Kansas City Repertory Theatre

What Kansas City Repertory Theatre does

Kansas City Repertory Theatre (KCRep) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) professional regional theatre company founded in 1964 as Missouri Repertory Theatre by Dr. Patricia A. McIlrath. It is the only LORT (League of Resident Theatres) Regional theatre in Kansas City and serves as the professional theatre in residence at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC). The organization produces plays and musicals ranging from classic works to world premieres across two permanent venues: Spencer Theatre on the UMKC campus and Copaken Stage in downtown Kansas City's Power & Light District. Its 2026/27 season features five productions including Come From Away, John Proctor is the Villain, the annual A Christmas Carol tradition, Fannie: The Music and Life of Fannie Lou Hamer, and The Play That Goes Wrong.

The company's core offering is mainstage theatrical productions, supplemented by community and new-works programming including KCRep for All (community touring), OriginKC: New Works Program (world premieres and works in development), education programs, and the Ghost Light and Gala events. KCRep operates a sales-led and event-driven go-to-market motion targeting general theatre audiences across the Kansas City metropolitan area, with distribution through an online ticketing platform (ticketing.kcrep.org), phone and in-person box offices, group sales, and annual season ticket subscription packages that offer 20%+ savings with zero fees.

Revenue is generated through a hybrid model combining earned income (single tickets, season subscriptions, group sales, gift vouchers) and contributed income (individual donations, corporate sponsorships, charitable gift planning, grants, and an annual Gala). Major institutional underwriters include the Hall Family Foundation, Hallmark, Muriel McBrien Kauffman Family Foundation, The McDonnell Foundation, NEA/MAC, The Shubert Foundation, and UMKC. The organization employs 51-100 people spanning artistic, production, administration, development, marketing, front of house, and ticketing departments, and holds a Gold Transparency 2023 rating from Candid. Specific revenue figures are not publicly disclosed.

Name

Kansas City Repertory Theatre

Legal name

Kansas City Repertory Theatre

Website

https://kcrep.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1964

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

KCRep is a nonprofit regional theatre in Kansas City, the city's only LORT theatre, producing plays and musicals at two venues plus community and new-works programming, funded through ticket sales, subscriptions, donations, and corporate sponsorships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Theatre & Performing Arts

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (71111), Performing Arts Companies (7111)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Regional & Repertory Theatre Companies (MPAGABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Musical Theatre (Non-Broadway/Fringe) (MPAGABAG), Concert Halls & Music Venue Operations (Symphony Halls, Recital Venues) (MPAGALAC)

Keywords

• Live theatrical productions
• Regional theatre performances
• Season ticket subscriptions
• Arts education programs
• Community theatre programming

Headquarters

HQ city

Kansas City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Primary revenue stream from single tickets, season ticket packages (offering 20%+ savings with zero fees), group sales, and gift vouchers for theatrical productions at Spencer Theatre and Copaken Stage
2. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Individual donations, corporate sponsorships, and charitable gift planning. Major underwriters include Mark Edelman Theater Fund, Hall Family Foundation, Hallmark, Muriel McBrien Kauffman Family Foundation, The McDonnell Foundation, NEA/MAC, The Shubert Foundation, and UMKC
3. Corporate Sponsorships: Corporate giving and sponsorship programs targeting local and regional businesses, with various sponsorship tiers and benefits available

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Kansas City Repertory Theatre is a nonprofit professional regional theatre that produces and presents live theatrical productions at two permanent venues—Spencer Theatre on the UMKC campus and Copaken Stage in the Power & Light District. Its core offerings include mainstage plays and musicals (classic works, Broadway titles, and world premieres via the OriginKC New Works Program), season ticket subscription packages, group sales, gift vouchers, community touring through KCRep for All, student and education programs, and special fundraising events such as the annual Gala and Ghost Light series.

Product overview

Kansas City Repertory Theatre is a professional regional theatre company operating as the only LORT (League of Resident Theatres) Regional theatre in Kansas City. The organization presents productions at two main venues: Spencer Theatre (at UMKC Campus) and Copaken Stage (in the Power & Light District). Their core product is mainstage theatrical productions, including plays and musicals ranging from classic works (such as the annual A Christmas Carol adaptation) to world premieres through their OriginKC: New Works Program. The company offers subscription packages (Season Ticket Packages with 20%+ savings), group sales, mobile ticketing, and gift vouchers as primary revenue products. Community engagement is served through KCRep for All (community touring), education programs, and the Ghost Light special event series. Revenue is also generated through individual donations, corporate sponsorships, charitable gift planning, and an annual Gala.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• OriginKC: OriginKC is KCRep's new works program used to designate new works, world premieres, and works in-development, along with associated programs. When typed out, the sub-brand is stylized as OriginKC (no spaces) and when referring to a world premiere production, OriginKC: World Premiere.
• KCRep for All
• KCRep Gala

Products and services

• Mainstage Theatre Productions
• Season Ticket Packages
• Group Sales
• Gift Vouchers
• KCRep for All
• OriginKC: New Works Program
• Students & Education Programs
• Conversation Series
• Behind-the-Scenes Tours
• KCRep Gala
• Ghost Light
• Corporate Sponsorship
• Individual Support / Donations
• Charitable Gift Planning

Quantifiable outcome

• Lauded by The Wall Street Journal, TIME, Variety, and The Toronto Sun

Named customers3 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

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKCRep is the professional theatre in residence at UMKC. The partnership provides venue access to Spencer Theatre on the UMKC campus and fosters collaboration with UMKC's Department of Theatre, including co-productions such as Of Mice and Men.
• Arena Stage and Baltimore Center StageminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-presentation of Indecent with Arena Stage and Baltimore Center Stage in 2019, demonstrating collaborative producing relationships with regional theatre partners.
• Milwaukee Repertory TheaterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production partnership with Milwaukee Repertory Theater for Nina Simone: Four Women in 2024, marking collaborations with peer regional theatres.
• National WWI Museum and MemorialminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to present Mary's Wedding outdoors at the National WWI Museum and Memorial in 2021, utilizing unique community spaces for productions.
• Nelson-Atkins Museum of ArtminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue partnership for Ghost Light annual event series, hosting outdoor performances on the museum's south lawn.
• Kansas City PBSminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDigital partnership to produce and stream A Christmas Carol 2020 virtually during COVID-19, demonstrating adaptability and media partnerships.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Milwaukee Repertory Theater: Milwaukee Repertory Theater is an LORT Regional theatre operating three performance venues in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is a directly comparable peer that has co-produced with KCRep (Nina Simone: Four Women, 2024), operates a similar subscription/group-sales model, and shares an equivalent mid-size U.S. metro footprint.
• Arena Stage: Arena Stage is a Washington, D.C.-based LORT Regional theatre that co-presented Indecent with KCRep in 2019. It is a directly comparable peer with a multi-venue model, new works development, and similar subscription and donor-driven nonprofit structure.
• Baltimore Center Stage: Baltimore Center Stage is a Maryland-based LORT Regional theatre that co-presented Indecent with KCRep in 2019. It operates a comparable nonprofit, multi-production, subscription-ticketing model serving a single mid-Atlantic metro market.
• Indiana Repertory Theatre: Indiana Repertory Theatre is a mid-size LORT Regional theatre in Indianapolis with a similar subscription, school matinee, and new works model. It is directly comparable in scale, programming scope, and Midwest metro footprint.
• Cleveland Play House: Cleveland Play House is the oldest continuously operating regional theatre in the United States and an LORT member, serving Cleveland with a comparable subscription and education-focused nonprofit model.
• Repertory Theatre of St. Louis: Rep Stage St. Louis is an LORT Regional theatre in St. Louis operating under the same League of Resident Theatres framework as KCRep, with comparable season-ticket and community engagement programming serving a neighboring Missouri metro.

Broad incumbents

• Steppenwolf Theatre Company: Steppenwolf is a larger, established LORT theatre in Chicago with a nationally recognized ensemble model and new works development. It serves a similar function as a regional producing house but at significantly greater scale and brand reach than KCRep.
• Goodman Theatre: Goodman Theatre is a long-established Chicago LORT theatre with a broad subscription and education programming footprint. It is a comparable peer in regional producing, new works, and nonprofit ticketed theatre, but at larger scale and longer tenure.

Others

• National WWI Museum and Memorial: National WWI Museum and Memorial is a Kansas City cultural institution that partnered with KCRep to present Mary's Wedding outdoors in 2021. It is an adjacent venue partner that supplies outdoor production space rather than a producing peer.
• Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art: Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art hosts KCRep's Ghost Light annual outdoor event series on its south lawn. It is a venue and programming partner rather than a producing peer, but a relevant ecosystem participant for KCRep's community engagement strategy.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/kcrep
• Facebookfacebook.com/KCREP
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kansas-city-repertory-theatre

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 Kansas City Repertory Theatre