August 7 to 25 at the City Stage in Union Station
From acclaimed novelist, actress, and playwright Alice Childress
Kansas City Actors Theatre continues their 2024/2025 20th Anniversary Season with Trouble in Mind by Alice Childress. Over 65 years after it was written, Trouble in Mind finally made its Broadway debut in late-2021, and comes to the City Stage this August! This funny and moving comedy-drama stars Lynn King and KCAT Company Member John Rensenhouse. Featuring an incredible cast of KC-favorites including KCAT Company Member Chioma Anyanwu, Logan Black, Arthur Phog Clifford, Robert Coppage III, Scott Cordes, Emmy Panzica-Piontek, and Brad Shaw. With co-direction from KCAT Company Members Teisha Bankston and Darren Sextro. This production runs from August 7 to 25 at the City Stage in Union Station. Tickets are on sale now at www.kcactors.org/shows/trouble-in-mind/.
Trouble in Mind follows an experienced Black stage actress, Wiletta Mayer played by Lynn King, through the first days of rehearsal for a ‘powerful’ new play about racism—a play unfortunately filled with racist caricatures, shallow dialogue, and led by a condescending white director, Al Manners played by John Rensenhouse. A workplace comedy that looks at racism, identity, ego, and the high-pressure world of 1950s Broadway. “A monumental work, whose time has finally come.” (New York Amsterdam News)
“Alice Childress was assessing the role of the Black American actor in a most compassionate, humorous, and poignant way decades ahead of her time,” said Teisha Bankston co-director of Trouble in Mind and Co-Chair of KCAT’s Artistic Committee. “It’s been exactly 50 years since this play was last performed locally, and we are honored for it to make its Kansas City professional premiere on KCAT’s stage.” Trouble in Mind’s only known Kansas City performance was in 1974 by students from the University of Washington, Seattle performing at UMKC.
Trouble in Mind stars Lynn King as Wiletta Mayer, the central character of the play who speaks out about the racist problems in the script of the play-within-a-play. Lynn is making her KCAT stage debut, but has been seen locally at the KC Melting Pot Theatre, The Unicorn, and the Kansas Repertory Theatre. John Rensenhouse stars as Al Manners, the condescending white director of the play-within-a-play. John has been a KCAT Company Member for 17 years and has recently been seen in KCAT’s Gaslight (Angel Street), Spider’s Web, and Skylight. Trouble in Mind is co-directed by Teisha Bankston, who is making her KCAT directorial debut but has been seen on stage in KCAT’s Little Women and Spider’s Web. Darren Sextro co-directs Trouble in Mind after recently directing Little Women, Spider’s Web, A Doll’s House, Skylight, My Old Lady, and more for the stage as well as Kansas City Actors Radio Theatre.
Chioma Anyanwu plays Millie Davis, a younger Black stage actress who is unhappy with her role in the play-within-a-play. Chioma has been seen on KCAT’s stage in Little Women, Dot, and The Pests. Logan Black plays Bill O’Wray, a steadily working white character actor. Logan has appeared in KCAT’s productions of Spider’s Web, The Pests, King Lear, I’m Not Rappaport, and Journey’s End. Arthur Phog Clifford plays Eddie Fenton, the sycophantic stage manager of the production. Arthur has previously been seen on KCAT’s stage in ‘Master Harold’… and the Boys. Robert Coppage III plays John Nevins, a novice actor who believes he is superior to Wiletta. He is making his KCAT stage debut but has appeared on Kansas City Actors Radio Theatre. Scott Cordes plays Henry, the elderly Irish doorman and Wiletta’s main ally. Scott has been seen on KCAT’s stage in And Then There Were None, Hamlet, Glengarry Glen Ross, and more. Emmy Panzica-Piontek plays Judy Sears, a young, naïve actress working in her first role. This is Emmy’s KCAT stage debut. Brad Shaw rounds out the cast as Sheldon Forrester, a wise, but non-confrontational Black actor. Brad is making his KCAT stage debut, but has previously served in the role of costume designer with KCAT.
The creative team for Trouble in Mind includes scenic design by Atif Rome (KCAT debut), costume design by Matt Snellgrove (KCAT debut), lighting design from Zoe Spangler (KCAT’s Little Women and Four Children), sound design and composition from Mary Robinson (KCAT’s The Lehman Trilogy and Little Women, properties design by Taylor Jene Sullivan (KCAT’s The Lehman Trilogy) who also serves in the role of technical director. The production stage manager is Pamela A. West, with assistant stage management by Addison Price.
Tickets for Trouble in Mind start as low as $20 and can be purchased online at www.kcactors.org/shows/trouble-in-mind/ or by phone at (816) 361-5228 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm). Trouble in Mind has one Pay-What-You-Can performance on Monday, August 19th.
Trouble in Mind is generously sponsored by Theater League (https://www.theaterleague.org/).
Season 20 Continues through March, 2025
Coming up after Trouble in Mind, comes a new adaptation of classic thriller, Dial M for Murder, adapted by Jeffrey Hatcher from the original play by Frederick Knott, from September 11 to 29 at the City Stage in Union Station. Suspicion, deception, and murder-that-goes-awry in this “smartly adapted” psychological thriller. Starring Elise Poehling, Darren Kennedy, and Hillary Clemens.
Closing out KCAT’s anniversary season in March of 2025 comes Doubt: A Parable, the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning play from John Patrick Shanley. A nuanced tale of suspicion and morality, performed at the site-specific Kansas City United Church of Christ. You don’t want to miss Kathleen Warfel and Matt Schwader in this powerful piece.
About Kansas City Actors Theatre
Formed and overseen by a collective of local theatre artists, Kansas City Actors Theatre (KCAT) produces thought-provoking plays that explore, celebrate, and share what it is to be human with sensitivity, intelligence, and humor. KCAT nurtures the local artistic community by employing the finest talents of Kansas City’s diverse professional theatre community, which in turn makes Kansas City a more vibrant, vital place to live and work.
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