Sixty-eight years after playing for the Monarchs — and 26 years after her death — Toni Stone will make a triumphant return to Kansas City. The script by Lydia R. Diamond is based on Martha Ackmann’s 2017 book, “Curveball: The Remarkable Story of Toni Stone, First Woman to Play Professional Baseball.” Brad Shaw, a veteran of Kansas City Young Audiences and Coterie productions, will direct, with JaedaLaVonne as the title character. “The first woman to play professional baseball, and she’s a woman of color. When I read through the script, I was like, ‘Why have I never heard of her before,’” LaVonne said. Stone played for the New Orleans Creoles in the Negro League minors before joining the Indianapolis Clowns of the Negro American League in 1953. Stone, who was then 32, told Clowns owner Syd Pollock she was 22. To Pollock, signing the 5-foot-7 female infielder was largely an effort to attract fans after losing Hank Aaron to the Boston Braves. Unicorntheatre’s play focuses on her da...