Gorilla Theatre this week opens a production of Sam Shepard's anti-war play "States of Shock," which begins performances at 7 p.m. Thursday at the El Torreon, 3101 Gillham Plaza. The director is Robin Zeplin, and the cast includes Walter Winch, Tom Jones, Dawn Stringer, Carol Leighton and Wally Leighton. Performances continue each Thursday through Saturday through Nov. 17.
Tickets cost $10 ($6 if purchased with an admission to live music after the performance).
Gorilla also will host an evening of one-acts and monologues called "Minds on Fire" by Kansas City playwright Frank Higgins. The workshop production is directed by Ernest L. Williams and features Glendora Davis, Taylor Clearman, Charles White, Bob Thibaut and Michele Newman. Fight choreography is by Shad Ramsey.
Performances begin at 8 p.m. Thursday and continue through Saturday at the Apehouse, 517 E. 18th St. A $5 donation will be requested.
Higgins' plays have been produced in New York, at the Williamstown Theatre Festival and at regional theaters across the country. His "WMKS: Where Music Kills Sorrow" was staged by Missouri Repertory Theatre in 1999.
For more information about Gorilla Theatre and its activities, call (816) 471-APES or visit the company's Web site at www.gorillatheatre.org