Think Twice

SAT 2/26
At first, Whispers From the Streets, a play about homeless people by former Avila University theater major Jeremy Lillig, reminded us of Max Fischer's Vietnam melodrama Heaven and Hell, from the satirical Wes Anderson movie Rushmore. After all, the knowledge gap between playwright and subject seemed rather wide. It turns out, however, that Lillig spent a year interviewing homeless people, then molded his research into a socially conscious drama. Whispers debuts at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at O'Hara High School (9001 James A. Reed Road), opening the season for Lillig's Full Circle Theatre Company. Tickets are $10; call 816-943-0909. -- Jason Harper

The Beautiful People
We'd like to thank the Academy ...

SUN 2/27
It's important to recognize the talents and efforts of the entertainment industry -- after all, without it we're bereft of Paul Newman, Jimmy Stewart and Clive Owen -- but let's be serious. Nobody watches the Oscars to find out who wins. We watch to see who's arriving together ... and who's not. (Brad and Angelina, don't you dare.) The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences likes to spread its gorgeous wealth around by sponsoring officially sanctioned Oscar-night parties that raise money for local charities in cities throughout the country, and Kansas City is one of the sites. For $75, guests enter the Midland Theatre (1228 Main) at 5:30 p.m. Sunday on an actual red carpet to eat and drink in celeb style before a big-screen broadcast. Proceeds benefit the Variety Club. Call 816-220-2068. -- Annie Fischer

Bottom's Up

Pancakes make everything better.

SUN 2/27 A few days after a neighborhood boy shot 10-year-old Samantha Moreno Petty in the face, she told her brother -- through a shattered mouth -- not to hurt the kid. Now, 28 years later, Petty has undergone dozens of surgeries and bone grafts to repair the damage, but the shooting gave Petty what she calls "an infusion of knowledge," an insight that life is about getting through the pain and focusing on the good things. Petty's Insideoutbottomup Foundation is the incarnation of that spirit, a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising funds for victims of childhood trauma who are seeking surgical treatment. After a successful art auction, Insideoutbottomup's next fund-raiser is a pancake breakfast from 7 to 11 a.m. Sunday at Christ the King Catholic Church (3024 North 53rd Street in Kansas City, Kansas). Call 913-859-0868. -- Christopher Sebelap>