Located in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, near the Power & Light District, T-Mobile Center, and Crossroads Arts District, the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts is a premier regional hub for culture. Designed by renowned modernist architect Moshe Safdie, this impressive complex opened in 2011 and features a distinctive exterior of symmetrical arches along with a south façade built entirely of glass.
Inside, you will discover two world-class performance spaces sharing a central backstage. The 1,800-seat Muriel Kauffman Theatre features European opera house-inspired balconies, colorful student murals, and the Figaro Simultext Seatback System for subtitles.
Right next door, the 1,600-seat, oval-shaped Helzberg Hall puts you close to the music with intimate vineyard-style seating on all four sides of the stage and a massive Casavant Frères pipe organ containing 5,548 pipes. Connecting both venues is the striking Brandmeyer Great Hall, an expansive lobby offering sweeping panoramic views of the Kansas City skyline through its glass ceiling and sloping walls.
What to see at Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
- Moshe Safdie architectural design featuring 40,000 square feet of glass and tensioning steel cables
- Muriel Kauffman Theatre, host to the Kansas City Ballet and Lyric Opera of Kansas City
- Helzberg Hall, home of the Kansas City Symphony Orchestra, featuring a 79-stop pipe organ
- Brandmeyer Great Hall lobby offering open balconies and broad views of downtown Kansas City
- Arts District Garage green roof lawn and the Terpsichore interactive light and sound installation
Visiting tips
Check out the city-owned Arts District Garage directly adjacent to the center to see the eco-friendly green roof lawn and experience the Terpsichore light-and-sound installation.
How long: 2-3 hours · Best time: Performance nights
How to get there & what’s nearby
Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts is easy to reach on Kansas City’s public transport. For where to stay, the weather and full itineraries, see our Kansas City travel guide.
See the full Kansas City travel guide for where to stay, the best time to visit and the top things to do.