You could say Metro Theater Company is having a banner year: The organization is marking a successful finale to its 49th season, with hit productions such as “Last Stop on Market Street” and “In My Granny’s Garden.” This month, Metro Theater is hosting its signature After Dark gala on June 9 at Palladium Saint Louis, an event that benefits the organization’s widely acclaimed programming for young people on stage, in the classroom and throughout the community.
The company recently announced the lineup for its 2022-2023 50th Anniversary Season, which includes: “Bold, Brave, Curious!” (Sept. 9 to Oct. 16), “Seedfolks” (Oct. 9 to Nov. 6); Fall Free Family Festival (Oct. 15 to 16), “Spells of the Sea” (Feb. 5 to March 5); and “Go, Dog. Go!” (April 2 to 16). All shows will be performed live for in-person audiences, with tickets available for sale later this summer.
Gazelle recently spoke with Metro Theater Company (MTC) managing director Joe Gfaller about the organization’s role in the community and the preparations in the works in anticipation of its milestone year.
GAZELLE: Who is Metro Theater Company’s most important audience and how does the organization’s mission impact them?
GFALLER: MTC’s most important audience has always been children and their caregivers. All of MTC’s programs live at the intersection of arts and education because we recognize the power the performing arts have, not only to entertain and inspire creativity in young people, but also to provide critical social and emotional learning opportunities. Live theater helps young people build a stronger sense of self, understand difference, cultivate empathy and nurture hope. Since 1973, MTC has been committed to ensuring that young people have access to those and many other benefits of live theater through mainstage productions, touring programs, and arts integrated curriculum – serving over 25,000 young people annually.
GAZELLE: What’s in store for guests at next week’s After Dark gala?
GFALLER: After Dark is a joyful celebration that highlights the best of the present and the future of theater for youth and families. There will be great food, drink, company and entertainment. We are bringing back two numbers from our hit production of “Last Stop on Market Street,” which starred the incomparable Denise Thimes, as well as hearing from the Newberry Award-winning author of the original children’s book, Matt de la Peña, who is traveling to St. Louis just for the event. VIP guests will enjoy a special meet-and-greet with Matt during our cocktail reception, including opportunities for photos with him on set pieces from our production. Our guests will also be the very first audiences to hear music from the world premiere of a new musical that we’ll be premiering next season, “Spells of the Sea,” sung by the composer herself, Genny Govea. There will also be a wonderful auction including travel packages to Costa Rica, Breckenridge and Florida, as well as a rare complete set of first editions of every book in the “Harry Potter” universe with an autographed cover plate from JK Rowling. Jasmine Huda is our emcee, guiding us through the evening.
GAZELLE: Why is this event’s success so important to what you do at Metro Theater Company?
GFALLER: Proceeds from this event directly support all of our annual programs and will help us to set the stage for an amazing 50th anniversary season. Every nonprofit in the country has been challenged by the impact of COVID-19 on its programs, audiences and funding – and MTC is no different. We are grateful that our programs continued uninterrupted through the pandemic, with new digital streaming platforms allowing us to still reach audiences across the region and across the globe. However, even after re-opening for live performances in the last year, like many, we haven’t yet seen box office revenue return to pre-pandemic levels. So, we are relying on contributed support more than ever, which is why we are so appreciative for the generosity of so many in helping us make After Dark a success.
GAZELLE: Tell us what to expect for Metro Theater’s 50th anniversary season?
GFALLER: Our 50th season is going to be truly unforgettable, with great productions on stage and lots of beautiful moments to commemorate the anniversary. We open the season with a free family festival in Grand Center – two full days of productions and activities for young people of all ages, anchored by our mainstage production of “Seedfolks” (based on Newberry Award winner Paul Fleishman’s YA novel) at The Grandel, and our touring production of “Bold Brave Curious” (a world premiere by St. Louis playwright Mariah Richardson) at the Sun Theater. We’ll also perform songs from our current production of “In My Granny’s Garden,” children’s poems by one of MTC’s founders Zaro Weil, and have lots of arts and craft-making activities, including a community-wide painting project. Later in the season, we’ll produce the world premiere of the musical, “Spells of the Sea” at The Grandel and the joyful acrobatic new production of “Go, Dog. Go!” at The Big Top in Grand Center – a throwback to MTC’s origins as Metro Theater Circus. We’ll also be inviting people who have MTC stories of their own to share them with us as we build an oral history of the company from those who witnessed its journey over its first 50 years, culminating in something very special at our 50th anniversary gala, which will also be at The Big Top, on April 22, 2023. Plus, the 50th season is the start of our Every Child Initiative – MTC’s commitment to ensure that every child in our region receives at least one of our programs at least once during their childhood over the next decade.
GAZELLE: What has been the key to the organization staying relevant through the years?
GFALLER: I think one of MTC’s greatest strengths has been its responsiveness to the needs of young people. Everything we do is grounded in a profound respect for the emotional wisdom and intelligence of young people – a belief that if we meet young people developmentally where they are, we can provide them with the same level of excellence in the arts that every person of every age and every background deserves. This responsiveness and respect have helped MTC navigate a changing environment and changing needs for young people. Often this leads to creating new work that advances and deepens the canon of theater available for young people to experience – everything from a highly percussive take on the classic “Beowulf” to “The Yellow Boat,” which told the true story of young boy with hemophilia who contracted HIV/AIDS in the early ‘90s and toured across the country for years, to our recent production of “Ghost,” based on Jason Reynolds’ bestselling novel. But ultimately, in leading MTC today, (artistic director) Julia Flood and I stand on the shoulders of the educational and artistic innovators like Zaro Weil, Lynn Rubright, Carol North and Nick Kryah, whose work for decades brought the light of recognition and joy into the eyes of over 2 million young people. Without their brilliance, we would not be primed 50 years later to be able to continue their legacy with bold, joyful new work for every child in our region.
Tickets to After Dark are still available. Visit Metro Theater Company’s official event page for more information.
Gazelle is a proud media sponsor of Metro Theater Company’s 2022 After Dark gala.
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