Contact:
Kara Hettinger, karmstro@jccc.edu
Janell Rinne, jrinne2@jccc.edu
For tickets: https://www.jccc.edu/midwest-trust-center/arts-education/events.html
Johnson County Community College’s
Midwest Trust Center
presents World Premiere Show for Schools and Families
Overland Park, KS (August 11,2025) Kara Hettinger, Arts Education Program Director at the Midwest Trust
Center, proudly presents the Fall 2025 series of Arts Education shows, featuring a world premiere from What if
Puppets, kid rocker, Chuck Folds, and much more. “We have an amazing season ahead including a new show
from our artists-in-residence, What if Puppets,” noted Hettinger. “We are also ready to rock out at our free
concert series Kids Jam featuring Big Bang Boom and Flor Bromley.” High-res photos with IDs can be found
here.
Performances include:
September 13, 2025 – Power pop band, Big Bang Boom, creates music both adults AND children enjoy! Keep
rockin’, kids! After 20 years of touring the grown-up stages, Chuck, Steve, and Eddie expanded their horizons
to play for parents (like themselves) who want MORE from children’s music. Their songs cleverly mix
alternative, hip-hop, rock, country, and other genres to create music that is fun AND teaches you things! Part of
the MTC Kids Jam series. This event is free, but reservations are recommended.
September 24-27, 2025 – What if Puppets presents ‘T-Rex Took My Toothbrush’ – Join the Midwest Trust
Center Arts Education artists-in-residence for the adventure of a lifetime! This is the story of Mr. Greene, a
paleontologist who finds a dinosaur egg on a fossil dig. Upon the egg’s hatching, Mr. Greene becomes the
surrogate parent to a T-Rex! Soon, he and his dinosaur ward are negotiating bedtimes, testing each other’s
boundaries, and ultimately finding joy in their oddball little family. School shows and public performances are
available. Tickets range from $5-20.
October 8, 2025 – ‘Maddi’s Fridge’ – Based on the book by Lois Brandt, this play created by Childsplay of
Tempe, Arizona, is a thoughtful and funny exploration of friendship, empathy, and doing the right thing.
Maddi and Sofia are best friends. One day Sofia discovers Maddi has no food in her fridge. Sofia wants to help
her friend, but Maddi makes her promise not to tell anyone. What should Sofia do? School shows are available.
Tickets start at $5.
October 25, 2025 – Flor Bromley is a Latin Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter for families. Originally
from Peru, her mission is to share the Latin American experience with a new generation through her music. She
has released four bilingual family albums, and her songs have been featured and played on the top 13 of Sirius
XM’s Kids Place Live and PBS WNET Thirteen’s TV program “Let’s Learn.” Part of the MTC Kids Jam
series. This event is free, but reservations are recommended.
For more information about the Midwest Trust Center 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.
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 in 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 features 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 curriculumbuilding 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, visit Midwest Trust Center 2024-2025 Season.
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For media inquiries, please contact, Kara Hettinger, karmstro@jccc.edu,
Or Janell Rinne, jrinne2@jccc
