Heart of America Shakespeare Festival

What Heart of America Shakespeare Festival does

Heart of America Shakespeare Festival (HASF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit performing arts organization founded in 1991 in Kansas City, Missouri by Tony Award-winning Broadway producer Marilyn Strauss, inspired by Joseph Papp of the New York Shakespeare Festival. The organization produces an annual free outdoor Shakespeare production at Southmoreland Park (adjacent to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art), which it operates through a founding partnership with Kansas City Parks & Recreation. Since its first season in 1993 with The Tempest, HASF has built a 34-season track record and positions itself as one of only a handful of free Shakespeare festivals nationally and the only one in a three-state region. The core product is the summer festival (free general admission plus premium reserved chair and blanket seating at $25-$35), supplemented by year-round education programming including Camp Shakespeare South ($425), Shakespeare Exploration ($525), Shakespeare Conservatory, Team Shakespeare apprentice troupe (in its 19th year), and in-school workshops ($100-$200).

The business model is a hybrid nonprofit revenue structure: individual donations are the primary funding source, complemented by premium reserved seating sales, corporate sponsorships ($5,000-$25,000), education program tuition, an annual Romantic Revels fundraising gala with patron levels from $1,500 (Lovers) to $25,000 (Kings & Queens), the Good Will Society membership program ($250-$1,600 annually), and the Marilyn Strauss Legacy Fund for planned giving. Operations are governed by a Board of Directors led by Co-Presidents Gabe Egli and Chris Gramling, with day-to-day management by Executive Artistic Director Sidonie Garrett, Director of Education Matt Rapport, Operations and Community Relations Manager Hannah Fuhlhage, and Director of Marketing and Development Taylor Smith. The organization maintains partnerships with 15+ regional arts institutions including Kansas City Repertory Theatre, KC Ballet, KC Symphony, KC Chorale, Coterie Theatre, Fishtank Theatre, and the Black Repertory Theatre of Kansas City, and serves four primary segments: general public/families, youth (ages 5-18), schools/educators, and corporate partners/donors.

Name

Heart of America Shakespeare Festival

Legal name

Heart of America Shakespeare Festival

Website

https://kcshakes.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Heart of America Shakespeare Festival is a Kansas City 501(c)(3) nonprofit that produces a free annual outdoor Shakespeare production at Southmoreland Park and operates year-round youth education programs (camps, conservatory, in-school workshops) for the regional community.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts / Live Theater

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111), Fine Arts Schools (61161)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYMPAGALAG

Outdoor Amphitheater & Open-Air Venue Operations

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Live Entertainment & Events (Concerts, Theater, Festivals)/Event Venues & Venue Operations (Arenas, Theaters, Halls)

SECONDARYMPAGABAN

Theatre Education, Training & Conservatories

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Live Entertainment & Events (Concerts, Theater, Festivals)/Theater, Broadway & Performing Arts

SECONDARYEDAMALAI

Performing Arts Camps (Theater, Musical Theater, Dance)

Education/Supplemental & Enrichment Programs (Arts, STEM, Language)/Summer & Holiday Enrichment Camps (Multi-Activity, Academic)

Keywords

• Outdoor theater performances
• Shakespeare education programs
• Performing arts festivals
• Youth theater camps
• Live cultural events

Headquarters

HQ city

Kansas City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: The festival relies heavily on individual donations from patrons who attend the free festival and want to support accessible arts. Donations help fund annual expenses including costumes, sets, and lighting.
2. Premium Reserved Seating: Revenue from ticket sales for reserved up-front chair and blanket seating. Chairs are $25 Tue-Thu and $35 Fri-Sat-Sun. Blanket spaces are $25 per blanket.
3. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorships ranging from $5,000 to $25,000 with advertising opportunities and additional benefits based on giving level.
4. Education Program Tuition: Revenue from summer camps ($425-$525), Shakespeare Exploration ($525), and Team Shakespeare ($400) programs.
5. Food and Beverage Sales: Food and drink vendors at the festival generate revenue that helps keep the festival free. Patrons can purchase tickets (1 ticket = $1) or bring their own food and alcohol (21+).
6. Annual Gala (Romantic Revels): Annual fundraising gala with patron levels from $1,500 to $25,000, plus individual tickets at $300 per seat. Supports festival operations and education scholarships.
7. Marilyn Strauss Legacy Fund: Board-advised fund providing dependable revenue source for annual expenses and capital improvements. Funded through planned giving, stock donations, memorial gifts, and charitable gift vehicles.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Heart of America Shakespeare Festival produces free outdoor professional productions of Shakespeare plays each summer in Southmoreland Park, Kansas City, with premium reserved seating options available for purchase. It also runs year-round youth education programs including multi-week summer camps (Camp Shakespeare, Shakespeare Unlimited, Shakespeare Exploration), the Shakespeare Conservatory, the Team Shakespeare apprentice troupe, and in-school workshops delivered in K-12 classrooms.

Product overview

The Heart of America Shakespeare Festival is a performing arts organization offering a unified portfolio centered on free outdoor Shakespeare performances and year-round educational programs. The core product is the Summer Festival (outdoor performances at Southmoreland Park with free general admission and premium reserved seating), supported by a comprehensive education division comprising Camp Shakespeare South, Shakespeare Unlimited, and Shakespeare Exploration (summer camps for ages 8-18), the Shakespeare Conservatory and Team Shakespeare (year-round intensive and apprentice troupe programs), and In-School Programs (workshops delivered in classrooms). The organization also operates fundraising vehicles including the Romantic Revels annual gala, Good Will Society membership program, and Marilyn Strauss Legacy Fund for planned giving.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Summer Festival Performances Annual outdoor professional productions of Shakespeare plays performed in Southmoreland Park, Kansas City. General admission is free with premium reserved seating available for purchase. The 2026 season features Macbeth (June 16 - July 5).
• Camp Shakespeare South

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Kansas City Repertory TheatrecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 201625 for the 25th collaboration partner for Shakespeare-inspired Playwright Slam and other joint programming. Festival has a long-standing collaborative relationship with KC Rep for various productions and readings.
• Kansas City BalletcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 201625 for the 25th collaboration partner for open rehearsal of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' ballet production.
• Kansas City SymphonycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 201625 for the 25th collaboration partner for 'Classics Uncorked: Shakespeare in Music' happy hour series.
• Black Repertory Theatre of Kansas CitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Partnership to present 'The African Company Presents Richard III' at Fishtank Theatre as part of 25 for the 25th celebrations.
• Coterie TheatrecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 201625 for the 25th collaboration partner for Comedy Master Class and co-productions of various plays.
• Johnson County Community College Performing Arts SeriescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 201625 for the 25th collaboration for script-in-hand performance of 'The Tempest' and filmed version of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'.
• Fishtank TheatrecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 201625 for the 25th collaboration partner for 'Death, by Shakespeare' and co-production of 'The African Company Presents Richard III'.
• Kansas City Arts PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMember of Kansas City Arts Partners, a sequential arts-in-education program for grades K-12 integrating community arts resources into Greater Kansas City area school districts.
• Curious Eye ProductionsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDonated filming and production services for Shakespeare Solos video project celebrating the festival's 25th anniversary.
• TeenTix KCminorGTM or Marketing PartnerParticipating partner in TeenTix KC program to engage teen audiences with reduced-price access to arts events.
• Nelson-Atkins Museum of ArtminorOthersFestival venue (Southmoreland Park) is located across the street from the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Museum parking garage available to festival patrons for $20.
• Kansas City MuseumminorStrategic or Co-development Partner25 for the 25th collaboration partner for 'Art of Love' Valentine Coffee event.
• Bach Aria SoloistsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHASF collaboration partner for music and words performances.
• Kansas City ChoralecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrammy Award-winning ensemble that HASF has collaborated with on multiple productions.
• Kansas City Parks & RecreationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding partner from city government. Southmoreland Park is provided as the festival venue through parks department partnership.
• Wornall House MuseumminorStrategic or Co-development Partner25 for the 25th collaboration partner for Ghost Tours and Candlelight Tours events.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• American Players Theatre: Professional outdoor classical theater in Spring Green, Wisconsin, producing Shakespeare and other classics in a natural amphitheater setting. Highly comparable outdoor-venue Shakespeare model with similar Midwestern audience profile.
• Commonwealth Shakespeare Company: Boston-based nonprofit presenting free Shakespeare on Boston Common each summer, with accompanying education and community programs. Closely comparable model combining free outdoor summer performances with year-round youth education.
• Kansas City Repertory Theatre: Largest professional regional theater in Kansas City and a strategic '25 for the 25th' collaboration partner. Direct peer in the same local market producing classical and contemporary works for the Kansas City community.
• Coterie Theatre: Kansas City youth/family theater and longtime HASF collaboration partner. Directly comparable in mission overlap (children's and youth theater) and local market presence, with overlapping audience and education program offerings.
• Shakespeare Festival St. Louis: Free outdoor professional Shakespeare festival in nearby Forest Park, St. Louis, running annually since 2001. Direct comparable in format (free admission, summer outdoor production) and regional Midwestern market positioning.
• Houston Shakespeare Festival: Free summer Shakespeare festival in Houston, Texas, affiliated with the University of Houston. Direct comparable as a free-admission outdoor professional Shakespeare festival producing two plays each summer.

Regional players

• Unicorn Theatre: Kansas City regional theater focused on contemporary and diverse works. Comparable as a Kansas City-based professional producing theater competing for the same donor base and audience pool, though with different artistic programming focus.

Broad incumbents

• Utah Shakespeare Festival: Long-established professional Shakespeare festival in Cedar City, Utah, operating since 1962. Comparable as a regional Shakespeare festival producing multiple plays per season, though at significantly larger scale and with paid ticket model.
• Oregon Shakespeare Festival: Largest and oldest professional Shakespeare festival in the United States, producing a multi-play repertory season in Ashland, Oregon. Much larger scale and indoor/outdoor venue mix, but directly comparable as a Shakespeare-dedicated professional theater producing multiple productions annually.
• Free Shakespeare in the Park (The Public Theater): The Public Theater's iconic free Shakespeare in Central Park, the largest and most established free outdoor Shakespeare program in the U.S. Comparable format (free outdoor summer Shakespeare) at vastly larger scale and budget.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/kcshakes
• Facebookfacebook.com/KCSHAKES
• Instagraminstagram.com/kcshakes

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Heart of America Shakespeare Festival