A Brief History

Judith Yeckel and Vicky Lee (pictured), two graduate students in theatre from the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC), founded The Coterie in 1979. The theatre is located on Level 1 of the Crown Center shops in the Hallmark complex. In its first 40 years, The Coterie has given over 13,000 performances of 285 productions on its mainstage, playing to approximately 2.2 million people. In 2017, The Coterie celebrated the milestone of serving over 100,000 students and families in a single season with its mainstage productions, acting classes, in-school workshops, and community outreach programs.