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Women of Note

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ESU Members and Friends
Are Invited to a Special Program

50% Ticket Discount for
ESU Members and Friends

ESU members and Friends of ESU are invited to a special performance of Women of Note in Words and Song on Saturday, January 13 at 8:00 pm. This collaborative, script in hand performance brings together the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival and the Bach Aria Soloists for an all-female program featuring trailblazing women composers through the ages and the formidable women in some of Shakespeare's most beloved plays. Learn more.

With generous support from the Midwest Trust Center at Johnson County Community College, ESU is offering tickets to Women of Note at a 50% discount off regular ticket prices.

When: Saturday, January 13, 8 pm. Optional pre-show talk with Dr. Paul Laird at 7 pm.

Where: Polsky Theatre in the Midwest Trust Center on the campus of Johnson County Community College, 12345 College Blvd., Overland Park, KS. Click here for map.

Tickets: Click here for tickets.  Enter Promotion Code NEWYEAR50 to receive 50% discount on ticket purchase. This code is good for 50% off up to four adult tickets. Or you may purchase by phone with credit or debit card at (913) 469-4445. Box Office hours are Monday-Friday 10am-5pm. Give Box Office agent Promotion Code NEWYEAR50.

Invite Friends: We encourage all ESU members to invite friends, family, and everyone who enjoy and appreciate beautiful music from famous female composers performed by Back Aria Soloists in conjunction with performances by well-known local female actors from some of HASF's most enduring and popular Shakespeare plays. This is a rare opportunity to experience this collaboration of exceptional talent together on  stage. 

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It's a Wonderful Life - Live Radio Play

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Just in Time for the Holidays

Choose One of Four Opening Weekend Performances

Re-imagined for the stage as a live 1940s radio broadcast, the iconic world of George Bailey and his affable helper angel, Clarence, unfolds as never before. Featuring an ensemble cast, holiday music, and sound effects performed LIVE on stage, this beloved holiday classic is a treat for the entire family!

ESU Members and Friends of ESU are invited to attend any of the opening weekend performances of It's A Wonderful Life: Live Radio Play at a special group discount price. Tickets to this holiday classic will be offered to ESU members and Friends of ESU at 20% off the regular ticket prices.

When: Choose any of these performances: Thursday, December 7 at 7:30 pm; Friday, December 8 at 7:30 pm; Saturday, December 9 at 7:30 pm; or Sunday, December 10 at 2:00  pm.

Tickets: Call the theater box office at (816) 221-6987. Box office hours: Tues.-Sat. noon to 6:00 pm. Tell them you are ordering a reserved seat(s) for the ESU discount. You can pay over the phone by credit or debit card. Tickets can be held at at will call. The 20% discount only applies to the above four performances on opening weekend.

Location: Crown Center Shops, 2450 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, MO. 3rd floor.

Parking: Free parking with validation slip available at theater.

It's a Wonderful Life: Live Radio Play premiered in 1996 at Stamford Center for the Arts in Stamford, Connecticut, and has since been produced around the country to critical acclaim. This production by Music Theater Heritage is for the whole family and brings out the true spirit of the holidays. Don't miss this classic.

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Happy Hour: The Dark Secret Behind Charles Dickens' Christmas Tales

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Join Us for Our Next ESU Happy Hour

The Dark Secret Behind Charles Dickens' Christmas Tales with Andrew Halls

Sponsored by the ESU Cleveland Branch

When Charles Dickens died, a child famously asked if this meant Father Christmas would die, too. Such was the power of Dickens' grip on the popular imagination, the Christmas season almost seemed his own creation. Dickens inspired millions with visions of a glowing, holly-strewn celebration, rich in sentiment and good cheer, underpinned by recurrent themes of memory, loss and redemption.  These Christmas tales held secrets, dark secrets, personal to their author, too. In this talk, Andrew Halls explores Dickens' Christmas Books and Christmas Stories, showing that some of the most beloved tales of 19th century England and America contain unsettling insights into the mind, motives, and desires of one of the most popular, most known - and yet most hidden - novelists in history. This ESU Happy Hour is sponsored by the Cleveland Branch. ESU Happy Hour programs are online, free, and open to all members and the public. Registration is required. 

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Save the Date: Annual Meeting and Lecture Program

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Save the date for our ESU Kansas City Annual Meeting and Lecture Program.

Our program will include a luncheon at O'Neill's Restaurant in Leawood, Kansas, followed by our distinguished keynote speaker. More details coming soon. All ESU members and Friends of ESU are invited to attend this annual event. Mark your calendar for Saturday, February 3, 2024 at 12 pm.

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Happy Hour: Ending the Regency Marriage

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Join Us for Our Next ESU Happy Hour

Ending the Regency Marriage: Annulments, Divorces, and Desertion with James F. Nagle

Sponsored by the ESU Seattle Branch

Ending a Regency marriage could be daunting! The formal processes could be complicated, lengthy, expensive, and very public and embarrassing. Thus, one or both spouses often used other methods. James F. Nagle of the Jane Austen Society of North America will educate and entertain us about Regency Divorce and other methods of the time for ending a marriage. This Happy Hour is sponsored by the ESU Seattle Branch. All ESU Happy Hour programs are online, free, and open to all members and Friends of ESU.

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2023 British Faire

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ESU Members and Guests Are Invited to
Celebrate the Annual British Faire

The British Are Coming! All ESU members and guests are invited to the Annual British Faire and Tea.  This fun event is sponsored by the Daughters of the British Empire in Kansas. This annual fundraising event benefits retirement communities and local charities. Some of the events and activities at the British Faire:

• Traditional British Afternoon Tea
• Lots of home-baked goods
• The best local British vendors
• Antiques
• Crafts, Celtic jewelry
• Books
• Specialty food and cheeses
• Christmas Crackers
• Teas
• Children's activity room

Admission: Adults: $5.00, Children, 12 & under $1.00, Purchase tickets at door. Cash only.

Click here for all the entertainment and activities at the Annual British Faire

This is a fun event for the whole family with activities and events for all ages.  The Kansas City Branch of the ESU will have an Informational Booth at the Faire so be sure to stop by and have your photo taken to be added to our Facebook page.  

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Gerald Charles Dickens: A Christmas Carol

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Gerald Charles Dickens Returns to Kansas City
To Perform "A Christmas Carol" In-Person

Charles Dickens' literary masterpiece, A Christmas Carol, continues to shape the way we celebrate Christmas over 180 years after the story of Ebenezer Scrooge and the three spirits of Christmas first touched hearts in 1843.

Gerald Dickens, the great-great grandson of Charles Dickens, is returning for a live performance of A Christmas Carol. In this 30th anniversary performance, Dickens portrays the voices of nearly all the characters in the Christmas classic. His striking resemblance to his great-great-grandfather and his dramatic rendition brings A Christmas Carol to life. 

It's been seven years since our ESU Group has gathered to see this wonderful Dickens program. All ESU members and Friends of ESU are invited to see this special performance by Gerald Charles Dickens—the great-great grandson of Charles Dickens. Limited seats. This is a free program but registration is required. 

When: Friday, November 3, 2023

Where: MGC Community Hall
3440 S. Lee's Summit Road
Independence, MO

Time: 7:00 pm

Watch video preview:  Click here

Free Admission. Registration required: Click here to register as guest.

About Gerald Dickens

Gerald Charles Dickens is returning from England to the Kansas City area to perform his great-great grandfather's classic tale, A Christmas Carol.  Join us in welcoming Gerald Dickens as he performs his stage adaptation of A Christmas Carol and brings each scene vividly to life. Dickens adopts different voices, expressions and mannerisms to portray each of the story's twenty-six characters in this acclaimed one-man show.

A professional actor in England, the energetic Gerald Dickens leaps, laughs, and sobs as he portrays the voices of A Christmas Carol.  Gerald's performance of A Christmas Carol has received standing ovations all over the world. Gerald notes that Charles Dickens didn't write his first book until age 24 and died at age 58, yet managed to put out an extraordinarily large body of work.

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The Questionable Identity of Shakespeare

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The Questionable Identity of Shakespeare

Monday, October 30, 2023, 10:00-11:15 am CT

The question may be met with chagrin by traditionalists, but to some, the identity of William Shakespeare is not positively decided. Dr. Felicia Hardison Londré, Ph.D, presents a thought-provoking analysis on the Shakespeare authorship question. This free lecture program is at 10:00 am on Monday, October 30, 2023 at Grant Hall Auditorium, 5228 Charlotte St., Kansas City, MO., University of Missouri at Kansas City Campus. Metered parking is immediately south of Grant Hall.

Was it William Shaksper of Stratford-upon-Avon or Edward De Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford or some other playwright of the time? Dr. Londré delves into the sensitive question of authorship in an illustrated presentation. Read more

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ESU Annual Conference Oct 20-22, 2023

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Every year the ESU National Headquarters holds an Annual General Meeting for all ESU members throughout the U.S. This year, the Kansas City Branch will be host to this 3-day Conference. This year's theme, Blueprint for Growth: Unity of Purpose, will cover diverse and enriching approaches for organizational growth in the ESU's second century of programming. 

The conference program will include the ESU 2023 Annual General Meeting, social events, including receptions and meals, breakout sessions, panel discussions, and local tours. We invite you to partake in the camaraderie and help us to advance our programs that support teachers, students, and recent immigrants.

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Classical Shindig Book Signing at Nell Hill's

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Join Us for a Classical Shindig

Join us on Thursday, October 19 at 6:00 pm for an evening with two of New Orleans' most beloved hosts and concert pianists, Michael Harold and Quinn Peeper, who sure do know their shindigs. From seasonal celebrations to iconic book clubs to lavish parties for family, friends, and non-profits, Michael and Quinn have seen, done, and decorated it all.

Nell Hill's, Kansas City's premier home décor store, and the English-Speaking Union Kansas City Branch are co-hosting a book signing of Michael's and Quinn's newly published book, Classical Shindig, Amateur Artistry: From the Simple to the Sublime.

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