Community Spotlight: KISS Theatre Company

We’ve been fortunate to spotlight all kinds of nonprofits here at Wilkes-Barre POWER! lately. From organizations that teach job skills to groups providing mental health services, they all play their role making Northeastern Pennsylvania a better place to live and work.

This month, our featured nonprofit is KISS Theatre Company (Kids Innovating Stage & Sound). KISS is “a nonprofit 501(c)3 performing arts organization with the mission of educating, entertaining and enriching the lives of young people ages 5-17 through the arts of theatre, music, and dance,” according to its website.

With more than 150 kid-centric productions over the last 17 years, it’s safe to say that KISS has really pulled its weight in encouraging area youth to become interested in the arts and learn to express themselves in fun, collaborative ways.

We recently spoke with KISS board chair Timothy Kulpa about a range of subjects, from what kids can expect when performing at KISS Theatre Company and why the performing arts are important in the first place.

Tim will also serve as our featured speaker at Wilkes-Barre POWER!’s February networking event tonight, February 27, at The Down Pour in Wilkes-Barre!

And so, we leave you with our conversation with Tim himself. We hope you enjoy this community spotlight of KISS Theatre Company!

Why is it important for kids here in the Wilkes-Barre area to experience the performing arts?

Timothy Kulpa: It is important that all kids have the opportunity to build a wide range of traits and characteristics as they grow and develop into successful, well-rounded individuals.

Exposure to the arts and arts education is one of these vital areas that needs to be included in all students’ education throughout the formative years.

Unfortunately, over the past decade, we have witnessed a troubling trend where arts programs are being cut or severely reduced in many of our local school districts. This is not just a loss for the students who miss out on creative opportunities; it is a loss for our society as a whole.

Our kids need access to these vital programs, and at KISS Theatre Company, we have made it our mission to educate, entertain and enrich the lives of young people through the arts of theatre, music, and dance. We believe that education in the arts allows kids to not only build their creativity but also develop a holistic set of skills that allows kids to become confident individuals.

Here are five areas where we feel kids benefit from access to the arts:

Boosts Academic Achievement

Research shows that children involved in performing arts are more likely to excel academically. They often develop enhanced cognitive, motor, and social skills.

Builds Confidence and Self-Expression

The performing arts provide a platform for kids to express themselves creatively, which can significantly boost their self-confidence. This confidence often extends to other areas of their lives, helping them tackle challenges with greater assurance.

Enhances Emotional Intelligence

Engaging in the performing arts helps children explore a wide range of emotions and characters, fostering empathy and a deeper understanding of themselves and others.

Develops Teamwork and Communication Skills

Many performing arts activities require collaboration, teaching kids the value of teamwork, communication, and mutual respect. These skills are essential in both school and future careers.

Provides a Creative Outlet

In today's tech-driven world, performing arts offer a much needed creative outlet for children, allowing them to explore their imagination and creativity.

Can you take us through the workshop experiences for littles, middles, and teens?

Timothy Kulpa: We have three age groups at KISS Theatre. Our “Littles” age group includes students aged 5-10, “Middles” age group runs ages 8-14, and our “Teens” age group is 14 to senior in high school.

In general, our workshops are musicals that involve singing and dancing, but we have also been attempting to have one play each year. The play is often a combination of our Middles and Teens age groups and provides our students an intensive acting development experience.

KISS Theatre Company is a tuition-based theater education workshop experience where all students who register for the workshop receive a part in the final production. Workshops run approximately three months in length with our Littles rehearsing one time per week and our Middles and Teens rehearsing two times a week.

Workshops typically begin with a general introduction to the production and learning the songs and choreography for our audition period. Auditions at KISS are used as a means to allow our students to learn audition skills and experience auditioning in front of a staff and fellow cast members.

The rehearsal process incorporates ensemble work on music, choreography, and general blocking, as well as small group and individual acting and character development. This continues until the week prior to the production, when our tech week begins and our casts rehearse daily leading up to opening night.

Our Littles and Middles perform four shows on one weekend for each workshop, and our Teens perform six shows on two consecutive weekends.

We also have a junior technical internship program for kids to learn the behind-the-scenes work of the theater. They work with our stage manager and technical director to learn sound production, lighting, costuming and stage management.

As this program has grown, we have been able to have entire performances where fellow KISS Kids are running sound, lighting, and scene changes with oversight from our technical director.

What can kids expect from performing at KISS Theatre?

Timothy Kulpa: When our kids sign up for a workshop at KISS, they can expect a nurturing, supportive, and inclusive environment that will allow them to be immersed in the theatre arts. One of our core principles at KISS Theater is inclusion.

We work hard to provide an environment free from judgement and bullying where each student can feel welcome.

Our kids can expect to be challenged in all aspects of theatre and acting while learning to champion each other’s talents.

Our students learn to truly be an “ensemble cast” that values teamwork and has fun together. They learn self-expression and the value of their own voices.

Overall, our kids learn about the amazing world of theatre and how immersing themselves in the arts can allow them to express their creativity.

What can adults expect when they volunteer to share their talents in a workshop?

Timothy Kulpa: KISS Theatre Company relies heavily on volunteers to be able to carry out our mission. We are always looking to partner with individuals who feel attached to our mission and have numerous ways adults can volunteer at the theater.?

1. Amazing Staff

We have absolutely amazing workshop staff that help our children learn the arts of theatre and acting. We are able to offer small honorariums to our workshop staff as a token of our appreciation.

However, these small honorariums do not come close to repaying the tremendous amount of time, energy, and talent that these amazing volunteers bring to KISS each workshop.

Our staff consistently go above and beyond to help our kids put on a fantastic production and also learn the art of theatre and all that it has to offer. We have a wide range of adults serving as director, music director, choreographer, stage manager, and counselors. Without these generous and talented people, we would not be able to carry out our mission each day.

2. Board of Directors

KISS Theatre Company has an entirely volunteer Board of Directors who work alongside our artistic director and technical director to help KISS continue to operate at a high level.

Being a board member at KISS Theatre Company is more involved than your average nonprofit board service.

Our 15-member Board of Directors works tirelessly to take on daily operations, financial management, general theater maintenance, fundraiser planning, public relations, as well as a host of other day-to-day activities. We are fortunate to have fantastic board members who are dedicated to continuing to help KISS progress each day.

3. Volunteers

We are also lucky to have a wildly supportive group of parent and community volunteers who help with all facets of the theater experience from general building and grounds maintenance to fundraiser planning and execution, and all other needs in between.

We continue to be amazed by the commitment and support we receive each day from our theater community. We could not achieve what we do each workshop without their support and dedication.

How do donations help KISS Theatre Company?

Timothy Kulpa: As a non-profit organization, KISS Theatre Company relies on donations and community support to carry out its mission.

Donations to KISS Theatre Company help to support:

1. Day-to-day operations costs for our theater space.

2. General operations costs.

3. Our workshops

We have 9 to 10 workshops per year, and donations work with our workshop tuition to help cover the costs associated with rights, sets, props, costumes, and general technical needs.

4. Theater maintenance and upgrades

Donations help to maintain and upgrade our sensitive technical equipment related to lighting and sound. This equipment can be expensive to maintain and purchase.

We have been lucky to have two amazing Dancing Stars of Wilkes-Barre events these past two years, and some of the money raised at these events has gone towards upgrading our microphones, speakers, and new lighting to help enhance our theater experience.

Last year, we used a larger portion of our donations to completely rebuild our aging stage infrastructure and surface. This was a huge project that required a significant investment of both money and community support.

Last year, with a combination of donations and a grant, we also were able to purchase a ramp that allows our workshops and stage to be accessible to all students.

This year, one of the larger items we are hoping to target is our theater seating. All of our seats are still original to the space and were donations from an old movie theater. They have been through it with countless rehearsals, 40 to 60 performances each year, and just general wear and tear.

This will be a substantial project for us, but one that is badly needed as we are running out of replacements. This will further enhance our audience experience and improve the overall feel of the theater.

5. Scholarships

As a tuition-based theater educational program, we are committed to making our programs accessible to as many students as possible. We have worked hard over the years to build and maintain a generous scholarship fund that allows us to provide monetary support to children who cannot afford the workshop tuition through no fault of their own.

A portion of donations each year goes to maintaining this scholarship fund so we can continue to offer our programs to as many families as possible.

6. Our building loan

In 2014, KISS Theatre lost its home in the mall and was forced to find a new home. Eventually, our board of directors was able to secure our current location thanks to the generosity of Joe Amato and Joe Amato Properties.

However, getting into our space did require a huge build-out and did leave KISS with substantial building loans that we have been paying down over time. Each year, we try and earmark a percentage of the money we earn from fundraisers to help pay down this loan.

Any upcoming events you’d like us to call out?

Timothy Kulpa: Our largest fundraiser of the year, Dancing Stars of Wilkes Barre, is taking place on Saturday, March 29, at the F.M Kirby Center.

This event is modeled after the popular ABC show Dancing With the Stars. We pair local celebrities with professional dancers who have experience in theater, dance, and choreography.

The pair selects a song and dance style and then prepares a dance over the course of 9 weeks for performance at the event. The dancers compete for three trophies at the event.

The Kid’s Choice trophy is chosen by our KISS Kids who attend the event. The Judges Choice Trophy goes to the pair who scores the highest on their dance the night of the event by our four judges.

The People’s Choice Trophy goes to the team that earns the most “votes” in the form of donations to KISS Theatre. Each dollar donated to the couple equals one vote towards the People’s Choice. Many of our dancing pairs hold fundraisers or donate their talents to the community to try and drum up support for the theater.

The night of the event, the doors open at 5:00pm with a fantastic spread of both hot and cold hors d’oeuvres, a basket raffle and mingling with the community.

The show begins at 7:00pm and features some of our KISS Kids performing songs from recent shows as well as a huge opening number with our dancers. The whole night is a celebration of the arts, our amazing kids, and incredible community support for our mission at KISS Theatre Company.

Tickets are on sale now at the Kirby Center Box office or through our website www.dancingstarsofwilkesbarre.com.

Visit the KISS Theatre Company website here!

Donate to KISS Theatre Company here!

See the event calendar here!

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Written by Michael Ruth

Michael is a professional writer and digital marketer whose areas of expertise include branding content, content marketing, and SEO. He is the founder and CEO of 1900 Digital Marketing LLC and the director of content marketing at Wilkes-Barre POWER!