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 10th 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.
Joan Israelite Receives Missouri Arts Council’s Leadership in the Arts Award for 2023
Joan Israelite
The Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts is thrilled to announce that Joan Israelite has received the 2023 Leadership in the Arts award from the Missouri Arts Council, the state’s highest honor in the arts.
Israelite has been a tireless force since the mid-’80s for creating policy, raising funds and growing arts organizations. She was the founding CEO of ArtsKC and a nine-year board member for the Missouri Arts Council and the National Council on the Arts, an organization that advises the Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts on agency policies and programs.
For the Kauffman Center, Israelite has been involved since the beginning in 2008. When the dream of a new, state-of-the-art Kansas City performing arts center was born, she and the capital campaign committee worked strategically to raise $366 million to construct the building and create an endowment. As a key fundraiser, Israelite reached out to prospects at all levels and backgrounds. She gave countless hardhat tours and developed innovative fundraising programs, such as the seat plaque and Children’s Wall campaigns. She was a key architect of the Open Doors program, which reduces barriers to attending performances at the Kauffman Center.
Still a member of the Kauffman Center team, Israelite brings her high energy and inventiveness to the Kauffman Center as a development consultant, raising funds for annual operations and the endowment.
Kansas City’s — and the region’s — most prominent and influential arts administrators, advocates and elected officials routinely contact Israelite, seeking guidance regarding arts programming, education, fundraising and issues related to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility. In addition, she has met with more than 50 young women seeking career advice and has advocated for the inclusion of women in leadership positions in the arts and nonprofit organizations.
Joan Israelite’s ability to lead, build consensus and nurture relationships has earned her the unofficial title, Joan of Arts. She has left an indelible mark in the arts community.
Earlier this fall, Joan and Steve Israelite were also honored with the 2022 Heartland Humanitarians of the Year from the Truman Heartland Community Foundation.
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