by Marcheta Fornoff, Fort Worth Report
July 11, 2024
When the curtain closes on “Matilda” on Aug. 4, it will be the last performance not just for the cast but also for KWC Performing Arts staff members.
The nonprofit, formerly known as Kids Who Care, has been part of the Fort Worth theater scene for 35 years, producing shows, offering musical and theater classes and giving many performers their first onstage experience.
Beyond performing or working behind the scenes, kids also learn leadership, entrepreneurial and storytelling skills, said Michael O’Toole, a current advisory committee co-chair and former board president.
“Kids Who Care gives out so many scholarships to underprivileged kids. … They give them a place to express themselves,” he said. “I’m saddened for the community that our group is not going to be around anymore.”
In addition to his leadership roles, O’Toole also saw how his own kids, Taylor and Brendan, grew with the company. Each started around age 6 or 7 and continued the program through high school.
Brendan had a positive experience and is now a pilot, O’Toole said. Taylor continues to perform to this day.
“My daughter started off where she ran offstage when she was a little kid in a dance recital,” he said, “to now, she’s played a lead actress in certain productions and (is currently) playing Mary Poppins for Disney on their cruise ship.”
For many in the community, O’Toole said, Kids Who Care created a positive space where youth could express themselves.
“It has been a joyful journey to teach children the power of art to heal and bridge our lives,” founder and executive director Deborah Jung said in a statement. “Anyone who spent any length of time at Kids Who Care has been gifted the tools and the voice to create change.”
A spokesperson for Mayor Mattie Parker, whose daughter participated in Kids Who Care, said Parker is thankful for Jung’s leadership and the program.
“It was incredible for (Parker’s daughter),” the spokesperson said. “She met new friends, it boosted her confidence and challenged her.”
KWC Performing Arts made its home in the Cultural District, performing at the W.E. Scott Theatre inside the Fort Worth Community Arts Center at 1300 Gendy St.
The future of the community arts center has been up in the air for more than a year after the city announced that the building is in need of extensive repairs and began the process to look for a developer. After considering proposals from two developers, city officials said neither plan fit their vision and announced they will reevaluate how to proceed.
The release announcing the closure did not mention this process as a reason for closing and did not immediately offer additional comments on the matter.
“William E. Scott Theatre has been a delight. Fort Worth’s finest city leaders, foundation dreamers and musical theater artists provided everything we needed,” Jung continued. “Sometimes, God gives us endings. Our job now is to bless, release and do the Kids Who Care ‘thing’ — finish well!”
This is a developing story and was updated most recently at 5 p.m. on July 11, 2024.
Marcheta Fornoff covers arts and culture for the Fort Worth Report. Reach her at marcheta.fornoff@fortworthreport.org. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board. Read more about our editorial independence policy here.
This article first appeared on Fort Worth Report and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
