Christmas Belles at Wichita Community Theatre

BWW Review: CHRISTMAS BELLES at Wichita Community Theatre

From December 4th through the 15th, Wichita Community Theatre presented another Jones, Hope, Wooten Comedy Christmas Belles. For those unfamiliar to this show by the trio writing team, Christmas Belles is a lot like the film Waiting for Guffmann where a community of very 'non-union' actors come together for the 'day of the show y'all' and put on a Christmas, nativity play that seems to not go quite as intended. Starring Dan E. Campbell, Jami Thomas, Lana K. Carlson, and directed by Mark Schuster, Christmas Belles was a delightful comedy to the end of 2019 for Wichita audiences.

BWW Review: BLOOD BROTHERS at Wichita Community Theatre, Sparking the Conversation on Gun Violence in America

3,042 young adults died tragically in 2007 alone from gunfire in the United States according to Children's Defense, a non-profit dedicated to building safer communities with a small yet mighty focus on the crisis of gun violence in America. If that statistic alone doesn't scare you, maybe this will: in a recent 2019 article from the Associated Press, it states here in Wichita, violent crime rates are now twice the national average with gun shootings doubling in the past five years since 2014. The Wichita Police Department recognize shootings have become problematic and are now participating in initiatives such as citizen patrol to help out the understaffed branch keep crime low and accountability high. Bearing this in mind, Wichita Community Theatre opens their 2019-2020 season with the musical Blood Brothers, a show filled with a variety of themes but particularly gun violence being the most shocking and prevalent topic presented. The production runs at 258 N. Fountain from September 4-15, Wednesday through Saturday and is sponsored by KMUW Wichita 89.1.