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We are thrilled to announce tickets to our next production, "Princess Fearless" are NOW ON SALE! The original play is based on the book, “Princess Fearless: Walking to School and Double Dutch Delima”, and is recommended for children in grades 2-5. Live performances of Princess Fearless will be on stage at the Fullwood Theatre September 23rd - October 2nd. Tickets to these performances range between $10 - $18 per person and can be purchased here.
Local playwright/actor and Matthews Playhouse teaching artist, Lakeetha Blakeney (also known as Keetha B.), is the author of this empowering story that follows fourth grade student Louise “Lou” Miller, a young girl who must overcome her fears of a neighborhood dog. Blakeney says Lou is loosely based on her own childhood story and the fears she had to overcome. “I was afraid a lot as a child for various reasons, and I grew into an adult that was also afraid. I was often paralyzed by my fear,” she says. “I want to encourage children and adults to always be fearless. By that, I mean that even if you are afraid, try new things anyway.”
The production is in line with Matthews Playhouse’s renewed mission to make the performing arts more accessible and inclusive by modeling diversity, equity and inclusion for the entire arts industry. You can read more about the Matthews Playhouse Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives by clicking here.
SPECIAL EVENTS:
Weekday performances for school groups will take place September 26, 27, 29, 30 at 9:30 am & 11:30 am. Financial assistance for Title 1 Schools is available from the Matthews Playhouse Sponsor-A-Student Fund. Educators may visit matthewsplayhouse.com to learn more about special field trip opportunities for their students.
Keetha B. will do a special reading and workshop for children at the Matthews Library at 11am on Saturday, September 10th.
FREE OUTDOOR PERFORMANCE: Matthews Playhouse of the Performing Arts will present a special FREE outdoor performance of Princess Fearless, a one-act play for young people in Matthews’ Stumptown Park at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, September 24, 2022. Seating is general admission and is first come, first served. The free outdoor performance of ‘Princess Fearless’ is sponsored by ASC Culture Blocks Program, a community partnership funded by Mecklenburg County
MORE INFO
About Keetha B.
A native of Concord, North Carolina, Keetha B. received her BA in Theatre and African American Studies from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and her MA in English and Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University. She is the Founder and Artistic Director of Redeeming History Productions, a production company creating work that celebrates the marginalized global majority. Keetha B. is a theatre teaching artist and has been working with K-12 students for over 15 years and strives to create space for all who wish to learn the craft of acting. Her play, Sweet Jenn, won Best Original Script at the Atlanta Black Theatre Festival, and it will premier as a short film in 2023. Learn more about Keetha B. by visiting keethab.com.
About ASC Culture Blocks
ASC Culture Blocks is a community partnership funded by Mecklenburg County and connects communities with responsive arts, science, and history experiences closer to where residents live. The program engages with creative individuals and organizations with a primary mission of arts, science, and/or history to present programs in specific geographic areas. Culture Blocks supports cultural experiences that are planned with resident involvement and/or take place at libraries, recreation centers, parks, and relevant community spaces. Learn more by visiting www.artsandscience.org.
About the Matthews Playhouse
The Matthews Playhouse of the Performing Arts is a community based non-profit theatre committed to enriching the lives of children, adults, and families by inviting them to participate
in the world of performing arts and education. We commit to this mission by ensuring the excellence of our cultural programs for the participation and enjoyment of the people in our community.