Keep up with the latest from Starlight including details about Broadway shows, new programs, history, and more.
This week’s Starlight Senior is a Blue Star Awards standout. She won the 2019 Blue Star Award for Outstanding Actress in a Lead Role and went on to represent Starlight at the Jimmy Awards in New York City last year, in addition to serving the past two years on the Blue Star Awards Student Council. … Continued
On this week’s episode, a Starlight alum receives a top honor, the hit TV show Smash eyes Broadway, and Playbill unveils a new Q&A series with some of Broadway’s biggest stars. GLSEN honors Kalen Allen with the Visionary Award
Previously, we put together lists of our favorite family-friendly musicals and Broadway-inspired podcasts. In our third edition of Starlight Streaming—we wanted something that would capture our interest for more than just an hour or two, which is why we turned to streaming television series! Check out this list for our favorite musical and musical-themed series … Continued
In case you missed it—Starlight’s President & CEO, Rich Baker, appeared on KCPT’s “Kansas City Week in Review” in May. Joined by Randy Wistoff of the Kansas City Zoo, Bob Kendrick of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, and Brenda Tinnen of the Sprint Center, KCPT’s Nick Haines interviewed the group regarding how each of them … Continued
Starlight is excited to announce that it has welcomed seven new members to its Board of Directors in 2020. Ora Reynolds of Hunt Midwest continues to serve as Board Chair. The new directors come from a variety of leading Kansas City businesses and share a dedication to the future of Starlight. They work closely with … Continued
This week’s Starlight Senior will graduate in December from Missouri State University. She served as a Creative Marketing intern in the summer of 2019 and looks forward to spending one more semester at school before joining the workforce full time. In the meantime, she’s focusing on developing her freelance business—Rachel Yaros Design. Check out her … Continued
Inspired by so many Broadway stars sharing songs from their living rooms, our 2019 Starlight Stars recently took to Zoom to create a rendition of “Found/Tonight”—a mashup of two popular songs from Broadway’s hit musicals Hamilton and Dear Evan Hansen. Released in 2018, “Found/Tonight” combines “The Story of Tonight” from Hamilton with Dear Evan Hansen’s … Continued
With graduation season officially under way, we are thrilled to continue to shine a light on several highly dedicated students. This week’s featured Starlight Senior is a two-year member of our Blue Star Awards Student Council. Throughout her years at Liberty North High School, she excelled in leading creative and technical efforts behind the scenes … Continued
In its first-ever virtual announcement, Starlight revealed the nominations for the 18th annual Blue Star Awards in a live broadcast on Facebook Thursday, May 21. Fifty-three of 54 schools were able to stage their 2019-20 Blue Star Awards musicals throughout the past school year, leading to 179 nominations in 23 categories. Hundreds of Blue Star … Continued
On this week’s episode, a Kansas City family defies gravity, Starlight is set to announce the Blue Star Awards nominations, and Hamilton will stream live this summer. 'Everyone deserves a chance to fly': Family puts on sky-high performances of 'Wicked' for neighbors
Each Broadway season, a talented troupe of high school students known as the Starlight Stars performs for guests before our shows and at community events. We raise the curtain this week on a Starlight Senior who polished her singing, dancing and leadership skills as a Starlight Star for three straight summers. DANIELLE WOODS Senior, Olathe … Continued
A Message From Rich Baker, Starlight's President & CEO Dear Starlight friends and family, While I am confident that the Starlight experience we love will endure and nights under the stars will return, I have unfortunate news to share regarding the remaining touring shows in our 2020 AdventHealth Broadway Series. The producers of both Escape to Margaritaville and My … Continued
Our second Starlight Senior from the Vincent Legacy Scholarship program won her performing arts training scholarship as a seventh-grader at Arrowhead Middle School in Kansas City, Kan., in 2015. Worth noting is that she was awarded a split scholarship that she shared with her one-year-younger sister. T’KHARA JONES Senior, Sumner Academy of Arts and Science … Continued
A Message From Starlight's President & CEO, Rich Baker Dear friends, First, thank you so much for your support of Starlight. Much has changed in the entertainment industry in the past eight weeks, but I feel lucky to be surrounded by people like you who are just as dedicated as I am to making sure our historic venue … Continued
On this week’s episode, the Drama League holds the Gratitude Awards, a variety of new Broadway cast recordings have been released, and Playbill searches for a star. The Drama League's Gratitude Awards Stream April 30
Although the coronavirus pandemic cut the spring semester short for many high school students, it did not negate the months of hard work spent preparing for and staging their high school musical theatre performances last fall and winter. Starlight will publicly recognize many outstanding Kansas City area students and schools when its community engagement team … Continued
This week’s featured Starlight Senior will soon graduate virtually from the UMKC Bloch School of Business. He excelled as a member of Starlight’s 2019 class of Bob Rohlf Interns, and now he is set to return this summer as a Starlight Operations intern. JACOB BORESOW Senior, University of Missouri-Kansas City 2019 Starlight Bob Rohlf Intern, … Continued
The bright side of working from home? You can blast all of the show tunes you want! Check out Starlight’s Spotify page for a variety of Broadway-themed playlists, including our newest addition, “Broadway Songs to Make You Smile.” With tunes from contemporary Tony-Award winning hits like Something Rotten! and Newsies, plus classics from The Sound of Music, The King and … Continued
With an abundance of streaming content available, it can be overwhelming to choose what you want to click “play” on next. Last month, we brought you our favorite family-friendly musicals available online. This month, we’re switching gears to deliver you our favorite musical- and Broadway-inspired podcasts—just in case you’re tired of sitting on the couch. Tune in … Continued
In April, Big Brothers Big Sisters Kansas City notified M’racle Morgan-Bryant that she earned the new Voice of Potential (VP) position with BBBSKC. A sophomore at Summit Christian Academy, M’racle has been a dedicated member of the Starlight Stars since 2016 in addition to performing in Starlight galas and community holiday performances. Created in 2018, … Continued
In this week’s installment of Starlight Seniors, we shine the spotlight on a second member of our Blue Star Awards Student Council. Recently sporting purple hair for her lead role in Disney’s Descendants, this senior shines in the theatre department of Leavenworth High School. HALEY BELL Senior, Leavenworth High School Member, Starlight Blue Star Awards Student … Continued
In April, a properly social-distanced team of just three Starlight staff members lit the iconic towers in Swope Park blue to honor essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, joining landmarks across Kansas City in the campaign to thank those in our community who are working on the front lines. The Light It Blue movement, which … Continued
On this week’s episode, Broadway professionals unite to help in the coronavirus pandemic, a new streaming series benefits The Actors Fund, and Kristen Chenoweth goes wild for ‘Tiger King.’ Javier Munoz Leads Broadway Relief Project to Help With the Government's Need For Surgical Gowns
Three members of Starlight's Vincent Legacy Scholarship family will graduate from high school in May. Since receiving their $2,500 scholarships in middle school, these young people have excelled not only in their training in the performing arts but in academic, leadership and other pursuits. We can't wait to see how they'll impact the world in … Continued
Each summer Starlight gets a boost of youthful energy and creative thinking when our newest class of Bob Rohlf Interns arrives. Some of our awesome summer 2019 interns aren’t concluding their college careers quite as they expected, but they’re making the best of a tough situation. We proudly give them a virtual round of applause, … Continued
On this week’s episode, Rosie O’Donnell hosts a live event to benefit The Actors Fund, London’s National Theatre goes streaming, and Music Theatre International releases brand-new “free reads.” Rosie O’Donnell’s Fundraiser Livestream Proves Even Broadway Legends Get Cabin Feverrs In March, the 25-time Emmy Award winning talk show starring Rosie O’Donnell returned for one night … Continued
In an effort to keep everyone safe in light of circumstances surrounding COVID-19, Starlight staff and leadership have made the decision to postpone Starlight’s Blue Star Awards Ceremony to Friday, July 31, 2020. Starlight recognizes the need, now more than ever, to celebrate the hard work and dedication that so many metro high school theatre students put into … Continued
It isn’t the end that students across Kansas City and around the nation envisioned for their senior years, but they are a resilient, optimistic and forward-looking group. That’s why we are proud to give a virtual standing ovation to some very special Starlight seniors. We start with a senior who has honed her talents on … Continued
At Starlight, there are many incredibly talented graduates of the class of 2020 who have been involved in numerous Starlight programs throughout their middle school, high school and college years. Whether it’s through Starlight’s Blue Star Awards, Starlight Stars, Vincent Legacy Scholarship or Bob Rohlf Internship programs, these students are some of the most driven … Continued
Bored at home? While we may not be able to visit our local haunts right now, we look forward to a time in which we can gather again at our favorite Kansas City places, spaces and landmarks. We hope you consider Starlight one of your favorites, and we’d love your support in nominating Starlight for … Continued