUBMISSIONS

AUDITIONS

If you are new to Kansas City or want to update us, we would love to hear from you. Please send the following items to our Production Manager, Taylor Sullivan, at tsullivan@unicorntheatre.org.

1)  Headshot
2)  Resume
3)  Video of a contemporary monologue, no Shakespeare please.

Unicorn Theatre will not be holding seasonal auditions this Spring and will be scheduled for the Fall.

For any questions about auditions or design opportunities, please contact Taylor at tsullivan@unicorntheatre.org.

We cast roles for Actors’ Equity Association members and some non-AEA actors.  EMC points may be earned.

Note:  All contracts are for local hire.  We do not provide housing, air fare, or per diem.

DESIGNER SUBMISSIONS
If you live in the Kansas City area and would like to submit a design portfolio, please e-mail your resume, cover letter and portfolio to tsullivan@unicorntheatre.org. For further questions, please contact (816) 783-7529, x 15

CAREERS

Technical Director 

Unicorn Theatre is seeking a Technical Director to join our full-time staff. The Technical Director is responsible for the following scenic aspects of our season: budgeting, material acquisition, technical drafting, construction, installation, strike, scheduling over hire crew and occasional seat moves in our black box space. They will also be responsible for coordinating building maintenance. The Technical Director may also be asked to assist with rentals and readings as needed. All experience levels of Carpenters and Technical Directors please apply. This is a wonderful place to learn and grow within the company. 

We are a small, passionate staff, committed to a fair and equitable workplace where everyone is a respected and valued member of the team. Position is available immediately.  

Salary Mid 30’s
Benefits include Health Insurance, Paid vacation, 401k, and more. 

To apply please submit a Resume, cover letter & optional portfolio to Production Manager, Taylor Jene Sullivan at tsullivan@unicorntheatre.org.

APPRENTICESHIPS

Scholarships for travel and living expenses available

Are you pursuing a career as a director or stage manager? Are you interested in learning more about marketing or fundraising?  Whatever your passion is, the Unicorn is a great place to do an apprenticeship. We would love to tailor an apprenticeship to your theatrical goals. Please send us a resume and cover letter telling us your story and what you would like to learn about.

Download Informational Flyer

Submit application to:
Taylor Jene Sullivan
Production Manager
Phone: 816.783.5515
Email: tsullivan@unicorntheatre.org

INTERNSHIPS

Administrative Internship Information: Unicorn Administrative Internship Description

Development Internship Information: Unicorn Development Internship Description

Literary Internship Information: Unicorn Literary Department Internship Description

Marketing and PR Internship Information: Unicorn Marketing and PR Department Internship Description

Production Internship Information: Unicorn Production Internship Description

To inquire about an internship please contact tsullivan@unicorntheatre.org.

NEW PLAY DEVELOPMENT

We don’t just produce plays, we develop new works. The Unicorn is a proud founding member of the National New Play Network (NNPN), an alliance of not-for-profit professional theatres that champions the development, production and continued life of new plays for the American theatre. Since 1998, NNPN has fostered the work of dozens of new voices in the American theatre and its unique network has created a longevity most plays never find. In addition to new plays we have helped develop with the NNPN, the Unicorn has commissioned many new works with the help of funders like the National Endowment for the Arts.

Learn more about the NNPN at www.nnpn.org.

PLAY SUBMISSIONS

Unicorn Theatre utilizes the New Play Exchange to read and evaluate new works. If you don’t yet have a NPX profile, you can sign up here.

We receive hundreds of plays each season and we do our best to read and respond to every single one. So that we can best serve and respond to the works we receive, we will no longer accept unsolicited plays outside of the In-Progress New Play Reading Series.

THE IN-PROGRESS NEW PLAY READING SERIES

To be considered for the In-Progress New Play Reading Series, scripts must be submitted though NNPN’s New Play Exchange (NPX). Only submissions made though NPX will be considered – no hard copy or email submissions, please.

The submission window for this year’s Reading Series is now closed. The next opportunity will open in April, 2020. If you’re on NPX and your play fits what we’re looking for, you’ll receive a notification with instructions once the opportunity is available. Simply tag your play and it’ll be off to us for consideration!

WHAT’S THE UNICORN LOOKING FOR?

Unicorn Theatre prides itself on producing bold new plays that grapple with today’s issues including (but not limited to) women, the LGBTQIA community, diverse and minority populations. We look for works that are issue-oriented and socially significant. We are interested in plays with contemporary themes that speak to diverse audiences. We do not typically produce a large number of musicals or theatre for young audiences.

Only full-length plays (not 10 minute plays, not short one acts) that have not been professionally produced will be considered. Samples are not eligible for consideration through NPX.

Be sure to check out our mission and vision statements before submitting. The best way to get a sense of what works we look for is by reading up on our production history.

WHY NPX?

NNPN started NPX to flip the script on the way new plays get shared and discovered. As a Founding Core Member of NNPN, we believe NPX plays an important role in connecting us with exciting new works from both familiar and unfamiliar voices.

NPX is a cloud-based script database, enhanced with a robust search-and-filter mechanism, crowd-sourced recommendations of plays, and personal script and coverage information storage, plus the connectivity of a social networking site.

Read more about NPX here!

If you have questions about submitting your play to us through NPX, please contact literary@unicorntheatre.org.