Podcast appearances and mentions of Matthew R Kerns

Matthew R. Kerns is the Executive Director of St. Lou Fringe Festival, and Director of Emerging Leaders at Focus St. Louis. Matthew is a performing artist, member of the LGBTQIA+ community, and advocate for Diversity and Inclusion in St. Louis. St. Lou Fringe is a free and uncensored performing arts festival held in Grand Center, showcasing theatre, dance, storytelling, spoken word, burlesque, acrobatics, and more. This year's festival will be held August 13-18th.In this episode, Matthew discusses his journey as a creative, the origins of St. Lou Fringe, and what the festival will look like in 2021. He also delves into the impact of CoVid 19 on the Arts Community, and offers his thoughts on the importance of Diversity and Inclusion in the St. Louis region.Matthew is brilliant, witty, creative, insightful...and fun!!! We appreciate him sharing his story and point of view on the Speak Up St. Louis Podcast. Enjoy this interview, links to St. Lou Fringe Festival are below!St. Lou Fringe FestivalA Wedding Under the St. Louis Arch

Matthew is an artist, educator, and community leader. His artistic body of work is multi-disciplinary and some of his favorite projects are: A Christmas Carol, an eight-minute solo-performance; Read, Sing; Resist, Melania Trump; The Talking Cure Speaks; Gay Fantasia, a late-night immersive event; CHICKEN, a solo-performance journey of life, liberty, and the pursuit of healthiness in the shadow of HIV, as well as directing productions of FROST/NIXON and 1984. As an educator he has taught at independent schools, colleges and universities across the nation. His students have gone on to careers starring in Broadway shows, television, and major motion pictures. In 2006, Matthew was a member of faculty awarded the Creative Ticket National School of Distinction Award from the John F. Kennedy Center’s Alliance for the Arts Education Network. Matthew is the Producing Executive Director at St Lou Fringe and Director of the Emerging Leaders Program & Member Relations for FOCUS St. Louis. He also owns an independent arts company named, The Drama Club STL. Matthew was honored to be named one of the 2020 Diverse Business Leaders by the St. Louis Business Journal last year for his work with St Lou Fringe.

Matthew is an artist, educator, and community leader. His artistic body of work is multi-disciplinary and some of his favorite projects are: A Christmas Carol, an eight-minute solo-performance; Read, Sing; Resist, Melania Trump; The Talking Cure Speaks; Gay Fantasia, a late-night immersive event; CHICKEN, a solo-performance journey of life, liberty, and the pursuit of healthiness in the shadow of HIV, as well as directing productions of FROST/NIXON and 1984. As an educator he has taught at independent schools, colleges and universities across the nation. His students have gone on to careers starring in Broadway shows, television, and major motion pictures. In 2006, Matthew was a member of faculty awarded the Creative Ticket National School of Distinction Award from the John F. Kennedy Center's Alliance for the Arts Education Network. Matthew is the Producing Executive Director at St Lou Fringe and Director of the Emerging Leaders Program & Member Relations for FOCUS St. Louis. He also owns an independent arts company named, The Drama Club STL. Matthew was honored to be named one of the 2020 Diverse Business Leaders by the St. Louis Business Journal last year for his work with St Lou Fringe. Matthew married Sean Gottlieb last year in a simple ceremony under the St. Louis Arch. They live in Lafayette Square in a row house built in 1890 with Lewis the Dog and Tuxedo the Cat.

Join Nick Cusumano and Danielle Filas as they welcome returning guest Matthew R. Kerns and Meghan Shook-McCarthy, founders of The DramaClubStl. The DramaClubStl offer a variety of theatre classes for children and youth include DramaClubStl- Discovering the Magic of Theatre -Theatre Class for Kids on the Autism Spectrum. Matthew and Meghan will share their experiences of creating Theatre with their students.

With gay rights issues at the forefront of political debates, it’s an interesting time to be a theatre artist in the gay community. Nick Cusumano and Danielle Filas talk with teacher, director, and solo artist Matthew R. Kerns about all of that, the future of the genre, and about his own pieces including his recent success, Gay Fantasia and Douglas Whaley, a retired OSU Law professor, published author, actor,director, who has vast knowledge of history of gay themed plays contributes to this interesting discussion.