The Coterie Theatre (2018)

In March 2018, Amanda Kibler, Education Director of The Coterie Theatre in Kansas City, Missouri, realized that four classes from the theater’s 2018 summer program needed to be canceled due to poor enrollment. Income from the summer program typically generated 50% of the education department’s revenue for the fiscal year. The cut classes would eliminate 5% of that profit. Though it was a relatively small percentage of total income, Kibler, along with Producing Artistic Director Jeff Church and Executive Director Joette Pelster, was perplexed by the decline in enrollment numbers. Since its founding in 1979, the company had done quite well creating educational programs that were attractive to local families and youth. In 2004 The Coterie was named one of the top five theaters for young audiences in the nation. However, by 2018, regional and demographic shifts created something never experienced by The Coterie - robust competition from new youth theater endeavors in the Kansas City area.