Starlight Theatre Association Of Kansas City Inc

Programs: Presenting live broadway theatre since 1951, the nonprofit starlight theatre association is kansas city's oldest and largest performing arts organization. The association operates, programs and maintains the largest stage in the united states, as well as the 16-acre starlight theatre complex. The theatre seats approximately 8,000 and is located in swope park, the largest park in kansas city. While funding annual operating costs of $1,010,000 for the complex, the association also raises funds for capital improvements and a variety of programs, including broadway musicals, concerts, community outreach and education. See schedule o - form 990, part iii, line 4a, program service accom. Presenting live broadway theatre since 1951, the nonprofit starlight theatre association is kansas city's oldest and largest performing arts organization. The association operates, programs and maintains the largest stage in the united states, as well as the 16-acre starlight theatre complex. The theatre seats approximately 8,000 and is located in swope park, the largest park in kansas city. While funding annual operating costs of $1,010,000 for the complex, the association also raises funds for capital improvements and a variety of programs, including broadway musicals, concerts, community outreach and education. Since 2000, the association has contributed more than $31 million of privately funded improvements to the kansas city, mo. -owned starlight theatre. In fiscal year 2017, starlight recorded over $1. 4 million of depreciation expenses related to the theatre facility, equipment and offices. Starlight theatre is a frequent recipient of local, national and even international awards and recognition. In 2013, starlight won the prestigious venue excellence award from the international association of venue managers. Honors in 2017 included: best theater - ingram's magazine; best performing arts venue - ingram's magazine; and certificate of excellence - trip advisor. Starlight theatre's annual broadway series features national broadway tours, co-productions with other regional and national theatres, and its own locally produced shows. The landmark outdoor theatre, one of only three of its kind remaining in the united states, draws theatre fans in the summer from throughout the kansas city area, as well as surrounding cities and states. In fact, nearly every summer starlight welcomes visitors from all 50 states and several nations. The 2017 broadway summer season once again brought many top shows to the 12,000-square-foot starlight theatre stage - disney the little mermaid, mamma mia! , jersey boys, an american in paris, something rotten! , the bodyguard, motown the musical, grease and kinky boots. Total attendance for starlight's nine summer broadway productions in 2017 was approximately 170,000. From october 2016 through march 2017, starlight presented its second season of indoor shows, which were staged in the climate-controlled indoor spaces of the cohen community stage house. The starlight indoors lineup featured five highly entertaining productions - the secret comedy of women: girls only; men are from mars, women are from venus live! ; sister's christmas catechism; first date; and disenchanted! Starlight indoors drew nearly 13,000 attendees. In support of its mission, starlight since 1951 has offered a community ticket program that provides a live theatre experience to individuals who would otherwise be unable to afford one due to economic, medical or other restrictive causes. Each season, the program provides free starlight broadway tickets to qualifying nonprofit organizations with special consideration given to organizations that serve at-risk youth, clients with physical and emotional challenges, individuals living on fixed incomes, and other similar populations. In 2017, starlight allocated 17,067 free tickets to 123 local nonprofit organizations and 26 kansas city-area high schools; tickets were included for each of the theatre's 50 summer broadway performances. Starlight theatre also provides 200 free tickets each season to charitable and community organizations to use in their own fund-raising efforts. In addition, starlight maintains a portion of its tickets at below-market prices to provide affordable access to area residents and visitors. In 2017, approximately 18 percent of all tickets for starlight broadway musicals were sold for $16 or less.

in addition to offering award-winning broadway theatre, starlight theatre is a favored performance venue for top concert artists. Starlight's climate-controlled stage, rehearsal spaces, dressing rooms and many amenities are considered state of the art in the outdoor concert industry. Starlight's seating capacity is another major plus in attracting today's leading performance artists. See schedule o - form 990, part iii, line 4b, program service accom. In addition to offering award-winning broadway theatre, starlight theatre is a favored performance venue for top concert artists. Starlight's climate-controlled stage, rehearsal spaces, dressing rooms and many amenities are considered state of the art in the outdoor concert industry. Starlight's seating capacity is another major plus in attracting today's leading performance artists. Starlight's 2017 concert series featured 20 concert performances covering the gamut of musical genres. The lineup ranged from classic rock favorites such as steve miller band, foreigner and chicago, to american rock bands train and matchbox twenty and indie groups alt-j and the xx, to comic acts including jim gaffigan, steve martin and martin short. More than 110,000 music fans enjoyed a concert at starlight in 2017. Starlight seeks to attract a younger customer demographic by offering a wide range of concert events. By first introducing new generations to starlight's time-honored tradition through its concert offerings, the theatre is working hard to build an expanded audience base for all of its performances, as well as education opportunities for children.

the momentum for performing arts education continues to build at starlight theatre. The commitment to education is deeply held at starlight as evidenced in the theatre's vision statement: starlight theatre is the premier entertainment treasure of the heartland, where performing arts share center stage with education. See schedule o - form 990, part iii, line 4c, program service accom. The momentum for performing arts education continues to build at starlight theatre. The commitment to education is deeply held at starlight as evidenced in the theatre's vision statement: starlight theatre is the premier entertainment treasure of the heartland, where performing arts share center stage with education. In keeping with its not-for-profit mission and in response to growing community interest, starlight continues to expand its portfolio of education programs. As expenses significantly exceed revenues for its education offerings, many of which are offered at little or no cost to participants, starlight funds this important initiative with operating funds and private donations. Our education programs reached approximately 15,000 participants. Educational programming in 2017 included:- paid college internships in multiple theatre production and administration roles, through the bob rohlf internship program - starlight's blue star awards, the second largest high school musical theatre awards program in the country. In 2017, a total of 52 kansas city area schools participated in the program, presenting 59 productions and involving more than 5,000 high school students. - rising star scholarships for blue star awards' participating high school seniors and vincent legacy scholarships for ethnically-diverse middle-school students- the starlight stars and starlight stars of tomorrow musical theatre training and performance troupes for 7th through 12th-grade students- act like an animal summer camp, held in partnership with the kansas city zoo, offered two, two-week sessions for youth in kindergarten through grade 4- other starlight theatre camps, including frosty fun days winter-break day camp (grades 1-4), spring break camp (grades 1-5), camp take-a-bow (grades 5-8) - master class sessions for middle and high school students- just imagine, an interactive theatrical performance program for children receiving services from hospitals, domestic shelters and child service organizationshighlights of starlight's 2017 education programs included the continued growth of on-site camps; the celebration of the 15th anniversary of starlight's blue star awards; and the addition of a three new scholars to the vincent legacy scholarship program - expanding the total to 32 recipients since the program's inception in 2006.