Host Michael Mackie sits down with Stuart Carden, Artistic Director of the Kansas City Repertory Theatre, to discuss the future of one of Kansas City’s leading performing arts organizations. Carden shares an update on KCRep’s search for a new theater venue, what the organization needs in its next home and whether it plans to continue using Copaken Theater after the move. The conversation also explores Kansas City’s evolving arts landscape as KCRep, the UMKC Conservatory, and the Kansas City Symphony simultaneously pursue new venues and fundraising campaigns. The episode concludes with a preview of KCRep’s 2026–2027 season, including A Christmas Carol, featuring a new Scrooge, and Come From Away, a musical inspired by events on 9/11, coinciding with the 25th anniversary.
Michael Mackie:
Hi everyone. It’s Michael Mackie here coming to you from KC Studio. KC Studio and kcstudio.org is the only regional magazine and website entirely devoted to covering all arts all the time. I’m excited to work with KC Studio on this special podcast that will provide valuable insights into how public transit and the World Cup are shaping cultural expression and events in the heart of our city. So thanks for joining us on this month’s stop of KC Studio’s Artful Connections Along the Streetcar podcast, presented by Arvest Bank and sponsored by TIVOL. We’ll be featuring some of Kansas City’s finest cultural arts and civic organizations each month, that are along the recently extended Kansas City Streetcar route that now goes from the Riverfront to the Country Club Plaza and UMKC. Streetcar riders are now able to hop on the streetcar at any of the stops and ride to and from their favorite exhibits and events throughout the year.
So please take a ride with us.
Support for Artful Connections Along the Streetcar comes from Arvest Bank. Arvest Bank believes that financial confidence should be within reach for everyone. Whether you’re just getting started planning for your future or starting a new chapter, we’re here to help you plan and meet your goals every step of the way, because everyone deserves a financial partner who cares. Arvest Bank. We believe. For more information, visit arvest.com or visit one of our 20 locations throughout Kansas City.
Hi everyone. Today my guest is Stuart Carden, the artistic director leading Kansas City Repertory Theater, or the KCRep, into one of the most exciting chapters in its history. His bold vision, fearless season planning, and community driven initiatives are reshaping what theater can mean for Kansas City. Stuart has been the artistic director of the Kansas City Repertory Theater for almost seven years now. Stuart! Seven years! That’s a long time, young man.
Stuart Carden:
It really sneaks up on you.
Michael Mackie:
You survived the pandemic.
Stuart Carden:
It was an extraordinary time. I got here in the fall of 2019, and then…
Michael Mackie:
No pressure.
Stuart Carden:
I was just reflecting on this the other day. We opened and closed two world premieres on the same day because of the pandemic
Michael Mackie:
Oh! I did not know that nugget of information. Oh my.
Stuart Carden:
Yeah. And we wonderfully made some hard but good choices both during the pandemic when we were shut down, as well as some forward-thinking folks on our board that have positioned KCRep to come out of the pandemic in a really healthy way. So we’re both really leaning into our mission, but also especially compared to a lot of our sister theaters around the country, we’re in a healthy financial place.
Michael Mackie:
Good, good.
Stuart Carden:
Very, very happy that we’ve been able to make that rebound since the pandemic.
Michael Mackie:
Support for Artful Connections Along the Streetcar comes from TIVOL. For more than a century, TIVOL has helped Kansas City mark treasured moments and create cherished memories with fine jewelry of the highest quality. Visit us at our Country Club Plaza or Hawthorne Plaza locations or online at tivol.com. TIVOL is proud to be a sponsor of this special podcast and to celebrate our city’s vibrant arts community.
Well, I know you’re extremely busy, so thanks for being on Artful Connections. We appreciate it.
Stuart Carden:
I’m so happy to be here.
Michael Mackie:
And seven years, pat self on back. So there you go. Hey, I know there’s been a lot of curiosity as the KCRep prepares to leave UMKC’s Spencer Theater in 2029. What I want to know is, we’ve heard conversations about maybe potential locations. What can you share or not share about where things stand and what you envision for this new next chapter?
Stuart Carden:
Okay. I’m going to be very boring with the first part of my answer.
Michael Mackie:
Okay.
Stuart Carden:
And then hopefully more interesting with the second part of my answer. So right now we really can’t share much. We’re in the middle of some really dynamic, interesting conversations with neighborhoods and community partners. And we’re actively exploring a few lead opportunities. I think the timeline for us to have something significant to share is going to be about in two to three months. So that is the timeline that hopefully we’ll get to share something that is a little more tangible than my casual no comment.
Michael Mackie:
That was the best no-answer answer I’ve ever heard. That was perfect.
Stuart Carden:
Well, I will share. I will share, however, the more exciting part is that this separation from the university is going to be hugely positive for the Kansas City community and our audiences. We’ve had an extraordinary partnership with them for 62 years and a lot of changes for both organizations. UMKC’s conservatory and theater program, as well as KCRep, has really made it clear that KCRep really needs to control its own destiny, with bringing together all of our performance spaces, our rehearsal spaces, our community engagement spaces all into one singular home, that we can really be responsive to our audiences. We can be very responsive to the changing audience needs. Our programming can find new and more impactful rhythms as we program our new home. And wherever we end up, that is our priority, is to really bring together our organization. I often talk about theater being the most collaborative art form there is.
And to be in collaborative proximity with everyone in our organization and community is really important for the next 62 years of our theater’s history. So we’re trying to set up not only a KCRep that is impactful and is responsive to audiences’ needs and changing interests, but also create a space that can be future leaders, future audiences, a home that has flexibility for them to lead the organization.
Michael Mackie:
Now fess up, you were right on time today, but you came right from a location scout. Is that correct? Is that what I overheard?
Stuart Carden:
I did. Yes. Yes.
Michael Mackie:
And so you’ve just been snooping around the Metro.
Stuart Carden:
We have been so thrilled with the community response and partnership response that people have been coming to us and saying, we recognize the value of this organization. We recognize the impact that drawing in our pro forma for our new home, we imagine 60,000 patrons every year, 20,000 of which come for A Christmas Carol, but another 40,000. And so a lot of community partners have recognized that. And so they’ve reached out and most of these opportunities have come to us rather than us going to them, which is really exciting and a testament to this theater’s connection to Kansas City.
Michael Mackie:
All right. So as you transition out of the Spencer Theater, what do you see for your other performance venue, the Copaken Theater? How does that fit into your long-term plans?
Stuart Carden:
The Copaken Theater’s 20th anniversary is next February, which is wild
Michael Mackie:
That is wild.
Stuart Carden:
to think. And it has been a really critical part of our organization in terms of, especially for new work and producing new work. And it is in a continued conversation for our future home. We don’t yet know if it will be a part of that future home. It really depends on a lot of factors, including where we land in the Metro. So again, another non-answer for you, but it’s in process. It’s in the conversation and we’ve not made any determinations yet on whether we’re going to completely separate from that space, reimagine that space, or have a more campus feel connected to that space. But H&R Block, they have been incredible partners. They continue to be incredible partners. As we think about future even transition seasons for us, as we build out our new home, they’ve been really great partners saying, “Hey, if you all need to produce more here for a year where you’re transitioning into your new home, we want to be a great partner to you and make that possible.”
Michael Mackie:
Shout out H&R Block.
Stuart Carden:
They’ve been great. They really have. And they’ve proven to be really exceptional partners to us over the last 20 years.
Michael Mackie:
Now, Kansas City is kind of right in the middle of a remarkable theatrical renaissance because UMKC Conservatory, they’re building a new venue. The Symphony is also fundraising for theirs. And so what I want to know, you’re exploring a new home at KCRep. What do you see could be the impact of all these new cultural spaces being built in the near future?
Stuart Carden:
Well, what I’m really excited about is that the UMKC program, they’re going to be able to expand their music program. They’re going to be able to expand their dance program. I know that us also freeing up space for them is going to allow them to invest in the theater program. And so I’m really excited for UMKC and the Conservatory to have a moment of revitalization. So that project, I’m thrilled about. The Symphony project for me, I really deeply believe the more performance venues that we have that have separation in terms of what audiences they’re serving and what type of performance is happening, for me and our organization, the more the better. And to have that new performance venue in the Plaza district area, I think is a real great benefit to Brookside, a really great benefit to the Plaza and the West Plaza neighborhoods. So parking is going to be tricky.
Michael Mackie:
Wait, wait. And right along the streetcar line. There you go.
Stuart Carden:
And right along the streetcar too. Well, maybe that’ll make it a little bit less tricky, the parking. So for me and for us, very excited about just the extraordinary continued Kansas City renaissance. A lot of midwestern cities, they had their ’90s renaissance and maybe early 2000s, and then it had stopped. And I love being a part of a city that continues to evolve and continues to grow both its sporting offerings and experiences and its arts experiences. I know that you travel to different cities and experience art around the country, but I will say this, that this is a rare, rare city, a mid-sized city.
Michael Mackie:
Say it louder for the people in the back of the room, Stuart.
Stuart Carden:
It is exceptionally rare to have even the core art forms represented at a high professional level. To have the Ballet, to have the Opera, to have a world-class encyclopedic museum, to have contemporary art museums, to have a professional producing theater like KCRep. I’m already leaving people out as I name this, but that core does not exist in a lot of cities of similar sizes. And that’s a testament to both the culture of engaging with art, art making, and performance. And it’s also a testament to the philanthropic base here that see arts as essential to a quality life. And so those projects excite me, but I’m also just thrilled to be in a community that prioritizes the arts and backs that up, and backs that up with contribution and support. So I’m excited about this next phase for us in our new home. And I see only opportunity to grow audiences when other arts organizations activate new spaces as well.
Michael Mackie:
Support for Artful Connections Along the Streetcar comes from Arvest Bank. Arvest Bank believes that financial confidence should be within reach for everyone. Whether you’re just getting started planning for your future or starting a new chapter, we’re here to help you plan and meet your goals every step of the way, because everyone deserves a financial partner who cares. Arvest Bank. We believe. For more information, visit arvest.com or visit one of our 20 locations throughout Kansas City.
A lot of these major cultural institutions are all jockeying for position when it comes to fundraising. Well, what I want to know is, what’s your strategy to bring in some much-needed dollars?
Stuart Carden:
We have always been in a position where we’re in other people’s spaces, and that has challenged the organization’s ability to really serve its mission. And part of our strategy in a very crowded field of orgs that are looking to expand or build new facilities, is that we feel like we’ve got an important story to tell about this organization. This campaign is going to be the first home for Kansas City Repertory Theater and feel like that’s a differentiator when we talk to potential donors. So that’s one angle. And then also I think the other angle that has really been a part of my, and I think we might chat about this a little bit later, but really been a part of my mission since becoming artistic director is to create a not-for-profit theater that is very much of, for, and with this community.
I’ve been focused on that approach from the very beginning, that a lot of regional theaters around the country, especially in the ’90s and early 2000s, got on a bit of a New York highway relationship where they were bringing artists from New York, they were trying to take work to New York, and losing, from my perspective, a sense of serving the community that you live in. And so that has been my focus and personal vision and mission for the organization. And I think that work through some of those programs that is very much thinking about if not-for-profits are in the business of doing public good, what public good can a performing arts organization like KCRep do? And that’s connect as many people as we can, both through paid and ticketed experiences, but also through free programming for folks that either geographically or financially haven’t had the opportunity to engage with the performing arts and with KCRep. And we feel like that community-centered focus of the organization that has always been there, but I think is getting an injection from my leadership as well as the rest of my artistic team’s leadership, and commitment of our board to recognizing that we need to expand the ways that we’re impacting community.
That’s a conversation starter with donors. And when we can articulate how we’re going to be able to do that even more impactfully and for a broader population in a new home, that also, I think, puts us in a fundraising position that’s very positive.
Michael Mackie:
Support for Artful Connections Along the Streetcar comes from TIVOL. For more than a century, TIVOL has helped Kansas City mark treasured moments and create cherished memories with fine jewelry of the highest quality. Visit us at our Country Club Plaza or Hawthorne Plaza locations or online at tivol.com. TIVOL is proud to be a sponsor of this special podcast and to celebrate our city’s vibrant arts community.
I love when you said Kansas City Rep’s new home, your new home-home. I mean, I got goosebumps. How does that make you feel? Like you’re going to have a literal place to call your own.
Stuart Carden:
And that we can create as a civic and cultural commons. And when we can live our values across that space where we can use it, that space as a place to convene, a place to not only experience extraordinary performance, but also to create opportunities for civic and cultural dialogue, that we can program and activate in the ways that we know our community needs. That’s what I get very excited about. I get very excited about, yes, I would love a great new contemporary theater that can activate our storytelling. Yes, I would love that and elevate our artwork. But equally, if not more important, is creating a home that can be that civic and cultural commons. Being a guest in different people’s homes, we’re not able to activate in the ways that I know our community needs.
Michael Mackie:
Let’s take a minute and hype your upcoming season. What was your artistic vision when it came to curating this season’s lineup?
Stuart Carden:
Two main principles. And I want to give a shout-out to my associate artistic director, Morgana Wilborn, who is also very heavily involved in our programming process. She’s incredible, she’s a great leader, and I’m really fortunate to have her as a part of my team. And we really thought about this coming season in two major ways. One is going to be a little more about the “of, for, and with” that I was talking about earlier, which is we really wanted to curate a season that we felt local artists could really thrive in, in this upcoming season. And we’ve been working towards this. I think The Color Purple last season was a great example of this, that we knew that in Kansas City right now, there are extraordinary black female singers and actors. And so we programmed The Color Purple and really made it clear to our guest director that we wanted to focus locally.
And that production was extraordinary. And 10 out of the 13 actors in that production were Kansas City homegrown artists working at incredible level of skill talent. And so that was a big success for us as we’ve started to think about not only what stories will resonate with our community and our audience, but also how can we showcase the extraordinary talent in Kansas City? And so that was one driver in thinking about this season. This is going to be our most locally cast season in our history.
Michael Mackie:
Congratulations. Say that again. That is huge!
Stuart Carden:
And so that was one impulse that does frame your choice of what stories you’re telling. Also, a priority for this year was really thinking about, and this is true of all of our productions this year. Come From Away, which I’m directing to kick off the season, John Proctor Is the Villain, which is our second show of the season in Copaken, a new Scrooge joining us for A Christmas Carol–
Michael Mackie:
Classic.
Stuart Carden:
And then in the spring, Fannie Lou Hamer, this extraordinary play about a civil rights icon. And then closing the season with a flat-out riotous farce, The Play That Goes Wrong. We really wanted to focus on community, on opportunities for community engagement. We really wanted to focus on stories that we felt like would bring joy, would bring hope, would inspire. And so all of these productions this year, from different styles, very different points of view, all of them however, have this ability to inspire, bring joy, create a sense of hope, and great opportunities for lots of community partners throughout.
I’m thrilled about Come From Away. The 25th anniversary of 9/11 is at the very end of our rehearsal process. And the first previews will coincide with the time that the folks from Away landed in Gander, Newfoundland. And so we’re really leaning into that 25th anniversary connection and thinking about Come From Away as an act of living history that speaks to the goodness in all of us. And so even a play like that, it’s an inciting incident of the attacks of 9/11, that play is focused really on how do we care for each other as a community? How do we overcome fear and be generous when we’re fearful? And I think we could all use that inspiration right now, in a fairly socially and politically chaotic time. I’m looking for inspiration myself, and I’m looking for connection and community, myself, and I think our audiences are too. And so that is another really important thread to our season as we thought about it.
Michael Mackie:
All right. I’m putting you on the spot. Admit it. What is the biggest artistic risk that you have taken at KCRep? And more importantly, what did it teach you?
Stuart Carden:
I just directed, and I had so much fun, directing a new approach to The Wizard of Oz. This was for the whole organization, one of the most ambitious projects we have done, and definitely have done since the pandemic.
Michael Mackie:
And definitely buzzworthy.
Stuart Carden:
It was so, so remarkable, the work that our teams did on that production. I commissioned new music arrangements for these iconic songs. And that was a huge artistic risk. Most of us know that music so well, and we know it from an orchestral perspective. And our version was an actor-musician and indie folk inspired approach to the production, where all the artists that were playing the music were also performers in the play. So our Tin Man played the banjo and the flute. Our Scarecrow played a beat-up guitar. Our Wizard played a giant organ as a part of his manifestation. And it was a big artistic risk because folks from this region have such ownership of that story, and such a connection to the original film, that approaching it through this new lens did feel risky. And I learned that if you, to answer the second part of your question, what did I learn from it? I’ve learned that if you’re really intentional about taking a work that has a lot of nostalgic connection for audiences, if you’re really intentional of delivering all the things that they want and expect, but then bringing something fresh and new and surprising in ways that are really well-integrated, that those audiences are going to come along with you.
And then a whole new generation of young folks, and I talked to them all the time before and after the show, who had never experienced The Wizard of Oz, the film or a musical production, to know that ours was now their touchstone for this story. And the interpretation that they will be thinking about the next time they see The Wizard of Oz, that felt so rewarding, and it was well worth the artistic risk that the whole organization took to tell this iconic play.
Michael Mackie:
Props, props.
Stuart Carden:
Thank you.
Michael Mackie:
Now that the streetcar connects the Plaza with River Market, how do you think this expanded access, how do you think that’s going to affect attendance or influence engagement?
Stuart Carden:
It’s hugely positive. And we, just as a staff, already are on the streetcar all the time going from the UMKCs campus to the Copaken stage on Main Street. Already, we are personally utilizing and enjoying the increased access. And I do think that it just makes the idea of a zip from folks that live downtown a zip down to
Michael Mackie:
A literal zip.
Stuart Carden:
Down. It is an absolute positive. I also love that the streetcar provides an opportunity to have a day. And I know it’s Artful Connections, what you all are doing here, and it’s related to the streetcar. And so I’m singing to the choir here. But the idea that you could spend a full day having artistic experiences and hopping between organizations, whether they’re downtown, whether they’re Midtown, whether it’s in the Plaza district and UMKC’s district, I love that, just as a lover of the city and a lover of arts in the city. So we haven’t collected any data yet, but we’re excited to fold some of those questions into our surveys for this upcoming season to understand just how many folks are utilizing the streetcar to get to both Copaken Stage as well as to our UMKC performance space.
Michael Mackie:
Beyond transportation, beyond the streetcar, what do you think Kansas City, the Kansas City arts scene, really needs to thrive over, say, the next decade or so? Yes, Stuart, speak.
Stuart Carden:
I’m going to speak. We need representation at City Hall.
If you look at thriving, truly thriving artistic cities, there is active representation and advocacy at City Hall. And I think it would be a tremendous positive for the entire art scene, visual art scene, performance art scene, to have an active advocate at that level of government. And there are not-for-profits that are really working in that space for sure, but representation at City Hall that recognizes the extraordinary economic benefits of our arts organizations that can leverage the extraordinary breadth of this artistic community for tourists and travel, it is not being centered at City Hall. And I think for the arts community to really thrive, we need that type of representation and advocacy and ability to speak about not only the cultural and social positive impact in terms of quality of life and experience, but also the exceptional economic positives of this very robust arts city. So that’s my…
When I see Mayor Quenton Lucas in my neighborhood on a run in a morning, I’ll stop him and tell him, “Advocate for that.”
Michael Mackie:
Bless. Finally, are there any types of stories or experiences or formats or what do you want to explore that maybe KC audiences haven’t seen yet?
Stuart Carden:
Something that I am so passionate about, and I’ve started to build both projects around actor-musicianship. Actor-musicianship comes in many different forms. Hadestown is a great example of a long-running Broadway show that has a high degree of music forward storytelling as a part of it. Not just singing, but also music making and music playing. And this has been, for the last 15 years of my career, really central to the type of, a lot of the work that I do has actor-musicianship as a part of the storytelling. And Kansas City is a unique place that it has such great music roots that there’s a great community to draw from here. So I’m excited about building on the many different styles and forms of actor-musician storytelling on our stage, whether it’s taking a classic musical like The Wizard of Oz and bringing an actor-musician approach to it, or it’s originating new work that is written explicitly for an actor-musician form of storytelling.
So I’m really excited about that. And the other thing I’m quite excited about and will see much more of when we’re in our new home, is creating immersive experiences for audiences. I think particularly for younger audiences, they want to be inside the experience. There’s a generation of theater lovers that really want to be a little bit more on the outside and they want to witness rather than participate.
But there’s a huge hunger right now for younger audiences because of the isolation of TV and media and online gaming that when they go out for a live performance experience, they want to be inside of it. And so in our new home, when we have a space that allows for flexible seating and flexible approaches to staging, I’m excited about really introducing immersive and experiential works to the Kansas City community. Some of it’s going on around town, but as the lead producing theater in about a four-state region, KCRep should also be presenting that type of work, particularly for younger audiences.
Michael Mackie:
Really, really quick, what is at the top, the very tip-top of your wishlist for your new digs?
Stuart Carden:
The very tip-top, there’s some assumptions that are built into this, but very tip-top is that flexible studio theater space that will allow us to design the room so that when you enter into the theater, you enter into a world. And that type of experience is something that I want every audience member to be able to have in Kansas City. So I’m really excited about that component. And then the other thing that I’m very excited about, we’re leaning heavily into our education and community engagement spaces. So this new home will have dedicated community engagement and theater education spaces where we can be engaging with patrons at every stage of their life and learning interest. And so that’s the next, I think, growth space for KCRep, is into both that education and engagement space. And a new home that we control will allow us to have a huge impact in that space.
Michael Mackie:
Stuart, I know you’re busy gearing up for your new season. Good luck with your new upcoming season. And I want to say thanks for being a guest today on Artful Connections Along the Streetcar.
Stuart Carden:
This was so fun. Thank you so much.
Michael Mackie:
Thank you so much for joining us today on our monthly stop of the Artful Connections Along the Streetcar podcast, presented by Arvest Bank and sponsored by TIVOL. You can find this podcast and our future stops wherever you find your favorite podcast. As a reminder, this is Michael Mackie for KC Studio, Kansas City’s only full-time magazine, website and e-newsletter with professional journalists covering the cultural arts region. Go to kcstudio.org to check out all our upcoming arts events, our latest podcasts, and to sign up now to receive your free, yes, just like the streetcar, your free magazine six times a year in your mailbox, or to receive our weekly newsletters at kcstudio.org/subscribe. Thanks for riding with us during this month’s episode.
