THE RAYTOWN ARTS COUNCIL WELCOMES ANY VALID COMMENTS. DUE TO A LARGE NUMBER OF FRIVOLOUS AND NON-PERTINENT COMMENTS, THAT FEATURE IS NOW DISABLED. COMMENTS MAY BE ADDRESSED VIA E-MAIL TO THE WEBMASTER. CLICK ON "CONTACT" ABOVE.

  The Arts Council has replied to the Starlight request to acknowledge participation in the coming season.
  The Starlight Theatre project is an important fund-raising opportunity for the RAC, and we look forward to this each spring. If you would like to participate in this activity, please contact Susan Landers, 356-4493, and let her know.

  Starlight Theatre has added a few new dress code items for this year. The basic attire is the same has it has been, white shirt and khaki pants, shorts or skirts, it is requested that shirts have a collar, no logo other than “STARLIGHT THEATRE”, footwear should be enclosed-toe shoes, no sandals, and the only refreshment allowed to be brought in will be bottled water. Ticket takers will still be allowed to stay for the show after they are dismissed, but management requests that only far left and far right aisle seats be used.  Below is the schedule for all of this summer’s Starlight Theatre shows. All dates are on Wednesday:

•                                   SPAMALOT, June 5
•                                   CATCH ME IF YOU CAN, June 12
•                                   FLASHDANCE, July 10
•                                   THE LITTLE MERMAID, Aug. 7
•                                   MISS SAIGON, Sept. 18

  The widowed, retired Austrian naval officer, Captain Von Trapp has made his Austrian home one of overly restrictive and harshly enforced discipline, one that, most unintentially, causes his seven children to be underfed when it comes to joy and love. Being a nun living in a convent is similarly restrictive and unfulfilling for Maria who breaks rules to try to change it. The reverend mother decides that Maria, who is not succeeding as a nun, should leave and take on a job as governess at the nearby Von Trapp household in Salzburg.
   Through music and various outings, Maria gives the children a taste of a more fulfilling, joyous, life than they have ever known, and they come to love her very dearly. The Captain grows closer to his children, too, coming to understand the value and beauty of the freedoms that Maria has given them. Ironically, the freedom of all Austrians to live their lives to the fullest is in danger, for it is 1938, and Germany is marching into Austria. The Captain is a patriot, passionate about the fulfilling life that Austria has always offered its citizens.
  In his personal life, the Captain is having a romance with a wealthy, cultivated, and lovely Baroness, but he is becoming more and more captivated by Maria, and is falling in love with her, and she, too, feels growing affection for him. She is a nun, however, and unschooled in dealing with the situation. Frightened by the developments, Maria runs back to the convent, where the reverend mother convinces her that she must face, rather than run from, the situation, causing Maria to return to the Captain's home. It seems, though, that she is too late, learning that the Captain and the Baroness have become engaged. The Captain, who had surely concluded that he could never have Maria for a wife, confides to the Baroness that he loves Maria, but the Baroness admits she had sensed it long ago, and the engagement is called off. The Captain and Maria marry, but an ugly situation confronts them upon return from their honeymoon -- the Captain has been summoned, in a telegram, by the Third Reich to serve in its navy.
  Due to the Captain's unwillingness to serve the Third Reich, the Captain and Maria resolve to leave Austria, and, after escaping the pursuit of some Nazi officers, they set out, with the children, for the mountains of Switzerland on foot.

TO ORDER TICKETS ON-LINE, PLEASE CLICK HERE.

FOR A LOOK AT THE CAST LIST AND A COMPLETE REHEARSAL SCHEDULE, PLEASE CLICK READ MORE BELOW.

Each summer since 1998, the Raytown Arts Council has produced a professional quality Broadway Musical for the enjoyment of Raytown audiences. These are thumbnails of each of the shows since 1998, as well as that for this summer's production of Cinderella. To visit the gallery, click: www.raytownartscouncil.com/gallery.

The Raytown Arts Council has been awarded a grant from the Misouri Arts Council. We are honored that we have been chosen by this prestigious state arts organization to receive this funding. We rely on such grants and gifts from our wonderful friends and members which allow us to continue to fund projects such as the spring Arts Festival and our Summer Broadway Theatre.

The Missouri Arts Council is a state agency and division of the department of economic development. The MAC increases participation in the arts in Missouri, grows Missouri’s economy using the arts and strengthens Missouri education through the arts.

Please visit their website, MAC to learn more about their programs.

An on-line publication, "RAYTOWNONLINE" has been established by Michael Downing. His publication carries stories about happenings in the Raytown community. He also reports on events sponsored by the Raytown Arts Counci l.

To Visit "RAYTOWNONLINE" CLICK HERE.

RAYTOWN ARTS COUNCIL SPONSORS TWO STERLING INSTRUMENTAL ENSEMBLES, THE FLUTE FANTASIA AND THE POLISHED BRASS, PLUS THE RAYTOWN COMMUNITY SYMPHONIC BAND.

The Raytown Arts Council takes special pride in its sponsorship of the Raytown Community Symphonic band. Conductor Bob Cochran takes the podium for rehearsals at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, 9349 E. 65th Street every Thursday night. The repertoire is amazing, the talent is superb, and the pleasure it shares with its audiences as well as with its performers strikes a harmonious chord for enriching the lives of so many.

The band door is always open to musicians who enjoy sharing their talents to make exceptional music for the enjoyment of others. Come join the group this year. Rehearsals began this season on Thursday, September 17, and continue on Thursdays for the rest of the season. So, dust off that horn case, get the lip in shape, and hustle over to a rehearsal. For more information, call 353-3593.

Two other groups that bear mention are the Raytown Community Choir and the KC Metro Men’s Choir. Rehearsals are held at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Independence, MO. Auditions are not required to become a member of either group. If you like to sing, and are interested in becoming a member of either (or both) the RCC or the KCMMC, call director Noel Fulkerson at 913-836-3516.

VISIT THE KANSAS CITY METRO MEN'S CHOIR WEBSITE.