Idris Goodwin Releases 5 Free Plays, Six The Musical at the Drive-In and Blue Star Awards Go Virtual

Playwright Idris Goodwin recognizes the challenges that come with explaining anti-racism to youth. The conversations are tough to start and can be very different for many families. To help spark those conversations, Goodwin partnered with Theatre for Young Audiences to release five plays for free. Three of the plays are brand-new works - and one is appropriate for children as young as six and nine years old. The final two plays are appropriate for ages 14 and up. All are available for download at tyausa.org/freeplay. Goodwin is an award-winning playwright, poet, director, educator and organizer who uses his creative powers for change.

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For the first time in the program’s 18-year history, the Blue Star Awards ceremony will become a virtual event and premiere live on Starlight’s Facebook page on Friday, July 31 at 7:30 p.m. Although we had previously postponed the ceremony in hopes of holding an in-person event later this summer, leadership and staff have since determined that it is in everyone’s best safety interests to hold this year’s event exclusively online, with no in-venue attendees. While the Blue Star Awards ceremony will differ from years past, we are confident that this virtual event will still bring well-deserved recognition to outstanding Kansas City area students. Tune in Friday, July 31 at facebook.com/kcstarlight to be the first to hear this year’s Blue Star Awards winners.

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Stages may be dark for the foreseeable future, but one show in the United Kingdom has figured out how to go live once again. Six, the British concert-style musical that tells the story of Henry the Eighth’s six wives, has announced that it will perform drive-in style--with guests stationed in their own vehicles. Other than this new socially distanced protocol, the musical is said to be staged with otherwise full production elements. Large screens, much like the ones we have at Starlight, will allow all viewers to see the detail of the production. We’re excited to see how this new production concept turns out!

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