Many Jewish community members have participated in community theater productions throughout the Kansas City area this summer. McKenna Lewis and Kat Ruprecht are two such performers.
Ruprecht and Lewis are the only two Jewish performers in the cast of “Footloose,” playing at Shawnee Mission Theatre in the Park July 28 through August 5. Ticket information can be found at theatreinthepark.org.
“Footloose” tells the story of Ren McCormack, a teenager from Chicago who moves to a small town and attempts to overturn the ban on dancing instituted by local Reverend Shaw Moore.
Even though “Footloose” deals with Christian ideas and themes, both Ruprecht and Lewis have found ways to tie this show, and their other performing experiences, to Judaism. For both, being one of the only Jewish cast members in many of the shows they have performed in gives them the opportunity to educate others about Judaism.
“It's really fun, honestly, because a lot of people ask me questions,” Lewis said. “I love teaching people and also just having people understand and they want to know and sometimes it doesn't mean anything, but sometimes it's really cool.”
Both found that some of the Christian ideals shared throughout the show can overlap with Judaism.
“I feel like, even though [Footloose] talks about Christianity ... it's, in general, the impact of religion on people's views on life," Ruprecht said.
Throughout the story of Footloose, the leading character Ren questions a lot about the town. Ruprecht noted that a lot of the scripture included in the show is drawn from the old testament.
Being in the ensemble of the show, Ruprecht and Lewis have more freedom to make their characters their own than if they were playing a lead. In this show, Ruprecht and Lewis do not find themselves bringing in Jewish aspects to the characters they create. However, growing up in the Jewish community has impacted how Lewis approaches others and how she builds connections. For Ruprecht, she has found herself incorporating Judaism into other characters she has played, especially when she performed in “Vilna: A Resistance Story” at the White Theatre.
Lewis and Ruprecht found their connection to each other is more meaningful compared to others in the show since they are both Jewish.
“I'd never met Kat before,” Lewis said,” And so you're talking about one day like, “Do you keep Kosher” and I don't get to have those conversations with a lot of people. It was just fun having that experience.”
Other Jewish performers in the KC area this summer have included Jamie Copaken and Jonah Kahn in “Meet Me in St. Louis” at Shawnee Mission Theatre in the Park; Ruth Baum Bigus in “A Man of No Importance” at Olathe Civic Theatre Association; Emma Jacobson, Olivia House and director Zach Faust in “Gleequel” at The Arts Asylum.
Kansas City shows with Jewish themes have included “13” at Shawnee Mission Theatre in the Park, and “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat'' at The Lewis and Shirley White Theatre.
Lewis and Ruprecht both agreed that Jewish representation in theater is important. Being two of the handful of Jewish performers this summer, and in the area holds a lot of significance to them.
“I think it is important that representation across the spectrum is there,” Ruprecht said. “You know what, like, I'm kind of glad that I'm the only Jew in [Vilna], because they get to hear the stories and learn this history. Then they ended up doing more research on their own.”
The importance of Judaism doesn’t end in Kansas City; even on Broadway there have been a handful of shows recently with Jewish aspects including recent Tony winners “Parade” and “Leopoldstadt.” Creative teams are becoming more aware when they cast Jewish roles, often trying to cast a Jewish performer.
“I think it's really important because I think there's a lot of stereotypes,” Lewis said. “A lot of people think they know more than they actually do.”
Both Lewis and Ruprecht viewed casting Jewish performers in Jewish roles similarly. They both agreed that when Judaism is important in the character, it should be cast as a Jewish person. If that is not possible, there should be some education aspect to make sure the performer understands the Jewish aspects of the character.
When Ruprecht was in “Vilna,” she used the opportunity to help teach the cast about Jewish history along with Jewish historians the creative team brought in. She also was there to answer questions other cast members had about the show's Jewish content.
Lewis acts at Wichita State University, where she is earning her BFA in Musical Theater. Oftentimes, she is the first Jewish person many people in the area have met and introduces them to the religion, the beliefs and different traditions.