Kevin King

Kevin King

Kevin King (he/him) is a queer playwright in Kansas City, MO, and producing artistic director of Whim Productions, a theater company dedicated to producing works by LGBTQ+ playwrights. He’s a playwright-in-residence at the Midwest Dramatist Center, a member of the Dramatists Guild, and a 2016 playwright-in-residence in The Charlotte Street Foundation's studio residency program. His work ranges from camp...
Kevin King (he/him) is a queer playwright in Kansas City, MO, and producing artistic director of Whim Productions, a theater company dedicated to producing works by LGBTQ+ playwrights. He’s a playwright-in-residence at the Midwest Dramatist Center, a member of the Dramatists Guild, and a 2016 playwright-in-residence in The Charlotte Street Foundation's studio residency program. His work ranges from camp and satire to unblinking looks at moments in modern queer lives.

His short play "The Swallows'' was selected for the Smith & Kraus Best Ten-Minute Plays of 2022 anthology and for the William Inge Festival's 2019 New Play Lab. His short play "Debating" was a 2021 semi-finalist for the Lanford Wilson New American Play Festival. A reading of his full-length play “Hyenas” was presented by the Dramatists Guild’s Kansas/Missouri Region’s Footlights series in 2021. In 2022, Kansas City Public Theatre produced a developmental reading of “Boxed,” a gay #metoo play.

Plays

  • Boxed by Kevin King
    Recommendations: 1
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    Cast: 
    4
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    Genre: drama
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    Keyword: metoo, features LGBTQ+ characters + 1 more
    Genre: drama
    Keyword: metoo, features LGBTQ+ characters, mixed race relationships
    On their third date, Nick and Freddy enjoy a quiet night in. By the end of the night, events have transpired that forever change their relationships with each other and their best friends.
  • Flowers in the Wardrobe by Kevin King
    Recommendations: 4
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    Cast: 
    10
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    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 2 more
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    Keyword: The Lion Witch & The Wardrobe, Flowers in the Attic + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, fantasy, parody/spoof
    Keyword: The Lion Witch & The Wardrobe, Flowers in the Attic, camp
    [Full length] A delightfully naughty mash-up of "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" and "Flowers in the Attic." The Dollanganger children are locked in their grandmother's attic, seemingly forever, until they discover a hidden world in an old wardrobe. It's your childhood on acid.
  • Hyenas by Kevin King
    Recommendations: 5
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    Cast: 
    4
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    Genre: comedy, drama
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    Keyword: LGBTQ, gay + 2 more
    Genre: comedy, drama
    Keyword: LGBTQ, gay, dating, intergenerational conflicts
    [Full length] Tony wasn’t looking for love, especially not from someone 20 years younger, but might’ve found it in Joey. Joey wasn’t looking for a daddy but might have found one in Tony. Mara, Tony’s best friend, just wanted to work on her dissertation and get some good coffee. Eric, Joey’s roommate, just wanted to keep his job as a barista and maybe get Joey’s attention.
  • Film Classics Presents: Heaven So Far by Kevin King
    Recommendations: 1
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    Cast: 
    7
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    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 4 more
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    Keyword: spoof, melodrama + 5 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, melodrama, parody/spoof, period, satire
    Keyword: spoof, melodrama, Douglas Sirk, Masterpiece Theater, drag, camp, campy
    [Full length] Join host Carlotta Holmes for a special pledge-break edition of "Film Classics Presents"! This episode is "Heaven So Far," a 1950s melodrama about a crusading housewife, her perfect husband, and the Mexican gardener who changes their lives forever.

    "Film Classics Presents: Heaven So Far" is a campy spoof of Masterpiece Theater-style shows as well as...
    [Full length] Join host Carlotta Holmes for a special pledge-break edition of "Film Classics Presents"! This episode is "Heaven So Far," a 1950s melodrama about a crusading housewife, her perfect husband, and the Mexican gardener who changes their lives forever.

    "Film Classics Presents: Heaven So Far" is a campy spoof of Masterpiece Theater-style shows as well as 1950s melodrama.

    An hour-long version of this was presented by Whim Productions in the 2011 Kansas City Fringe Festival. It was the 7th Best Attended production in the festival that year and awarded the Best Of in its venue.
  • What Happens At Jock Night by Kevin King
    Recommendations: 11
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    Cast: 
    4
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    Genre: comedy
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    Keyword: LGBTQ, social norms + 3 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: LGBTQ, social norms, gay bars, jock night, body acceptance
    [10 Minute] Josh is at Jock Night at a gay bar for the first time. His friends think he’s overdressed.
  • The Swallows by Kevin King
    Recommendations: 14
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    Cast: 
    2
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    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 2 more
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    Keyword: rural America, opioid crisis + 2 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, drama, melodrama
    Keyword: rural America, opioid crisis, trailer park, LGBTQ
    [10 Minute] Sharing cheap whiskey and fending off mosquitoes, two women talk about the bats (or are they birds?) flying overhead and avoiding talking about their complicated lives.

    Described as "Southern Comfort Jane Austen."
  • Debating by Kevin King
    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy, young audiences
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    Keyword: gay high schooler, high school + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, young audiences
    Keyword: gay high schooler, high school, debate tournament, LGBTQ+, plays for high school and young actors
    [10 Minute] On an overnight trip for a high school Debate tournament, Michael, who is out and kind of proud, doesn't quite know the protocol for sharing a room with Colby, a straight jock. Meanwhile Colby is feeling out of his depth for once and isn't quite sure how to react to Michael's girlfriend, who seems overly friendly.
  • The Sweater by Kevin King
    Recommendations: 5
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    Cast: 
    4
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    Genre: comedy
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    Keyword: slice of life, funny + 2 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: slice of life, funny, weird, quirky
    [10 Minute] You know that feeling when you're in Starbucks, you just want to get some work done, and a weirdo won't leave you alone? This play is about that.
  • The Shoe Kid by Kevin King
    Recommendations: 3
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    Cast: 
    3
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    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 2 more
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    Keyword: christmas, satire + 4 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, holiday, parody/spoof
    Keyword: christmas, satire, spoof, holiday, irreverent, shoes
    [10 minute] It's before Christmas and Caleb just wants to have a relaxing drink. But Shannon and Kent only want to hear about Caleb's strange encounter with a kid in a shoe store.
  • In the Sauna by Kevin King
    Recommendations: 3
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    Cast: 
    2
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    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 1 more
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    Keyword: gay, queer + 3 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, melodrama
    Keyword: gay, queer, loss, sauna, LGBTQ
    [10 Minute] A quiet comedy about grief, self-discovery, and finding community in random places.
    Mourning the loss of his dog, She-Ra, Nathan finds some solace from a stranger in a sauna.
  • Status by Kevin King
    Recommendations: 7
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    Cast: 
    2
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    Genre: melodrama, political
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    Keyword: Covid-19, pandemic + 1 more
    Genre: melodrama, political
    Keyword: Covid-19, pandemic, LGBTQ
    [1-Minute] A Grindr hookup in a time of pandemic.
  • I've Seen the Future, Baby by Kevin King
    Recommendations: 6
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    Cast: 
    1
    ·
    Genre: dark comedy
    ·
    Keyword: fortune teller, fortune telling
    Genre: dark comedy
    Keyword: fortune teller, fortune telling
    [Monologue, 5-7 minutes] Your unconventional psychic has a few things to say about knowing the future.
  • 6 Months Later by Kevin King
    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, satire
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    Keyword: LGBTQ, pulse nightclub + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, satire
    Keyword: LGBTQ, pulse nightclub, LGBTQ+
    [10 Minutes] Six months after the Pulse nightclub shooting, Joe and Miguel reflect on the tragic event. Which was more significant - the fact that the shooting was in a gay bar or that the majority of the victims were Latinx? Joe and Miguel see things just a bit differently.

    This is a satire on how white people co-opt tragedy.
  • About the Kid by Kevin King
    Recommendations: 6
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    Cast: 
    2
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    Genre: comedy
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    Keyword: LGBTQ, gay parenthood + 2 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: LGBTQ, gay parenthood, PTA, parent teacher conference
    [10 Minute] A gay man attends his first parent-teacher conference. A teacher encounters the first gay parent in his school district. Awkwardness ensues.
  • Spring Break by Kevin King
    Recommendations: 2
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    Cast: 
    3
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    Genre: comedy
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    Keyword: LGBTQ, gay marriage + 1 more
    Genre: comedy
    Keyword: LGBTQ, gay marriage, gay adoption
    [10 Minute] Married couple Max and Kyle have a plan to spend a nice day at the beach with their son over spring break. When Max encounters Joey, a 18-year old with an agenda, a flirtation turns into a fun look at the dynamics of age and a quickly changing cultural landscape.
  • First Impressions by Kevin King
    Recommendations: 4
    ·
    Cast: 
    4–5
    ·
    Genre: experimental, science fiction
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    Keyword: cultural commentary
    Genre: experimental, science fiction
    Keyword: cultural commentary
    [1 Minute] In a post-apocalyptic world, members are judged by a blindfolded Examiner. This is a one-minute play.
  • AFK by Kevin King
    Recommendations: 2
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    Cast: 
    3
    ·
    Genre: comedy, horror + 2 more
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    Keyword: social media
    Genre: comedy, horror, satire, science fiction
    Keyword: social media
    [10 Minute] In the near future, a "techno-virus" has struck the world. Most humans, especially those in the cities, have succumbed and are now steps away from being automatons. In the hillsides, survivors exist the best they can, making sure to stay away from people carrying technology. A satire.
  • False Cognates by Kevin King
    Recommendations: 5
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    Cast: 
    3
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    Genre: comedy, dark comedy + 1 more
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    Keyword: representation, theater + 1 more
    Genre: comedy, dark comedy, satire
    Keyword: representation, theater, race relations
    [10 Minute} Theater professionals encounter a clueless playwright.
  • Finding the Way by Kevin King
    Recommendations: 1
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    Cast: 
    2
    ·
    Genre: comedy, drama + 1 more
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    Keyword: LGBTQ
    Genre: comedy, drama, melodrama
    Keyword: LGBTQ
    [10 Minute] Seeking shelter from a storm, a man finds a young gay guy who is crying in a cafe.