photo by Jillian Shoptaw
Since opening in 2011, the Kauffman Center has welcomed more than 400,000 students and educators to school matinees. A favorite each season are the National Geographic Live matinees, which have been a staple in the Kauffman Center’s school programing. These presentations, geared toward middle school students, feature National Geographic photographers, videographers and explorers sharing visual stories about the locations and creatures that make our planet so captivating.
Here are each of the spectacular presentations that will be available to schools in 2023.
Jasper Doest: Photographer
“A Voice for Nature”
Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2023, at 10:30 a.m.
Muriel Kauffman Theatre
Dutch photographer Jasper Doest creates visual stories that explore the relationship between humankind and nature. From Bob, a rehabilitated flamingo on the island of Curaçao who now acts as an educational ambassador, to the Japanese “snow monkeys” that delight in soaking in local hot springs, Doest aims to give a voice to our world’s wildlife. His emotional, award-winning images are an urgent reminder of the beauty and fragility of our planet.
Sandesh Kadur: Photographer & Filmmaker
“Wild Cats of India”
Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023, at 10:30 a.m.
Muriel Kauffman Theatre
With landscapes spanning the towering Himalaya, arid plains and dense jungles, India is home to an unmatched diversity of wild cats. While many of the big cats are well known and thoroughly documented, photographer and filmmaker Sandesh Kadur is on a mission to highlight the country’s lesser-known felines in order to protect their future. Discover the tiny, grumpy-faced Pallas’s cat, the fishing cat that jumps into water to catch its prey, and the ancient, elusive clouded leopard. Through Kadur’s captivating images and video, you’ll get an up-close look at a world of wild cats you’ve never seen before.
Robbie Shone: Cave Explorer & Photographer
“In Deep: Adventures in Caving”
Tuesday, April 11, 2023, at 10:30 a.m.
Muriel Kauffman Theatre
For more than 20 years, renowned cave photographer Robbie Shone has traveled to remote parts of the world to illuminate and document the world’s deepest, largest and longest known cave systems. In 2018, he joined a team on a National Geographic expedition to Abkhazia, Georgia, to descend to the bottom of Veryovkina, the deepest known cave in the world. But when a sudden flood pulse hit, Shone and the team had to climb for their lives to escape the rapidly rising waters. Join him for a first-hand account of this gripping adventure and an inside look at the mesmerizing beauty of one of the world’s last known frontiers of exploration.
National Geographic Live school matinees are a favorite year after year. Visit kauffmancenter.org/schoolmatinees for more information and to reserve tickets.
OPEN DOORS TRANSPORTATION FUND ASSISTANCE
The Kauffman Center is passionate about connecting youths with high-quality performing arts experiences and further supports this mission by providing transportation assistance to schools. The Open Doors Transportation Fund helps to eliminate or defray the costs of bus transportation for schools that attend student matinees at the Center. Since 2011, more than 180,000 students have been transported to school matinees through the fund. For more information and to apply for a Transportation Fund award, visit kauffmancenter.org/transportation.
National Geographic Live school matinees in Kansas City are made possible by the Marlese and Robert Gourley Children’s Fund, the Teresa and Tom Walsh Family Foundation and the John N. and Marilyn P. McConnell Foundation.
The Open Doors Transportation Fund is supported by Evergy. PNC Bank is the Community Tickets sponsor.
National Geographic Live “A Voice for Nature” is presented in partnership with the Kansas City Zoo.
