Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts: Muriel Kauffman Theatre

Abstract

Private philanthropy and the vision of Muriel McBrien Kauffman were the driving forces behind Kansas City’s Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. In 1994, Kauffman began the exploratory process of the construction of the Center, which achieved a major milestone with the selection of Moshe Safdie as the design architect in 2000. The city, having learned from the experiences of many cities building the so-called Grand Theaters, or multi-purpose halls intended to accommodate both opera and symphonic performances, decided to build a performing arts complex with separate halls for symphony orchestra and dramatic performances such as opera and ballet. The resulting 26,500 m² (285,000 ft²) facility, with a cost of $413 million, was financed almost entirely with private donations. The 1,800-seat Muriel Kauffman Theatre for ballet, opera, and similar theatrical performances, and the 1,600-seat Helzberg Hall for symphonic orchestra performances are linked by the Brandemeyer Great Hall, a glass walled and roofed atrium with sweeping views over the city to the south.