Staging courage

There is something powerful about a room full of children declaring, in unison, “Life doesn’t frighten me.”

For Metro Theater Company Artistic Director Jacqueline Thompson, that moment is more than a line from a script—it is the heartbeat of the company’s latest production, Paige Hernandez’s Life Doesn’t Frighten Me, which returns home to St. Louis this weekend for public performances at The Sun Theatre.

Rooted in the poetry of Maya Angelou, the production unfolds as a choreopoem—an expressive blend of movement, music and storytelling that invites young audiences to see themselves not just as observers, but as participants in their own courage. And for Thompson, bringing this work to the stage is as much about place as it is about purpose.

From Angelou’s deep ties to St. Louis to the local artists shaping every aspect of the production, Life Doesn’t Frighten Me is a reflection of Thompson’s mission to ensure that Metro’s stage mirrors the richness of the city it serves. Direction and choreography come from St. Louis native Christopher Page Sanders, a collaborator Thompson knew instinctively was right for the work.

“When I read it, I thought, this has to live in the body,” Thompson said. “It needed someone who understands how movement tells the story just as much as words—and Chris does that with both excellence and care.”

That care shows up in the cast, including Ja’Don Hamilton, whose movement anchors the production and draws audible reactions from young audiences. 

“To hear kids respond to him in real time—you can feel what that representation does,” Thompson said. “It opens something.”

Even in its design, the production remains intentionally simple, allowing imagination to take the lead. Blocks shift and transform throughout the performance, ultimately forming a crown—an image that has already sparked awe among student audiences during the show’s touring run.

“You never know what’s going to land,” Thompson said. “But when that crown comes together and you hear them react—it’s like they’re seeing themselves in it.”

That moment is no accident. At its core, the production is about redefining what it means to be fearless—and who gets to claim that identity. Through a series of vignettes, the show follows characters navigating fear, anxiety and uncertainty, offering young audiences a mirror for their own experiences.

“Fearless doesn’t mean the absence of fear,” Thompson said. “It’s about moving through it anyway.”

Since January, the cast has carried that message into schools across the region, often beginning their days before sunrise to meet students where they are. In gymnasiums and auditoriums, they have watched children not only engage with the work, but internalize it—repeating its affirmations, reflecting on their own fears and, in some cases, finding language for feelings they had not yet named.

“For me, that’s the best part of the job,” Thompson said. “When you see a child light up, when they connect what they’re watching to their own life—that’s everything.”

Each performance ends with a conversation, inviting students to share what frightens them and how they’ve found the courage to push through. Those exchanges, Thompson said, often reveal just how deeply the work lands.

“I want them to walk away knowing that same courage they saw on stage lives inside of them,” she said.

But the impact is not limited to children. For Thompson, the production also serves as a reminder that theater for young audiences holds just as much weight for the adults in the room—if not more.

“There’s something in it for everybody,” she said. “And sometimes I think we forget that.”

That universality is part of what makes Life Doesn’t Frighten Me feel like a bridge—connecting generations through the familiar resonance of Angelou’s words while opening new pathways for younger audiences to engage with her legacy. It is also a full-circle moment for Thompson, who first encountered Angelou’s work as a child.

“To think about how that inspired me, and now to be in a position to pass that on—it means everything,” she said.

That sense of responsibility—to both legacy and community—guides Thompson’s work at Metro Theater Company. Now in her second season, she remains committed to uplifting St. Louis artists and ensuring their stories are not only told, but centered.

“My mission is always to celebrate the people and the artistry that come from here,” she said. “This is part of that.”

As the production makes its way to The Sun Theatre this weekend, Thompson is looking forward to something she cannot rehearse or predict: the collective energy of a live audience.

“I just love watching them experience it,” she said. “The wonder, the surprise, the moments that catch them off guard—that’s what makes it special.”

And in a time when both art and attention feel increasingly fragile, she is holding firm to what matters most—making space for young people to see themselves, to feel affirmed and to imagine new possibilities.

“I hope they get whatever they need in that moment,” Thompson said. “Whether it’s joy, reflection or just the reminder that they can keep going.”

Metro Theater Company’s will present Life Doesn’t Frighten Me at The Sun Theatre (3625 Grandel Square) from March 27-29. For more information, visit www.metroplays.org. 

Living It content is produced with funding by the ARPA for the Arts grants program in partnership with the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis and the Community Development Administration.