Mrs. Kelly's Journey brings her to Manchester

Breeda Kelly Miller's one-woman show, which made its debut at the Arthur Miller Theatre in Ann Arbor last fall, will be coming "home" to Manchester in May.

Breeda Miller is just "a little bit" excited.

She's not resting on her laurels after getting rave reviews of her world premiere of "Mrs. Kelly's Journey Home" last fall in Ann Arbor. In fact, she's busy working on finding new ways to share the word about her one-woman show and spread the joy she has found in performing for a live audience. She is elated to announce that she now has four confirmed engagements for Mrs. Kelly's Journey Home in Michigan over the coming months!

And, best of all, the very first of these engagements is right here in Manchester. It will be performed as a fund-raiser for Acorn Farmers' Market & Café, and it's something that Breeda sees as a "win-win-win" situation for everyone involved.

"Acorn is doing really, really well," she says. "They are an absolute gem in our community. Their model of selling local farmers' produce is just wonderful. Of course, in Michigan in the winter it's really hard, so they spent money purchasing high quality Michigan food and other products to have fully stocked shelves."

The fundraiser, then, is intended to restore the business' "nest egg," as it were, its emergency fund. And Manchester is incredibly fortunate to have a beautiful space in the high school auditorium. Acorn will rent the space, and the local artist and actor duo Linda and Peter Knox will be leading the production of the event, which will be a matinee, so as to be available and accessible to as many folks as possible.

The date is Saturday, May 7, "a Mother's Day celebration" performance at 2:30 with general admission.

"There will be two levels of tickets," Breeda explains. "General admission will be $20 per ticket, and VIP tickets are $50 per person. A VIP ticket includes a $20 gift card to Acorn Farmers Market, plus an invitation to a tea and apple pie reception, with me, following the performance."

She goes on to explain that one of the key stories in the play is about apple pie, and notes that anyone familiar with the story should be reassured that the pie will NOT be made by Breeda! But, she adds, "It's a nice benefit and an incentive for those who have the means and who want to support Acorn in this way."

Breeda will be donating her performance, Peter and Linda are donating their services, and the school is being very generous with the space rental. "People are pulling together as this community does, and we hope we can fill the house!" she says.

She believes that people are ready to see a live performance in beautiful surroundings and she is eager to share her "tiny corner of joy" with all of her Manchester friends.

To be one of them, sign up for general admission or VIP tickets at this link: https://tinyurl.com/acornmrskelly. You'll laugh a lot, you'll cry (a little), and you'll be glad you were part of learning about "what really matters."

For as little as $1 a month, you can keep Manchester-focused news coverage alive.

by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.