Kansas City

A Christmas Carol
2025-12-10 19:00 - 22:00 (America/Chicago)
All ESU members and Friends of ESU are invited to this holiday classic produced by KCRep. This production of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens is a blend of classic storytelling with lively and energetic performances by an all-star cast.

For more than 40 years, Kansas City’s beloved tradition has created holiday memories for families all around our community. Gary Neal Johnson has been at the helm as the venerable Ebenezer Scrooge since 2000, for more than an estimated 1100 performances, but after 24 years, this 2025 production of A Christmas Carol will be his last in the role.

Join Ebenezer Scrooge on his redemptive journey with Christmas Past, Present, and Future, and rediscover the true meaning of the holidays. You’ll meet the Cratchits, Tiny Tim, and the irresistible Fezziwigs, and hear the haunting and joyous Candlelight Carol — all this and more, to kindle your Christmas spirit.

Create Christmas memories that will last for many seasons to come and celebrate Gary Neal Johnson’s incredible legacy!

When: Wednesday, December 10, 2025, Curtain: 7:00 pm

Where: Spencer Theatre, UMKC Campus, 4949 Cherry St., Kansas City, MO

Tickets: We have special discounted group tickets at $31.20 and they are waiving the processing fee for us. Call the KCRep boxoffice at (816) 235-5771. Ask for Rhiannon Minster and tell her you are with the ESU Group to purchase ticket(s) to A Christmas Carol on December 10. Purchase with credit or debit card. Pick up your ticket(s) in lobby at Will Call desk under name “ESU Group.” Our seats will be in blocks of 4, 3, 2, or singles near the stage. Boxoffice hours: Mon-Fri 9 am to 5 pm. If no answer, leave message and Rhiannon will return your call.

Parking: Free parking is available in the parking lot on the east side of Spencer Theatre. Or additional free parking is available at the UMKC Cherry Street Parking Garage (5009 Oak St.) on the fifth floor which has a skywalk to Spencer Theatre or on level 6.

Group Photo: After the performance, we will meet in the theatre lobby for a group photo.

Questions? Call Jeff Schnabel (816) 878-1239 or email: jschnabelkc@gmail.com Don’t miss this chance to get together with other ESU members and meet new members. We hope you will share the season with the people you love at A Christmas Carol.

2026 Shakespeare Competition
2026-03-01 14:00 - 16:00
2026 National Shakespeare Competition

Kansas City Branch Finals

March 1,2026 • 2:00 – 4:00 pm CST

Join us for our 42nd annual Shakespeare Competition in Kansas City as KC metro area high school students compete for First Place with the winner advancing to the National Finals in New York City in April 2026. Students perform Shakespeare monologues and recite sonnets in three qualifying stages: school, branch, and National levels.

This Competition helps students develop speaking and critical-thinking skills while they explore the beauty of the language and the timeless themes in Shakespeare’s works. By preparing a monologue and sonnet for public presentation, students bring Shakespeare to life in their own way and learn to express his works with understanding, clarity, and feeling. Approximately 2,500 teachers, 15,000 students, and 750+ schools in nearly 50 ESU branches participate each year.

For your high school to participate in the Kansas City Branch Competition, a sponsoring teacher will need to organize a competition at your school. The sponsoring teacher also needs to register your school’s competition with the ESU. The deadline to submit the School Registration Form is February 10, 2026. The deadline to hold your school competition and report your school’s winner to the ESU is February 20, 2026.

All materials including the online School Registration Form, teacher and student handbooks, and packets of monologues and sonnets are located here.

Contact Kansas City Branch Competition Coordinator Dan Bukovac for questions: dan.bukovac@gmail.com
