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Kansas City has been heralded as a “best-kept secret.” And one of our best-kept secrets is a place where you can enjoy cutting-edge, pre-Broadway, off-Broadway, hot-off-the-playwright’s page theatre.
Says Nathan Gwartney, Director of Marketing, “Unicorn Theatre focuses on new, contemporary work written within the last five years or so. We’re now in our 51st season. We’ve come a long way since we were founded in 1974 by 3 UMKC theatre grads who rented an old warehouse in the historic River Market and put on the first show. In 1986, we moved into our current space on Main Street.”
“By producing provocative new plays, Unicorn Theatre fosters the next generation of great American writers and artists,” he adds, “creating innovative and intimate theatrical experiences that transcend the ordinary. Unicorn strives to be one of the preeminent homes for new plays in the country.”
To do that, Unicorn became a founding member of the National New Play Network, which helps connect playwrights with theatres. “We put on plays you won’t be able to see anywhere else in Kansas City,” says Gwartney.
A New Look
Unicorn invites theatregoers with not one, but two theatres. The Jerome Theatre, a black box theatre, seats 110. The larger Levin Stage, named after long-time artistic director Cynthia Levin, who recently retired, seats 152.
“We have a relaxed vibe,” says Gwartney. ”We have a bar and encourage people to come early and hang out. Once you get into the theatre space you’ll see that there is not a bad seat in the house. The actors are very close to you, which makes for a very intimate viewing experience…unlike any other in Kansas City.”
A New Artistic Director
Ernie Nolan, the new Artistic Director, is just settling in, “I can’t wait to continue the tradition of new work at the Unicorn. And to also create some of my own bold, new plays on those stages,” he says.
New Plays
Two new plays highlight the 2024-2025 season.
Ebenezer Scrooge’s Big KC MO Christmas Show is a funny take on Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. But of course, the story takes place in Kansas City. Now, where will Scrooge find a Christmas goose?
Later in the season, you can see another take on a classic. Fat Ham, which won the 2022 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, gives Shakespeare’s Hamlet a run for its money. Fat Ham, known as Juicy, is a queer black man whose deceased father appears to him at a backyard barbecue, asking his son to avenge his murder.
Theatregoers can enjoy a little slow-smoked brisket or ribs from the barbecue food truck which will be parked outside, open for business.
“After the pandemic, people are more interested in experiences than ever before,” says Gwartney, “and we’re happy to create those experiences.”
“When you see a play at Unicorn, you will always walk away with something to talk about, not just that evening, but for a long time afterwards,” he says.
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit Unicorntheatre.org