5 minute read
Setting the Stage
Musical theater group offers training for acting students and performances for the public.
article by Beth Kornegay
photos by Kevin Anderson
In 1991, when Cary Danielson Pandzik moved to Overland Park, she founded Music Theatre for Young People of Kansas City. She had founded a similar group, Music Theatre for Young People, in 1984 in Wichita; that organization is now part of Music Theatre Wichita. The local entity was rebranded as Music Theatre Kansas City in 2014 and has been providing musical theater in the Kansas City area for more than 30 years.
Now located in Shawnee, MTKC’s mission is to celebrate the collaborative art form of musical theater through preparatory training and professional performances. The group emphasizes the importance of live music in an inclusive environment honoring both individuality and community.
Shawnee’s B&B Theatre, at 16301 Midland Drive, converted one of its movie auditoriums into a live-theater space six years ago to accommodate MTKC performances. Auditorium No. 7, now called B&B Live, provides the space for MTKC productions and is located just to the right of the concession stand in the main lobby.
Students and Professionals
MTKC is divided into two parts: One part focuses on student performances and the other, known as MTKC Pro, consists of adult professional performers. Student shows run one or two weekends while professional shows run over the course of two or three weekends.
Artistic director Julie Danielson says the organization performs an array of shows each year that features performers of all ages, including the four professional shows and six student productions that were part of the 2023–2024 season.
“Musical theater spans over a century of writers, so we have big decisions to make each year when we plan our season. One of the primary features of our productions is our signature onstage orchestra. We always feature live local musicians, including both professionals and students,” Danielson says.
The Julie Tree Fund was started in 2009 to help ensure the tradition of live orchestra music continues. Named in honor of Danielson, the fund’s latest production was Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, which featured an all-female onstage orchestra.
A special production of Soundstage: The Hollywood Musical Project is scheduled for June 14–16. This original production was written and directed by Roy Lightner and Julie Danielson and will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the B&B Theatre chain, which began in 1924 when Elmer Bills Sr. bought a theater in Salisbury, Missouri. B&B is now the sixth-largest theater chain in North America, operating nearly 500 screens at more than 50 locations in 13 states.
Training Future Stars
MTKC offers a training program with auditions held in March. This year’s program saw more than 120 students from nearly 60 schools auditioning for the summer term. Students pay tuition, but scholarships are available and can be applied for during the application process. The tuition covers training fees, materials and activities.
The theater program also hosts a one-week summer camp, called appropriately “Waiting in the Wings.” The camp takes place in early June and will culminate this year with two performances of The Adventures of Charlie Brown. All campers take part in the performance, and auditions are held for casting assignments only. Registration is now open on the website, www.mtkc.org. An additional gala event will take place in August with cast members performing a production number from each of the season’s shows.
Many of the MTKC graduating students continue their education majoring in music or theater and pursuing acting as a career. Notable performers who started at MTKC include Bebe Wood, who recently starred as Gretchen in the new Mean Girls movie; Justin Cooley, who is currently starring on Broadway in Kimberly Akimbo and was nominated for a Tony Award; Brian Sears, who is currently performing in his eighth Broadway show, Merrily We Roll Along; and Kalen Allen, an international cultural influencer and former host of the Ellen show.
In addition, Drew Starlin was the first MTKC alumnus to perform on Broadway. He was part of the original cast of Footloose and will be returning to Kansas City to play the title role in Rocky with MTKC Pro. More than 30 alumni of the MTKC program have performed on Broadway, in television shows, and on other professional performing platforms.
“We bring people in from all over the Kansas City metropolitan area and beyond, both as performers and audience members. MTKC Pro is one of the three professional theaters on the Kansas side of the metro, and we’re proud to bring such high-quality productions to Johnson County,” Julie says.
Tickets for upcoming performances are sold at the B&B Theatre box office as well as through MTKC’s website.
For More
Kansas City social media accounts include MTKCOfficial on Facebook, Instagram, and Tik Tok.
Upcoming Performances:
• Rocky, April 12–28
• Soundstage: The Hollywood Musical Project, June 14–16
• Seussical The Musical, June 28–30 and July 5–7
• Children of Eden, July 19–21 and July 26–28
• Merrily We Roll Along, September
• Sugarplum, December
Information about Music Theatre
Kansas City can be found on the website, www.mtkc.org
