Keep up with the latest from Starlight including details about Broadway shows, new programs, history, and more.
UPDATE: Ellen DeGeneres said she wanted to bring Kalen Allen onto her show – and she made it happen! Just before finals week in mid-December, Kalen flew to Los Angeles to tape a hilarious segment with Ellen herself. Kalen made his network television debut on “Ellen” on Jan. 2. Kalen Allen’s talents and personality caught the attention … Continued
The deadline for Starlight Theatre subscribers to renew their season ticket packages for another musical season under the stars is fast approaching. Friday, Dec. 15 is the deadline to renew your same great seats (or request a seat upgrade) for Starlight’s 2018 Broadway season. Now is also the ideal time for Kansas City theatre fans to join … Continued
‘Tis the season to find the perfect gift for all those ‘special someones’ on your list. Rather than buying a tie that’s the wrong color, a sweater that doesn’t fit or the newest techie gadget that they’ll never figure out, we suggest giving the gift of live entertainment! Starlight Theatre offers several gift options to … Continued
Four 35-foot steel poles are standing. Twenty 10-foot fan blades are attached. Electrical wiring is ready. And, lighting components are en route to Starlight Theatre this month. If Mother Nature cooperates and contractors are able to finish their work, Starlight Theatre’s four new state-of-the-art mega fans could be spinning (in a testing phase) before the … Continued
Starlight Theatre is proud to welcome Shawnee Mission Health, the only five-star-rated hospital in Kansas City, is the new series sponsor of the theatre’s summer Broadway season. The 2018 Shawnee Mission Health Broadway Series, which will feature seven hit Broadway musicals and a magic spectacular direct from Broadway, kicks off next May and continues through … Continued
Guests who visit Starlight Theatre frequently comment on the exemplary customer service they receive while here. A big part of that outstanding service is delivered by many passionate, hard-working Starlight Ambassadors (volunteers) who interact with the public and assist behind the scenes. To applaud our volunteers’ efforts, Starlight leaders and staff hosted the annual Ambassador … Continued
2017 has been another busy year at Starlight Theatre, and generous Kansas City residents and organizations have helped our theatre set the stage for continued growth. Starlight raised the bar by offering a record number of Broadway performances and a diverse music lineup, entertaining nearly 300,000 audience members in 2017. With five indoor shows, nine … Continued
The annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is known for enthralling spectators and TV viewers with giant character balloons, dazzling floats, the nation’s best marching bands and performance groups, celebrities and the official arrival of Santa Claus. A signature of each parade is performances from Broadway musical casts who give viewers a taste of the magic … Continued
The nation’s beloved spectacle, the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, returns for the 91st year of magic on Thursday, Nov. 23. A full broadcast of the parade will air on NBC with Today Show hosts Matt Lauer, Al Roker and Savannah Guthrie. Telemundo will simulcast the parade in Spanish with hosts Carlos Ponce, Jessica Carrillo and Karim … Continued
You loved her when she peddled Tupperware at Starlight Indoors in January 2016. Now, Dixie’s back with a new show, a mechanical bull and a few life lessons to share! After a decade of wild success selling America’s favorite plastic containers to theatre audiences, Dixie Longate has added a second show and more crazy antics … Continued
Concerts under the stars at Starlight Theatre attract music fans across Kansas City and throughout the Midwest each summer. Starlight’s 2018 Capitol Federal Concert Series lineup is taking shape, and two very popular shows have already been announced. The Tenderloins aka “Impractical Jokers” of truTV Saturday, May 19 This acclaimed New York-based comedy troupe brings its … Continued
On the heels of marking a milestone 15th anniversary in 2017, Starlight Theatre’s Blue Star Awards will celebrate their “Sweet 16” during the 2017-18 school year. Since 2003, this important arts education program has annually honored the outstanding achievements and talents of thousands of high school musical theatre students in Kansas City and surrounding communities. … Continued
The 2018 Shawnee Mission Health Broadway Series at Starlight Theatre is a season not to miss! With five hit musicals plus three weekend specials, there’s a show – or several – to fit everyone’s musical tastes. The deadline for current season ticket holders to renew their same great seats for 2018 (or get priority processing of seat … Continued
Fourteen talented young performers are ready to spread holiday cheer! The newest members of the Starlight STARS of Tomorrow are rehearsing a holiday song and dance medley and will perform it for audiences across the metro during November and December. The Starlight STARS of Tomorrow features talented students in grades 6 to 8 who auditioned … Continued
Kudos to several members of the Starlight Theatre Board of Directors who have recently been honored for their personal and organizational accomplishments: Anita Gorman Starlight Board Lifetime Member Anita Gorman recently received The Honorable Cornelius Amory Pugsley Medal from the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration. Pugsley Medals are the most prestigious awards that … Continued
When the Vincent Legacy Scholarship program was established by Starlight Theatre and Greg and Rebecca Reid in 2006, two scholarships were awarded in that inaugural year. One went to Courtney Germany, who at the time was a student at Rosedale Middle School in Kansas City, Kan. Already a talented young dancer, Courtney used her scholarship … Continued
Starlight Theatre’s 2018 Broadway season will feature a wide selection of shows to satisfy the varied entertainment tastes of Kansas City audiences. Newly sponsored by Shawnee Mission Health, next summer’s core Broadway season will include five Broadway musicals with weeklong runs. And, to again give patrons the ability to customize their ticket packages, Starlight has … Continued
The third season of Starlight Indoors will get off to a fall-down-funny start in late January 2018 when Forbidden Broadway takes the stage INSIDE Starlight’s heated Cohen Community Stage House. The show runs for seven performances Jan. 30-Feb. 4. Starlight audiences can look forward to outrageous characters and costumes, riotous rewrites of the songs you know, and … Continued
Three aspiring young performers were presented Vincent Legacy Scholarships on the Starlight Theatre stage Saturday, Sept. 9 in front of audience members gathered to see Grease. Recognized as 2017 scholarship recipients were (left to right in photo above) Carwin Cooper of Kansas City, Kan., Bianka Morgan of Kansas City, Mo, and Lauren Howard of Lee’s Summit. Carwin completed … Continued
With live TV musicals being all the rage, Broadway fans can rejoice! Three more musicals and a play are in the works and will be broadcast live on NBC and FOX starting this holiday season and running through January 2019. NBC, which originated the TV musical trend when it broadcast The Sound of Music Live! starring Carrie … Continued
It’s been said that a picture paints a thousand words. If that’s true, then the artists who spent two days painting 28 portraits of Starlight Theatre in mid-September generated 28,000 words! Starlight’s landscaping was in full bloom and the weather was ideal when about 20 Kansas City area artists set up their easels and canvases … Continued
Fall is officially here, a time for exciting changes! Center Stage – Young Professionals of Starlight Theatre will celebrate the season with samplings from some of Kansas City’s finest breweries, wineries and restaurants at the group’s first-ever Harvest Happy Hour on Thursday, Oct. 26. In addition to satisfying guests’ cravings for pumpkin spice and everything … Continued
Nearly 500 guests joined Gala co-chairs Ora Reynolds and Carolyn Watley at Starlight Theatre’s 31st Annual Benefit Gala on Sept. 23. The theme of the evening, “There’s No Business Like Show Business,” was especially appropriate because the funds raised at the event – nearly $645,000 – will greatly benefit Starlight’s “business” of entertaining Kansas City … Continued
An education program that has been a fixture at Starlight Theatre for more than a decade took on a new twist in 2017. If one youth performance troupe at Starlight is good, wouldn’t two be better?! A decision was made earlier this year to split the popular Starlight STARS of Tomorrow program into two age … Continued
Daxton Bloomquist and Eric Geil aren’t the only cast members “coming home” to Kansas City to perform in Grease, but they are the only ones who left their missions to do so! When they showed up for the first day of rehearsals at Starlight Theatre on Aug. 28, these two had more in common than being … Continued
September’s cooler temps and earlier sunsets are the ideal backdrop for the two hit musicals closing out Starlight Theatre’s 2017 Broadway season – ‘50s rock ‘n’ roll romance Grease and the feisty, feel-good Kinky Boots. From Friday, Sept. 8 through Thursday, Sept. 14, Grease is the word at Starlight! Audiences will take a glimpse in the rearview mirror to join in … Continued
The beloved musical that features 1950s’ high school romance and rock ‘n’ roll will cruise across the Starlight stage like Greased Lightnin’ for six performances, opening on Friday night, Sept.8 and continuing through Sunday, Sept. 14. Rehearsals for Grease, Starlight’s only locally produced musical of the 2017 Broadway season, began Aug. 28 under the experienced tutelage … Continued
Three very fun and funny productions are waiting in the wings to warm up the winter months at Starlight Indoors. The third season of Starlight Indoors begins in late January and continues through early March. All shows are presented INSIDE Starlight’s 12,000-square-foot, climate-controlled Cohen Community Stage House, and the Applause Club is open before each … Continued
If you’re attending the Plaza Art Fair on Sept. 22-24, we invite you to stop by Starlight Theatre’s booth (#15) to learn more about our upcoming shows and education programs. You just might win a prize, too! Starlight is pleased to be part of the Experience ArtsKC section of the fair for the first time … Continued
Four shows remain in the 2017 Capitol Federal Concert Series at Starlight Theatre, so there’s still plenty of time and options to jam out under the stars. Matchbox Twenty and Counting Crows Wednesday, Sept. 27 at 6:45 p.m. Two of music’s biggest hit-makers have joined up for an epic tour. Multi-platinum-selling Matchbox Twenty comes to … Continued