KC-Born SNL Star to Flip the Switch at the 90th Annual Evergy Plaza Lighting Ceremony

    KANSAS CITY, MO, September 18, 2019 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Country Club Plaza and KCP&L, soon to become Evergy, are excited to announce details for this year's Evergy Plaza Lighting Ceremony. This is the 90th anniversary for the event, and it will once again take place Thanksgiving evening, Thursday, Nov. 28. Notable Kansas City native Heidi Gardner will serve as the honored guest to "Flip the Switch" and illuminate Country Club Plaza.

Gardner is a current cast member on "Saturday Night Live," and has appeared on "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt Finale" and "Superstore" on NBC. She represents her love of Kansas City proudly and remains a Chiefs and Royals fan.

"We are proud to have Heidi Gardner join us at 90th Annual Evergy Plaza Lighting Ceremony," said Kasey Vena, marketing and sponsorship director for Country Club Plaza. "She is a Kansas City fan favorite, and we know she will add an upbeat, fun energy to this year's event."

"This is our 20th year to sponsor the lighting, but our first as Evergy," said Chuck Caisley, Chief Customer Officer for Evergy. "We are honored to be a partner in this important community event to light up the Plaza for our region."

The Evergy Plaza Lighting Ceremony is currently seeking dancers and singers to perform live at this event. Auditions for this year's show are managed by Harvest Productions and will be held on Thursday, Oct. 10, and Saturday, Oct. 12, at 4711 Central Street on Country Club Plaza. All interested in audition should make an appointment by contacting the Production Stage Manager at [email protected]. Audition details include:

Thursday, October 10
Audition: Dance and Performing Groups (Show Choirs, Dance Studios, Etc.)
• Time: 6–9 p.m.
• Location: 4711 Central St., Kansas City, MO 64112
• Availability: 12 slots for 15-minute appointments
• Special notes:
o Each group will perform a three- to five-minute self-chosen, up-tempo holiday-themed number.
o Performance may take place on hard tile, wood or concrete, so strategic footwear is advised.
o Singers will showcase acoustic talent, and all artists will bring their own music and speakers to these auditions.
o Groups with vocals should bring backing accompaniment tracks, amplification will be provided.

Saturday, October 12
Audition: Individual Singers
• Time: 11 a.m.–noon
• Location: 4711 Central St., Kansas City, MO 64112
• Availability: Twelve slots for five-minute appointments
• Singers should prepare 32 bars of an up-tempo holiday number.
Audition: Individual Dancers
• Time: Noon–1:30 p.m.
• Location: 4711 Central St., Kansas City, MO 64112
• Special notes:
o Performance may take place on hard tile, wood or concrete, so strategic footwear is advised.
o The dance combination will be taught at noon.
o Dancers should come stretched and warmed up.
Audition: Dance or Performing Groups (Show Choirs, Dance Studios, Etc.)
• Time: 1:30–3 p.m.
• Location: 4711 Central St., Kansas City, MO 64112
• Availability: Twelve slots for 15-minute appointments
• Special notes:
o Each group will perform a three- to five-minute self-chosen, up-tempo holiday-themed number.
o Performance may take place on hard tile, wood or concrete, so strategic footwear is advised.
o Singers will showcase acoustic talent, and all artists will bring their own music and speakers to these auditions.

Additional information about the 90th Annual Evergy Plaza Lighting Ceremony will be shared closer to the event.

This year's event is sponsored by Evergy, with KSHB serving as the broadcast partner. Harvest Productions is the live entertainment partner and will manage auditions and recruiting singers and dancers for the show. The Evergy Plaza Lights will shine through Sunday, Jan. 12.

About Country Club Plaza
Originally constructed in 1922, Country Club Plaza is an iconic, 15-block, 1.3 million-square-foot mixed-use retail property located in the heart of Kansas City. The property includes 804,000 square feet of GLA featuring unique-to-market tenants, with key retailers such as Apple, Kate Spade New York, Charlie Hustle, BLDWN Market, Tesla and Lululemon, as well as a dynamic mix of restaurants, including The Capital Grille, Rye and True Food Kitchen.

About Taubman
Taubman Centers is an S&P MidCap 400 Real Estate Investment Trust engaged in the ownership, management and/or leasing of 26 regional, super-regional and outlet shopping centers in the U.S. and Asia and one under development. Taubman's U.S.-owned properties are the most productive in the publicly held U.S. regional mall industry. Founded in 1950, Taubman is headquartered in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Taubman Asia, founded in 2005, is headquartered in Hong Kong. www.taubman.com

About Evergy, Inc.
Evergy, Inc. (NYSE: EVRG), formerly KCP&L, serves approximately 1.6 million customers in Kansas and Missouri. We generate nearly half the power we provide to homes and businesses with emission-free sources. We support our local communities where we live and work, and strive to meet the needs of customers through energy savings and innovative solutions.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Jenny Stasi
[email protected]
816.842.8111

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