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The Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts announced that the center’s Grand Opening Weekend will culminate with a free community open house on Sunday, September 18, 2011 at the Kauffman Center, 1601 Broadway, Kansas City, MO. Doors open at 11:00 a.m. and performances will run from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Built around the Kauffman Center’s core mission of bringing the arts to the community and the community to the arts, the event is one of the cornerstones of the opening weekend festivities. The open house will feature an extraordinary and diverse lineup of Kansas City performing artists in both Muriel Kauffman Theatre and Helzberg Hall. Community members can also enjoy family-friendly activities, Kansas City’s finest food trucks, and tours of the exceptional Kauffman Center facilities.

Additionally, the downtown Kansas City arts community will celebrate alongside the Kauffman Center. Sunday, September 18 will be designated "First Friday on Sunday" in the Crossroads Arts District, allowing residents and guests to visit Kansas City's eclectic enclave of art galleries, boutique shops, one-of-a-kind restaurants, and studios. The Kansas City Power & Light District will host the 14th Street Jazz Festival from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., where people can enjoy live music all day, and catch trolleys to the Kauffman Center.

“We are thrilled to celebrate the Grand Opening of the Kauffman Center with our friends and neighbors from all over the city,” said Jane Chu, President and CEO of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. “With diverse programming and unique opportunities, the Kauffman Center is ready to make arts excellence available for community members of all ages, interests, and backgrounds. I can’t think of a better way to inaugurate the Kauffman Center than with a free community open house.”

This is an open event and registration is optional. However, community members are encouraged to visit http://www.kauffmancenter.org/2011/08/05/free-public-open-house/ to register to receive event updates including performance schedule changes and parking instructions. By registering, attendees will automatically qualify for a drawing to win two tickets to the Theater League’s production of "Million Dollar Quartet" at the Kauffman Center.

SCHEDULE OF PERFORMANCES FOR COMMUNITY OPEN HOUSE on September 18
*Performance schedules are subject to change
MURIEL KAUFFMAN THEATRE
12:05 - Kansas City Ballet Reach Out and Dance Program
12:10 - Wylliams-Henry Dance Company
12:25 - Owen Cox Dance Group
12:40 - Quality Hill Playhouse
12:55 - Kansas City Ballet Reach Out and Dance Program
1:00 - City In Motion
1:15 - Storling Dance
1:30 - El Grupo Folklorico
1:45 - Kacico Dance
2:00 - Kansas City Ballet School
2:30 - Tamara Sanders Dance Duo
2:45 - Pre-Set Backlines
3:00 - Angel Rattay
3:15 - Megan Birdsall
3:30 - Ruskin Quartet
3:45 - School Of Rock
4:00 - Ginger Frost High School Honors Artists and Lyric Opera Youth Chorus
4:15 - Nova 4/Fedra Cooper
4:30 - Out of Bounds/Val Price
4:45 - Mambo De Leon

HELZBERG HALL
12:00 - Kansas City Youth Symphony
1:00 - Kansas City Youth Jazz Band
1:20 - Jasmin Xixa Jazz Flute
1:40 - Alaturka Classical/Jazz
2:00 - Kansas City Boys/Girls Choir
2:20 - Fine Arts Chorale
2:40 - Bach Aria Soloists
3:20 - Kansas City Wind Symphony
3:40 - Heartland Men’s Chorus
4:00 - Kansas City Chamber Orchestra
4:20 - Music Art Inst. Children's Choir
4:40 - KC Symphonic Percussion Group

STAGE 1: FRONT WEST
12:00 - Rob Foster
12:40 - Ten String Symphony
1:20 - Shawnee Mission HS Drumline
2:00 - Rob Foster
2:40 - Paul Mesner Puppets
3:20 - Drew Six
4:00 - Paul Mesner Puppets
4:40 - Kansas City Mass Choir

STAGE 2: FRONT EAST
12:20 - Wild Women
1:00 - Juan Carlos Chaurand
1:40 - Wild Women
2:20 - Shawnee Mission West HS Drumline
3:00 - Shanice/Maurice Hayes
3:40 - Bridgid Driscoll
4:20 - Matthew McKinney

STAGE 3: EAST COURTYARD
12:00 - Cimino
12:40 - Rob Foster
1:20 - Ten String Symphony
2:00 - Kansas City Mass Choir
2:40 - Juan Carlos Chaurand
3:20 - Matthew McKinney
4:00 - Drew Six
4:40 - Shanice/Maurice Hayes

STAGE 4: WYANDOTTE
12:20 - Trampled Underfoot
1:00 - Trampled Underfoot
1:40 - Juan Carlos Chaurand
2:20 - Matthew McKinney
3:00 - Kansas City Mass Choir
3:40 - Shanice/Maurice Hayes
4:20 - Bridgid Driscoll

ABOUT THE KAUFFMAN CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
The Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, a new multi-venue center for music, opera, theater, and dance designed by Moshe Safdie will open in Kansas City September 16, 2011. The Kauffman Center seeks to enrich the lives of all Greater Kansas City residents by presenting vibrant and diverse performances, educational programming, and creating a tradition of the performing arts as a catalyst for Kansas City’s civic economic, and educational vitality.

Three of the region’s leading performing arts organizations – Kansas City Ballet, Kansas City Symphony, and Lyric Opera of Kansas City – will be in residence at the Kauffman Center. The Kauffman Center’s two performance venues, the 1,800-seat Muriel Kauffman Theatre and the 1,600-seat Helzberg Hal, will offer audiences engaging and intimate experiences, while at the same time providing resident companies with enhanced performance capabilities.

Serving as a cultural cornerstone for Kansas City’s dynamic downtown, the Kauffman Center will bring a new spotlight to the region’s performing arts community while simultaneously attracting some of the world’s most talented performers and entertainers, further establishing Kansas City as a major cultural destination.

More information on the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts is available at www.kauffmancenter.org

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