Kipp Simmons News

The Barn Players' production of TICK, TICK. . .BOOM! opened Friday, September 8 at the Black Box Theatre inside the Johnson County Arts & Heritage Center in Overland Park. Directed by Kipp Simmons, with vocal arrangements and orchestrations by Stephen Oremus the musical runs at the center through September 17. Delano Mendoza and Kevin Bogan provide musical direction for The Barn Players’ production.

WhHeathers: The Musical is the comically dark story of Veronica Sawyer, a brainy teenage misfit who offers her forgery skills to the Heathers, the most powerful and ruthless clique at Westerberg High, in exchange for the good life. Before she can get comfortable atop the high school food chain, Veronica falls in love with J.D., the new kid who doesn't take any crap from the Jocks. When Heather Chandler kicks Veronica out of the group for defending Veronica's geeky friend, Martha 'Dumptruck,' Veronica begs for Chandler's forgiveness, but J.D. has other plans. There is LANGUAGE and ADULT THEMES. PG-13 for sure.

Opening the 2022-2023 Season for Roxy’s Downtown is Heathers: The Musical, which is set to run until July 23rd.

A blockbuster season is in store for Theatre in the Park's 53rd OUTDOOR season with five premiere musicals this summer! Never in TIP's history has the entire OUTDOOR season featured all new productions on its stage in Shawnee Mission Park.

A blockbuster season is in store for Theatre in the Park's 53rd outdoor season with five premiere musicals this summer! Never in TIP's history has the entire outdoor season featured all new productions on its stage in Shawnee Mission Park.

RUN RIGHT DOWN TO SEE THIS SHOW RIGHT NOW! To quote my students, “This show is ridiculous, and we laughed so hard.” Like a farce on speed, DISASTER! is like riding a freight train over rough terrain, hanging on for dear life until the engineer finally puts on the brakes. This show is so nutritionally dense, you will want to consume it more than once. No laugh is unmined here. Every beat is crammed with hilarity. If you don’t laugh when you see this show, you need to have your humorous attended to.

After a summer of no musical theatre on the stage in Shawnee Mission Park, Theatre in the Park (TIP) opens its 2021 season with one of the most popular musicals in recent history. “Mamma Mia” takes the stage on June 4 and will play for seven performances through June 12.

Barn Players production of TITANIC (The Musical) opened this past weekend at the Arts Asylum to full and appreciative audiences. TITANIC is a huge (pardon the play on words) Community Theater undertaking in all ways you might imagine it could be. TITANIC (The Musical) was written by Maury Yeston and Peter Stone. It won five Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The BARN PLAYERS production directed by Kipp Simmons is similarly complex but in different ways.

The Barn Players Community Theater, now located at the Arts Asylum, finishes up their 2019 main stage schedule with a good production of Blake Edwards'Victor/Victoria based on the 1982 smash hit film of the same name. Victoria complains that she is disadvantaged as a performer because she is a woman. This amuses Toddy and hatches the germ of an idea. Instead of presenting Victoria as pretty young soprano of excellent ability, he will present her as Victor, a Polish nobleman and the world's greatest female impersonator. The ruse succeeds and Victor becomes a star with Toddy as her producer.

Whether she's falling in love, or in a lake, Charity Hope Valentine is the underdog we all love rooting for; she's a little lost, she's hopeful, but while she can never quite get her big break on the stage or in love, Theatre in the Park audiences will love falling in love with SWEET CHARITY.

The Barn Players present the Kansas City Community Theater premiere of VICTOR / VICTORIA, November 14th through 24th, 2019 at the Arts Asylum, 9th & Harrison, Kansas City, MO 64106.

Whether she's falling in love, or in a lake, Charity Hope Valentine is the underdog we all love rooting for; she's a little lost, she's hopeful, but while she can never quite get her big break on the stage or in love, Theatre in the Park audiences will love falling in love with SWEET CHARITY.

The New York Musical Festival (NYMF) and Sharp Women, LLC present Overture the Musical, a new story celebrating the extraordinary grass-roots efforts to save the Kansas City Philharmonic, with music and lyrics by Krista Eyler, book by Krista Eyler and Barbara Nichols. Ms. Nichols directs a cast of twelve, including Krista Eyler, Joel Morrison, Kay Noonan and Kipp Simmons with Whitney Armstrong, Erica Baruth, Jennifer Cannady, Stasha Case, JC Dresslaer, John Edmonds, Mark Murphy, and Rob Reeder. Five performances will be staged at The Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre at The Pershing Square Signature Center, 480 West 42nd Street in New York City, from July 24-28, 2019.

 The New York Musical Festival (NYMF) and Sharp Women, LLC present Overture the Musical, a new story celebrating the extraordinary grass-roots efforts to save the Kansas City Philharmonic, with music and lyrics by Krista Eyler, book by Krista Eyler and Barbara Nichols. 

Were you a part of the Barn Players 2018 season? If so, mark your calendars, reserve your seat, and get to The Barn Players Barney Awards And Volunteer Appreciation Celebration, 7:00 pm, Saturday evening January 26th at The Arts Asylum: 1000 East 9th Street, (off Harrison Street), Kansas City, MO 64106. Did we mention that it is FREE to attend? Come celebrate with us! It's the Barn Players way of saying thank you to all of the volunteers who helped make this past year's shows at the Arts Asylum such a resounding success.

Faust Theatre opens their 2018-2019 season with returning favorite - THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE, book by Rachel Sheinkin, music & lyrics by William Finn.

 "C'mon babe! Why don't we paint the town?" Entertainment Weekly calls CHICAGO "Broadway's Most Electrifying Show!" Now for 8-performances only, Thursday, March 1st through Sunday, March 11th, the Barn Players bring this modern musical classic to their new home at downtown's Arts Asylum: 1000 East 9th Street, (off Harrison Street), Kansas City, MO 64106.

Mel Brooks would be proud of this rendering of his most complete comic piece.

The Barn Players are pleased to announce their 2018 season of award-winning shows, and their director selections who will helm each production.

The zany antics of Monty Python and the Holy Grail play out in the hysterical musical SPAMALOT, the season opener for Theatre in the Park opening Friday night, June 2.