KFAD's History
Beloit realtor Marge Austin and her friend, teacher Cindy Bacon founded Kids Fun and Drama in 1989 for Marge's granddaughters: Melissa, Anya, Tricia, and Tracy.
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After Marge's granddaughters had grown up, Marge continued KFAD with the mission of providing theatre and music education to students in the Stateline area regardless of their ability to pay. Marge Austin saw that area schools were cutting their budgets for arts programs, and some did not offer theatre arts at all, and she wanted to create more opportunities for kids.
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Marge was the executive director and music director of KFAD, playing piano for rehearsals and teaching students how to read music, sing, and play hand chimes.
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Marge Austin managed KFAD, Inc. for over 31 years. She worked tirelessly to gather the necessary resources while maintaining relationships with benefactors, alumni, and collaborators so that KFAD could continue to be a music education resource to the Beloit area. She remained actively involved up until the spring of 2020 when her health began to decline. Marge passed away in April 2021. She was well-loved by the Beloit community and is greatly missed.
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Today, KFAD is run by the board of directors. We are honored to carry on Marge's legacy of providing theatre education to children regardless of financial circumstances.
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KFAD had its first performances at First Congregational Church. For many years the KFAD Studio was located on College Avenue in Beloit, with performances at First Presbyterian Church on Prospect St. (now The Castle).
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KFAD began to hold performances in the theater at Beloit Head Start in 2013, the KFAD studio moved to the old M&I Bank building behind the Beloit Public Library in 2014, and performances were moved to Central Christian Church in 2021.
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Over the years KFAD's directors have included Cindy Bacon, Janet Balson, Barry Nyquist, Josh Burton, Pat Hoye, Patricia Moran Collins, Christine Schoen, Brynn Hambly, Jestin Korleski, Janet Palmer, and Samantha Hoppe.
Scrapbook pages by KFAD alum Autumn Lloyd