Steel River Playhouse Announces "Healing on High Street"

Steel River Playhouse is thrilled to announce a groundbreaking new project. With a grant from the Pottstown Area Health & Wellness Foundation, the “Healing on High Street” project will tell the story of Pottstown, drawing on our wealth of diversity and amplifying voices that often remain unheard.

In collaboration with several community partners and other nonprofit organizations, including, but not limited to the Pottstown School District, Montgomery County Community College, and PAID. This project will bring together a team with an interest in transformational storytelling, social justice, and diversity. David Charles, Co-Founder and Executive Director of The STRIVE Initiative, one of the community organizations partnering in this project says, “The STRIVE Initiative looks forward to a partnership with Steel River Playhouse. Their storytelling initiative will be a unique way to highlight unknown community voices and personal stories from Pottstown residents. We are excited to assist our community partner in this endeavor.”

As part of this project to create the original work, we are excited to announce that Brie Knight, an award-winning playwright, has joined the team. Brie is based in Philadelphia and her works have been produced across the country. Her works have been featured at InterAct Theatre, Eagle Theatre, PlayPenn, The Philadelphia Women's Theatre Festival, and more around the country. She is a graduate of the Philadelphia Playwright's Incubator - The Foundry. Her play PANCAKE QUEEN has won numerous awards, including the Lorraine Hansberry Theatre's Inaugural Playwriting Competition. Ms. Knight says, “This is a project that has great potential for us to connect through conversation, to heal, to learn, and grow as a community and as humans. But above all, as the playwright, what I am most eager to shine a light on and uplift are the people of Pottstown. I am excited to explore the heart and soul of this city and learn from its people, and to use theatre as a tool for community engagement and dialogue. This is a play for the people of Pottstown by the people of Pottstown.”

In the coming months Project participants will be training and planning the community outreach. Community interviews will be conducted over the summer and fall months, followed by auditions and performance preparation. We look forward to inviting the community to see the culmination of this project in 2022.

Steel River Playhouse is a non-profit (501c3) theatre and education organization dedicated to sharing stories that reflect our collective humanity by providing a nurturing and empowering environment to represent and serve our diverse community.

Pottstown Area Health & Wellness Foundation is all about helping people improve their health and well-being. By helping residents enthusiastically embrace a healthier lifestyle, we create a more dynamic community.