A Message from Artistic Director KC MacMillan

April 10, 2020

Dear friends,

It’s been apparent for some time that we must postpone our June production of JESS AND JOE FOREVER to next season. By now, you’ve likely received several messages like this, as more and more of the events that define springtime in Philadelphia have been cancelled or delayed. 

For me, Spring usually means enjoying the season’s most ambitious plays, as well as sidewalk dining, iced coffee, and the start of baseball season. But this year, like so many in our community, I’m worried about our emergency and health care workers, my vulnerable loved ones, and lost wages. And while I’m not a parent, as a longtime teaching artist in Philadelphia’s schools, I’m heartbroken for our students, teachers, and parents who’ve just learned their schools will stay closed through the end of the year. Even for the healthy among us, as of this writing, we have many challenges ahead. I hope wherever you’re sheltering in place, that you’re safe, healthy, and feeling resilient.

I’m disappointed not to share this Spring with you. JESS AND JOE FOREVER is a special play, and in so many ways, right for this moment: It’s about empathy for the vulnerable among us and the power of an individual’s resilience in challenging times. JESS AND JOE FOREVER is right for this moment, but it’s also worth waiting for — so I’ll keep looking forward to the time we can all be together again to share a special experience. 

If you have already purchased tickets to JESS AND JOE FOREVER, a member of our staff will be in touch with you in the coming days to help you obtain a refund on your purchase, exchange your tickets into our March 2021 production, or convert them into a donation to support Tiny Dynamite’s mission of new plays in new ways.

I hope you’ve been enjoying our #PPPInPlace posts on Facebook and Instagram — please post your photos there as well, so we can see how you’re coping with this moment. 

For those of you who have followed our journey with JANE AUSTEN, ABRIDGED, and helped us to realize our dream of bringing the show to the Edinburgh International Fringe, thank you. I’m so grateful to you. Unfortunately, there will be no Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2020; in the interest of public health, the festival as a whole has been cancelled. But we’ll keep that dream alive, too, and our venue is committed to hosting us next year. Thank you again for your support this year as we worked to bring Philadelphia artists to international audiences.

And if you’ve been waiting for us to bring JANE AUSTEN back to Philly? We’ll have dates for you soon, when more can be understood about how this crisis will unfold. Meanwhile, I hope you’ll join the show’s writing team for a virtual teatime chat next week. We’d love to get together and take your questions about the making of a show that’s so special to us. Come say hello!

I wish you health, safety, and good spirits — whatever the challenges you and your loved ones are facing right now. Please stay in touch. 

I’ll see you at a show — or a cafe or a baseball game — again soon,
KC