The Featured Production of
Theatre Lab FEST 2023
TIPTON is an experimental exploration of jazz musician Billy Tipton’s life through his own writing, written accounts from his friends and family, and through the music he made. This musical revue interweaves Tipton’s vaudevillian performance style with a nuanced story of transgender identity in the world of music. This production will both celebrate one of the unsung heroes of Kansas City jazz, and provide a thoughtful perspective on transgender identity in navigating a life the arts.
Shows times at 7:30pm May 18-22, 2023
GENERAL ADMISSION FREE AT THE DOOR
A Limited Number of Reservations May Be Purchased In Advance
RESERVE YOUR SEAT HERE
FEATURING:
ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHT
Ahafia Jurkiewicz-Miles (they/them) is a queer trans musician and theater artist. They’ve worked as a pit musician and music director since 2017, and have been active as a writer and performer in KC since 2018. Some favorite productions: Max – Hir, Unicorn Theatre, 2018; writer/performer – With Me, and Such As Me, It Is Different, KC Fringe, 2019; AMD/pianist – American Idiot: The Musical, The BlackBox, 2021; MD – Matilda, The White Theatre, 2022; AMD/pianist – The Spongebob Musical, Shawnee Mission TIP, 2022; AMD/pianist – The Last Five Years, The Arts Asylum, 2022.
“I am a musician from birth; I am queer, trans, nonbinary; I thrive on bringing my queer ancestors stories to light in previously untold ways. I am a poet, a playwright, a pianist, a person striving to understand themselves and their history through music-based storytelling, unorthodox historical portraiture, and blunt self-exploration. I make art that invites queer folks to see themselves reflected, and allows non-queer folks to resonate and understand our culture in a deeper, more human way.”
Directed by
Elizabeth Bettendorf Bowman (she/her)
Stage Manager
Amanda Arany (she/her)
Production Manager/Sound Designer
Nathan Bowman (he/him)
Costume Designer
Kestrel Jurkiewicz-Miles (he/him)
Lighting Designer
Micah Thompson (he/him)
Technical Director
Gary Mosby (he/him)
Wardrobe
Jessica Michael (she/her)
Light Board Op.
Brianna Maruco (she/her)
Kansas City Public Theatre 