Starlight Theatre Association of Kansas City

The momentum for performing arts education, training and community access is strong at Starlight. In keeping with its nonprofit mission and in response to growing community interest, Starlight continues to refine and enhance its portfolio of community engagement programs. As expenses significantly exceed revenues for these offerings, many of which are offered at little or no cost to participants, Starlight funds this important initiative with operating funds and private donations. The Theatre's community engagement programs in 2022-2023 reached more than 30,581 individuals. Community engagement programming includes:-paid college internships in multiple Theatre production and arts administration roles through the bob rohlf internship program -starlight's blue star awards one of the largest high school musical Theatre awards program in the country. During the 2022-23 school year, 54 Kansas City area schools participated in the program, involving more than 3,700 high school students -rising star scholarships for blue star awards' participating high school seniors and vincent legacy scholarships for Kansas City middle-school students-the Starlight stars and Starlight stars of tomorrow musical Theatre training and performance troupes for 6th through 12th-grade students-just imagine, an interactive theatrical performance program for children receiving services from hospitals, domestic shelters and child service organizations-free community tickets provided to more than 125 Kansas City area nonprofit organizations that serve underprivileged and at-risk youth, the medically dependent or disabled, and low-income senior citizensrecent highlights of Starlight's community engagement programs included the celebration of the 21st anniversary of Starlight's blue star awards, field trip experiences provided at no cost for middle school students from Kansas City public schools and Kansas City, Kansas public schools, and the addition of five new scholars to the vincent legacy scholarship program expanding the total to 54 recipients and more than $125,000 in scholarships funded since the program's inception in 2006.

Coordinated by its events division, Starlight makes space available for community use. Furthering its outreach to the greater Kansas City community, Starlight accommodates on-site rentals of the venue when not staging its own theatrical or fundraising events. Outside event rentals, mostly to fellow nonprofits, allow Starlight to be utilized at times when the facility would otherwise sit empty. Starlight does not actively market or otherwise solicit rental business, and Starlight events broadway, concert, community engagement, and philanthropic always take priority on the annual booking calendar.