By Brenna Eller
McPHERSON, Kan. — ARTrageous, a theater arts community based outside of Albuquerque, NM., who uses art, energy and creativity to bring their audience together with a 3D visual concert will be coming to the McPherson Opera House in February 2025.
Artrageous troupe member and an artist, Lauri Francis shared with Ad Astra Radio about the troupe and the upcoming show Feb. 13, 2025.
Francis calls the live painting “action painting” because the performer uses their whole body to work on the piece while trying to get it done by the end of the song.
Not only do they have live painting on stage, but Artrageous also performs music, fusing together music of original recording artists and composers from the troupe themselves.
“We play original music as well as favorites that everyone recognizes,” Francis explained.
The troupe has been together for a long time, becoming as close as a family.
Francis said when Artrageous started out in the 80s, the troupe began as street performers in Vancouver. She compared the troupe to Cirque du Soleil, doing street performing, clowning, juggling acts, etc.
Over the many years of being in the entertainment industry, the troupe has expanded their repertoire combining all they have learned from street performance days to the high-end corporate event days and special event days.
“We’ve done so many different things, and we’ve just put it all together on the Artrageous stage,” Francis said.
Artrageous has traveled nationally and internationally, performing at so many notable places and in front of many celebrities, which Francis said has been an honor.
“It’s so unique because I don’t think any of us in the troupe really thought that we would be in that kind of situation. I think most of us were like, ‘Oh, we just love music, we love making art, we love making people feel happy,’ which is really what Artrageous does. But I don’t think any of us really were like, ‘Wow, we’re going to be performing for Steve Forbes or Richard Branson!’ It wasn’t really a thought of ours,” Francis said. “I think that the atmosphere that is created at an Artrageous show is really just one of like inclusivity and joy and happiness.”
Notable Artrageous performances include:
- Carnegie Hall
- NBA All Star Halftime entertainment center court
- Private performance for Sir Richard Branson on Necker Island
- World Cup Soccer Finals in Paris
- Opening for Kenny Rogers for 10,000 VFW and friends
- Opening for Jay Leno
- Mardis Gras Main stage with special guests Luke Perry and KC and the Sunshine Band
- Main Stage with Cirque du Soleil
- Las Vegas alongside Blue Man Group.
- Artrageous has Performed in 49 states & 10 Countries – Mexico, Bahamas, Bermuda, Austria, France, Canada, Tanzania, Panama, Japan, Abu Dhabi.
For Francis, it’s not necessarily the locations or the venues that have made the performances memorable, it’s people who make them memorable, creating a journey with the troupe.
“I mean, we performed at the World Cup soccer finals in Paris, which was incredible,” she said. “We performed with NBA All Stars halftime show; we performed with Cirque du Soleil and Blue Man Group. It’s really wild.”
Prior to their show, Artrageous is in the theater meeting people, and she said getting to know the “amazing, middle America community” and the moments where they are just enjoying each other’s company are the ones that make a difference to the troupe.
This will be Artrageous’ first time in McPherson and performing at the McPherson Opera House, so Francis said they are really looking forward to the show in February.
“We’re doing a student performance in the morning and that’s just something that we donate,” Francis said. “We always look forward to reaching the students and sharing our love of ours and hopefully inspiring them. And then we do a show at 7:30 which is going to be like this magical journey through the arts.”
At the show, Francis said they will be giving away 100 Adventure Kits to the first 100 people that come to the theater on the 13th of February.
“It’s going to be this little complete kit of things that you need to participate in the show, and then we’re also going to give away a painting, just from our history, of all the places and people we perform for and with,” Francis shared. “Our paintings have sold for $25,000, so we’re going to actually give away one of those paintings during the evening. And that’s, you know, with your admission, you’re already entered.”
For those who have never experienced the live 3D painting experience, it is a surprise. The audience has no idea what’s being painted. It will be flipped around or revealed at the end. Francis said she enjoys hearing people guess what it will be as the reveal gets closer.
“After the show is done, it doesn’t really end there, because people can come on stage and take photos with the troupe and the painting,” Francis said. “We kind of host a live art gallery with everything that’s been created during the show at the end. So that’s a really fun part too.”
Be sure to get your tickets to see Artrageous live at the McPherson Opera House on Feb. 13, 2025, at 7:30 p.m. Doors open at 6:30.
Individual performance tickets are available at the Box Office. Tickets are on sale for $10-25 each and are available at mcphersonoperahouse.com.
