Photo Flash: Kansas City Actors Theatre Presents SKYLIGHT

Kansas City Actors Theatre presents David Hare's "Skylight," the fifth and final show of its thirteenth season, which will run May 23 to June 10 at the H&R Block City Stage in Union Station. The production will be directed by Darren Sextro and will star Katie Karel (in her first appearance with Kansas City Actors Theatre), John Rensenhouse, and Charlie Spillers.

The production team includes Bret Engle (scenic designer), Elizabeth Sampley (properties designer), Sarah M. Oliver (costumer designer), Kylor Greene (lighting designer), Jonathan Robertson (sound designer), and Kyle Dyck (technical director).

One of David Hare's finer works, "Skylight" has won both the Oliver Award for Best Play and Tony Award for Best Revival.

Said Sextro, who also directed the touching "My Old Lady" last season, "There are so many moments in Skylight that connect with me emotionally because Hare's very point is about the honest pursuit of a life's purpose," says Sextro. "It's such a pure story, deceptively simple, about two people in a room trying to map out their future despite their flawed histories. And I'll admit that I'm drawn to the romance that is part of that journey."

"Skylight" continues Kansas City Actors Theatre's mission to bring renowned-but-underperformed writers, like the contemporary luminary David Hare, to Kansas City audiences. Some of his best-known works include the films "The Hours" and "The Reader," and the play "Plenty" and "Amy's View." Since writing his first play in 1970, Hare has been nominated for the Tony Awards, the Academy Awards, and the Golden Globes. He has won a BAFTA Award, the Writers Guild Award, and the Olivier Award and has also been awarded several critics' awards, such as the New York Drama Critics Circle Award.

In "Skylight" sparks fly in wit and wisdom as abandoned love and clashing social views collide when an older, successful restaurateur (Rensenhouse) comes to visit his much younger former mistress, a schoolteacher in a poor London neighborhood (Karel). Over the course of the evening (and the on-stage preparation of an actual meal), they revisit what brought them together and pushed them apart in this love affair that, strangely enough, reflects our world today.

"Skylight" will perform at Union Station's H&R Block City Stage. Previews start May 23rd, opening night will be May 26th, and performances will conclude on June 10th. Audience talk-backs will follow performances on June 1st, 3rd, and 6th.

Tickets are between $15 and $40 and are available by contacting the Central Ticket Office at 816-235-6222 or online at www.kcactors.org.

Photo credits Brian Paulette