Roxy's Downtown

Dec 10, 2024 12:00 PM

Rick Bumgardner, Artistic Director

Roxy's Downtown

Rick Bumgardner is a nationally acclaimed, award-winning Director, having been nominated for the prestigious Zelda Fischandler award and was named the Individual Arts Advocate in 2023 by the City of Wichita Arts Council.

Rick’s theatrical training includes the formal classroom training at Wichita State University, and the University of Connecticut for graduate work. He also attended mini master classes with a variety of artists, including Hal Holbrook , Stephen Sondheim, Jarek Stremien, Richard Allen, Nichols and Mary Jane Teal.

Rick has worked the alongside artists such as En Vogue, RuPaul, Dee Wallace Stone, Jennifer Holiday, Rod Loomis, Gus Kaikonen, Mauricio, Bustamante, Chaka Khan, Karla, Burns, and many others either producing/acting/directing.

Rick has finally landed back in Wichita Kansas, where he serves as producing artistic Director at Roxy’s Downtown. Since joining the organization in September 2017, Roxy’s has produced 60 productions overseeing all artistic elements. Roxy’s has won the Best Live Theatre from the Wichita Eagle Readers’ Choice awards four of the past six years and is awaiting the results for this year‘s voting. Last year Roxy’s won the Best Live Theatre from Broadway World and is looking forward to repeating this year.

A member of Rotary, Rick puts the four-way test to work not only in his own life but on the stage as well.