kansas city performing arts

Kansas City Performing Arts Kansas City's opera and ballet companies as well as its symphony orchestra perform at the stunning Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts (1601 Broadway). Lyric Opera of Kansas City performs in the center's Muriel Kauffman Theatre; for information or tickets to its two fall and two spring presentations phone (816) 471-7344 or (877) 673-7252. The Kansas City Ballet mounts four productions a year, also in the Muriel Kauffman Theatre, including “The Nutcracker” in December; phone (816) 931-2232 for schedule information. The Kansas City Symphony presents its October through May concert season in the center's Helzberg Hall; phone (816) 471-0400 for information and tickets.

If you’re looking for things for couples to do, localand national acts in a variety of genres take the stage at the 3,000-seat Arvest Bank Theatre at The Midland (1228 Main St.). Thirsty concertgoers can grab a cold one at the Midland’s in-house bar The Indie on Main before and after shows; those in the bar before a show are allowed to enter the venue first. Phone (816) 283-9900 for general information, or (816) 283-9921 for tickets.

A tremendous reconstruction effort turned the once-dilapidated Gem Theater, 1615 E. 18th St. in the 18th & Vine Historic District, into a center for multicultural arts, entertainment and education programming. Phone (816) 474-6262 (Gem Theater) or (816) 474-8463 (American Jazz Museum, part of the district) for information about upcoming performances and exhibitions.

The University of Missouri-Kansas City's Conservatory of Music and Dance, 4949 Cherry St., draws patrons from within as well as outside the university. Concert series also are sponsored by William Jewell College's Department of Music.

The university-based equity company of the Kansas City Repertory Theater stages classic and modern productions in the on-campus Spencer Theater, 4949 Cherry St., September through June; phone (816) 235-2700. Musical comedy productions, light opera and concerts of all types are on the bill at Swope Park's Starlight Theatre, the nation's second-largest outdoor amphitheater. Top stars perform during the mid-June through September season; phone (816) 363-7827 for the box office.

From mid-June to mid-July, works by the Bard of Avon are presented in Southmoreland Park during the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival; phone (816) 531-7728. The Theatre League brings the national touring companies of Broadway musicals to the Music Hall, 301 W. 13th St.; phone (816) 513-5000.

The Folly Theater, W. 12th and Central streets, is a restored turn-of-the-20th-century burlesque house that presents a variety of entertainment, from children's theater to jazz concerts; phone (816) 842-5500. The New Theatre Restaurant, 9229 Foster St. in Overland Park, offers evening performances Tuesday through Sunday as well as Sunday matinees; phone (913) 649-7469.

Other area theaters include the Providence Medical Center Amphitheater, 633 N. 130th St. in Bonner Springs, Kan., (913) 825-3400; Comedy City at 3700 Broadway, (816) 842-2744; Coterie Theatre (on the Crown Center's first level), (816) 474-6552; the Quality Hill Playhouse at 303 W. 10th St., (816) 421-1700; Theatre for Young America at 30 W. Pershing Rd., (816) 460-2083; the Unicorn Theatre at 3828 Main St., (816) 531-7529; and the Just Off Broadway Theatre at 3051 Central in Penn Valley Park, (816) 784-5020.

The events section of the Kansas City Star has current information about the city's performing arts offerings and is a great resource when looking for fun things to do with friends.