Metro Theater Company's 50th Anniversary Season Continues With SEEDFOLKS

Metro Theater Company (MTC), St. Louis' premier professional theater for youth and families and St. Louis' third-oldest professional theater company, continues its 22/23 50th Anniversary Season with SEEDFOLKS, adapted from the favorite middle school book by Newbery Medal-winning author Paul Fleischman.

MTC presents SEEDFOLKS live at the Grandel Theatre October 9 - November 6. A virtual streaming option is also available October 19 - November 6 at metroplays.org. Tickets are $20-$36 and available through MetroTix.

A vacant lot in a broken neighborhood in the middle of the city can become a lot of things. A garbage dump. A gathering spot for trouble. How could it ever be a source of hope? A dozen different characters and their stories come to life, beginning with Kim, a nine-year-old Vietnamese immigrant who plants six precious lima beans. One by one, the people of his community, many also immigrants, sow seeds of hope amid the dirt and grit, tending dreams to full bloom. As the garden grows, so does the community, blooming into something bigger, better, and beyond all expectations. As told by award-winning author Paul Fleischman, the garden draws neighbors out of their lonely isolation to rediscover and celebrate the community around them.

The New York Times says the production shows "how people so disparate, distant and divided can find, in every sense, common ground." School Library Journal describes SEEDFOLKS as "A beautiful, multicolored harvest. The message of diversity, people, and sensibility is universal, and beautifully cultivated by an author who has a green thumb with words." Publishers Weekly states, "The story's quiet beauty unfurls effortlessly and lingers. Paul Fleischman's plays, fiction, nonfiction, and poetry are known for innovation and multiple points of view. He has received a Newbery Medal, has been a National Book Award finalist, and was the 2012 U.S. nominee for the Hans Christian Andersen Award for the body of his work.

Metro Theater Company's production of SEEDFOLKS is directed by Jess Shoemaker. The all-St. Louis three-member cast of performers includes Joshua Mayfield, Michael Thanh Tran, and Tyler White. A full listing of SEEDFOLKS design and production team can be found online at https://www.metroplays.org/seedfolks.

The SEEDFOLKS playbill and Learning Guide are online for viewing. The production is 60 minutes with no intermission and recommend for ages 9 and up.

SEEDFOLKS is produced by special arrangement with Playscripts, Inc.

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