Join us for Opera Book Club to deepen your appreciation of the operas in our season. Facilitated by Kansas City Public Library and Lyric Opera staff, this new program includes locally catered lunch by The Russell on Main, exclusive conversations with cast and crew members, and discounted opera tickets.
Opera Book Club is held at Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Beth Ingram Administrative Building, 1725 Holmes St., Kansas City, MO 64108.
Registration will be available August 8. Early registration is encouraged as spots are limited.
2025–2026 Book List
The Cinderella Story by Neil Philip
Thursday, September 18, 2025 | 12:00–1:30 pm
This anthology gives a look at the many variations of the Cinderella story—a tale that has been told for centuries around the world.
David Zimmerman
Wig and Make-Up Designer, Cinderella
David Zimmerman has worked with several opera companies around the world. These include The Metropolitan Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Santa Fe Opera, Paris National Opera, Opera Philadelphia, Minnesota Opera, The Dallas Opera, International Music Festival of Macau, China, and Opera Santa Barbara. Zimmerman's career extends to Broadway, as well, where he has worked with shows including Wicked, Rocky Horror Picture Show, Show Boat, South Pacific, and Evita. Personal clients include Deborah Voigt, Joyce DiDonato, Susan Graham, Patricia Racette, Martha Stewart, Olympia Dukakis and Ricky Martin. Zimmerman has recently been working with Neiman Marcus Visuals for window displays for their flagship store and a special evening with Martha Stewart. Zimmerman has also done the makeup for DIFFA Fashion Runway, Dallas Fashion and Art Charity, and the Yelp.com Fashion Magazine. Print credits include three features in Opera News, plus features in both Vanity Fair and the New Yorker. TV and film credits include “Glamour Magazine's Women of the Year,” Margaret (starring Anna Paquin), and Hostiles (starring Christian Bale and Rosamund Pike).
Madame Chrysanthème by Pierre Loti
Thursday, October 30, 2025 | 12:00–1:30 pm
This novel is told through the journal of a naval officer who was temporarily married to a geisha while he was stationed in Nagasaki, Japan. Originally written in French and published in 1887, Madame Chrysanthème was a precursor to the opera Madame Butterfly and the musical Miss Saigon.
David Zimmerman
Wig and Make-Up Designer, Cinderella
David Zimmerman has worked with several opera companies around the world. These include The Metropolitan Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Santa Fe Opera, Paris National Opera, Opera Philadelphia, Minnesota Opera, The Dallas Opera, International Music Festival of Macau, China, and Opera Santa Barbara. Zimmerman's career extends to Broadway, as well, where he has worked with shows including Wicked, Rocky Horror Picture Show, Show Boat, South Pacific, and Evita. Personal clients include Deborah Voigt, Joyce DiDonato, Susan Graham, Patricia Racette, Martha Stewart, Olympia Dukakis and Ricky Martin. Zimmerman has recently been working with Neiman Marcus Visuals for window displays for their flagship store and a special evening with Martha Stewart. Zimmerman has also done the makeup for DIFFA Fashion Runway, Dallas Fashion and Art Charity, and the Yelp.com Fashion Magazine. Print credits include three features in Opera News, plus features in both Vanity Fair and the New Yorker. TV and film credits include “Glamour Magazine's Women of the Year,” Margaret (starring Anna Paquin), and Hostiles (starring Christian Bale and Rosamund Pike).
Porgy by DuBose Heyward
Thursday, February 12, 2026 | 12:00–1:30 pm
The story follows Porgy, a street beggar with a physical disability living on the margins of society in Catfish Row—a tightly knit South Carolina community—whose world is upended when a brawl erupts into an accidental murder.
More information coming soon.
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Thursday, April 16, 2026 | 12:00–1:30 pm
This classic novella follows an unlikely pair: George is “small and quick and dark of face”; Lennie, a man of tremendous size, has the mind of a young child. Yet together they have formed a family, clinging to each other in the face of loneliness, and alienation, and hardship. In the face of an accidental tragedy, their desire of the American Dream is crushed.
More information coming soon.
The Cinderella Story by Neil Philip
Thursday, September 18, 2025 | 12:00–1:30 pm
This anthology gives a look at the many variations of the Cinderella story—a tale that has been told for centuries around the world.
More information coming soon.
Madame Chrysanthème by Pierre Loti
Thursday, October 30, 2025 | 12:00–1:30 pm
This novel is told through the journal of a naval officer who was temporarily married to a geisha while he was stationed in Nagasaki, Japan. Originally written in French and published in 1887, Madame Chrysanthème was a precursor to the opera Madame Butterfly and the musical Miss Saigon.
More information coming soon.
Porgy by DuBose Heyward
Thursday, February 12, 2026 | 12:00–1:30 pm
The story follows Porgy, a street beggar with a physical disability living on the margins of society in Catfish Row—a tightly knit South Carolina community—whose world is upended when a brawl erupts into an accidental murder.
More information coming soon.
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Thursday, April 16, 2026 | 12:00–1:30 pm
This classic novella follows an unlikely pair: George is “small and quick and dark of face”; Lennie, a man of tremendous size, has the mind of a young child. Yet together they have formed a family, clinging to each other in the face of loneliness, and alienation, and hardship. In the face of an accidental tragedy, their desire of the American Dream is crushed.
More information coming soon.
Laura Blankenship
Manager of Community Programs at Lyric Opera of Kansas City
Laura Blankenship is the Manager of Community Programs at Lyric Opera of Kansas City where she designs, organizes, and facilitates diverse opportunities for new and returning community members to foster deeper connections through the arts. A former music therapist and piano teacher, Laura brings a holistic perspective to her work, valuing the power of the arts to enhance wellbeing and quality of life. She supports this approach by prioritizing clear communication, adaptability and realistic goal setting; and by holding space for her own creative endeavors, such as reading and writing, cooking, and making music with her band, Laura Boat and the Brew.
Katie Stover
Director of Readers' Services at Kansas City Public Library
Kaite Stover is the Director of Readers' Services for The Kansas City Public Library. She holds Master's degrees in Library Science and English Literature from Emporia State University.
Cost is $250 per person (books purchased separately)
This cost includes participation in all four book club sessions across the entire season (dates listed below). Each book club meeting will have a catered lunch and an exclusive conversation with a cast or crew member from the related opera. As an additional perk, participants in Opera Book Club also receive 20% off opera tickets.
Laura Blankenship
(816) 802-6059
lblankenship@kcopera.org
Community Partners
