About Our Organization
Wichita Community Theatre is an all volunteer non-profit community theatre organization established by Mary Jane Teall in 1946. Nestled in the middle of the historic College Hill neighborhood, we perform eight shows per season, and see an average of nearly three thousand patrons. Our all-volunteer workforce number in the hundreds. The facility is wheelchair accessible with gentle ramps, and we are currently working on being completely ADA-compliant. Wichita Community Theatre maintains a balanced budget for each season thanks to our ticket sales, personal and corporate donations, and our dedicated volunteers. We have a long and varied history, dating back to our founding.
Wichita Community Theatre is proud to announce the second show of our 66th season: the comic farce The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940 by John Bishop.
The creative team responsible for a recent Broadway flop (in which three chorus girls were murdered by the mysterious “Stage Door Slasher”) assemble for a backer’s audition of their new show at the Westchester estate of a wealthy “angel.” The house is replete with sliding panels, secret passageways and a German maid who is apparently four different people—all of which figure diabolically in the comic mayhem which follows when the infamous “Slasher” makes his reappearance and strikes again—and again. As the composer, lyricist, actors and director prepare their performance, and a blizzard cuts off any possible retreat, bodies start to drop in plain sight, knives spring out of nowhere, masked figures drag their victims behind swiveling bookcases, and accusing fingers point in all directions. However, and with no thanks to the bumbling police inspector who snowshoes in to investigate, the mystery is solved in the nick of time and the “Slasher” unmasked—but not before the audience has been treated to a sidesplitting good time and a generous serving of the author’s biting, satiric and refreshingly irreverent wit.
HELSA WENZEL – Crystal Meek
ELSA VON GROSSENKNUETEN – Mary Lou Phipps-Winfrey
NIKKI CRANDALL – Joy Smith
BERNICE ROTH – Elizabeth Anderson
MARJORIE BAVERSTOCK – Vonda Schuster
MICHAEL KELLY – Curtis Waltermire
PATRICK O’REILLY – David Krasky
KEN DE LA MAIZE – Gary L. Foiles
EDDIE MCCUEN – Mark Schuster
ROGER HOPEWELL – Kevin Sowers
Director: John K. Reel
Assistant Director: Glenn Williams
Set Design: John K. Reel
Choreographer: Meghann Bates
Ast. Choreographer: Crystal Meek
Stage Manager: Glenn Williams
Costumer: Jane Tanner
Ast. Costumer: Heather Jewell
Props: Casey Eubank
Light Design: Jackie Donahue
Sound Design: Dan Schuster
Special Effects Designer: Ted Whiteside
Pianist: Pamella Hartley
Light Tech: Murn “A.J.” Miller
Sound Tech: Cindy Pursell
Grip: Heather Jewell
Performances are October 20 – November 6, 2011, Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 pm, Sundays at 7 pm. Tickets are $12/$10 military/senior/students. Special opening night price of $8 for all on October 20 only. Call for reservations (as seating is limited) : 686-1282.
KMUW 89.1 Wichita Public Radio is media sponsor of this event.
You can find out more information about Wichita Community Theatre, including show information and ways to volunteer, via the links to the left.
