Arts & Culture
Stories and videos about music, dance, visual and performing arts and film in the Kansas City metro.
Sympathetic Vibrations | A Generous Mob
Music is art. There is no denying that. But well before your favorite artist’s music tickles your eardrums, there are hundreds of business-related decisions made about that art. And nearly all of those decisions have to do with money. In the past, if artists wanted to be heard by a national audience, they had to…
The Weekend Starts Today
Forecasters are calling for warm, dry weather all weekend. Thank goodness. We all know what April showers bring. May showers, however, don’t bring anything but badly overgrown lawns. Once you’ve mowed that jungle of yours, why not get out and see some of what our city has to offer? The scuffling Royals are out of…
From KC to Cannes: It’s a Hustle
Orson Welles’ observation on filmmaking was simple: “It’s about two percent movie making and 98 percent hustling. It’s no way to spend a life.” Kansas City-based indie filmmaker Patrick Rea knows everything about hustling. He began creating short films in 2002 to help him refine his skills as a storyteller and film director. To date, Rea has…
Cook for Courage and Other Weekend Possibilities
You win when chefs compete in a barbecue contest. The third-annual Cook for Courage, a benefit for the Child Protection Center, is Sunday at 6 p.m. at the 12th Street Bridge in the West Bottoms. Chefs Colby Garrelts, John Smith, Dan Swinney, Alex Pope and Laura Norris will all be smoking to see who has…
The Weekend Starts Today
If last week’s musical tsunami left you a little woozy, I figure there’s really two ways to roll. Option 1) Call it the hair of the dog. That would put you at the grounds of Liberty Memorial on Saturday for this year’s edition of Rockfest. Who’s playing, you ask? Does it matter, I say. You’re…
Summer of Shakespeare in KC
In 1623, a couple of guys got together and self-published some work by a dead friend of theirs named William Shakespeare. Four hundred years later, this piece of “vanity publishing” is considered to be the crown jewel of our Western canon. Shakespeare’s First Folio, as it is now known, is one of the…
Kansas Food Truck Festival and Other Weekend Possibilities
Dive into the food truck scene at the third-annual Kansas Food Truck Festival from 4 to 10 p.m. on Saturday in Lawrence’s Warehouse Arts District. The Craft Collective will have art for sale, more than 20 food trucks will be in attendance, and there will be a bouncy house alongside live entertainment (everything from Maria…
Sympathetic Vibrations | Your Guide to the Bottom of the Bill
Yesterday kicked off the music leg of Kansas City’s sixth-annual Middle of the Map Fest, a music, film and forum festival that bears a not-so-coincidental resemblance to Austin’s South by Southwest. The two-week fest is something of a crown jewel for Kansas City’s arts scene, showcasing more than 25 films and 100 bands throughout 11…
The Weekend Starts Today
It’s Mother’s Day weekend. So, for goodness’ sake, pre-order those flowers, and make those brunch reservations now. Better yet, take mom out to see one of the great cultural events happening around our city. We’ve culled the best for her (and you) below. With May underway, it’s time for a First Friday in the Crossroads….
Why You Should Care About OriginKC New Works Festival at The KC Rep
All spring, the OriginKC New Works Festival has been helping to build the city’s theater scene with events like Playwright Slams and the Monday Night Playwright Series. This weekend, the festival culminates with the opening of two full-length plays. Yes, two. The Rep is simultaneously staging a pair of dramatic works, presented in a rotating repertory from…