| Opening Year | 2011 |
| Location | Kansas City, Missouri, USA |
| Capacity | 1,800 seats |
| Architect | Moshe Safdie / Safdie Architects |
| Owner | Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts |
| User | Kansas City Ballet |
| Lyric Opera of Kansas City | |
| Construction Cost | USD $413M (including Helzberg Hall) |
The Muriel Kauffman Theatre hosts a variety of dance and theatrical performances from around the world, and be the performance home of Kansas City Ballet and Lyric Opera of Kansas City. Inspired by the great opera houses of Europe, the Theatre is designed to be visually striking, while providing an intimate experience for both audiences and performers. Audiences are seated around the stage in a variation on the traditional horseshoe configuration—bringing them closer to the performers than in auditorium-style venues.
A flexible orchestra pit configuration and the ability to adjust the stage opening width make the Muriel Kauffman Theatre tremendously adaptable, allowing for both intimate and large-scale productions. The design of Muriel Kauffman Theatre’s expanded facilities provide dramatically enhanced performance capabilities—including a vast 5,000-square-foot stage; a large orchestra pit than can accommodate up to 90 musicians; increased backstage facilities; a 74-foot tall fly tower; and a flexible stage opening. The Theatre’s fly tower will allow for scenery as tall as 30 feet to be flown above the stage, enabling productions to make use of more sophisticated scenic design elements. The stage’s flexible proscenium opening will allow the width and height of the stage to be adjusted, making it tremendously adaptable and allowing for both intimate and larger-scale productions.