LYNCHBURG, Va. – ‘A Knight with Kendall,’ originally promoted as a ‘drag extravaganza,’ took centerstage at Lynchburg’s Academy Center of the Arts on Thursday after it was moved from Jefferson Forest High School due to residents’ concerns.
Organizers of ‘A Knight with Kendall’ said the show was meant to be a fundraiser for the school’s theatre program.
Kendall Mullins, a 2017 graduate of the Jefferson Forest program, said he has performed five previous fundraisers at the school and called them ‘family-friendly.’
Spence White, director of the Cavalier Theatre, said that after they moved the show from Bedford County to Lynchburg, they raised about $2,000 – and that was before the theatre doors even opened.
White said that money is almost triple what they made from any of their previous shows.
“It’s the best outcome of an unfortunate situation. I think I will have a larger audience than I’ve had before,” Mullins told 10 News ahead of the performance.
“The folks that wanted this [show removed from] Bedford County, they succeeded in that. I’m not really happy about that; but the fact is, unintended consequences, I think it’s been more beneficial to our theatre program,” said White.
The performance was a pay-what-you-can show. White said as a precaution, they would have security at the event.