Kansas City Actors Radio Theatre

A man is found dead, alone and barricaded in his room in the first American adventure of Agatha Christie’s famous detective, Hercule  Poirot. Follow along with the twists and turns of a classic Agatha Christie murder mystery with Kansas City Actors Radio Theatre!

Hosted by John Rensenhouse. Featuring Kathleen Warfel, Robert Gibby Brand, Carolyn Russell, Jerry Mañan, Shon Ruffin, Carla Noack, Greg  Butell, and Weiyi Zhang. Directed by Darren Sextro. Sound Design by Mary Robinson.

George searches for a way to work through his problem as new bonds are formed and strengthened amidst shifting alliances. Meanwhile, an unwelcome visitors meet a Kansas City "greeting committee" and the conflict between the mob and the cattlemen reaches City Hall.

Hosted by John Rensenhouse

Cast - Victor Raider-Wexler as the Narrator; Justin McCoy as George; Walter Coppage as Fritzy; Ellen Kirk as Alice; Scott Cordes as Big Mike; R.H. Wilhoit as George Kelly; Kyle Dyck as Tom; Chioma Anyanwu as Charlee; Katie Hall as Amy Pritchett; David Fritts as Evans; Mike Ott as Police Captain James Sullivan; Bri Woods as Rose; Matt Schwader as Vincent; Brian Paulette as Lockridge; Katie Gilchrist as Farrow. Sound Design by Jonathan Robertson. Directed by Victor Raider-Wexler. Written by Forrest Attaway.

Tensions continue to rise between mafioso Joey Giovanni and cattle rancher Ma Pritchett in the second episode of our epic historical radio drama as a corrupt city government gets involved. Meanwhile,  Vincent’s role starts to become clearer as Rose and the rest of her  family discover why her brother, George, is so desperate to skip town.

Hosted by Cinnamon Schultz

Cast – Victor Raider-Wexler as the Narrator; Matt Schwader as Vincent; Scott Cordes as Big Mike; Ellen Kirk as Alice; Jen Mays as Clementine; Walter Copapge as Fritzy; Granville O’Neal as Ellis; Bri Woods as Rose; Justin McCoy as George; Gary Neal Johnson as Col. Wesley; Jan Rogge as Ma Pritchett; Chioma Anyanwu as Charlee; Kyle Dyck as Tom; Mark Robbins as Joey Giovanni. Directed by Victor Raider-Wexler. Sound Design by Jonathan Robertson. Written by Forrest Attaway.

In the opening episode of Forrest Attaway's “Kansas City: 1924," "The Ties That Bind,” a mysterious and well-connected stranger arrives to the heyday of Prohibition-era Kansas City to find himself quickly embroiled in both the lively characters of the nightlife and a growing feud between the mob and the cattle ranchers.

Hosted by Cinnamon Schultz

Cast - Victor Raider-Wexler as the Narrator; Matt Schwader as Vincent Esposito; Scott Cordes as Big Mike; Mark Robbins as Joey Giovanni; Ellen Kirk as Alice; Mike Ott as Police Captain James Sullivan; Jan Rogge as Ma Pritchett; Kyle Dyck as Tom; Bri Woods as Rose; Justin McCoy as George. Directed by Victor Raider-Wexler. Sound Design by Jonathan Robertson.

Conceived in Kansas City, the classic radio comedy “Easy Aces” follows the cheerfully absurd martial misadventures of Goodman and Jane Ace. Here Jane visits a Psychiatrist to talk about her problems, some of which may actually exist! Featuring John Rensenhouse, Sidonie Garrett, Kathleen Warfel, Cinnamon Schultz, Nedra Dixon, and David Hall. Hosted by Walter Coppage. Directed by Darren Sextro. Sound Design by Mary Robinson.

Have you ever just wanted to kill your boss? In this entry from the  classic “Suspense” series, a scriptwriter for the fictional radio series, “Murder, Please,” is driven to the edge by a meddling producer in this week's episode of Kansas City Actors Radio Theatre. Hosted by Walter Coppage and featuring David Fritts, Matt  Williamson, Todd Lanker, Ashlee LaPine, Shawna Peña-Downing, Kris  Stoker, and Nedra Dixon. Directed by John Rensenhouse. Sound Design by Mary Robinson.

John and Blanche Bickerson are perfectly suited for each other, just in  their own special way. Full of wit and rejoinders in the tradition of  classic comedies like “The Honeymooners,” Kansas City Actors Radio Theatre presents Philip Rapp’s classic radio comedy, “The Bickersons.”  Featuring Hillary Clemens as Blanche, Matt Schwader as John, Nedra Dixon  as Dr. Hershey, and Justin Barron as the Cop and Mr. Guernsey. Directed by Gary Heisserer. Sound Design by Mary Robinson.

Hosts John Rensenhouse, Walter Coppage, and Cinnamon Schultz preview the series to come, including preview excerpts of future episodes,  interviews with “Kansas City: 1924” playwright Forrest Attaway;  experienced stage, film, and radio actor Victor Raider-Wexler; and  director Darren Sextro.

Featured Actors: David Fritts & Matt Williamson in “A Murderous  Revision;” Ellen Kirk & Matt Schwader in “Kansas City: 1924;”  Hillary Clemens & Matt Schwader in “The Bickersons;” and Sidonie  Garrett, Nedra Dixon and John Rensenhouse in “Easy Aces.”

Sound Design by Matt Sameck.

Anyone involved in professional theatre will tell you: A good Stage Manager is invaluable in getting a production to run smoothly. The Stage Manager begins official work on a production before almost anyone else, and is the one who works the longest, shepherding the production until even after the final curtain comes down. But what, exactly, does a Stage Manager do? What do they not do? In this episode, Alex Murphy, an Equity Stage Manager who has worked extensively in Kansas City, talks with Matt Sameck, Kansas City Actors Theatre Director of Marketing and Development, about what the Stage Manager contributes to a production, why he loves it, and what he wishes both the back-stage people and the audience knew about what he does.

A costume is one of the most subtly revealing things to define a character, with some costuming going all the way down to the contents of a character's pockets! Costume Designer Sarah M. Oliver has designed and created costumes for most every professional theatre company in Kansas City. In this episode, Sarah talks about how she got started in costuming, her process for working on a show, and some of her proudest and strangest moments in theatre. And how the subtle art of creating artificial sweat stains refined her loved ones' appreciation for the full extent of costume design.