Electric Renaissance
May 27 - June 14, 2026
A co-produced special event with
American Jazz Museum
Electric Renaissance
Written and directed by Teresa Leggard
Featuring Robert E. Coppage III
Music by Amber Flutienastiness Underwood
One actor and one musician bring the Harlem Renaissance to life!
Writers, musicians, poets, painters, singers, dancers… and more! Some of our most prolific creative voices came out of the Harlem Renaissance. Join us as we celebrate the era through stories, poems, and music. From Langston Hughes to Claude McKay, from Nella Larsen to Zora Neale Hurston — we’re in our Jazz Era. Be there!
Electric Renaissance performances are held at:
American Jazz Museum
1616 E 18th St
Kansas City, MO 64108
Approx. Length: 60 Minutes
Find classroom resources and curriculum extensions at coterie.edublogs.org.
- Opening Night: May 28 at 7 pm
Robert E. Coppage III is an actor and teacher from Wyandotte County, KS. He has over 20 years of theatre experience and has enjoyed performing all over the KC Metro area doing film, commercial, theatre, and improv. He co-founded Tribe University and now teaches improvisation to young people in neighborhoods similar to where he was raised. Through improv he is able to give voice and confidence to overlooked stories and storytellers. Tribe University promotes public speaking skills, clear decision-making skills, and quick thinking abilities.
Amber “Flutienastiness” Underwood is a Kansas City-based flutist, educator, bandleader, and creative artist making her theatrical debut in this production with The Coterie. Internationally recognized for her bold and soulful approach to music, Amber blends jazz, R&B, gospel, and contemporary influences into her artistry both on and off stage. She is the bandleader of Flutienastiness and the SoulPatrol and has performed throughout the United States as well as internationally in Chile and Mexico. In addition to performing, Amber serves as an applied flute professor at Kansas City Kansas Community College and is passionate about arts education, storytelling, and inspiring the next generation of young creatives.
Teresa Leggard returns to The Coterie after previously directing Akeelah and the Bee; the world premiere of Only One Day a Year, in which she also appeared on stage in the cast; the world premiere of Horse Power: Tom Bass’ American Story; and assistant directing A Year with Frog and Toad. Other directing credits include Intimate Apparel for Frantze Family Blackbox Theatre – Avila University; Pipeline for Unicorn Theatre; Pass Over for Olathe Civic Theatre; The Green Book Wine Club Train Trip and Single Black Female for KC Melting Pot Theatre; Every 28 Hours for Fishtank Theatre; Gumbo House, an independent production with Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre. She also assistant directed Nina Simone: Four Women for Kansas City Repertory Theatre and Milwaukee Repertory Theater. Additional regional credits include Ontario Was Here at Lied Center of Kansas – University of Kansas. Teresa has also appeared as a guest artist at William Inge Festival, New South Young Playwrights Festival, and Midwest Dramatists Center Theatre Conference.
“… Michelle’s play … mixes the historical retelling with a present-day fictional element that helps us reflect on the relationship between past and present …”
“… We loved learning about Tom Bass through this production and his importance, not only to Kansas City, but to the horse world …”
– KCParent
Original production designs and illustrations by the Kansas City Art Institute Illustration Department’s student staffed agency, MICRO. Electric Renaissance design by Violet Hudson.
