BECOMING DR. RUTH Opens Season at White Theatre of Jewish Community Center

Everyone knows her as the petite fireball sex therapist who speaks her mind on television and radio shows. But who is Dr. Ruth Westheimer and what made her who she is today?

That's what the play, "Becoming Dr. Ruth," uncovers. This extraordinary one-woman play is the 2016-2017 season opener at the White Theatre of The Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City. "Becoming Dr. Ruth" is here for two performances only - Saturday, Sept. 10 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 11 for a 2 p.m. matinee. Tickets are available by calling The J Box Office at (913) 327-8054 or online at thejkc.org/boxoffice.

Veteran actress Susie Wall brings to life Dr. Ruth, whose incredible journey began as Karola Ruth Seigel, a young girl from Frankfort, Germany, who escaped the Nazis through the Kindertransport. She landed in an orphanage in Switzerland while her parents were sent to Auschwitz - she never saw them again. Off to Israel, she joined the Haganah in Jerusalem as a scout and sniper. In the play, Wall inhabits Dr. Ruth as she shares her struggles to succeed as a single mother coming to America. "Becoming Dr. Ruth" fills the audience in on the beginnings of Dr. Ruth's now famous career as a sex therapist that first began as a 15-minute radio show in New York airing after Midnight. Wall captures the frankness and spirit of Dr. Ruth in this entertaining journey of the therapist's life.

Prior to "Becoming Dr. Ruth," on Wednesday, Sept. 7, is the final installment of a 3-part series "Making of Mensch" with the program, "1940s and Beyond: Anti-Semitism, The Holocaust and American-Jewish Self-Understanding". Alan Edelman with the Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City is the presenter. Edelman will discuss what attitudes confronted Jews when they arrived in the United States and how they have evolved over the decades. The Noon-1:15 p.m. program takes place in the Jewish Community Campus Board Room. The program cost is $15; to make a reservation please contact the box office at (913) 327-8054.

This 12th season at The J, produced by its Arts + Culture Department, features something for everyone whether its Broadway-style musicals and plays to visual arts and literature presentations. Following "Becoming Dr. Ruth" is The J's first of four locally produced shows, the Tony Award winning musical "Sunset Boulevard" by Andrew Lloyd Weber that runs November 5-20. In addition, the diverse season includes musical concerts, a choreography showcase and a new Artist-in-Residence the Kinnor Philharmonic. It also includes the Jewish Film Festival in January 2017. (Full descriptions for each event are available at thejkc.org/arts+culture.)

Season tickets are still available at a very reasonable price with more flexibility than ever before. Season ticket holders receive preferred seating, free and easy ticket exchanges and the ability to design-your-own flexible package ranging from "pick four" to the full season. Season tickets may be purchased for as low as $60.

Tickets may be ordered online at thejkc.org/boxoffice, by phone (913-327-8054) or in person at The J's Box Office.

About "The J"

Established more than 100 years ago, the Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City-The J, provides a warm welcome to families of all backgrounds. The J's all-in-one hub for health, learning and well-being elevates the lives of the community and its members with programs of excellence in fitness, sports, theatre, arts + culture, senior adult programming and youth services including summer camps and child development. Everyone can "live up" at The J, located in Overland Park, Kansas, and at thejkc.org.