IN THE TENT OF STARS to Make Kansas City Staged Reading Debut at Music Theatre Heritage

The Astrolabe Theater Company has announced a staged reading of In the Tent of Stars, a groundbreaking new family musical making its homecoming debut at Music Theatre Heritage at Crown Center on August 15, 2026.

Helmed and developed by a trans-led creative team, this production marks a historic moment for theatrical representation by centering a transgender child lead within a commercial family musical. As the production positions itself for future West End and Broadway stages, this exclusive Kansas City reading brings the story right back to its regional roots.

Set in a small town north of Kansas City in 1918, In the Tent of Stars seamlessly weaves history with magical realism. The story centers on two young boys: Lincoln, whose identity is entirely tied to the glare of the spotlight, and Alex, a young popcorn vendor and part-time vaudeville performer harboring a deep secret about who he truly is.

When the 800-year-old legacy of a traveling tent show surfaces alongside a mysterious shadow, the characters—and the audience—are forced to confront a profoundly moving question: What if the shadows of regret, pain, and secrets we carry are not meant to haunt us, but to help us navigate our way forward?

Rather than framing a trans identity around trauma or conflict, creators John Corbin Goldsberry and Jay Gaumer present Alex as a fully realized protagonist surrounded by an ensemble where everyone is searching, in their own way, for dignity, grace, and a place to belong.