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Matthew R. Kerns

MFA-producing executive director, St Lou Fringe

Matthew is a professional theatre artist, educator, motivational speaker, and arts leader. He is constantly spreading the news about our vibrant city and thriving arts community. His artistic creations have been featured in American Theatre Magazine, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Chicago Sun-Times, The Chicago Tribune, and on National Public Radio. Matthew is a recipient of the 2006 John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Creative Ticket Award for excellence in arts and education. Recently, he was named as an honoree to the 2020 Class of Diverse Business Leaders by the St. Louis Business Journal for his leadership at St Lou Fringe. His notable works include Broken Bone Bathtub (Producer); Chicken, a solo performance about the pursuit of life. liberty, and healthiness in the shadow of HIV (Writer and Performer); Gay Fantasia, a late-night immersive performance art event spanning the last days of the Harvey Milk era and the first day of the HIV/AIDS crisis (Writer and Performer). Matthew has spoken at the Missouri Education Conference; Young Writers of America Conference; The National Association of Independent Schools Conference; TedX; and he presented his work The Talking Cure Speaks at the 2018 Theatre Communications Group Conference. Matthew R. Kerns holds an MFA in Contemporary Theatre Performance from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado.

Matthew wants to thank Amy Scheers and the entire St Charles Community College Theatre Department for this opportunity as well as Sam, Jimmy, Alonna, and Brycen for their amazing and FAST work! : )

Finally, he thanks his late father, Robert Kerns, for helping him achieve all of his dreams and his lovely husband Sean who makes his life complete.

DIRECTOR'S NOTE:

Artists comment and create for the times they live in. During this era of COVID-19, we have seen the arts sector, as we know it, collapse. But, like a phoenix from the ashes, the artists are emerging and creating stories to be told through the new medium of virtual performing arts. Tonight, we laugh with the lobsters, and at the same time, we share a global pioneering experience together through virtual reality. This simple one-act comedy by Rosemary Frisino Toohey is being produced as a teaching tool for our next generation of theatre artists to learn from, and posit how this moment in time will shape their artistic work making in the future... and it's funny too! Who knew so much could be possible all from the comfort of your own couch? Enjoy tonight's show, these four amazing student actors are magical, and they prove to me that the future of the theatre now, and forever, is bright! #AloneTogether