Museum, Theater, Music and Arts Organizations

Lathrop & Gage has significant experience representing museums, theaters, and music and arts organizations.  Our services span the full range of needs from legal issues pertaining to start-up to production and operating concerns.  Unlike boutique entertainment firms, we are a one-stop, full-service firm that ensures that all our clients receive coordinated, comprehensive assistance tailored to their situations. 

Representative Experience:

• We represent Starlight Theatre in a wide range of issues including general litigation matters, defense of claims, labor issues, artists’ contracts and charitable tax issues such as unrelated business income tax matters. We also formed a for-profit subsidiary for Starlight.
• We negotiated a lease and several lease amendments between the Lyric Opera of Kansas City and its major tenant in the opera house, KMBC-TV 9.  We negotiated a license agreement between the Lyric Opera and the proposed new Metropolitan Kansas City Performing Arts Center.   We have given the Lyric Opera a variety of legal advice on such matters as property and income tax exemptions, bylaws interpretations and organizational issues, employment issues, insurance issues, contract interpretations, and have reviewed a variety of legal agreements with promoters, licensees, vendors and others.
• We drafted bylaws and other organizational documents, reviewed theater leases and construction contracts, and advised on employment and contract matters for the Coterie, Inc., a children’s theater.
• We have provided legal review of contracts and agreements for the Heart of America Shakespeare Festival.