Loire Valley Theater Festival, Inc

"Hope is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something is worth doing, no matter how it turns out." -C.R. Snyder

We need your help to present the powerful story of Lynda Blackmon and the Black people of Selma, Alabama, who put their lives on the line to win the right to vote for African Americans at the International Black Theater Festival on July 31st in Winston-Salem, NC. Democracy North Carolina will register voters at the event!

Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom is a musical drama, with classic Gospel and original songs composed and arranged by Academy Award nominee Joshuah Brian Campbell. It tells the story of the youngest person on the Selma to Montgomery March in 1965, based upon the acclaimed memoir by Lynda Blackmon Lowery.

Want to join us in making a difference?

Your donation in any amount will help us create a special script for this event, have the music transcribed so it can be performed by members of several community choirs in Winston-Salem, and bring our team, including Voza Rivers and the great Ms. Irene Gandy, leading Broadway publicist, to promote the show. Turning 15 will inspire audiences and educate voters, especially young people, about the sacrifices made on the road to voting rights. The event will help Democracy North Carolina bring out the vote and help us get the play published so that it can be performed by theatres, schools, and community groups, nationwide!

We are raising money to benefit Loire Valley Theater Festival, Inc, Producer of Turning 15, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that seeks to bring people of all backgrounds together through inspiring theatre. Your donation will be tax-deductible.

Loire Valley History

Loire Valley Theatre Festival began in France in 2004, and moved to the US in 2006 with The Tempest Project, a theatre workshop for girls displaced by Hurricane Katrina. We have been working on Turning 15 since 2016 -- first as a one-person show directed by Ally Sheedy, then touring as a 7-person ensemble musical. We performed in 16 states before being closed down by COVID. Undaunted, we created a video version of the show, which was presented for two years in large theaters and small school auditoriums, often shown for free in Title 1 schools. Our video rights have expired, but this showcase in Winston-Salem will introduce Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom to 25 of the top Black theater companies in the US and internationally, and publishing the play will make it possible for students in schools and colleges, as well as professional regional theaters, to step into the roles of Lynda Blackmon and the brave people of Selma, Alabama, who risked everything to win passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

It has never been more important for all Americans to be reminded of the power of their vote and the sacrifices made to make that vote available for everyone. We need all the inspiration we can get to bring out the vote this fall!

Thanks in advance for your contribution to this cause that means so much! It will be tax-deductible to the full extent of the law. Check with your financial advisor for details.