Laura Muir Quotations

Our producing artistic director Peter Altman is a firm believer that live theatre needs to have a strong connection to the heart of the city. Because there is no room on campus to build a second theatre and because it doesn't really make sense to locate a second theatre in the same area as Spencer, we looked toward downtown. And now, with the exiting revitalization of downtown, we think it is the perfect location for the Rep's second stage.

The Rep will be the first new professional theatre to be constructed downtown. We see this expansion downtown as solidifying our position as a leader in the cultural, social and economic life of the city.

The Rep has long been interested in acquiring a smaller, more intimate theatre in which we could produce smaller shows. Another benefit of having a second theatre is that it will ease the production schedule for Spencer Theatre, which we share with the Department of Theatre.

It is very important that the UMKC community understands that Kansas City Rep is not leaving the UMKC campus, where we have been located for 42 years. We greatly value our home base at Spencer Theatre in the Performing Arts Center, and we recently invested in upgrading Spencer with new seats and other improvements. We plan to continue to produce a full season of plays at Spencer each year.