Midwest Trust Center Presents Stellar Lineup Of October Concerts

The Midwest Trust Center (formerly Carlsen Center) presents their signature variety of top-tier artists this October.

“We're excited to bring these accomplished artists from around the world to our stages,” noted Executive Director, Stacie McDaniel.  “We have folk music from Canada, a tap ensemble with roots in Kansas City, an a cappella group from Zimbabwe and an American comedian who has toured all over.” Performances will take place at the Midwest Trust Center on the campus of Johnson County Community College, 12345 College Blvd., Overland Park, KS 66210). 

Friday, October 13 at 8 p.m. – Chicago Tap Theatre is a vibrant dance company founded by Kansas City native, Mark Yonally.  Their production of Unleash the Beats honors the best in tap and music from the 1920 to the future.  The concert is a celebration of the best in tap dance, from historical pieces of the past to the innovative and compelling original work for which the company is known.

Saturday, October 14 at 8 p.m. – Hailing from the Canadian island of Newfoundland, Rum Ragged enlivens and enlightens audiences with their signature brand of Newfoundland folk.  With a combination of striking vocal harmonies, staggering musicianship and captivating storytelling, they create an experience you won't forget.

Friday, October 20 at 8 p.m. – Nobuntu, the all-female a cappella group from Zimbabwe, will perform an evening of inventive arrangements that range from traditional Zimbabwean songs to Afro Jazz to Gospel.  With a name stemming from the African concept that values humbleness, love, unity and family from a woman's perspective, the ensemble celebrates and preserves their culture, beauty and heritage through art.

Saturday, October 21 at 8 p.m. – Comedian Andy Woodhull has appeared on “The Late Late Show with James Corden,” “Conan,” “Live at Gotham” and “The Half Hour” on Comedy Central. In 2014, he was the first comedian to make his network television debut on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”  He'll be joined by Alex Stone as the opening act.

Tickets are on sale now.  Purchase online here or call the Midwest Trust Center Box Office Monday-Friday 10am-5pm at (913) 469-4445.

For more information about these shows and the rest of the 2023-2024 Season, visit www.jccc.edu/MidwestTrustCenter.

Midwest Trust Center Series 2023-2024 Season

Sept. 22 Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Live in Concert

Sept. 23 MTC Kids Jam – Jazzy Ash and the Leaping Lizards*

Sept. 29-30 The Second City's Comedian Rhapsody*

Oct. 13 Chicago Tap Theatre Unleash the Beats

Oct. 14 Rum Ragged*

Oct. 19 Sugar Skull!

Oct. 20 Nobuntu*

Oct. 21 The Comedy Zone presents Andy Woodhull*

Nov. 10 John Cameron Mitchell and Amber Martin in Cassette Roulette

Dec. 2 MTC Kids Jam – Hot Peas 'N Butter* 

Dec. 3 On Your Feet!

Dec. 7 Million Dollar Quartet Christmas

Dec. 8-9 What If Puppets Animal Amigos*

Jan. 6 MTC Kids Jam – Kadesh & the Dinosaur World Connections A Trip Around the World*

Jan. 13 Bach Aria Soloists & Heart of America Shakespeare Festival Women of Note in Words & Song*

Jan. 19 Rumours – A Fleetwood Mac Tribute

Jan. 20 Breath & Hammer*

Jan. 27 North

Jan. 28 WindSync*

Feb. 3 Makin' Cake by Dasha Kelly Hamilton*

Feb. 10 Little Women the Musical

Feb. 17 Damn Tall Buildings*

Feb. 18 The Peking Acrobats

Feb. 24 Winterlude Jazz Festival: Delfeayo Marsalis and the Uptown Jazz Orchestra

Mar. 1 The Doo Wop Project

Mar. 3 The StepCrew

Mar. 9 The Comedy Zone presents Gina Brillon*

Mar. 23 MTC Kids Jam – Sugar Free Allstars*

Mar. 24 Beyond Babel

Apr. 11 Alice: Dreaming of Wonderland

Apr. 28 The Simon and Garfunkel Story

May 2 Les Violons du Roy: Jonathan Cohen, Music Director; Miloš, Guitar

May 4 MTC Kids Jam - 123 Andrés*

May 5 The Opus 76 Quartet with violist Paul Neubauer Mozart and Brahms*

May 10 The Concert Truck*

May 17 ¡Viva Mexico! ¡Viva America!

The Midwest Trust Center is Johnson County's performing arts center. Early on, the founders of Johnson County Community College (JCCC) dreamed of building a world-class performing arts venue in Johnson County, Kansas. In 1990, that dream was realized, and the center soon became a cultural hub for the rapidly growing county. The Midwest Trust Center's growth parallels that of Johnson County, expanding from 50 events the first season to around 150 annually today. Events include Midwest Trust Center Series, the annual series of around 25 events presented by JCCC that feature professional, internationally known artists in a wide variety of genres; academic branches of JCCC; and community groups who rent the space.  

In 2020 Johnson County Community College accepted a $1,000,000 donation intended to provide an ongoing endowment to support the College's Performing Arts Series. These funds will also provide scholarships for students studying creative arts at JCCC. As a feature of the donation, the center now bears the name Midwest Trust Center, a local company founded by Brad Bergman. The donors Brad and Libby Bergman are long-time supporters of the College, having co-chaired the JCCC Foundation's annual Some Enchanted Evening Gala – the largest single fundraising event for student scholarships. Brad has also served as Chair of the JCCC Foundation Board of Directors. The Bergmans have been consistent supporters of dozens of activities at JCCC. They have four children, each of whom has benefited from classes taught at the College.

Since 2000, with the development of the Midwest Trust Center Arts Education program, the Midwest Trust Center also addresses cultural and art-related program needs in K-12 education. The MTC Arts Education programs include school performances at the Midwest Trust Center, and engagement activities with artists performing in schools. Master classes, lecture/demonstrations, workshops and other opportunities for interaction with students happen throughout the year. MTC Arts Education  also offers support materials for programs, study guides, concert previews, plus professional development - creative skills workshops and curriculum-building seminars for teachers in arts integration.

The MTC Arts Education had a leadership role in the re-establishment of the Kansas Alliance for Arts Education, and in 2014 was named a Kennedy Center Partners in Education site, teamed with the Shawnee Mission School District. An expansion of the Kennedy Center Partnership occurred in 2018 with the addition of the Liberty Schools, and again in 2019, adding Kansas City Young Audiences, making it one of two cross-state Kennedy Center Partnerships in the US. MTC Arts Ed is the only Kennedy Center Partner in the state of Kansas. 

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