Entertaining Topeka | Topeka Performing Arts Center
Photo By Braden Dimick
Pop quiz: What local destination is “the crown jewel of the city’s downtown entertainment?”
That’s the Topeka Performing Arts Center (TPAC), according to Larry Gawronski, TPAC’s recently retired executive director.
The location has seen everything from Elvis Presley (at the Municipal Auditorium) to Willie Nelson to the finest Broadway shows.
BEYOND THE STAGE
When big names come to play at TPAC, 214 SE 8th Ave., they frequently visit the local sites and interact with the public.
In recent years, the Beach Boys spent days in the capital city, stayed at the Cyrus Hotel and made stops at The Pennant and Iron Rail and other local haunts. Gawronski said their lead singer Mike Love was at the BP at 6th and Quincy buying coffee and surprised a couple of fans who were going to see the Beach Boys play.
FAN FAVORITES
In 2022, fan favorites that came to the capital city included magician Michael Carbonaro, improv comedy show “Whose Live Anyway,” Beatles tribute band Liverpool Legends, musician Alfred Matthew “Weird Al” Yankovic, country musician Travis Tritt, comedian Tom Segura, and the impressionists Edwards Twins Ultimate Variety Show, to name a few.
TPAC has several notable shows coming in 2023. One is Broadway-touring musical, “On Your Feet! The Story of Emilio and Gloria Estefan,” on the evening of Sunday, January 29th, which celebrates the life and times of the couple.
On Friday, February 17, the “Legacy Reunion of Earth Wind & Fire Alumni” will feature an evening of music by artists who have been in the band over the years.
“We try building a variety of diverse programming that appeals to as many demographics as possible,” said Gawronski. Gawronski indicated there’s much more to come in 2023, and something for everybody.
COMMUNITY PROGRAMMING
And while the big names bring excitement, “80% of programming at TPAC isn’t mainstage events like people want to talk about,” Gawronski said. “It’s the community educational youth and outreach programming that keeps us busy and active all year-round.”
TPAC is utilized by 12 different dance companies and three annual “Nutcracker” shows—“The Chocolate Nutcracker, “Ballet Midwest Presents The Nutcracker,” and “Kansas Ballet The Nutcracker.” Gawronski said TPAC is in negotiations with two more local groups to bring their annual series to TPAC.
SYMBIOTIC FOUNDATION
Before TPAC, there was the Municipal Auditorium, which opened in 1940 and was the center of entertainment in Topeka for nearly 50 years, hosting many exciting entertainers, including Imogene Coca, Fred Waring, Count Basie and Nat King Cole. The venue closed in the late 1980s as the Kansas Expocentre opened, only for it to be reopened as TPAC in 1991, thanks to a group of very dedicated people raising money and a private-public partnership with the city.
The City of Topeka owns the building, while TPAC is governed by a board of trustees and contracted through private management group VenuWorks (since 2000), a three-way symbiotic relationship that works well, Gawronski said.
Gawronski added that TPAC has the goal of getting bigger and stronger every year. “We’re not going anywhere.”
