The 24th season of M.O.B.S. mini-off broadway shows that are directed by students.  Going into Randy Jackson's final year of teaching, he will be directing two this year.

Student Directed - 

21 Chump Street written by Lin Manuel Miranda- Produced with permission from Concord Theatricals; directed by Samantha Driggers

Lin-Manuel Miranda's 21 Chump Street

 is a 14-minute musical based on a true story as reported in the series This American Life. The show is a cautionary tale of Justin, a high school honors student who falls for a cute transfer girl. Justin goes to great lengths to oblige Naomi's request for marijuana in the hopes of winning her affection - only to find out that his crush is actually an undercover cop planted in the school to find drug dealers.

Robert is applying to adopt a baby through an agency run by the stern, overworked Rosemary. Nothing about their meeting seems to be going right from the start, and when Robert reveals that he is gay, the interview is cut short. Realizing that his chances to adopt are slim, he challenges Rosemary to confront her prejudices in this play about acceptance, forgiveness, and moving on.

In a dark classroom, eight students sit in an "official lockdown," not knowing if it's just a drill or an actual emergency. When a hysterical younger girl bolts from the room and the teacher follows, the remaining students are left alone to decide if it's safer to stay or run.

Teacher Directed-

 For Whom the Southern Belle Tolls - written by Christopher Durang - Produced with permission by Dramatists; directed by Randy Jackson

In this parody of THE GLASS MENAGERIE, the fading Southern belle, Amanda, tries to prepare her hyper-sensitive, hypochondriacal son, Lawrence, for “the feminine caller.” Terrified of people, Lawrence plays with his collection of glass cocktail stirrers. Ginny, the feminine caller, is hard of hearing and overbearingly friendly. Brother Tom wants to go the movies, where he keeps meeting sailors who need to be put up in his room. Amanda tries to face everything with “charm and vivacity,” but sometimes she just wants to hit somebody.

Having casually wandered onstage, George is informed that one of the actors, Eddie, has been in an auto accident and he must replace him immediately. Apparently no one is sure of what play is being performed but George (costumed as Hamlet) seems to find himself in the middle of a scene from 

Private Lives

, surrounded by such luminaries as Sarah Siddons, Dame Ellen Terry and Henry Irving. As he fumbles through one missed cue after another the other actors shift to 

Hamlet

, then a play by Samuel Beckett, and then a climactic scene from what might well be 

A Man for All Seasons

—by which time the disconcerted George has lost all sense of contact with his fellow performers. Yet, in the closing moments of the play, he rises to the occasion and finally says the right lines, whereupon make-believe suddenly gives way to reality as the executioner’s axe (meant for Sir Thomas Moore) instead sends poor George to oblivion—denying him a well-earned curtain call.

We Are Northtown

North Kansas City High School is the flagship high school of North Kansas city schools, and the centerpiece of education in the northland since 1925. With great neighbors and local businesses, northtown students in their “Purple and Gold” get to experience a special environment that is very unique to a suburban high school. this fosters a strong sense of responsibility and creates a great sense of community.

From the early agricultural classes taught in the 1920s to the highly esteemed International Baccalaureate program, North Kansas City High School has always strived to provide relevant and rigorous educational opportunities. Students thrive in northtown’s diverse learning community through programs like Scholar Bowl, Rocket Club, Robotics,  and Science Olympiad. Not to be left out, students also excel in the arts, music, theater and athletics.

Northtown students also have the rare pleasure of enjoying Friday night football games in a famous football stadium constructed in 1941 as one of the final Works Progress administration projects ending the Great Depression in the 1930s. the stone wall surrounding the football stadium was constructed during that time period as well. In 2006, the football stadium was recognized by the KC Star as “the best high school facility in the Kansas city area to view a Friday night game”.

In a grand plan to merge old and new, north Kansas city high school is experiencing a $65 million renovation that was completed in February 2020.

The Theatre Department has been under the direction of Randy Jackson since 1997.  The Northtown Theatre Association is the drama club and theatre producing agent of North Kansas City High School.  Randy is assisted by Helena Cosentino and Xandra Potter who both joined the team in 2018.  Students in the program have participated and performed at the state and national level of International Thespians, been on the state student board, and Thespy National Qualifiers. The program has transitioned from the original auditorium space to the new 679 seat Auditorium and Black Box Flex Theatre Space in a Performing Arts Center.