PLATINUM2023

Starlight Theatre Association of Kansas City, Inc.

Kansas City, MO   |  www.kcstarlight.com

Mission

Connect our community through live arts experiences that entertain, inspire, and engage.

Ruling year info

1951

President and CEO

Lindsey Rood-Clifford

Main address

4600 Starlight Road

Kansas City, MO 64132 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

44-0552079

NTEE code info

Theater (A65)

Educational Services and Schools - Other (B90)

Music (A68)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

Sign in or create an account to view Form(s) 990 for 2023, 2022 and 2021.
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Communication

Blog

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Advance our organizational model to support sustainable growth.

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Live Performing Art Events - Broadway Musical Theatre & Popular Music and Comedy Concerts

Starlight's annual summer series features national Broadway tours, locally-produced musical theatre and a wide variety of concert events. The original Starlight stage was constructed in 1950 as part of Kansas City, Missouri’s centennial celebration, making Starlight the oldest and largest outdoor performing arts venue in the metropolitan area. In addition, it is one of only two remaining outdoor theatre venues of its kind in the United States. Contributions help to close the gap between earned revenue and expenses. Although production costs continue to escalate, Starlight remains committed to keeping its ticket prices affordable. Each year, Starlight presents anywhere from 5-9 Broadway shows appealing to a diverse group of audience members. Shows often include a mixture of classics and contemporary titles. Starlight regularly has more than 20 live concert events each summer, artists range from classic rock to pop music to comedy.

Population(s) Served
Adults
Families

For more than 70 years, Starlight's Community Ticket Program has offered free tickets to thousands of community members every season. This is an important component of how Starlight delivers on its mission to provide accessible live entertainment for all audiences. This program, which provides over 13,000 free tickets each year, is available to 501(c)(3) charitable organizations operating in the bi-state area. Through partnerships with Kansas City nonprofits, Starlight shares the magic of theatre with community youth, individuals with disabilities, and low-income senior citizens.

Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people
People with disabilities

Starlight Theatre's year-round community engagement programs include: the Bob Rohlf Summer Internship Program, which provides paid internship opportunities for college students; the Vincent Legacy Scholarship, which provides funding for performance training for BIPOC students in the Kansas City metro; Starlight Stars of Tomorrow and Starlight Stars, training programs for middle and high school students that help them develop performing skills; Just Imagine, an interactive theatre experience for children in hospitals, shelters or child service organizations; Raise Our Voices, a virtual performance series that amplifies social awareness and provides opportunities for performers from diverse backgrounds to share their perspective; and the Blue Star Awards, recognizing and promoting achievement in high school musical theatre programs in Kansas City.

Population(s) Served
Adolescents
Families

Where we work

Awards

Favorite Live Music Venue 2018

VisitKC

Favorite Live Show 2018

KC Parent

Best Outdoor Venue 2018

The Pitch

Best Live Music venue (over 1,00) 2019

The Pitch

Best Live Theatre 2019

The Pitch

Best Outdoor Venue 2019

The Pitch

Community Anchor 2019

Southtown Council

Best Charitable Event (Bronze) 2019

Ingram's Magazine

Best Outdoor Music Venue 2020

Kansas City Magazine

Best Live Theatre Venue 2020

Kansas City Magazine

Best Outdoor Venue 2020

The Pitch

Best Live Theatre 2020

The Pitch

Best Live Music Venue (over 1,000) 2020

The Pitch

Traveler's Choice 2020

Trip Advisor

Best Live Theatre Venue 2021

Kansas City Magazine

Best Outdoor Music Venue 2021

Kansas City Magazine

Best Local Theatre Company 2021

Kansas City Magazine

Best Live Theatre Production 2021

Kansas City Magazine

Best Live Theater 2022

The Pitch

Best Live Music Venue 2022

The Pitch

Affiliations & memberships

Independent Presenters Network - Voting Member 2007

Actor's Equity Association 2009

Broadway League 2000

Our results

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.

Total number of free admissions

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Economically disadvantaged people

Related Program

Community Ticket Program

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Holding steady

Context Notes

All 2020 in-person shows were cancelled due to the COVID-19 Global Pandemic but two virtual events were offered free to the public and resulted in increased reach from usual attendance.

Total number of performances

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Adults

Related Program

Live Performing Art Events - Broadway Musical Theatre & Popular Music and Comedy Concerts

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

Starlight's summer Broadway season and concerts were cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 Global Pandemic, however, Starlight did produce and present virtual content and three Off-Broadway shows.

Total number of audience members

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Adults

Related Program

Live Performing Art Events - Broadway Musical Theatre & Popular Music and Comedy Concerts

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

2020 numbers represent shows presented as part of Starlight's Indoors Series between January and early March. Virtual event attendance would increase this number by nearly 20,000.

Total number of off-site performances held

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

At-risk youth

Related Program

Community Engagement Programs

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

In 2022, we had 35 performance and workshops through Just Imagine, and 8 Starlight Stars performances. The 10 noted performances for 2020 were all hosted prior to the onset of the global pandemic.

Total dollar amount of scholarship awarded

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Adolescents

Related Program

Community Engagement Programs

Type of Metric

Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

In 2020, the pandemic impacted a signature scholarships program as it prevented the typical cycle of auditions and applications.

Number of competition entrants

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Adolescents

Related Program

Community Engagement Programs

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Number of entities served by expertise

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Population(s) Served

Families

Related Program

Community Engagement Programs

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Context Notes

The 2020 increase includes online/virtual reach through virtual programming alternatives and a new performance web series focused on elevating artists of color.

Our Sustainable Development Goals

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

- Financial Health - Evolve the current financial model to create sustainability, transparency, and accountability.
- People + Culture - Invest in our people and organization culture to be an Employer of Choice
- Operations Excellence - Optimize every aspect of operations to deliver an excellent guest experience.
- Programming - Develop a mission-aligned, profitable programming plan developing generations of patrons.
- Community Engagement - Cultivate community through innovative partnerships and impactful arts and education programs.
- Brand Marketing - Expand brand activation by engaging with new audiences and elevating the organization's story.

- Financial Health - Expand fundraising, Finish the Capital Campaign, Increase Contribution Margin, Expand Donor Demo Data, and Create a Sustainability Plan
- People + Culture - Analyze Organizational Design, First Comprehensive Compensation Analysis, Formalize Performance Management Plan, Formalize Professional Development Plans
- Operations Excellence - Improve Guest Experience, Focus on Accessibility, Create Maintenance Roadmap, Evaluate Tech Solutions for Efficiency, Ensure Growth Capacity
- Programming - Create Venue Utilization Success Plan, Formalize Criterial/Eval, Revise Programming Calendar/Balance, Create Innovation Pipeline
- Community Engagement - Formalize Program Design + Evaluation + Maturation, Enhance Community Building + Civic Engagement, Implement Capital Campaign Initiatives
- Brand Marketing - Enhance Outbound Sales, Focus on Audience Development, Audit Website + Advertising, Grow Merch + Promotions Opportunities

Starlight has several key human assets: 1) An incredible, tenured professional staff: from finance to fundraising to production staff, Starlight's full-time employees represent a wealth of talent, and, perhaps most importantly, a tremendous amount of tenure.  Ten full time employees of 42 began their careers as interns in the summer internship program and have continued on, one for two decades.  Senior staff has seen little turnover in twenty years, resulting in rich historical knowledge and deep organizational devotion. 2) A robust, high-impact Board of Directors: with 30-35 active elected members and many engaged past Board chairs as lifetime members, Starlight's Board of Directors is populated with some of the best and most tenacious corporate and civic leaders.  Many of them are longtime Starlight subscribers, most are Starlight donors, and all are dedicated to continual improvement and progress. 3) An unparalleled army of volunteers: while some organizations may boast higher numbers of volunteers, few can boast more dedicated volunteers than the approximately 200 "Ambassadors" that serve as a critical extension to the full-time employee team.  Ambassadors not only usher, they give tours and are versed in Starlight history, they help with special events, and they show up whenever they are needed with few questions asked besides "when and where?" 4) A deepening relationship with the City: as a city-owned venue, Starlight's relationship with the City of Kansas City, Missouri is rich and storied.  While those that have populated both entities have changed over the years, the strength of the relationship has rarely faltered, particularly between the Department of Parks and Recreation and Starlight, who work closely together in the shared Swope Park space.   5) Starlight fills a unique space in the arts and civic community; it is one of just two theatres like it left in the country: an outdoor theatre that self-produces musical theatre, presents Broadways tours, and promotes live concerts in addition to its signature education and outreach programs which uniquely create arts access, arts education opportunities, and foster arts advocates and patrons.

As a performing arts organization that opened its gates in 1951, and one of only 2 outdoor amphitheatres of its kind in the nation, Starlight has a storied history within the Kansas City community as a presenter, producer and promoter of Broadway musical theatre and world-class concerts. The stories from long-time attendees that have, in some cases, grown up with Starlight as an annual tradition, make a strong foundation of support and love for the civic asset that Starlight is.

What lies ahead is a refining of the intentions and strategies by which Starlight will continue to create unforgettable performing arts experiences in an environment no one in the area can equal. Further, there is increased interest and stakeholder investment in focusing and fortifying our education and outreach efforts to make a bigger and/or more meaningful impact on the community, particularly those who might not otherwise be able to experience the magic of a Starlight night.

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We demonstrated a willingness to learn more by reviewing resources about feedback practice.
done We shared information about our current feedback practices.
  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

    To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

    We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, The people we serve tell us they find data collection burdensome

Financials

Starlight Theatre Association of Kansas City, Inc.
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

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lock

Connect with nonprofit leaders

Subscribe

Build relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.

  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.

Starlight Theatre Association of Kansas City, Inc.

Board of directors
as of 06/21/2023
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Mr Howard Cohen

Retired

Term: 2023 - 2025

Anita Gorman

Community Volunteer

Mark Fortino

Country Club Bank

Becky Blades

Startistry Publishing

Lesley Elwell

Evergy

Ed Enyeart

Bardavon Health Innovations

Jenny Housley

Blue Cross Blue Shield KC

Terry O'Toole

Kansas City Transportation Group

Howard Cohen

Retired

Sabrina Wiewel

Hallmark Cards, Inc.

Dean Newton

Delta Dental of Kansas

Wendy Burgess

RDD Family Office

Mandi Wright

Starlight

Aviva Ajmera

SoLVE KC

Jeff Carson

Enterprise Bank & Trust

Michael Condon

IMA Financial Group

Nikki Emison

North Kansas City Hospital/Emison Life Care Planning

Amy Guerich

Stepp & Rothwell

Robert Hingula

Polsinelli

Michael Knecht

AdventHealth

Michael Lanning

US Asset Services

Christopher Stine

JP Morgan Chase & Co

Angelo Trozzolo

Trozzolo Communications

Mark Van Dyne

Burns & McDonnell

Vanessa Vaughn West

Lathrop GPM

Robert K. Wolf

KPMG

Michael Collins

Grayson Capital, LLC

Jill Farrell

American Century Investments

Richard Heise

Commerce Bank

Heather Jones

Seigfreid Bingham, P.C.

Kevin Kelly

U.S. Federal Properties, Co., LLC

Troy Nash

Newmark Zimmer

Joni Cobb

Creative Planning

Toby Cook

The University of Kansas Health System

Mark Coulter

Rouse Frets White Goss Gentile Rhodes, P.C.

Tondee Lutterman

FORVIS

Ramsey Mohsen

Everhance

Tempe Ostergren Elsberry

University of Missouri - Kansas City

Emily Tilgner

McCownGordon Construction

Carey Wilkins

Evolytics, A Concord Company

Lindsey Rood-Clifford

Starlight

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • Board orientation and education
    Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes
  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes
  • Ethics and transparency
    Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes
  • Board composition
    Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
  • Board performance
    Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 6/15/2023

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.

Leadership

The organization's leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Female, Not transgender
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or Straight
Disability status
Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

Transgender Identity

Sexual orientation

Disability

Equity strategies

Last updated: 07/20/2021

GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more

Data
  • We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
  • We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
  • We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
Policies and processes
  • We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
  • We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
  • We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.