Kudzu is proud to bring this classic Southern story to the community. Bring your lawn chairs, blankets, snacks, and favorite beverage, and join us at Coffee Central’s side yard on Oct. 22 or the Hernando Courthouse lawn on Oct. 23 (6:30 p.m. each night) for an evening of fun and fellowship. Performances are open to the public and donations are appreciated. You can also help by sponsoring this production.
Matilda Benefit Wrap-Up
Thank you to everyone who joined us on August 14 for the Matilda concerts, benefiting the Kudzu Playhouse Wesley W. Williamson Memorial college scholarship. Your support and kind comments made the many long months of waiting and prayers worthwhile.
We understand that recent spikes in COVID cases prevented many from being able to attend and hate that we missed seeing so many familiar faces. Unfortunately, the lower attendance also means we are short of our original scholarship fundraising goal.
If you were not able to attend, or if you would like to contribute, we would be grateful for your donation. You can also order a commemorative shirt by August 30 and the proceeds will go to the scholarship fund. Any amount would be humbly appreciated.
Donate to the scholarship fund
Order a shirt (deadline is Aug. 30)
Moana JR postponed
COVID-19 strikes again. Out of an abundance of caution for our younger thespians and given the increasing likelihood that we may lose access to the HPAC this fall, we have made the very difficult decision to postpone our planned production of Moana JR, once again.
We do not have new dates yet, but are targeting late February/early March. We will keep everyone updated as soon as plans are finalized. If you registered for the audition workshop, your place is already secured for the workshop in the spring. We will let you know as soon as the new dates have been confirmed.
Tomorrow, we will be sharing more information about our fall STARS classes. We have greater flexibility to keep those going, so we look forward to continuing with our plans.
This is heartbreaking for us, to say the very least. We so desperately want to get back to “normal” and have complete, live performances with full casts. We remain confident that those days are still on the near horizon. Thank you for your continued patience and support of Kudzu Playhouse as we work through these very unusual times.
Please stay safe!
Matilda Benefit Concert planned for August 14, 2021
With the help of some incredible friends, we are excited to announce our plan to close the Matilda chapter of Kudzu’s legacy thoughtfully and appropriately.
After great consideration, debate, and countless hours of prayer, we have chosen to hold a Matilda Benefit Concert as a fundraiser for the new Wesley W. Williamson college scholarship at Kudzu Playhouse. Our goal is to raise sufficient funds to establish an endowment and be able to begin awarding the scholarship in 2022. This college scholarship, like other Kudzu scholarships, will enable students to attend any school and pursue any degree of their choice.
We hope you will join us on August 14 at either 2 PM or 7 PM as we bring the incredible music of Matilda to life and celebrate our dear friend. This event is Pay What You Can – General Admission, but we encourage you to secure your seats in advance and consider making at least a $20 donation.
Learn more about our incredible cast HERE.
Secure your reservation HERE.
Sponsor this special event HERE.
Donate to Kudzu’s Wesley W. Williamson Memorial Scholarship Fund HERE.
Order the commemorative show shirt HERE.
Wesley was scheduled to direct Matilda as our main stage production at the HPAC in summer 2020. The show was postponed to summer 2021 due to COVID-19. When Wesley passed away unexpectedly earlier this year, we had some emotional and difficult decisions to make.
Given that we lost access to the one venue in the area that could appropriately accommodate a production of this size and do it justice, we were faced with the possibility of postponing another year. Delaying to 2022 would have meant that much of the current cast would be too old (or too tall) for their roles. Finally, the thought of casting a new director was the most heart-wrenching of all since Wesley was so passionate about this cast and this show. This concert allows for the cast that Wesley hand-picked in January 2020 to perform the show, even if in a limited capacity.
There is some poetic irony in the fact that Wesley’s first and last shows with Kudzu were both Roald Dahl favorites. God has truly had His hand on our shoulders.
What’s Happening at Kudzu Playhouse?
Summer camps are back at Kudzu Playhouse!
We are thrilled to announce Kudzu’s new partnerships with the Byhalia Arts Council and Getwell Church Hernando and share that we have TWO locations for our 2021 camps!
We reduced the size of each camp to make sure we can appropriately enforce COVID safety and wellness protocols. We have missed our campers SO much and cannot wait to see you this summer! Hop on over and register today!
Currently, we remain undecided about our main stage productions for 2021. We will share an exciting update about Matilda soon, but due to a lack of appropriate performance and rehearsal space, we are re-evaluating our Kidzu production of Moana JR. We appreciate everyone’s patience while we work through the best way to move forward.
We remain committed to our legacy in the theatre community. Kudzu has a long and rich history, and we are excited to partner with our beloved friends and neighbors to write the next chapter. Please stay safe and stay healthy, and thanks so much for your continued support of Kudzu Playhouse.
With Gratitude,
Joi Taylor, Executive Director
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