Houston Area Students Present AMAZING GRACE, Now thru 2/17

Eleven students of Main Street Theater's Education Department explore the very real issues of discrimination and perseverance in the play Amazing Grace by Shay Youngblood, adapted from the book by Mary Hoffman. There are 3 public performances: tonight and Saturday, February 15 and 16, at 7:30pm, and Sunday, February 17 at 3:30pm. Performances are at Main Street Theater - Chelsea Market, located at 4617 Montrose Blvd. For tickets, call 713-524-6706 or log on to mainstreettheater.com. All tickets are $5.00.

Grace is a little girl who loves acting out stories, those told and read to her by her grandmother as well as ones she reads on her own. In her imagination, she becomes the characters: Anansi the Spider, Joan of Arc, Mowgli, Hiawatha. But Grace is told by two of her classmates that she can't be Peter Pan in the school play-because she is a girl and because she is black. Will the limits of the real world forbid Grace from being something she wants to be?

The cast is comprised of 11 Houston-area students ages 8 - 14 and includes Teresa Blanco, Canaan Bracey, Layla Crear, Sadie Dill, Bridget Kennedy, Emma Kim, Kayleigh Latimer, Jade Rea, Aris Smith, Ian Van Loon, and KameRon Walker.

Professional artists direct and design all MST Rehearsal &Performance class productions. Florence Garvey is the Director. Brittny Bush is the Assistant Director. Amy Brock is the Costume Designer, and Rodney Walsworth is the Set and Properties designer.

Now in its 25th season, MST's Education Department Main Street Theater offers students a performing arts playground where professional theater artists serve as mentors. With an emphasis on creativity and collaboration, we provide hands-on opportunities for students to make an original contribution in all aspects of play production. In support of Main Street Theater's mission, Main Street's Education Department provides a significant resource in the community for education in theater and classical theater for kids, families and educators. Through year-round classes, outreach programs, and camps both on-site and at satellite locations, students develop their voices, bodies, and imaginations in a challenging and fun curriculum, taught by professional artists and arts educators.

Main Street Theater's education programs offer a wide range of classes for students of all skill levels, including individual audition coaching sessions, movement and dance classes, filmmaking classes, high school workshops, and a Summer Performing Arts Camp. The Rehearsal and Performance system includes classes for students at two levels: those who are ready to audition for plays for the public and those who want to hone their skills by producing a play in a "lab" context for family and friends. Classes range from $175 - $500; camps range from $50 - $530. For more information or to register for classes and camps, call 713-524-9196 x 104 or 103 or log on to mainstreettheater.com.

Photo Credit: Kaitlyn Walker