Jane Fonda Coming to the Kauffman Center

Jane Fonda kicks off the 2019-2020 Kauffman Center Presents series this July

Get Tickets

Jane Fonda will share anecdotes from a lifetime of film and activism on July 9, 2019, in Muriel Kauffman Theatre. An Evening with Jane Fonda: A Celebration of a Storied Career will be a career retrospective live on stage, including film and TV clips, stories and an audience Q&A. The event is the first to be announced as part of the 2019-2020 Kauffman Center Presents series.

Tickets for this event range from $49 to $250 plus applicable fees and are on sale now. VIP tickets include a premium seat and a post-show photo opportunity with Jane Fonda.

Jane Fonda is a two-time Academy Award winner (Best Actress in 1971 for Klute and in 1978 for Coming Home), a three-time Golden Globe winner and was the 2014 recipient of the AFI Life Achievement Award. Along with starring roles in dozens of highly acclaimed productions, Fonda is also credited as a film and television producer.

Not limited to the big screen, Fonda has influenced society in many ways over the years. Off screen, she is an impassioned philanthropist and activist supporting numerous causes to which she is deeply committed. Her aerobic-exercise videos in the 1980s helped shape a fitness craze that is still going strong today while also revolutionizing women’s health and representation in the fitness world. The original Jane Fonda’s Workout video remains the top grossing home video of all time. Her television projects (including HBO’s The Newsroom and Netflix’s Grace and Frankie), best-selling books (including My Life So Far and Prime Time) and movies (including BarbarellaOn Golden Pond and 9 to 5) have made her a true living legend.

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Live from Here at the Kauffman Center

Live from Here with Chris Thile Broadcasts Live from the Kauffman Center

The two-hour broadcast reached 2.6 million listeners
Listen to the full episode and watch video of the show

Listen to the Jan. 12 episode

Watch video of the show

The Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts hosted a live radio broadcast of Live from Here with Chris Thile on Saturday, January 12.

The show featured special guests Mandolin Orange, My Brightest Diamond, Judy Gold and Gaby Moreno. It reached an audience of 2.6 million listeners on public radio stations around the country, plus listeners online and on the American Forces Networks, SiriusXM Radio, Radio New Zealand, and KPRG in Guam.

You can listen to the full episode – including plenty of shout-outs to Kansas City – on the Live from Here website. 

Videos of the performance in Muriel Kauffman Theatre:

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Kauffman Center Announces 6th Annual Future Stages Festival

Free festival featuring more than 650 youth performers to be held at the Kauffman Center this June.

 

Kansas City, MO – Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts is excited to announce the 6th annual free Future Stages Festival on Sunday, June 16, 2019, from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., continuing the tradition of celebrating Kansas City youth and the arts.

As part of the Kauffman Center’s Open Doors Spotlight on Youth program, the festival invites youth and community arts organizations to perform and celebrate the arts. Performers representing a wide range of cultures from the greater KC Metro area fill the Kauffman Center stages, lobby, and lawn each year during the festival.

More than 3,000 youth performers from 60 community groups have been showcased since the event’s inception in 2014. The 6th festival aims to feature more performance groups and provide several new engagements and arts activities for festival guests.

“Future Stages Festival provides the opportunity for young people to experience performing on the same stages as the national and international talent that grace the Kauffman Center stages,” said Paul Schofer, Kauffman Center’s President and CEO. “Kauffman Center is thrilled to present Future Stages Festival as a free event to encourage all to experience the talents of the next generation of performing artists in our community.”

Click here to view images from the fifth annual Future Stages Festival in June 2018.

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS FOR YOUTH PERFORMERS

Applications are now open for young performers and local arts groups to be a part of the 6th annual Future Stages Festival. Community arts organizations and school programs are encouraged to apply. Performance groups should primarily consist of youth performers between the ages of 5 – 18.

Strong consideration for the festival main stages will be given to larger groups (25+). Small acts with fewer than 10 performers are encouraged to apply to perform on the outdoor Community Stage.

The deadline for performer applications is Monday, March 11, 2019.

 

Future Stages Festival 2019 is presented by Premier Partner:

ABOUT THE OPEN DOORS PROGRAM

The Kauffman Center Open Doors program connects young people to the arts through three major components:

– The Open Doors Spotlight on Youth initiative offers year-round programs and engagement opportunities that connect young people with the Kauffman Center.

– The Open Doors Community Tickets program offers free and reduced price performance tickets to underserved audiences through local social service agencies and schools.

– The Open Doors Transportation Fund helps schools offer high quality performing arts experiences to students by eliminating or defraying the costs of bus transportation.

More information about Open Doors programs is available at: kauffmancenter.org/open-doors.

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Restaurant Week at the Kauffman Center Dining Experience

Kauffman Center Dining Experience Joins Restaurant Week

Special menu available on performance nights Jan. 11-20

Pomegranate Orange Salad - Kauffman Center Dining Experience

Restaurant Week 2019 Menu

Winter 2018-2019 Dinner Menu

Make a Reservation

The Dining Experience at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts will offer a special three-course dinner menu for $33 on performance nights during Kansas City Restaurant Week, January 11-20, 2019. Reservations are available starting at 5 p.m. Special for Restaurant Week, guests not attending a performance can take advantage of later seating times. Make a reservation on Open Table.

The Restaurant Week menu offers a choice of three starters, an entree selection of Smoked Circle B Ranch Pork Loin, and a dessert course of Sticky Toffee Pudding. Executive Chef Laura Comer crafted the menu to offer elevated takes on comforting dishes, and to provide options not currently available on the Dining Experience’s seasonal winter dinner menu. That menu, with four additional entrees and three additional desserts, will also be available during Restaurant Week at the regular $37 price.

Ten percent of sales from each Restaurant Week meal benefits three local charities: The Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Kansas City, The Kansas City Regional Destination Development Foundation, and the GKCRA Education Foundation.

Read about Executive Chef Laura Comer in Flatland magazine’s “Guide to Top Chefs” for Restaurant Week.

Find the Dining Experience on 435 Magazine’s “Experts Guide to Kansas City Restaurant Week 2019.”

ABOUT EXECUTIVE CHEF LAURA COMER

Executive Chef Laura Comer brings a wealth of fine dining history to her work at the Kauffman Center, where she has led the culinary team since fall 2016. Her background includes time with well-known local establishments including Bluestem, Justus Drugstore and Treat America. The Greater Kansas City Restaurant Association named Comer its 2018 “Chef of the Year.” Comer is a Kansas City native and graduate of the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance. She holds an A.O.S. in Culinary Arts and Le Cordon Bleu Diploma from The California School of Culinary Arts.

ABOUT THE DINING EXPERIENCE AT THE KAUFFMAN CENTER

The Dining Experience at the Kauffman Center offers modern American cuisine prior to most evening performances at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. The Dining Experience has a seasonal three-course dinner menu for $37 per person, as well as a selection of small plates. Guests may enjoy a seasonal craft cocktail and curated wine selection. Reservations are recommended. Walk-in dining is offered depending on availability.

Photo by Anna Petrow.

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Kauffman Center Celebrates Attendance Milestones and Impact of Education Outreach Program

Since opening in 2011, the Kauffman Center has hosted more than 3 million attendees and expanded artistic opportunities for Kansas City schools and students.

Visitors enjoy Brandmeyer Great Hall at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.

Photo by Cody Boston.

Kansas City, MO – In December 2018, the Kauffman Center celebrates more than seven years of bringing extraordinary and diverse performing arts experiences to the Kansas City community. Since its 2011 grand opening, the Kauffman Center has hosted over 2,150 performances welcoming more than 3.2 million guests through its doors. Its wide range of programming continues to shine a spotlight on Kansas City’s own vibrant arts community while attracting national and international talent from all genres. Resident companies the Kansas City Ballet, Kansas City Symphony, and Lyric Opera of Kansas City, along with numerous other community arts organizations continue to thrive in their Kauffman Center performance home.

The Kauffman Center’s mission focuses on providing diverse and extraordinary performing arts experiences for audiences of all ages and interests. Kansas City’s youngest arts enthusiasts from local schools enjoy dozens of performances at the Kauffman Center annually through the Center’s educational outreach program Open Doors. More than 300,000 students have attended a matinee performance, and the Kauffman Center’s Open Doors Transportation Fund provided bussing assistance for more than 150,000 of those students.

In addition to hosting more than 260 school matinees, the Kauffman Center provides community access to a wide range of public performances through the Open Doors Community Tickets program. “We continue to expand our programming offered to the community to ensure high-quality performing arts experiences are affordable and often free for many of Kansas City’s most deserving citizens through our Open Doors Program initiatives,” noted Paul Schofer, Kauffman Center President & CEO. Through a network of social service agencies, the Kauffman Center has provided more than 3,500 free tickets to underserved young people and families. In addition, the Open Doors Community Tickets program recently expanded to include ticket discounts for students, educators, veterans, and military service members.

The Kauffman Center also provides a wide range of free or low-cost programming to the general public, including the Kauffman Center’s own Future Stages Festival. This annual free community event has welcomed more than 25,000 people and provided opportunities for 3,500 performers, mostly youth, to perform on stage since the event’s inception in 2014. Audiences also have affordable access to performances with tickets priced as low as $15, such as the popular National Geographic Live series.

With more than 3 million visitors in its first seven years, the Kauffman Center eagerly continues to expand its reach in connecting the performing arts to the greater community. “The Kauffman Center stands as a cultural cornerstone for Kansas City’s thriving and vibrant artistic community,” reflected Schofer. “We are thrilled to offer a diverse array of performing arts experiences that will continue drawing millions of visitors and arts enthusiasts for many decades to come.”

Click here to view images highlighting Kauffman Center audiences and performances since 2011.

Kauffman Center Milestones at a Glance

  • 3,200,000 guests have visited the Kauffman Center since opening in 2011
  • 2,150 performances occurred
  • 325,303 students and educators attended 262 school matinees
  • 154,885 students received Open Doors bus transportation assistance to attend school matinees
  • 3,574 individuals from social service agencies have been awarded free Community Tickets to Kauffman Center performances

Coming Soon to the Kauffman Center Presents Series:

New programs will be announced throughout the year. Visit kauffmancenter.org to learn more and sign up for email updates.

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