Every year we host Cocktails & Cabaret, the gala fundraiser that helps us raise critical funds to support First Act Theatre Arts and its mission. Without this fundraiser, First Act wouldn’t exist! These funds help us bridge the gap between rising expenses and our revenue.
This year’s event will be June 6th at Fiorella’s Kansas City and will feature performances from First Act’s Dance Company, MT Troupe, and the Class of 2026. We will also award the first alum receipient of the Gina Milbourn Find Your Light Alumni Award! Read more below about the importance of this event and find out how you can get involved!
At First Act, we want to keep theater as accessible as possible both for our students and audience members. Funds raised at Cocktails & Cabaret help us keep tuition and ticket costs affordable. These funds also help support our Scholarship Fund which allows even more students to experience the joy of live theater, on stage and in the audience.
As we look to the future, we need a strong foundation. We are looking for a new home for First Act, and a strong financial foundation will help us step into our next phase confidently. Funds raised at Cocktails & Cabaret sow the seeds for that future and allow us to dream about the future.
Yes, Cocktails & Cabaret is by far our most important fundraiser of the year. But it’s also a really fun party! You’ll see performances from our incredible students and we’ll celebrate the work they’ve done throughout the year. And we’ll have a special send off performance from our Class of 2026 seniors, many of whom have been performing on First Act stages since they were 8 years old.
We are excited to announce the establishment of the Gina Milbourn Find Your Light Alumni Award. Last year, we honored Gina herself with the first of these awards. We are so thankful for Gina’s decades of dedication to First Act and for the thousands of students she has shepherded into “finding their light”.
At this year’s Cocktails & Cabaret, we will give this award to an extraordinary alum for spreading the light they found at CYTKC/First Act to their current communities, on and off the stage! Check back soon to learn more about our award winner!
With fun games, exciting auction items, and a dance party at the end of the night, Cocktails & Cabaret is the chance for our community to celebrate the close of a successful season! So consider this your personal invitation to be there!
The easiest way to support Cocktails & Cabaret is to be there! Buy your tickets, bring friends and have fun bidding on exciting silent and live auction items!
Starting at $500, Sponsorships are an integral part of the fundraising at Cocktails & Cabaret. Sponsorships come with benefits like ad space in our playbills, season passes, and tickets to Cocktails & Cabaret. You can sponsor as a business or an individual, all are welcome!
We have eight incredible families working to raise money for Cocktails & Cabaret in a variety of ways! Check out their fundraising page and follow them for more fundraiser updates!
Do you have season tickets to the Chiefs and think you could spare one game? Do you have a vacation home you’d be willing to offer up for a week? Have a connection at a local business that might donate? We are always searching for new items for our Silent and Live Auctions! Contact Wendy Poling at wendy@firstactkc.org with any donation information!
Thank you for considering supporting First Act Theatre Arts at Cocktails & Cabaret! This fundraiser guarantees another year of First Act and sows the seeds for the future.
