KC Rep & Nelson-Atkins Museum to Present SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE, 9/11-10/4

Julián Zugazagoitia, Director of The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and Eric Rosen, Artistic Director of Kansas City Repertory Theatre, today announced a unique collaboration to kick off the Kansas City Repertory Theatre 2015-16 season. Sunday in the Park with George, the Stephen Sondheim classic musical about the neo-Impressionist painter Georges Seurat, will be jointly produced in the Nelson-Atkins' Atkins Auditorium. This production will mark a unique major production of the Pulitzer Prize winning musical produced within the context of one of the nation's great art museums. Performances run from Sept. 11-Oct. 4.

"We are delighted to be the venue for this incredible musical that celebrates creativity and art," said Zugazagoitia. "This partnership between two great Kansas City institutions is fitting, since the story is all about the quest for artistic brilliance."

Directed by Dr. Rosen, Sunday in the Park with George is the first show of KC Rep's 2015-2016 season. Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine's stunning Pulitzer-Prize winning masterpiece is one of the most beloved musicals in the contemporary canon. The struggles of the great painter Georges Seurat to complete his famous "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte," are paired with the story of his fictional grandson, also an artist, who struggles with an artistic crisis of his own. When the two worlds collide, the nature and meaning of art comes to life in one of the most stunning climaxes in contemporary musical theater. Widely acknowledged as one of Sondheim's most breathtaking scores, Sunday merges past and present into a beautiful, poignant evocation of life, love and the quest for artistic brilliance.

"Sunday in the Park with George is the perfect collaboration with our colleagues at the Nelson-Atkins Museum," stated Artistic Director, Eric Rosen. "The musical exists at the intersection between theater and visual art, and is about the tension between Impressionist and contemporary art. I can't imagine a more meaningful environment than the Atkins Auditorium, which sits stunningly between the museum's grand neo-classical original building and the beautiful galleries of the Bloch building. Lovers of visual art will love this exploration of the artist at work, and lovers of theater will have a chance to see a world class production of one of the masterpieces of the last century. Nelson-Atkins patrons and Rep audiences are in for a truly remarkable experience."

This partnership is especially significant given the temporary closing of KC Rep's Spencer Theatre, which will be undergoing a $5.5 million renovation and will open in time for A Christmas Carol this November. Spencer Theater is located in UMKC's James C. Olson Performing Arts Center on the Volker campus. The renovation project is scheduled to begin this summer and be completed by November 2015. The project includes the new lighting and acoustic design; a new stage floor; and 4,000-square-feet of new construction, including new restrooms, second floor lounge, and a beautiful expansion of the lobby of the performing arts center. Little has been done to modernize the space since it opened in 1979.

Tickets and Subscription Information

Ticketholders may park in the Nelson-Atkins garage. KC Rep subscribers and single ticket buyers who purchase in advance will receive free parking in the museum garage.

KC Rep Season Subscribers receive priority seating and opportunities to purchase additional single tickets before the general public. Single tickets will go on sale to the general public on August 3rd .

All reserved seat subscribers will automatically be seated on their normal day and time in the most comparable seating available. Pick Pass subscribers can start reserving seats on July 20, 2015. Reserved seat subscriptions are available for purchase from $167-$317. Call our box office at (816) 235-2700 to subscribe.

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