Matthew Kerns

Artistic Work-Maker, Educator & Performance Curator

Matthew is an artistic work-maker, educator & performance curator. He believes that performative arts in and for the community are vital to the cultural fabric of our existence. He holds an MFA in Contemporary Performance from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. Acting, for Matthew, is experiential and psychophysical. He has acted, directed & produced professionally on stages across the nation but his true love is contemporary performance. His late night immersive piece, GAY FANTASIA, won the 2014 St Lou Fringe that he became Executive Director of just two years later. Along with leading StlFringe he is also the Director of Community Engagement & Programming for the Grand Center Arts District in St. Louis, Missouri. In 2015, he founded of The Drama Club Stl, an educational performance company. His students are currently seen on national television shows, major motion pictures, independent films, commercials and on Broadway. As the Chair of the theatre department at one a top independent arts high schools in the nation he created a proven arts program that garnered national acclaim. His work has been recognized by The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago Reader, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, & NPR.