British Invasion: International Fringe Performers Return

CENTRAL STANDARD THEATRE . KANSAS CITY Week One - Twain, Dickens and a twist... "...a sumptuous, theatrical, historical and intellectual feast..." Robert Trussell, Kansas City Star

The British are here!   Finally, the first performances of the British Invasion are upon us.  These plays have been tested in Fringe Festivals from Edinburgh to Adelaide and performed the world over.   We have some familiar faces returning; Guy Masterson, Rebecca Vaughan, Blackout Theatre.  There are new friends as well; Pip Utton, Gavin Robertson and Belt Up Theatre.   These global independent theatre professionals are eager to be a part of our lives, expanding our horizons, enriching our arts scene and helping to theatrically make KC an international city.    But this event is more than just a presentation of touring shows... it is a cultural exchange.  We get to show off our fantastic city and represent not only Kansas City, but the Heartland and America.   Come see what all the fuss is about.  Then sit down and share a pint with our guests.  I guarantee you'll be glad you did.   Tickets are now on sale All Access Passes-$125  This ticket will get you into every performance during The Invasion.  Show up at any performance ($5 online handling fee) General Admission - $20 Student/Artist -           $15 Under Milk Wood & Animal Farm -     $30/$20 Tea with Dickens -    $40 Tea with Austen -      $40 ($3 online handling fee) The First Wave Pip Utton Pip makes his KC debut with his award winning productions of Churchill and Dickens. (Pip is also the Vice Chair of the Board of Directors for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe) Rebecca Vaughan  Bex returns to KC for the third year, with a British take on a Missouri writer in The Diaries of Adam and Eve.  And catch her inAusten's Women for Tea. Elton Townend Jones Elton joins his wife onstage  as Adam in The Diaries of Adam and Eve (which he also adapted for this stage production). Gavin Robertson Gavin makes his KC debut with his particular style of physical theatre, mime and intense storytelling. Get more information on the artists on the  website  Facts: 12 artists 15 different shows 35 performances. Pip will be at the Main Branch of the KC Public Library at 2:00 on Dec 9th to speak about Charles Dickens. Free! Dec 6-9 The Diaries of Adam and Eve From Mark Twain's novel by Elton Townend Jones With Rebecca Vaughan and Elton Townend Jones   75 minutes General Admission $20 Students/Artists $15 $3 handling fee Relationships: whose idea was that? In this witty and modern adaptation of Mark Twain's affectionate satire, Adam and Eve - the world's first couple - confront their many differences to find successful ways of living and loving together.  Whether they're creating language, inventing fire, taming nature, or discovering love and death, what they learn about each other on the way will be familiar and funny to anyone who has ever experienced a close relationship.  Tempted? "'Comic and poetic, thoughtful and polished...compelling theatre'" - Fringe Review _____________________________________  Dec 9   Tea with Austen -  Austen's Women Adapted & performed by Rebecca Vaughan     2 Hours General Admission $40 $3 handling fee Limited Seating Come to Tea and spend an Austen Afternoon.  We will be serving tea and scones, and talking with an expert on Austen about her life and work.  Following our tea we will be treated to Rebecca Vaughan performing her intimate show, Austen's Women.  This special performance offers limited seating at cabaret tables, onstage. Some of the most rewarding and exciting moments from the complete works of Jane Austen, the queen of English Literature! Brought to the stage in a superb performance of extraordinary virtuosity by Rebecca Vaughan, thirteen of Austen's beautifully observed women are assembled in one glorious distillation of 19th century feminism.  "Vaughan's performance is unfaultable...this is a thoroughly enjoyable exploration of women & is thoroughly recommended"  - Edinburgh Guide  ______________________________________  Dec 6 & 9 Churchill Written and performed by Pip Utton  75 minutes General Admission $20 Student/Artist $15 $3 handling fee In Pip Utton's new play, Big Ben chimes and strikes thirteen; a magical time when once a year for just over an hour the statues of the great statesmen in Parliament Square, London, England, come alive again. Winston Churchill descends from his plinth to indulge himself in three of his greatest pleasures; a glass of scotch, a cigar and listening to himself talk.  He talks about his multi-faceted life and his many years at the centre of the world political stage. "An hour in which laughter and tears go hand in hand; an hour in which Utton takes you to a history that we must not and will never forget" - Theatre Paradijs      _______________________________________ Dec 7 & 8 Pip Utton is Dickens Written and performed by Pip Utton 75 minutes General Admission $20 Student/Artist $15 $3 handling fee This is not just a jolly 'evening with Dickens', not simply an entertaining diversion. It is an evening with the man behind the myth. The man proclaiming the virtues of a steady domestic life at the same time as leaving his wife for a younger woman; a man both fascinated by death and terrified by it; a man who above all needed to entertain, whatever the physical cost to himself.  The audience will leave thinking not only have they heard some of the finest of Dickens' writing but that they have also spent time with the man himself. "A masterful performance, the name of the show says it all, "Pip Utton is Charles Dickens" - Edinburgh Guide ________________________________________  Dec 8   Tea with Dickens -  A Christmas Carol Performed by Pip Utton   2 Hours General Admission $40 $3 handling fee Limited Seating    Come to Tea and spend a Dickensian Afternoon.  We will be serving mulled wine and mince pies and talking with an expert on Dickens about his life and work.   Following our refreshments we will be treated to an intimate reading of the Dickens' Classic A Christmas Carol by Pip Utton. This special performance offers limited seating at tables, onstage. Using the script and acting directions developed by Dickens himself, Pip Utton recreates the most popular of Dickens' public readings in this almost totally candlelit performance of A Christmas Carol.  The power of the writing brought to life by the power of the performance. "Utton is the doyen of the Fringe one man show"  -  Daily Telegraph _______________________________________  Dec 6, 7, 8, 9  Robertson's Crusoe Written and Performed by Gavin Robertson   75 minutes General Admission $20 Student/Artist $15 $3 handling fee This unique solo show creates an urban and gritty world where a Hitman, a 'single white male' and an Alzheimer's sufferer share their stories and thoughts on being alone - interwoven with the classic Robinson Crusoe story and an exploration of 'Big Bang Theory'! A cinematic blend of precise movement, physical comedy, text, and bold images, supported by an original atmospheric soundtrack. "Gavin Robertson performs with a subtle conviction that is compelling to watch" - The Guardian central standard theatre · kansas city a professional company dedicated to innovative theatre partnerships with artists around the world.  We seek to open an international theatrical dialogue, helping us to define ourselves as Americans and as artists.  Our culture, our heritage defined and celebrated - not just at home in the Heartland, but exported and showcased abroad.  And we, in turn, sponsor award winning, dynamic theatre from the fringe festivals in Edinburgh and Adelaide, in Kansas City.  World class...  Expect nothing less.