the vision

Leaders of Kansas City’s major arts organizations and educational institutions have joined to participate in the KC MOlière: 400 in 2022 festival and work to bring a pandemic-struck city together using the joie de vivre of the world's greatest comedic playwright. 
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A significant milestone in the region's historic linkage to France is marked by the 2021 Missouri Bicentennial  celebration of the operation of the Chouteau Trading Post on the banks of the Missouri River and the founding of Kansas City, Missouri.  July, 2021, witnessed the unveiling of sculptures of Chouteau and two Osage natives atop the François Chouteau and Native American Heritage Fountain and the KC MOlière commissioned play, "Tartuffenthrope!".  

The KC MOlière celebration offers a much-needed introduction to the classics and to the non-English-speaking world. It is the opportunity to demonstrate the multi-cultural potential and contemporary relevance.​
The dedication of the François Chouteau and Native American Fountain: a Missouri Bicentennial event.
​L to R: Georgianna Buchanan, NAMA Director Julián Zugazagoitia, KCMO Mayor Quinton Lucas, MoMO the KC MOlière mascot, and Representative Emanuel Cleaver II. (Photo Credit: Kansas City , MO Parks and Recreation)

THE NEED

Kansas City has long been a vibrant home for the arts. With ten professional theatre companies as well as many semi-professional companies, annual per capita theatre attendance is one of the highest in the nation.
Most of these organizations are devoted to English-language works of the last quarter century, which means that the next generation is largely deprived of exposure to classics other than Shakespeare. Despite the quantity of theatrical activity, there is almost never a  foreign play in translation. 
 
Kansas City’s geographical location in the middle of the USA, in what is known as “fly-over country,” means that the accomplishments of our artists tend to be overlooked. Critics from the American east and west coasts don’t come to cover our original works as they do up and down both coasts. An internationally-visible celebration of Molière that involves dozens of arts organizations will draw needed attention to our city. Conversely, Kansas City’s young people need the jolt of stimulation to appreciate and learn about the USA’s friendship with France, our oldest and most enduring ally.


KC MOlière:
​400 in 2022, Inc.