Blue Springs City Theater launches talent competition to celebrate 40 years

BLUE SPRINGS, MO — KSHB 41 reporter Claire Bradshaw covers eastern Jackson County, including Blue Springs and Grain Valley. Share your story idea with Claire.

—
Blue Springs City Theater is hosting its first-ever talent competition — Blue Springs Got Talent — to celebrate 40 years of community theater, with a cash prize on the line for the top performers.

Registration closes Monday, Aug. 31 at bluespringsgottalent.org. All acts will perform at a showcase on Saturday, Sept. 12, at the Adams Point Conference Center. The top five finalists will then compete one final time at the Fall Fun Fest on Saturday, Sept. 19. Cash prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place are $500, $300, $150, respectively.

The competition is open to singers, dancers, magicians, and performers of all kinds.

Vickie Miller, president of the Blue Springs City Theater Board of Directors, said the event is about more than just competition.

KSHB 41

"It is just an incredible opportunity to bring people together. And my experience over the last 15, 20 years has been that when we have a group come together for a show or any other experience, that group becomes family."

Singer-songwriter Vaysia Simone Knust, a City Theater alum who will compete in the event, plans to perform an original lullaby. Knust said she hopes the competition draws out new and unexpected acts.

KSHB 41

"We don't know your talent. I want to see what other people are going to bring. Yes, I really enjoy performing for others and and getting to sing. But I wanna I wanna see kids come out and do taekwondo. I wanna watch as there are magic acts."

Hip hop artist Nic "NuSince" Malick is also competing, with an act dedicated to his hometown of Blue Springs and the Kansas City area.

KSHB 41

"I've never been great at marketing myself with music, but I love making music because it's way cheaper than therapy. So you know, I would love to be able to showcase the music that I make, maybe get more people to like go find some of my other music."

Blue Springs City Theater used to call the Civic Center inside Blue Springs High School home. The nonprofit has been without a permanent space since 2020, creating additional financial pressure on the organization. Miller said she hopes the talent show raises the theater's profile and helps further their goal of securing a new home.

"This event, we're hoping will just kind of continue to increase that participation and support for what we're doing," said Miller.

Miller said the theater's mission extends to people of all ages and abilities, highlighting scholarships and The Penguin Project, a chance for youth with disabilities to be on stage.

"It's a great opportunity for just being involved, and for some, it's their only way of getting involved."

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

—