Kansas City Premiere of 'john & jen' Opens 10/1 at the Fishtank Performance Studio

Sonlight Productions presents the Kansas City professional premiere of Andrew Lippa's john & jen at the Fishtank Performance Studio featuring Price Messick and Molly Denninghoff, Directed by Nathan Norcross.

john & jen is a poignant portrait of family relationships through the journey of Jen Tracy; both with her brother John who is killed at war and her son John, her brother's namesake. Orchestrated for piano and cello, this intimate chamber musical is a perfect fit for the Fishtank Performance Studio which recently produced the chilling pocket musical, Thrill Me.

"The show really explores how far-reaching the consequences of our actions can be," explains Norcross. "Ultimately, Jen must face the fact that the past cannot be changed. Sometimes the only way to atone for past mistakes is to accept them and make a life change moving forward."

Price Messick and Molly Denninghoff are two of Kansas City's hottest young professional actors. Messick was most recently seen in the American Heartland's production of 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and Denninghoff recently appeared in The Living Room's production of This Is How It Goes.

Nathan Norcross, (Director) a graduate of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, moved back to Kansas City to embark on a career in directing for the theatre. Recent Kansas City productions include The Last Night of Ballyhoo, Pippin, Private Eyes, Closer, Over the Tavern, Working, My Favorite Year, and Beauty and the Beast. Norcross has also worked as an assistant on productions at the Coterie, Egads Theatre Company, and the Kansas City Repertory Theatre.

The production team is rounded out by Baker Purdon (musical direction/conductor), Sean Glass (lighting design), Leslie Spindler (costume design), and Elizabeth Goetzman (stage management).

The Fishtank Performance Studio develops projects from concept to concert by providing a low risk, low cost environment that nurtures the development of new works and inspires theatrical entrepreneurship. Led by curator Heidi Van, winner of The Pitch 2010 Mastermind Award, the Fishtank is Kansas City's teeniest theatre producing some of Kansas City's most ambitious Theatre Projects. The space is located at 1715 Wyandotte in the heart of the Crossroads Arts District. More info can be found at www.fishtanktheater.com.

Sonlight Productions strives to offer family-friendly productions created by highly talented local professionals. Established in 2007 by Diane Robertson, Sonlight has produced successful runs of A Grand Night for Singing (City Stage), The Last Night of Ballyhoo (Just Off Broadway), and Altar Boyz (City Stage). More info can be found at www.sonlightkc.com.

The show will play on October 1, 2, 4 & 7, 8, 10 with all performances beginning at 8 pm.

2026 Theater Fans' Choice Awards - Live Stats

Best Orchestrations - Top 3

1. Ethan Popp, The Rescues - The Lost Boys

29.1% of votes

2. Lux Pyramid - Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)

14% of votes

3. Anders Eljas, Brian Usifer - Chess

12.2% of votes

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