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Every Saturday at 4:00pmAbout the Show
Urban Connections
Urban Connections conducts guest interviews covering issues effecting our local, national, international and global communities from a Black perspective. Subjects include current events, trends, history, education, economics, science, political science, health, race, law and more.
Damron Russel Armstrong is the founder, CEO and Executive Artistic Director of The Black Repertory Theatre of Kansas City (BRTKC). The mission of BRTKC is to educate and inspire our community by presenting and promoting appreciation for African-American culture through our stories. BRTKC envisions a united community embracing stories of the African-American experience.
Hip Hop Cinderella is a family-friendly musical theater show that reimagines the classic fairy tale Cinderella in a futuristic, intergalactic setting. The show is about Cinderella, who lives on Planet Zolla with her robot companion, and her struggles with a jealous stepmother and two selfish stepsisters. When the galaxy loses its groove, the prince throws a Hip Hop Ball and Rap Competition to turn things around, and Cinderella transforms into “Ella C” to compete. The show features a variety of rapping styles, including melodic, braggadocio, and battle rap, as well as a script that references Newton’s laws of motion and quantum entanglement.
Written by Scott Elmegreen, with music and lyrics by and story adaptation by Linda Chichester and David Coffman, the new-aged Cinderella has a fast-moving storyline, innovative physical presentation, and danceable music.
BRTKC debuted Hip Hop Cinderella, November 22nd, and it runs thru December 8th at the historic Gem Theater, 1615 E. 18th Street, Kansas City, MO.
Actors’ Equity Association, the national labor union representing more than 51,000 professional actors and stage managers in live theatre, and the Actors’ Equity Foundation, awarded The Black Repertory Theater of Kansas City the Paul Robeson Award for 2023. The Paul Robeson Award honors individuals who leverage theatre to go beyond the stage to enact their commitment to the freedom of expression and conscience, their belief in the artist’s responsibility to society and their dedication to the betterment of humankind. The Robeson Award has been given annually since Robeson himself received the first Citation in 1974.
host/producer/engineer: Donna Morrow Wolfe
