TL welcomes Chris McCoy, new Development Director

June 2, 2026

Chris McCoy is an arts educator, theatre director, and nonprofit professional based in Kansas City and is excited to join Theatre Lawrence as Development Director.


With over twenty-five years of experience in arts administration and education, he looks forward to combining his background in development with a passion for the performing arts. Chris has worked for many prestigious arts organizations across the country including Seattle Children's Theatre, Atlanta's Alliance Theatre, Denver Center Theatre Company, St. Louis Opera Theatre, San Diego Opera, Austin Lyric Opera, Kansas City's Theater League, and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. He earned a PhD in Performance Studies from the University of California, Davis, MA in Theatre Education from Emerson College in Boston, and his undergraduate degree from KU and was Associate Professor of theatre at William Jewell College.


Chris has directed over fifty productions including Hello, Dolly and A Christmas Story: The Musical at Theatre Lawrence and published many chapters and articles on theatre studies.

Theatre Lawrence News & Announcements

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By Jamie Ulmer • August 25, 2026
Last Friday, we celebrated the amazing commitment of the volunteers who truly make everything happen at Theatre Lawrence. Here are a few numbers to think about. There were 444 active volunteers last season, contributing more than 33,426 hours of their free time. That commitment has a value of more than $1,077,000, based on the IRS valuation of volunteer time - but we say the value is priceless. Everything we do, from regular season shows to community outreach to youth engagement, is possible thanks to our volunteers. These are people who choose to make a difference and share their talents to make Lawrence and Northeast Kansas a better place for all of us to live. At our volunteer celebration, we recognized our most active volunteers, who worked more than 350 hours, with the coveted Charley Awards and Volunteer of the Year Award . We continued celebrating our dedicated front-of-house teams with the Front Runner Awards - honoring those who worked every regular season production. We also debuted the Triple Threat Award, celebrating those who acted, volunteered more than 10 hours on a production crew, and volunteered front of house for three events. All that recognition is just a small way for us to express our deepest gratitude to everyone who makes Theatre Lawrence possible. Click here to see the complete list of honorees, and while you’re there, maybe sign up to get involved yourself. See you at the theatre, Jamie Ulmer
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