“JACKIE AND ME is a wonderful tale of bravery and integrity,” says MST Theater for Youth Producing Director Vivienne M. St. John. Based on the book by Dan Gutman and adapted for the stage by award-winning playwright Steven Dietz, JACKIE AND ME performs Saturdays, February 11 and 18 at 1pm and 4pm at Main Street Theater–Chelsea Market, 4617 Montrose Boulevard in the Museum District. Ticket prices for public performances are $12 and $14. Tickets are on sale in person at the Main Street Theater Box Office at 2540 Times Blvd in Rice Village, via phone at 713-524-6706 or online at mainstreettheater.com. Group rates are available. No children under 3 are admitted in the theater (including sleeping babies).
Special performances and rates are available for school matinees. Call 713-524-9196 ext 101 or visit the website.
In JACKIE AND ME, young Joey Stoshack has the special power to travel through time, so when he’s given an assignment to write a paper about a famous African-American, he chooses Jackie Robinson and heads back to 1947 to meet the man himself. Through his adventures, Joey experiences what it’s like to be African-American during a time of segregation and witnesses first-hand Jackie’s smashing the color barrier, even when people on his own team are against him. This performance is recommended for ages Fourth Grade(about 10 years old) and older.
MST Theatre for Youth invites theatre-goers and baseball enthusiasts to join them for a post-show discussion with Astros legend Jimmy Wynn following the 4pm performance on Saturday, February 11.
Additionally, on Saturday, February 18, MST will hold its "Page to Stage" book club meeting at the Blue Willow Bookshop at 10am. The club is meeting 6 times over the course of the season to talk about the books the MST Theater for Youth plays are based on, meet characters from the books, have a snack, make crafts, and hear a reading from the book. Children can bring their own copy of the book or purchase it at a discount at Blue Willow (located at 14532 Memorial Drive, at Dairy Ashford). To RSVP for the book club, participants may send an email to vstjohn@mainstreettheater.com.
Author Dan Gutman has written 80 books, both fictional and non-fictional. His best known work is the "& Me" series of children's novels, also known as the Baseball Card Adventures. Each book in the series revolves around a child traveling back in time to meet a baseball legend; the first work was based on the premise of a boy finding a Honus Wagner T206 baseball card in an attic of his neighbor. Further books in the series feature Jackie Robinson, Babe Ruth, Shoeless Joe Jackson, Dorothy "Mickey" Maguire, Abner Doubleday, Satchel Paige, Jim Thorpe, and Ray Chapman. According to Dan's official website, he is currently writing another addition to the series entitled Roberto & Me. The original story, Honus & Me, was made into a Turner Network Television made-for-TV picture entitled The Winning Season, starring Matthew Modine.
