10 Days of Joy

On June 21, we kicked off "10 Days of Joy" in celebration of favorite moments of our 2020-2021 season. Check back here each day for new posts! What are some moments of Metro Theater Company joy you experienced this season? Please email us at community@metroplays.org with your thoughts and be sure to tag us with #mtcjoy on social media. We would love to hear from you!

Day 10
Today is the final day of our 2020-2021 Season and our final day of "10 Days of Joy!" What brought us the most joy this season and fueled our every day was you. We are grateful for your enthusiasm, generosity, and kindness as we navigated a very different world filled with unexpected experiences, stories, and emotions. Thank you for being you.

Day 9
MTC Content Marketing Manager and photographer Jennifer Lin shared, "One of my favorite moments of joy this season was taking photos of Caty the Caterpillar puppet (featured in The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show) in fun locations around St. Louis. The photography helped generate early excitement for both our streaming and live productions. It was happy vibes all around seeing people smiling at the Caterpillar and hearing them recall the wonder of Eric Carle’s beautiful story. Plus, I loved the magical help of two special assistants on the photoshoots—a colleague’s daughter and my daughter!"

Day 8
MTC Managing Director Joe Gfaller comments on moments of joy this season. “More than anything, I think that MTC’s all-St. Louis virtual reading of A Christmas Carol brought me joy at just the right moment this past season. The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show was joyful because it was our first re-entry to see live audiences – and it happened at a moment when a feeling of hope was palpable in our community. But the holidays were a tougher time of year for all of us, with many families being unable to be together and hope seeming a lot more distant. We decided to put the event together as a gift for St. Louis, but in many ways it proved to be a gift to each of us who worked on it as well. Seeing the outpouring of enthusiasm from the many amazing people who came on board as our readers – from celebrities to first responders and more – was itself more than enough to spark joy during a challenging time.”

Day 7
Today we highlight this season's blog post from January 2021 that featured Jamie McKittrick, Director of Jacked! She shared that one of her favorite parts of the production "was making a new slow cooker meal to bring to the studio every day for lunch."

She said, "Cooking for the people I care about is one of the cornerstones of my social and artistic life that had been missing since March of 2020. I found it so comforting to be able to put together a meal for my Jacked! family each day in the recording studio. If I could send a homecooked meal to every person who touched this project and every single audience member who chooses to take time to experience this production, I would.

"Just like, how when the character of Jack is hungry and bravely trying to solve problems that are older and larger than his age, all I want to do is feed him and bring him close to me and comfort him. Jack and his community, like all of us, can only move through difficult times when they immediately look to one another for support. We are all connected. I’m so grateful working on Jacked! reminded me of that connection both in process and in the final performance product."

Jamie McKittrick

Day 6
Metro Theater Company staff's cats, dogs, and bunnies brought joy, comfort, and much needed laughter this season as everyone adjusted to working from home!

Day 5
We loved getting feedback from audiences who experienced The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show—our exciting return to live, in-person performances. Here's one particular joyful comment from Rachel B. She said, "It was a beautiful re-introduction into the world of theater after a long year without plays... this show was stunning visually, the pace was perfect for my toddler son, the actors were engaging and I loved the bilingual aspect… When the Brown Bear first came on stage... my heart fluttered... I was near tears, it was just the perfect way to open the show."

Day 4
MTC's Education Director Karen Bain and Resident Teaching Artist Gen Zoufal were immersed in working virtually with classrooms throughout the year and received these wonderful comments. An educator said, “Collaborating with Metro Theater, even during this challenging COVID year, was such a joy! MTC created engaging ways to break down the walls and silences between students and connect them meaningfully and respectfully with each other, even when dealing with challenging issues like bullying and social justice. We are so thankful for their partnership with us!”

Karen Bain

Gen Zoufal

Day 3
MTC Audience Services Associate, Eleanor Marsh commented on one of her moments of joy this season. "Watching the stories that shaped my childhood come to life through the magic of puppetry was the best re-introduction to the world of live theater I could have dreamed of. The joy that radiated from our audience was palpable and infectious, and I feel so incredibly privileged to have been able to help bring such a beautiful production to the families of St. Louis."

Eleanor Marsh

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show Patrons

Day 2
One of things that brought the Metro Theater Company staff and artists much joy was hearing from families who streamed our production of Jacked! by Idris Goodwin. ❤ Julie Shapleigh shared, "My 7-year- old daughter LOVED the development of the story of Jack and his mom and what happened with the goose and the golden eggs. It was funny, very real, and sad sometimes and introduced some really advanced ideas about economics. The music, drawings, and voice talent just blew our minds! Thank you so much for creating such a 'wow' theater moment for us during a time when theater moments are hard to come by!"

Day 1
Metro Theater Company Artistic Director Julia Flood said, “One moment of joy for me came on actor Jamie McKittrick's birthday. We were in rehearsal for our outdoor production of The Very Hungry Caterpillar / La Oruga Muy Hambrienta Espectáculo, all socially distant and masked in the rehearsal studio. Actor Hailey Medrano arrived carrying a huge platter. For Jamie's birthday, she had brought in EVERYTHING that the very hungry caterpillar eats in Eric Carle's book! All the fruit, the cake, ice cream, pickles, salami -- all of it. It was a delightful moment and it made us realize what a journey our little caterpillar makes! Such a joy to work with creative and thoughtful people!"

Actor Jamie McKittrick

Artistic Director Julia Flood