An Agatha Christie mystery where the author herself is the mystery.
A poetic and lyrical drama from one of the most lauded modern playwrights.
A hilarious and prescient comedy fresh from Broadway.
And the return of George Bernard Shaw to the Kansas City Stage!
Kansas City Actors Theatre (KCAT) has announced the line-up for its 22nd Season, running from June 2026 through February 2027. The 2026-2027 season will feature smart, thrilling, soon-to-be-classics, and critically acclaimed works, featuring the finest theatre talent Kansas City has to offer.
Coming next year in KCAT’s Season 22, Mrs. Christie by Heidi Armbruster, performed at the Spencer Theatre at the James C. Olsen Performing Arts Center at UMKC; Intimate Apparel by Lynn Nottage, performed at the City Stage in Union Station; Eureka Day by Jonathan Spector, performed at the City Stage in Union Station; and Arms and the Man by George Bernard Shaw and adapted by KCAT Ensemble Member Jerry Mañan, performed at the Frantze Family Black Box Theatre at the Goppert Performing Arts Center at Avila University.
“Season 22 finds us breaking out in new directions while still respecting the kind of work that has made our reputation for high quality theatre. We’ve got a couple of new works that are making strong debuts on the regional theatre circuit, along with a modern-classic from Lynn Nottage and, hooray!, our own debut into the world of George Bernard Shaw,” said Board President and KCAT Ensemble Member John Rensenhouse. “I think we have again landed on a well-balanced, well-considered season and I am very excited to present this slate of great plays to our audiences.”
The Season will kick of in June 2026 with Heidi Armbruster’s new comedy-mystery Mrs. Christie. “Our audience loves a mystery, but Mrs. Christie turns its focus from the puzzle to the person. Instead of asking what happened in 1926, the play looks at why it mattered, both to Agatha and to the women who find strength in her story a hundred years later,” said Matt Schwader, KCAT Ensemble Member and director of Mrs. Christie. The play takes a look at Agatha Christie’s mysterious eleven-day disappearance in 1926, and 100 years later, a devoted superfan, Lucy, who may be the one to finally crack the case. Told in parallel stories that weave the past with the present as both Agatha and Lucy go on journeys of self-discovery, all with an added thrill of a good old-fashioned mystery. Matt adds, “It’s a tender, funny, and deeply human exploration of reinvention that KCAT audiences are going to love!” Mrs. Christie will feature KCAT Ensemble Members Hillary Clemens, Logan Black, and Tyler Lindquist, as well as Peggy Friesen, Dri Hernaez, Eric Palmquist, Erdin Schultz-Bever, and Lauren Smith. A Co-Production with the UMKC Conservatory performed at the Spencer Theatre at the James C. Olson Performing Arts Center from June 16 to 28, 2026.
Up next, from two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage comes the soon-to-be-classic Intimate Apparel. Set in 1905 New York, Esther works as a seamstress sewing exquisite lingerie for an array of clients, but her skill with needle and thread has led to an absence of a personal life. As Esther explored a forbidden romance with an Orthodox Jewish fabric vendor and a long-distance courtship with a worker building the Panama Canal, she also gets exclusive access into the private lives of her clients. A distinctive meditation of loneliness and desire, filled with delicate and eloquent writing from one of the most award-winning and prolific playwrights of the 21st Century. Intimate Apparel will be directed by Teresa Leggard, and star KCAT Ensemble Member Chioma Anyanwu, and featuring Lynn King, Allison Rich, David Sadzin, Joseph Serrano, and Teonna Wesley. KCAT Ensemble Member Hillary Clemens adds, “When the powerhouse KCAT Ensemble and our fantastic guest artists get to work on these smart plays, our audiences will be thinking and talking about all of them long after curtain call!” Performed at the City Stage in Union Station from August 5 to 23, 2026.
From September 9 to 27, 2026, KCAT will bring Jonathan Spector’s delightfully prescient and sharply funny Eureka Day to the stage, fresh off its Tony Award®-winning Broadway revival. “My enthusiasm for the possibility of Eureka Day at KCAT was primarily based on my, and the audience’s, outsized emotional response—huge laughter, well-earned tears—when I saw its award-winning Broadway revival last year,” said Darren Sextro, KCAT Ensemble Member and director of Eureka Day. A mumps outbreak puts the Board of Directors for the Eureka Day School on their backfoot, forced to reexamine their vaccination policy. Until now, they have only made decisions through consensus, not majority, but now they must answer: is it possible to make a decision about vaccinations that will please everyone? Darren continues, “It’s one of those plays that will have audience members discussing it for days after they experience it.” Featuring KCAT Ensemble Members Teisha Bankston, John Rensenhouse, and Cinnamon Schultz, as well as Erika Crane Ricketts and Ross Hellwig. Performed at the City Stage in Union Station.
The final show of Season 22 will perform from January 27 to February 14, 2027, from one of the preeminent voices of English-language theatre, George Bernard Shaw’s Arms and the Man, adapted by KCAT Ensemble Member Jerry Mañan. Shaw’s enduring comedy-drama takes a look at the absurdities of war as Captain Bluntschli attempts to flee the Serbo-Bulgarian war by hiding in the bedroom of the young, engaged-to-be-wed, Raina. What results is a series of events that turns Raina’s household, engagement, and life upside down. Adapter and Ensemble Member Jerry Mañan adds, “There’s a reason why this satire about two lovers, set against the backdrop of war, has stood the test of time. Like finding your great grandpa’s antique timepiece, we’re going to give this 125-year-old masterpiece a proper dusting, polish it where it shines, and restore it for our modern audiences. KCAT’s Arms and the Man will be a refreshing update to this timeless classic, and continue to ask all the right questions about war through love, laughter, and chocolate!” Featuring KCAT Ensemble Member Jan Rogge (with more to be announced) and directed by John Rensenhouse, performed at the Frantze Family Black Box at the Goppert Performing Arts Center at Avila University.
“Welcome to a season of bold questions, sharp comedy, and human stories that sink in. These plays invite us to think deeply, disarm, laugh fully, and connect honestly. This rich, actor-driven collection cultivated by our Artistic Ensemble is grounded, palpable, and anchored in truth, wit, and heart. We lead with Great Actors. Smart Plays. We present to you — Season 22,” concludes Teisha Bankston, KCAT Ensemble Member and Artistic Committee Co-Chair.
Season Subscriptions are available now at www.kcactors.org/season-22/ or by calling (816) 361-5228!
Season subscriptions are available now at www.kcactors.org/season-22/ or by calling the KCAT Box Office at (816) 361-5228 (Mon. to Fri. 9AM – 5PM). Season subscribers not only get the best price on tickets all season long, but a slew of benefits including free ticket exchanges, ticket vouchers for friends and family, free parking, and more.
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