ANNOUNCING THE COTERIE'S
2007– 2008 SEASON

The artistic talent for the 2007-2008 season includes a guest list of prominent local directors: Ron Megee (Night of the Living Dead), Sidonie Garrett, artistic director for Heart of America Shakespeare Festival (In Spite of Thunder: The Macbeth Project), and Missy Koonce (Sideways Stories from Wayside School).

A Star Ain’t Nothin’ But a Hole in Heaven
September 25 – October 14, 2007
Preteen/Young Adult Series
By Judi Ann Mason; Directed by Jeff Church.
In rural Louisiana in 1969, Pokie’s scholarship to an Ohio college is momentous. But if she accepts it, her fragile uncle and dying aunt will be left alone on the farm. Filled with laughter and empathy, this exquisite drama won the Kennedy Center's Lorraine Hansberry Playwriting Award for its exploration of loss and gain during the civil rights era.

Special Event: Night of the Living Dead
October 18-28, 2007
Preteen/Young Adult Series
From George Romero’s classic film; Directed by Ron Megee.
“Yeah, they’re dead...They’re all messed up!” It’s true: On-stage zombies will walk among you in Night of the Living Dead. Seven people trapped in an isolated farmhouse, held hostage by the flesh-eating dead, begin to turn on each other as the dead encroach. B-movie horror brought to life! (So to speak.)

The Happy Elf
November 13 - December 30, 2007
Family Series
Music and Lyrics by Harry Connick Jr., Book by Andrew Fishman; Directed by Jeff Church Musical direction by Molly Jessup; Co-produced by the Coterie Theatre and Scott Landis.
Tony nominated composer and Grammy®-winner Harry Connick, Jr. creates a toe-tapping original score based on his original song, “The Happy Elf,” from his best-selling 2003 Harry for the Holidays Christmas album for this charming new holiday live-jazz musical. Meet Eubie, a North Pole elf whose constant exuberance wears others down. Eubie's overly optimistic outlook is put to the test when he decides to bring Christmas joy to the sad little town of Bluesville , which has fallen into a state of permanent blues. If Eubie can fix Bluesville, he might win a coveted slot on Santa's Sleigh Team! The fifth musical to be developed in the Coterie’s Lab for New Family Musicals.

In Spite of Thunder: The Macbeth Project
January 22 - February 15, 2008
Preteen/Young Adult Series
Adapted from Shakespeare by Suzan L. Zeder & Jim Hancock; Directed by Sidonie Garrett.
As the roles of Lord and Lady Macbeth rotate among all members of the ensemble, the characters rise from a rich witches' brew, asking questions of complicity in an unbroken cycle of violence. Prophecies of ambition and betrayal, plus the spectacle of theatrical transformation, will create the most powerful and dynamic of Coterie productions. Produced in cooperation with UMKC Theatre.

A Separate Peace
March 4 – 22, 2008
Preteen/Young Adult Series
By Faulkner Award winner John Knowles; Adapted by Nancy Gilsenan; Directed by Jeff Church.
Just before World War II, Gene attends summer session at a private school to get his diploma before being drafted. There he meets Finny, an exceptional athlete and a consummate charmer, whose remarkable love for life defies the reality of draft boards and battleships and challenges the adult world. Although the era and anxiety belong to 1942, the search for a "special and separate peace" is timeless.

Special Event: The Coterie’s Young Playwrights’ Festival
April 24, 2008.
A Celebration of New Works by Kansas City’s most talented teens. The festival showcases a collection of select short plays and monologues by teen members of the Coterie’s Young Playwrights’ Roundtable. Each piece is given a staged reading by professional actors, directors and designers overseen by Jeff Church. The result can be “very frank, but also very funny,” Church said. Most appreciated by teens and adults.

Sideways Stories from Wayside School
April 8-May 18, 2008
Family Series
By Newbery Award-winning author Louis Sachar; Adapted by John Olive; Directed by Missy Koonce.
It's the funniest school in the universe, where the oddest things can happen! Tornado drills are the norm (for good reason). Public address systems sprout mouths and tongues and warn of wandering cows. Get a load of the teachers: from wicked Mrs. Gorf, who turns kids into apples and threatens to bake a pie, to Miss Jewls, who conducts an orchestra of imaginary instruments. You'll be delirious with laughter–no matter your age.

Once On This Island
June 24 – August 3, 2008
Family Series Book & Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens,
Music by Stephen Flaherty; Directed by Jeff Church and Molly Jessup.
Premiere theatre for young audience’s version. This magical musical is a calypso-flavored twist on the traditional “Little Mermaid” tale now set on a Caribbean island! Here we have the story of Ti Moune, a poor peasant girl who falls in love with Daniel, a young man from a wealthy family whose life she saves after a car crash. When Daniel is returned to his people, the gods who rule the island guide Ti Moune on a quest to test the strength of her love against the powerful forces of prejudice. With its touching story and catchy pop and Caribbean inspired score by songwriters of the film Anastasia and the Coterie smash hit Seussical, Once On This Island promises to be a multi-cultural feast for the heart, mind and soul.

Season Tickets now on sale

Individual Tickets now on sale

Group tickets available now click for more information

Crown Center Location
The Coterie Theatre is conveniently located on level one of Crown Center shops.
Crown Center offers a variety of free, entertaining and educational opportunities that include the Hallmark Visitors Center, Kaleidoscope (hands-on art experience for children ages 5-12 sponsored by Hallmark Cards), Crown Center Showplace (special exhibits presented throughout the year) and Crown Center Square. For details, visit www.crowncenter.com.

Coterie Theatre Traditions
Everyone entering the theatre, regardless of age, must have a paid admission. Seating begins 30 minutes before curtain time. Late seating is at the discretion of the management. Unless you are a season ticket subscriber, there are no refunds, exchanges, or cancellations on tickets once they are purchased. There is no eating or drinking allowed in the theatre. This includes candy, gum and popcorn.