Starting out as a theatre usher, Kwofe Coleman has worked his way right up to the top as Chief Executive Officer.

by Alexa Beattie / portraits by John Lore

Considering its length and slope, scaling the Muny ramp is no mean feat. Especially when you’ve a person in a wheelchair to push; and, after that, a few more people waiting at the curb. To boot, the orchestra is striking up; the show’s about to start. It feels to you like the world is on your back. It falls to you to get the people to their seats.

“I was in the best shape of my life,” said Kwofe Coleman who had that usher’s job almost 30 years ago. He was a boy back then – 16 years old, a first-generation Ghanaian from Bellefontaine Neighbors in North County. The Muny paid him $18 a night. “I could fill up my gas tank,” he said. “It was perfect,”

Muny President and CEO Kwofe Coleman / portrait by John Lore.

In the years since, not much has changed. The Muny is as beloved as it ever was: the house is no less packed, the ramp is no less steep, the summer nights are just as hot. But there are fans stirring the swampy air these days and the old oaks that sprouted magically from the stage have been repurposed into a fantastically beautiful conference table that lives in the smooth, new Muny offices. And while Coleman is still bringing people to the show, he is doing so in a slightly different capacity: He was named president and CEO in 2022. So – in characteristic fashion – he has made it to the top.

Dreamgirls, Aisha Jackson, Nick Rashad Burroughs, Tiffany Mann, Courtnee Carter and Company_Photo by Phillip Hamer.

Dreamgirls, Tiffany Mann, Aisha Jackson, Courtnee Carter / photo by Phillip Hamer.

Coleman admits that theater did not necessarily run in his blood. He was an athlete at SLUH and he holds a graduate degree in creative writing from Emory University in Atlanta. “No, I can’t claim to have been a theater kid.” But as it is for so many St. Louisans, Forest Park was central to his childhood – a leafy stage for some of his fondest memories, which – naturally – included The Muny. He said a performance of “The Wizard of Oz” stands out brightly in his mind. He was eight or nine. The show aside, “it was one of the largest crowds I’d ever seen. I was a little kid; there was so much to take in.”

MUNY production of Les Miserables / photo by Phillip Hamer.

These days, wheelchair pushing falls more officially under Accessibility Services. With no public elevator on the premises, this plays a vital role in keeping with Coleman’s overall ethos: The Muny – this country’s largest outdoor theater with 11,000 seats – is for everyone. This means that nearly 1,500 people are able to come for free each night and every week during the seven-week season. A Muny Community Access program allocates 2,000 more seats to various community groups. “If we believe we’re doing a good job at being a source of civic pride, then everyone has to be able to come here,” Coleman explained. In 107 years, there have always been free seats for every single performance.

Coleman was a no-brainer for the position. Over the span of 26 seasons (this year marks his 27th), he has held many key administrative positions in the theater – staff accountant, house manager, digital communications manager, director of marketing and communications and managing director. And Coleman’s reach extends far beyond the Muny stage. He serves on SLUH’s Board of Trustees, Cor Jesu Academy’s Advisory Council; on the Board of Directors for the Saint Louis Club, the Advisory Board for Common Circles and is a founding board member of Atlas School. He was a 2018 Fellowship Advisor for the DeVos Institute of Arts Management at the University of Maryland and was a 2015 recipient of the St. Louis American’s Salute to Young Leaders Award. In 2020, he was an inductee into the St. Louis Business Journal 40 Under 40. It sounds like a lot to keep up with. But so does getting a whole show together in 11 days, overseeing staff working “at fever pitch” to bring the best show possible to life.

FIDDLER ON THE ROOF / photo by Phillip Hamer.

“The competitor in me says no other theater [of this kind] compares,” said Coleman, thinking about Kansas City’s Starlight Theatre (with around 7,700 seats) and Utah’s Tuacahn Amphitheatre which has room for 2,500 guests. “We have the resources to make the unimaginable happen.” In part, he was referring to the $101 million raised by the 2017-2021 Second Century Capital Campaign which allowed The Muny to significantly update its stage and offices. But also to the 1,100-strong army of seasonal actors and stage hands, musicians and artists and administrative staff who bring the “unimaginable” to life.

This history of the Muny in Forest Park.

Coleman’s predecessor, Denny Reagan, held this position for nearly 30 years, but worked at The Muny for a total of 53. While both men have a similar dedication to and passion for the institution, the times, Coleman said, required and require different things of them. “Denny strove to be the best leader for his time, and so do I, for mine.”

This year will be Coleman’s fourth season at the helm. While he is quick to praise the expertise of Artistic Director and Executive Producer Mike Isaacson, he has a distinct role in shaping what he refers to as the “seven-week journey.” He thinks holistically; and, like a choreographer, considers carefully how the shows relate individually to each other and how they come together as one. It is always important to begin the season with a bang, he said – “to ‘wow’ the audience at the outset.” There also needs to be a middle and a meaningful end.

The 2025 season begins June 16 with “Bring It On: The Musical.” Then, around the mid-point, just as summer’s heating up, Disney’s “Frozen” takes to the stage on July 6. “Jersey Boys,” that inspiring tale of friendship and the pursuit of dreams, will send the audience off for another year with hope in their hearts.

From his desk, looking down through the leaves, Coleman can see Reagan’s bronze likeness which, he says, serves as inspiration every day. “Denny is a person I learned so much from – the right way to treat people and how to develop a true love for the place,” Coleman said. “We’re great friends, we bounce ideas and I am very grateful.”

As for the next 10 years, Coleman said he is simply committed to finding other ways to honor The Muny’s legacy. “No, we won’t be putting on a roof! But we will be living into our role as a nucleus, a heart of the community.”

“My question always is: Are we honoring our promise and commitment? Are we being diverse in every sense of the word? Are we thinking about meaning?” Indeed, the 2025 season as a whole contains themes of political strife, complicated family dynamics, mental health, unchecked power, betrayal and kindness. “We break down all the lines,” Coleman said. “We say, ‘This place is for you.’”

The Magnificent Muny