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Interested in trying Butoh?
Confluence Theatre will be hosting Butoh workshops this winter and we want you to join us!
who we are
This is your invitation to step out of the pedestrian. Shed the numbness of the everyday. Turn off your phone. Shake off your apathy. Come dream with us. We invite audiences to shake up their brains and re-envision what is possible. Our work fits into two main categories: Shakespeare, and experimental movement (butoh, circus, devised work). Our goal is to empower audiences and artists to lean forward and engage with ensemble-driven, physically dynamic storytelling, from reinterpretations of classics to devised new works. By providing free theatre to the community and opportunities for emerging artists we seek to push the boundaries of Kansas City theatre and contribute to building a community where everyone has a voice. With aggressive curiosity and fierce empathy, we ask you, come dream with us.
We experiment. We explore. We invite.
We are Confluence Theatre Company.
recent production
Dreaming Machine debuted at KC Fringe 2023, and combined both metaphysical and emotional mindscapes with only the human body as a vehicle for expression.
Audiences said this about Dreaming Machine:
"One of my favorite experiences in the theatre this year"
"...mesmerizing and beautiful..."
"One of my favorite experiences in the theatre this year" "...mesmerizing and beautiful..."
"It might be a little different than anything you've seen, and that is an incredible gift"
"It might be a little different than anything you've seen, and that is an incredible gift"
"...left the show in awe..."
"It's quite unlike anything I have ever experienced"
"...left the show in awe..." "It's quite unlike anything I have ever experienced"
past productions
audience response to scream in blue
“Exactly what you want a Fringe show to be"
“I was on the edge of my seat"
“Exactly what you want a Fringe show to be" “I was on the edge of my seat"
"Raw..."
"This shit is so metal"
"True art..."
"Visceral..."
"Raw..." "This shit is so metal" "True art..." "Visceral..."
creative team
Logan Black, Artistic Director, Founding Member
Logan Black is an actor, choreographer, playwright, and director with a deep love for devised ensemble driven work and Shakespeare. With a home base in Kansas City he has worked as both an actor and fight choreographer with the Kansas City Repertory Theater, Kansas City Actors Theatre, and Unicorn Theater where he is the resident fight guy. In 2019 his play Bond: a soldier and his Dog premiered at the Unicorn and is based on his experiences in Iraq with his explosive detection K9 Diego, their separation and eventual, hard-fought reunion.
His work in devised theatre is grounded in the Japanese dance form know as Butoh which he first encountered as an undergraduate in the actor training program at the University of Utah. Since that initial exposure 22 years ago he has continued his study of this unique form of movement with masters Jerry Gardner, Denise Fujiwara, Diego Pinion, and Yukio Waguri. In 2007 he was a founding member of the Rakan Butoh Dance Company under the direction of Jerry Gardner and in 2008 Rakan became the first US based Butoh company to be invited to the International Butoh Festival in Tokyo. During the festival Logan was extraordinarily fortunate to sit at the feet of Butoh founder Kazuo Ohno and study with his son, master Yoshito Ohno.
The heightened language of Shakespeare captivated Logan from his first encounter with the Bard in high school and would ultimately lead to him choosing a life in theatre. His work is grounded within the text of the First Folio, our closest source to Shakespeare original texts and, perhaps, his intent as well.
“Shakespeare has always been the wellspring that never runs dry, his plays are fathomless. Each encounter with his language provides a deeper understanding not only of the play but of myself, of us and the world around us”.
Logan holds an MFA in acting and directing from the University Of Missouri at Kansas City and is a proud member of Actors Equity.
R.H. Wilhoit, Artistic Director, Founding Member
R.H. Wilhoit has been working professionally in Kansas City since he graduated from Drury University with a BA in Theatre. He has been seen in various productions in town including Every Brilliant Thing (Spinning Tree Theatre), Milking Christmas (The Living Room Theatre), and Electric Poe (The Coterie Theatre). After featuring in Confluence’s production of Measure For Measure, he joined the artistic team having gained a new passion for producing. Along with Logan and Erdin, he strives to bring exciting yet challenging theatre to Kansas City.
Erdin Shultz-Bever, Artistic Director
Erdin Schultz-Bever joined the Confluence leadership team in 2021. A recent graduate with her MFA in Acting and Directing from UMKC, she has enjoyed working with Logan and Hollis to expand physical theatre opportunities in KC.
Erdin has had the privilege of performing in two of Confluence's Butoh shows: Dreaming Machine and Scream in Blue. Locally, she has also worked as an actor with the Coterie, the Unicorn, Fishtank Theatre, Kansas City Actors Theatre, and KC Public Theatre.
A lover of movement, Erdin has been training in circus arts for seven years and has performed aerial silks, aerial frames, trapeze, sling, and partner acrobatics. This spring, she is looking forward to teaching movement for the stage at JCCC and working on Glass Menagerie at Musical Theatre Heritage.