Mark Edelman
Kansas City arts leader Mark Edelman donated $1 million to UMKC Conservatory via the Mark Edelman Theater Fund.
Established in 2025, the Mark Edelman Theater Fund supports live theater in Kansas City, the United States and Canada. “A steady stream of talented, well-educated actors is the lifeblood of our theater community,” said Edelman in the announcement.
These funds allocated to UMKC Conservatory will support 10 annual $10,000 scholarships for the next ten years, starting in academic year 2026/2027. The scholarships will be awarded to eligible students pursuing one of three degrees: Master of Fine Arts in technology and design, Master of Fine Arts in acting, or Graduate Certificate in Performing Arts Management.
“We are deeply grateful to Mark Edelman for this extraordinary investment in our theatre students and in Kansas City’s cultural future,” said UMKC Conservatory Dean Courtney Crappell.
This is not the first significant Edelman-associated contribution to UMKC. In 2020, Mark Edelman and his brothers established an endowed scholarship in honor of their mother, Doris Edelman. In 2022, a $1 million grant from Theater League, Inc. in honor of Mark Edelman established the Edelman Graduate Certificate in Performing Arts Management track as a partnership between the UMKC Conservatory and the Henry Bloch School of Management, aiming to support the next generation of performing arts administrators.
The Edelman family has been associated with UMKC since the 1940s, when WWII refugee Doris Tager attended Kansas City University, graduating with degrees in Spanish and economics in 1947. That year, she also met her future husband, Dr. William Edelman, who in turn earned a degree in psychology at the university in 1954. William and Doris had three sons, Mark, Alan and Ron, and the family’s association with UMKC spans over eight decades and three generations. The Edelman family received a UMKC Legacy Award in 2020 in honor of their contributions to the UMKC and Kansas City communities.
“Mark Edelman’s remarkable gift demonstrates the lasting connection our alumni have to UMKC and the impact they continue to make in our community,” said UMKC Chancellor Mauli Agrawal.
Mark Edelman attended the UMKC School of Law, graduating in 1975 with the intention of becoming an entertainment lawyer, but soon found himself managing a theater in Philadelphia. He founded Kansas City-based Theater League Inc. in 1977, a nonprofit organization that brings Broadway shows to Kansas City and supports professional theater in the region. Edelman is president of the organization..
“By supporting advanced training in performance, design and arts leadership, Edelman’s gift prepares the next generation of artists and arts administrators to contribute to the city’s creative economy,” wrote Hunter Miesner, who prepared the announcement for UMKC Strategic Marketing and Communications.
The Mark Edelman Theater Fund is funded with a $20 million grant from Theater League, Inc., and is administered by the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Kansas City. Initial planning anticipated grants totaling $750,000 to $1 million distributed annually, funds which will have a transformational effect in the performing arts landscape of Kansas City and the greater theater community. Mark Edelman Theater League is a generous donor to KC Studio.
