STAGES St. Louis (STAGES) is a professional, not-for-profit organization with two primary focuses – Professional Live Musical Theatre and Musical Theatre Arts Education. STAGES is committed to preserving and advancing the art form of Musical Theatre through excellence in performance and education. The mission of the STAGES Performing Arts Academy (SPAA) is to inspire passion, creativity, and curiosity in students of all ages. STAGES St. Louis opened in 1986 with a $50,000 budget and part-time seasonal staff of eight. Today the company employs a full-time staff of 17 overseeing an annual budget of $5.1 million. Seasonally 150 additional actors, designers, and crew members bring the Mainstage productions to life. STAGES' shows are of the highest quality and recognized as among the finest in the region.Annually STAGES productions reach nearly 50,000 patrons from a wide variety of backgrounds. STAGES' audience includes a spectrum of ages and socio-economic levels from 238 cities in 30 states including 160+ Missouri zip codes. STAGES provides hundreds of complimentary tickets to underserved populations, including low-income students, enhancing arts availability in St. Louis. The level of excellence in STAGES Artistic programs is matched in caliber by the highly respected SPAA. Regionally renowned for its innovative educational opportunities, the SPAA is the only local performing arts academy connected to a professional theatre company. The SPAA will not turn a student away due to financial need, providing more than $70,000 in scholarship assistance and underwriting annually.