Matthew R. Kerns, MFA
President & Artistic Director
St Lou Fringe
Matthew is a John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts award-winning educator, critically acclaim theatre performance artist featured in American Theatre Magazine, and a 2020 St. Louis Business Journal Diverse Business Leaders Award recipient.
Matthew has been an Executive Producer, Director, and Artistic Director for Off-Loop Theatre [Chicago], Off-Broadway Theatre [New York], Reparatory Theatre [California], Regional Theatre [Iowa, Missouri, Colorado] and Educational Theatre [Chicago, California, Colorado, Iowa, Missouri].
Matthew’s artistic portfolio includes original performances [Xmas Carol, Chicken, Life in the Fastlane], Immersive events [Gay Fantasia, Home], and standard plays and musicals [Noises Off, For Colored Girls…, Frost/ Nixon]
Students that have trained with Matthew have gone on to work in television, film, major motion pictures, and on Broadway. From Saturday Night Live to Gotham, and from Six: The Musical to Jake, the State Farm Guy and beyond.
Matthew is an expert in the performance practices of Stanislavsky, Meisner, Grotowski, Somatic Movement, Improvisation, Roy Hart Vocal Technique, Moment Work, and Viewpoints.
He has presented at the NAIS Conference, National Writing Conference for Youth, Missouri Conference on the Younger Years, TCG National Conference, and at TEDx.
Matthew holds an Associate degree in Communications and Theatre from St. Louis Community College, a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Eastern New Mexico University, and Master of Fine Arts degree from Naropa University.
He married the love of his life, Mr. Sean Gottlieb, in a simple service under the St. Louis Arch in April of 2020. They reside in the Lafayette Square neighborhood in St. Louis, Missouri with their dogs Lewis, Harvey Milk, and Tuxedo the Cat.
Photo Credit: Suzy Gorman
Photo Credit: Tyrone N. Turner
Alerica L. Anderson
STLFringe FEST Consultant
St Lou Fringe
Alerica L. Anderson is a consummate singer, songwriter, composer, producer and director.
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, he spent his childhood surrounded by great performers and musicians. He began playing in churches at the age of twelve. As a Music Performance Major at the University of Missouri-Columbia, he studied jazz and music performance and directed the University’s Gospel Choir.
He has served as an adjunct faculty member in the music department of Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville and St. Louis Community College at Florissant Valley. In the mid 90s, Alerica left his teaching position and began his career as a songwriter and performer.
Alerica has served as Music Director/Keyboardist/Bassist for several touring and local artists. He has been Music Director for several theatrical productions to include The Tap Dance Kid
(St.Louis Black Repertory Company), The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
(St. Louis Community College at Forest Park), Race Cars and Romance (St. Louis Fringe Festival) and performed as a pit musician in several productions with Historyonics Theatre Co., Liberty Playhouse, Lindenwood University ( Mary Poppins) Chaminade College Prep High School (Shrek), Gateway Center for the Performing Arts (Hairspray, In The Heights, Violet, Carrie), Spotlight Productions (Tarzan) and several Collegiate Productions (University Of Missouri-Columbia, Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville).
As an actor, Alerica’s performance credits include: Big Moe (Five Guys Named Moe/ St.Louis Black Repertory Co.) Alerica has performed with both secular and gospel artists including: Edwin Hawkins, Walter Hawkins, David Peaston, The Drifters, Dr Bobby Jones, Ebony Fashion Fair, The Miss Universe Pageant and Celine Dion.
Recently, Alerica served as Composer and Music Director for the World Premiere of Rivers of Women, which featured the literary works of Shirley Bradley LeFlore and directed by her daughter, award-winning author Lyah Beth LeFlore. He has also written and produced songs for various gospel and secular recordings, including the Edwin and Walter Hawkins Music and Arts Seminar Mass Choir and the Unified Voices of Southern Mission Missionary Baptist Church.
Alerica’s event production credits also include “PeaceFest”, an outdoor concert event held annually in St. Louis, Missouri. Known for his artist development skills, he has worked with hundreds of artists in all genres of music and serves as a consultant/advisor for several artist management companies and arts organizations both locally and nationally.
Melissa Allen
STLFringe Miss Mo & the FRINGETTE'S Director
St Lou Fringe
Melissa “Miss Mo” Allen is a professional dancer, choreographer and aerialist. A Northern
Californian, she started dancing professionally at age 18 and has held contracts for the NBA,
Ringling Brothers/Barnum and Bailey Circus and Harrah’s Casinos and has toured nationally
with the Broadway show Saturday Night Fever. Since calling St. Louis her home, Miss Mo has
worked as an i-Candy girl at Harrah’s, a member of the Kari James Dance Ensemble, “Mini
MoLove” of Rock Steady Heels and as an aerialist for shows at the Pageant and the Fox
Theatre.
Her love of STLFringe started in the summer of 2017 when she produced and starred
in her one-woman show “Aerial Tinker”, a monologue of her history as a performer and motherinterspersed with trapeze and dance. All that aside, Miss Mo is not a snob, she has a passion for theater arts that is contagious. She believes in radical acceptance and claps the loudest.
Natalie Scheers
STLFringe FEST Production Director
St. Lou Fringe
Natalie Scheers (They, She) is a directing major at the Sargent Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University. She has recently served as the assistant director and co-choreographer for the Conservatory’s production of Amelie. Other work at Webster University includes props head for Moliere's Learned Ladies, assistant director for Revolt. She Said. Revolt Again., crews for The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane and Water by the Spoonful. Natalie has also worked extensively with Variety Theatre as a performer in a number of productions and in artistic team roles, including directing, choreography, and production management for Disney’s Little Mermaid and Disney’s Mary Poppins.
Natalie has worked with the Fox Performing Arts Charitable Foundation as a production assistant for the St. Louis High School Musical Theatre Awards and the St. Louis Teen Talent Showcase at The Fabulous Fox Theatre. They have trained in the arts as a performer, dancer, and director and have focused their studies on women, gender and sexuality topics. Natalie has also participated in leadership programs at Fordham University and was selected as the St. Louis representative for the National Conference for College Women Leaders.
