Walk through Future Stages Festival and get a glimpse at our 10th anniversary party!

We were thrilled to host nearly 3,500 visitors at our 2023 Future Stages Festival! The event featured more than 650 talented young artists (from 30 performance groups) and fun activities from 20 community partners. Whether it was your first time at the Center, or you’ve been here multiple times, thank you for attending and we hope you had a blast! Thanks to our supporters PNC Bank, Richard J. Stern Foundation for the Arts, Marlese and Robert Gourley Children’s Fund, Frank and Margaret G. McGee Fund, Missouri Arts Council, Neighborhood Tourist Development Fund and JE Dunn. Special thanks to our Premier Partner, Saint Luke’s Health System.

SAVE THE DATE! Future Stages Festival will return next summer on Sunday, June 9, 2024.

Photo by Starra Zweygardt. Dancers from the Kansas City Institute of Chinese Language and Culture perform on Muriel Kauffman Theatre stage during Future Stages Festival on June 11, 2023.

Photo by Sara Unrein. Audiences enjoy performances on the Kansas City Symphony’s Mobile Music Box.

Photo by Sara Unrein. A St. Joseph Arts Academy performer on the Mobile Music Box Stage.

Photo by Bernadette Hursh. Street Styles Academy performs on Saint Luke’s Outdoor Stage.

Photo by Ellie Fehlig. MSACP Orchestra on stage in Helzberg Hall.

Photo by Bernadette Hursh. Future Stages Festival performers pose for a photo in front of a balloon display courtesy of festival sponsor Saint Luke’s Health System.

Photo by Bernadette Hursh. Attendees enjoy a photo booth presented by American Theatre Guild.

Photo by Bernadette Hursh. There was lots of hometown pride with our Super Bowl champion cheerleaders, the Kansas City Chiefs.

Photo by Bernadette Hursh. Approximately 20 community partners presented activities and learning opportunities for patrons at the festival.

Photo by Bernadette Hursh. The festival concluded with a special anniversary performance on the front drive by the Pythons Drill Team.

Above left MSACP Orchestra on Helzberg Stage in 2022. Photo by Cassandra Schmidt. Above right MSACP Orchestra backstage at Helzberg Hall in 2015. Photo by Rachel Nyhart.

 
On Sunday, June 11 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts will celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Future Stages Festival.

In honor of this celebration, we are excited to highlight MSA Crescendo Project Orchestra as the only performance group returning to the festival for their tenth year! This dynamic youth orchestra has been selected to perform on the Kauffman Center stages each year of the festival.

“Performing at the Future Stages Festival is always the highlight of the year for my students. It is such a magical opportunity for these young musicians, from the tiniest beginners to the seasoned high school seniors, walking out onto the stage at Kauffman feels like nothing else in the world. Each year, I tell them that being selected is a privilege and it is not a guarantee.  For ten years now they’ve been overjoyed to be selected and worked SO hard together to create something magical to share with the audience. We are so thankful for the opportunity to play again in 2023!” Natasha Kwapich said.

In addition to the loyalty of MSACP Orchestra, we are excited to welcome back 5 Star Jazz Band for their eighth year and The Kansas City Boys Choir and The Kansas City Girls Choir as well as AileyCamp: The Group for their ninth year performing at the festival.

RSVP and learn more on our website at kauffmancenter.org/futurestages.

Photo by Zach Anderson-Boland.

Photo by Jillian Shoptaw.

Photo by Ju-Young Morimoto.

On Monday, April 10, we welcomed almost 300 volunteers and their guests to a springtime soirée. Attendees enjoyed the musical stylings of award-winning local jazz band, Hot Club KC, special creations by Executive Chef Laura Comer and the Bonterra team, and exclusive building tours.

Photos by Jenny DeFreece and Mary Maxine Luber. Hand-written notes of appreciation from Kauffman Center staff to volunteers.

Kauffman Center staff also showered volunteers with homemade treats and personalized thank-you notes.

In a typical season, volunteers welcome hundreds of thousands of patrons to more than 400 performances, concerts and events — including an incredible 51 in the month of December. These dedicated individuals fill over 16,000 shifts in a myriad of roles across the organization, including in administrative capacities. In total, they provide over 60,000 hours of service each year.

“I love my role and all the people I interact with every time I volunteer. It’s like coming home to friends and family. It’s been one of my best decisions, and I look forward to many more volunteer hours and attending functions,” Barbara A. said.

Those interested in volunteering at the Kauffman Center can email volunteer@kauffmancenter.org to be notified of the next recruitment period.

Handprints on a white wall are rarely a positive sight, but at the Kauffman Center’s PNC Grow Up Great Gallery, they are a vision of the future. PNC Bank created the gallery in partnership with the Kauffman Center to inspire local children by exposing them to the performing arts and encouraging creativity.

The Grow Up Great Gallery currently features nearly 300 colorful handprints created by pre-K students  from Kansas City child development centers. By June, the wall will blossom with 160 new handprints made by students at EarlystART centers, El Centro Academy for Children and Growing Futures Child Development Center.

“We know that education is a powerful means for economic and social mobility and children who participate in high-quality preschool are far more likely to achieve, and to contribute to society in their adult lives,” said Kyle Myers, PNC regional president for Kansas City. “That is why PNC is so firmly committed to early education initiatives like this with the PNC Grow Up Great Gallery at the Kauffman Center. Investing and advocating for high-quality early education is a logical extension of our commitment as a national main street bank to supporting the communities where we live and work.”

Photos by Sarah Milosevich. PNC volunteers help students at EarlystART Metro Center prepare their handprints for the PNC Grow Up Great Gallery Wall at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.

The new handprints, which feature each child’s name and age, will debut at the Kauffman Center’s Future Stages Festival. The students will be invited to attend the festival and witness their marks on the Grow Up Great Gallery wall.

This year, Future Stages Festival celebrates its 10^th anniversary on Sunday, June 11 from 12 – 5 p.m. This free community event features hundreds of youth performers on the Kauffman Center stages throughout the day and spotlights diversity in the performing arts. The event also includes family-friendly activities and exciting arts experiences for all ages.

The PNC Grow Up Great Gallery will be a prominent feature of the PNC PlaySpace located on the Plaza level to the east of the Ticket Office and will offer an area full of engaging activities for festival attendees.

Located on Level 2 of the Kauffman Center, the PNC Grow Up Great Gallery is also open to the public during Ticket Office hours, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Friday and 90 minutes prior to any performance.

Learn more about our 2023 Future Stages Festival at kauffmancenter.org/open-doors/future-stages-festival

Center High School students in Muriel Kauffman Theatre before beginning a backstage tour led by Production Services Manager Don Hovis.
Photo by Sarah Milosevich.

Students Go Behind the Scenes

Backstage Intensive, an Open Doors Spotlight on Youth initiative, allows students to participate in a special behind-the-scenes experience at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. After two years of presenting this program virtually, Backstage Intensive is back to being offered in-person this season. Face-to-face interactions with students provide a deeper and more personal understanding of all the elements and roles it takes to put on a flawless performance.

During the Backstage Intensive experience students are introduced to careers within technical theatre including lighting, sound and stage management. In addition, they learn about administrative roles such as marketing, ticketing and patron services. Students gain a valuable understanding of the hard work and collaboration it takes to run a premier performing arts venue. 

This fall, three local schools took part in the Backstage Intensive program, Center High School, Ruskin High School and Turner High School. 

Each Backstage Intensive date started with a tour of Muriel Kauffman Theatre, Helzberg Hall and the backstage spaces at the Kauffman Center. After this comprehensive tour, students engaged in demonstrations and presentations with staff members from various departments and disciplines.

“It was a very educational and fun experience,” said a Center High School junior.

Students learn about stage management and participate in a hands-on activity with Director of Theater Operations Sara Beatty, CVP.
Photo by Albania Andrade.

Eric Miller, production services manager, provides insight into how lighting designs are created and planned.
Photo by Sarah Milosevich.

The impact of the Backstage Intensive program on students is invaluable. Many times, those who participate in this program have never been exposed to an environment or backstage space like those at the Kauffman Center. This is a great way for them to see all the job opportunities at a performing arts center.

A 10th-grade-student from Ruskin High School said, “I will use this information to consider my future.”  

“The Backstage Intensive program has shown my students a multitude of ways they can pursue a career in theatre. The most impactful experience for them was being on the stages and learning about the lighting effects from the demonstrations,” said Mr. Moyer, theater teacher at Ruskin High School.

He believes that it’s great to have students participate in interactive workshops facilitated by onsite professionals. These engaging activities are always memorable to them.

Students inside the Muriel Kauffman Theatre’s sound booth learn about audio techniques and equipment used during performances.
Photo by Sarah Milosevich.

At the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, we want everyone to experience excellence. The Open Doors Spotlight on Youth initiatives offers a diverse set of programs that connect young people with the thriving performing arts venue.

To learn more about the Backstage Intensive program and other programs offered for school groups, visit kauffmancenter.org/opendoors.