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Summer At The Theatre

wichitagrandopera.org

What is a better expression of summer than outdoor entertainment?

The Wichita Grand Opera is taking the stage at Bradley Fair for its annual "Opera on the Lake" on July 18th. This is a perfect opportunity to introduce youngsters and newbies to opera, with a range of seating and experience, from free, to reserved, to reserved-with-dinner. The program includes glimpses from the upcoming season, in addition to opera and pop favorites.

If opera is not your glass of lemonade, consider supporting your local playwrights by attending a Readers Theatre performance at Wichita Community Theatre. The program recently produced a staged reading of Festival of Fools, by Benjamin Smith. Other local writers include Michael Criss, Lisa Sillaway and David Swanson. Readings are on Sundays at 2 p.m. and are scheduled variously throughout the summer and into October.

Visit the Wichita Scottish Rite Center from July 16th through the 25th and you'll find audience favorites Karla Burns and Ray Wills lighting up the stage with their performances in Side By Side By Sondheim, an evening of Stephen Sondheim's best of Broadway, produced by Forum Theatre. Dinner is optional.

Summer is the best season for theatre in Wichita, so get out there and enjoy the bounty. This edition of On Stage marks my first year as theatre commentator for KMUW. I've learned a lot, and I hope you did, too. I love the work, and I thank you for listening.

Sanda Moore Coleman received an MFA in creative writing from Wichita State University in 1991. Since then, she has been the arts and community editor for The Martha's Vineyard Times, a teaching fellow at Harvard University, and an assistant editor at Image. In 2011, she received the Maureen Egan Writers Exchange prize for fiction from Poets & Writers magazine. She has spent more than 30 years performing, reviewing, and writing for theatre.