Johnson County Community College’s
Midwest Trust Center
presents Arts Education Shows for Schools and Families
Overland Park, KS (July 18, 2022) Kara Armstrong, Arts Education Program Director, at the Midwest Trust
Center proudly presents the Fall 2022 series of Arts Education shows, featuring acclaimed artists from around
the world and around the corner. High-res photos with IDs can be found here.
“We have a great season lined up including the return of our Arts Education Artists-in-Residence, Mesner
Puppet Theater” reflected Armstrong. “We also have a new lineup of award-winning children’s artists for our
free concert series, Kids Jam. The Midwest Trust Center is proud to provide engaging performances and
activities for our youngest audience members.”
Performances include:
October 1, 2022 – Yogapalooza with Bari Koral – Part of the MTC Kids Jam Series. Catch a concert in
Downward Dog! Together we’ll learn popular yoga poses with a dancing bear, pop like popcorn, “sleep” like a
pony in the barn, fly like rocket ships, run with a gingerbread man and much more as we dance, stretch, sing
and play to Bari’s award-winning songs.
October 14-15, 2022 – Disney’s Winnie the Pooh: The New Musical Stage Adaptation – In a new story from
the Hundred Acre Wood, this fresh stage adaptation is told with impressive life-size puppetry, telling exciting
new stories featuring characters that have played iconic roles in the lives of children for generations.
Accompanying the magical, modern narrative is an original score from Nate Edmondson, which features some
of the songs written for the animated feature from The Sherman Brothers’, including “Winnie the Pooh,” “The
Blustery Day,” “The Wonderful Thing About Tigger’s,” “Whoop-De-Dooper Bounce” and A.A. Milne’s “The
More It Snows.”
November 10, 2022 – In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson – See the fantastic adventure based on
the book by Bette Bao Lord. In 1947, the Year of the Boar, a young girl leaves China with her parents for a
new beginning in America, but it’s harder than she expected. This tour is produced by Honolulu Theatre for
Youth, with professional theatre and drama education programs that make a difference in the lives of young
people, families and educators in the state of Hawaii.
December 7-10, 2022 – Mesner Puppet Theater in “Cirque du Wiener Dog” – Come one, come all to the
most WIENERFUL show on earth! Join a cast of daring dachshunds as they attempt to put on a circus variety
show, with tightrope walking, trapeze swinging and a rousing cannon finale. Mesner Puppet Theater uses
humor and heart to present stories that connect to the complex social-emotional experiences of young
audiences.
Midwest Trust Center Announces Arts Education Performances for Fall 2022 Page 2
For more information about the Midwest Trust Center at Johnson County Community College, and Arts
Education events, visit Midwest Trust Center Arts Education.
Ticket Information:
Tickets are available now through the Midwest Trust Center Box Office. Purchase online here or call the Box
Office Monday-Friday 10am-5pm at (913) 469-4445.
Covid-19 Safety Protocols at the Midwest Trust Center:
The Midwest Trust Center and JCCC want to protect the safety of our visitors, artists, students, faculty and
staff. Please visit us at jccc.edu/MidwestTrustCenter for the latest updates.
About Midwest Center, Johnson County Community College:
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.
For more information on these and other Arts Education events, please visit Midwest Trust Center 2022-2023
Season.
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