In 1940, the Topeka Municipal Auditorium opened. For more than five decades, it served as the center of entertainment in the city. It was the go-to spot to experience everything from circuses and basketball games to Broadway talent. Stars including Count Basie, Nat King Cole, and even Elvis Presley graced its stage.
As time went on, however, Topeka’s population center shifted south and west. In 1987, the Kansas Expocentre opened, and the once-proud Municipal Auditorium sat empty.
But a special group of Topeka citizens, with a vision and a love for the performing arts, refused to let this Art Deco treasure fade into the past. Willing and able to help fund the project, they formed a public-private collaboration to renovate the building and create something extraordinary in downtown Topeka. In this first-of-its-kind partnership, the City of Topeka contributed $2.5 million, with the remaining funds raised from corporations, foundations, and individuals within the community.
In March 1991, the Topeka Performing Arts Center became a reality, opening with On Broadway, starring Ben Vereen. TPAC, as Topekans lovingly refer to it, is a world-class auditorium suitable for performances by Broadway touring companies, major dance companies, and full orchestras.
We sat down with Dan Kays, Executive Director of the Topeka Performing Arts Center, and Shawn Brian, Marketing Manager, to learn how this uniquely founded and funded renovation was made possible.
“The fact that this building exists speaks volumes about our community,” Kays said. “It’s wonderful that people recognized the opportunity and found a way, even if it was unconventional, not only to save this architecturally unique building, but to turn it into the showplace it is today.”
“A lot of communities aren’t fortunate enough to have something like this,” Kays continued. “It’s important for the community to understand that they need to support this space because they use it. For instance, TPAC is the only venue in Topeka that can accommodate ballet. There are five dance companies in the city, two of them ballet, and every single one holds its recitals at TPAC.”
As a city facility, TPAC hosts many community events. For example, Kansas Ballet presented a shortened version of The Nutcracker for 2,000 schoolchildren in December. “We want to remind Topekans that their kids and grandkids are benefiting from this wonderful center, which relies on community support to thrive,” Kays said.
In his first year as Executive Director, Kays plans to bring more live shows to TPAC. “We are introducing TPACLive! When I found out that Topeka has a jazz organization, Topeka Jazz, I thought it was a great opportunity for us to combine efforts and bring bigger names to our city,” he said.
Following a holiday performance at the famed Carnegie Hall, jazz trumpeter Jonathan Dely is among the first artists scheduled for the TPACLive! music series. “He’s set to perform on Valentine’s Day,” Kays said excitedly. “I saw him in New York in 2023. I loved his energy and his talent. He’s just amazing on the trumpet. He’s going to be the next Chris Botti or Wynton Marsalis.”
Marketing Manager Shawn Brian echoed Kays’ enthusiasm for TPAC and the upcoming season.
“My favorite part of the job is being able to go out into the community and tell our friends and neighbors about all the exciting things happening here at TPAC,” Brian said. “There are folks who’ve never been here, and exposing them to this gem of a building for the first time is incredibly rewarding. The more events they attend and the more experiences they add to their lives, the more they become involved in the arts. There’s nothing like the excitement and buzz we share when watching a live performance.”
For a 2026 show schedule, go to topekaperformingarts.org
“It’s wonderful that people recognized the opportunity and found a way not only to save this architecturally unique building, but to turn it into the showplace it is today.”
See Jazz Trumpeter Jonathan Dely Live on Valentine’s Day
I'm really happy anytime I get an opportunity like this to come to a community I've never been to with people I don't know, and perform real music for real people, and there are no robots involved.
I dedicate 99% of my time to live performance because you can't bottle that up and consume it for 0.0037 cents per stream. A live performance, with that unique combination of people in a theater that can never be duplicated ever, ever again, that is invaluable to me. You can never come for my job. You can't ever put a robot on stage in place of me, or my musicians, like you can with recorded music.
I hope the audience, and this is consistent with my story of having turned down a lucrative career in the world of finance, I hope what they hear and see is sacrifice. I hope that they can feel that there is a certain joy onstage of saying no to selfish monetary wealth for this collective artistic project that now lives and breathes in the world and carries on the tradition of jazz music.