Muriel Kauffman Theatre

Muriel Kauffman Theatre enhances experience for both artists and audiences

The Kauffman Center’s Muriel Kauffman Theatre is an 1,800-seat hall and the future home of the Kansas City Ballet and Lyric Opera of Kansas City. The theatre also will host a wide variety of diverse musical and theatrical performances.

In the Muriel Kauffman Theatre, the audience is seated directly facing the stage. There are three balconies over the main floor, with suites adjacent to box seats. The stage is roughly 50 feet deep and 100 feet wide (for a total of 5,000 square feet) and the fly space reaches 74 feet above the stage.

In addition to excellent acoustics and sightlines for audiences, the design of the Muriel Kauffman Theatre will dramatically enhance the performance capabilities of the Kansas City Ballet and Lyric Opera. A larger orchestra pit and stage, as well as a 74 foot tall stage tower and expanded backstage facilities provide greater flexibility and allow the Kansas City Ballet and the Lyric Opera to stage more sophisticated productions. In addition, with dedicated theatre space, they should be able to increase the number of performances over the course of the year.

More insight about what makes this hall special can be found in interviews with Richard Pilbrow, theatre designer, Evan Luskin, general manager of the Lyric Opera and Jeffrey Bentley, executive director of the Kansas City Ballet.  Details about the stage tower may also be of interest.