Malden actor Kaedon Gray stars in upcoming production of ‘Crowns’

April 11–May 4 at Arrow Street Arts

  Malden actor Kaedon Gray stars in Moonbox Productions’ upcoming production of the award-winning gospel musical “Crowns” by Regina Taylor adapted from the book by Michael Cunningham and Craig Marberry; directed by Regine Vital with musical direction by David Coleman. “Crowns” opens on April 11 and runs through May 4 at Arrow Street Arts performance venue located at 2 Arrow St. in Cambridge. Tickets are $55 for general admission, $45 for seniors and $25 for students with pay-what-you-wish options available for each performance, while supplies last; tickets available at https://bit.ly/CrownsTix

Winner of the Helen Hayes Awards for Best Production and Best Musical, “Crowns” is a moving and celebratory musical play in which hats become a springboard for an exploration of history and identity as seen through the eyes of a young African American woman. When Yolanda’s brother is killed, she has to leave her vibrant, beloved Brooklyn and move in with her older relatives in the stale and stuffy South. Black women here are nothing like the ones back home, and that starts from the top down, as she watches her aunties move through their lives under a series of ever-more-elaborate hats. But beneath those hats are real women and real stories that Yolanda needs to hear. As her Southern sisters trace their hats’ rich history from Gullah to Gospel and from Sunday School to Saturday night, Yolanda must come to terms with her own multifaceted identity – one as complex, colorful and vibrant as the hats that surround her.

With each show, Moonbox Productions partners with a local nonprofit group to raise awareness for their cause, create connections for them within the community and increase the reach and impact of their work. For the production of “Crowns,” Moonbox will be partnering with Rosie’s Place, which was founded in 1974 as the first women’s shelter in the United States. Fifty years later, Rosie’s Place not only provides meals and shelter but also creates answers for 12,000 women a year through wide-ranging support, housing and education services. Their mission is to provide a safe and nurturing environment to help poor and homeless women maintain their dignity, seek opportunity and find security in their lives. Rosie’s Place relies solely on the generous support of individuals, foundations and corporations to fund its operations. They do not accept any city, state or federal funding. For more information about Rosie’s Place, please visit https://rosiesplace.org/.

For more information regarding Moonbox Productions’ upcoming production of “Crowns” go to www.moonboxproductions.org.

More info about Moonbox

Moonbox Productions was founded in 2011 by Producer/Artistic Director Sharman Altshuler. Based in Harvard Square in Cambridge, Mass., Moonbox is dedicated to supporting local arts and local artists and to connecting communities to the nonprofit organizations that serve them. To fulfill their artistic mission, Moonbox taps the deep well of talent within their own communities to bring top-quality theatrical experiences to stages throughout the Greater Boston area. To fulfill their social mission, they partner with a local nonprofit organization for each show, giving them visibility on their website and in their promotional materials.