MISSION
Whim Productions is dedicated to creating challenging and evocative queer theater. Our mission is to produce works written by LGBTQ+ writers with narratives that center queer characters. We are committed to sharing the diversity of queer lives with Kansas City audiences and providing a platform for LGBTQ+ theater artists to tell their own stories.
HISTORY
Whim’s first production was Film Classics Presents: Heaven So Far, by Kevin King, a spoof of 1950s housewife dramas. The play was the 7th most attended production in the 2011 KC Fringe Festival and the best-selling show in its venue, Unicorn Theater. Whim’s next production was Film Classic Presents: Suspicion in 2012. Also part of the KC Fringe Festival, the play was a spoof of 1940s film noir.
In 2014, Whim produced King’s full length play Flowers in the Wardrobe, a campy mashup of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe and Flowers in the Attic at Kansas City’s Arts Asylum.
2015 saw the debut of the LGBTQ+ short play festival now known as Alphabet Soup: Theater from Queer Voices. Part of the 2015 KC Fringe festival, the production included short plays by Cynthia Hardeman, Kevin King, Nick Sawin, and Isabella Tate. Whim made Soup an annual event in 2016 (though 2017 was canceled due to unforeseen circumstances).
In 2019, Whim refocused its mission to only produce works by LGBTQ+ playwrights. An Artistic Committee was also established to help further the mission.
The Alphabet Soup: Theater from Queer Voices short play showcase is a key component of our outreach. As of 2018, writers whose plays are selected for the annual showcase participate in a weeks-long facilitated private workshop. The scripts are given space to grow within a supportive and safe environment before they are fully produced on stage.
STATEMENT ON DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION
At Whim Productions, we are dedicated to celebrating the rich tapestry of LGBTQ+ lives on the Kansas City stage. We recognize and denounce the historical marginalization faced by the BIPOC community, both within society at large and the queer community specifically. To address these inequalities and create a more equitable and inclusive artistic environment, we are actively developing a comprehensive strategic plan. This plan encompasses our play selection process and casting practices, ensuring that our artistic offerings genuinely represent the diversity of the Kansas City community. Through these deliberate efforts, we aim to foster a space where every voice is heard and every story is valued.
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We acknowledge that Whim Productions operates on the unceded land of the Kickapoo, Osage, Kaw, and Sioux peoples. We acknowledge their elders, both past and present, as well as future generations. Whim Productions also acknowledges that it was founded upon exclusions and erasures of many Indigenous peoples, including those on whose land this institution is located. Kansas City, Missouri, is also on land where enslaved Africans have lived and been subjugated to free labor. This acknowledgment is part of our commitment to beginning the process of working to dismantle the ongoing legacies of settler colonialism.
MEMBERSHIPS
Whim is a proud member of the Mid-America LGBT Chamber of Commerce.
