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Title: Downtown Goes Bananas Over Art
Description: Captioned photograph of a 14-foot-tall papier-mache banana located on the side of the Folly Theater. It is part of the annual Avenue of the Arts celebration downtown. The title of the art work is "Staying the Course" and was created by A. Bitterman and Deborah Pettid.
Date: 2007-08-17
Object Type: Newspaper Article

Title: His Job? Preserving the Folly One Party at a Time
Description: Brief interview with Brian Williams, development director for the Folly Theater. Williams discusses his role as lead fundraiser for the historic theater in downtown Kansas City. The history and legacy of the theater are also discussed.
Date: 2015-03-22
Object Type: Newspaper Article

Title: The Seldom-Noticed Art: Kansas City Architecture
Description: History of Kansas City architecture and noted architects, including Louis Curtiss and Frederick Gunn's designs for the Folly Theatre at 12th and Central Streets. Information also about the Standard, Century, Lyric, and Missouri theaters, and photo of the Jesse Hoel residence in Kansas City, Kansas, designed by Louis Curtiss.
Date: 1966-06-12
Object Type: Newspaper Article

Title: Ghost Folly Grinds to a Halt after Last Bump
Description: History of the Folly Theater at 12th and Central Streets, following the closing of its latest incarnation as a modern burlesque house and adult film theater.
Date: 1974-01-24
Object Type: Newspaper Article

Title: Facelift Follies
Description: Presents a brief history of the Folly Theater and describes upcoming renovations to the structure.
Date: 2000-05-18
Object Type: Newspaper Article

Title: Arts Groups Lack Stage Directions for Future
Description: If built, the performing arts center could have a big impact on existing downtown performance venues. Industry experts say that the arts community needs to think about how "older theaters will coexist with a behemoth just blocks away at 16th and Broadway".
Date: 2004-09-10
Object Type: Newspaper Article

Title: Leader in Saving the Folly
Description: Obituary of Joan Kent Dillon who led efforts to save the Folly Theater in the 1970s. When buildings started being demolished in downtown Kansas City in the 1960s and 1970s, Dillon began trying to save those that were left. When she learned the Folly Theater was on the list for demolition, Dillon started the crusade to save he building. "She spearheaded placing the building on the National Register of Historic Places and helped raise millions of dollars to purchase and renovate the theater. She convinced Kansas City's philanthropic community that the Folly was worth saving." Includes image.
Date: 2009-02-04
Object Type: Newspaper Article

Title: He Wants You to Think
Description: Profile of Kansas City artist Peter Cowdin, known to the arts community as A. Bitterman. The author writes that Bitterman was trained as a printmaker, moved to Kansas City in 1988 where he took a hiatus from making art, and decided to apply to the Avenue of the Arts in 2006. The controversies surrounding Bitterman's works are summarized, including: positioning a Wal-Mart sign against the Nelson Atkins Museum of Fine Art's Bloch Building, his proposal to attach a paper mache banana to the side of the Folly Theater, his billboard depicting himself aiming a gun at The Scout statue in Penn Valley Park, and others. Bitterman is interviewed and discusses his works and future artistic endeavors.
Date: 2014-03-16
Object Type: Newspaper Article

Title: Block by Block
Description: Kansas City Business Journal supplement about downtown development includes articles on Kauffman Center, East Crossroads, River Market, Power & Light District, and restored theaters. It also includes an article: "Downtown Dreams" about people who live downtown.
Date: 2008-12-05
Object Type: Newspaper Article

Title: A Peek at a Life in Burlesque
Description: Interview and biographical article on Tempest Storm, a famous burlesque performer of the 1950s. Born Annie Blanche Banks, Storm left her home in Georgia at the age of 14 and eventually made her way to California where she began her career. She became a headliner on the burlesque circuit, through which she frequently performed at the Folly Theater in Kansas City. Storm returned to the Folly in 1981 for the theater's dedication after it was refurbished, and again in 2014 for the Kansas City Burlesque Festival at the age of 86.
Date: 2014-05-01
Object Type: Newspaper Article

Title: Still Plenty of Life in the Stately Old Folly
Description: The 100-year-old plus Folly Theater plans "to stay around for at least another 111 years...." The Folly, noted for its "wonderful acoustics," is home to the Harriman-Jewell Series, the Friends of Chamber Music, and the Heartland Men's Chorus and the bi-annual visit by the Ailey II dance company. The non-profit Folly is known corporately as the Performing Arts Foundation and owns the building with 1,000 seats.
Date: 2011-05-15
Object Type: Newspaper Article

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