Reading Grounds
Just Off Broadway stops short.
8/29-9/4
Just Off Broadway Theatre (3051 Central) launches its annual Playwrights Festival of Kansas City at 7 p.m. Monday, showcasing local wordsmiths' literary range and diversity for a third year. A week of nightly readings by the playwrights themselves, the fest kicks off with The Lives of the Saints, a satire by Kathleen Vinlove. But we're always on the lookout for subversive sketch comedy in a city where it's seldom seen, so we're more excited about Shari and David Crespy's version of satire -- Postcard From Hohumbia, at 3 p.m. Saturday. David is a theater professor at the University of Missouri-Columbia, and the script exposes the frailties of rural life and politics in a college town called "Hohumbia." The thinly veiled reference is certainly not lost on us former Mizzou students. For a full schedule, contact Bryan Colley at 816-941-3875. -- Megan Metzger
Go Fish
New movie nights bring the little-seen to the screen.
SUN 8/28
At July's Kansas City Gay & Lesbian Film and Video Festival, audiences had one request: the opportunity to see more films, more often. Organizers have listened to these film fans' pleas and will now offer post-festival movie nights. The first such evening brings Fish Can't Fly to the big screen -- or at least to a screen -- at Broadway Church (3931 Washington) at 6:30 p.m. Sunday. The film explores the issues surrounding gay men and women as they try to reconcile their faith with their sexuality, and the often poignant results. Tickets are free for 2005 festival cardholders and their guests. To get a free Friends of the Festival card, call 816-931-0738 or see www.kcgayfilmfest.org. -- Rebecca Braverman
Check, Please
Better polish up your pawns.
SAT 8/27
Lawrence has decided it needs public chess tables, and we don't disagree. (Of course, that's less because we enjoy the game and more because we'd like to play like Alice in Through the Looking Glass. But whatever.) Others interested in turning a Larrytown corner into a pocket-sized Washington Square Park should head to Tenth Street and Massachusetts at 2 p.m. Saturday. Admission is free, but a $3 donation is requested; call Solidarity (785-865-1374) for details. -- Annie Fischer
