Marvel Crosson was a pioneer in aviation and Alaska's first licensed female pilot in the 1920s. When Anchorage Community Theater Executive Director Matt Fernandez saw her photo in a newspaper article, he says Crosson's adventurous spirit and fearlessness were obvious from the image.
When working in a theater outreach program with at-risk girls, Fernandez thought putting them in the shoes of women aviators like Amelia Earhart and Crosson could be help inspire them.
After research and speaking with Crosson's family, Fernandez had finished the script for "Marvel" and, along with ACT and director Mary Giles, brought the pilot's story to the stage.
The play, which opened on March 6 and closes on March 29, completely sold out ahead of its final batch of performances.
We're joined by Fernandez and Giles to discuss the inspiration behind the inspiring story, managing eight women performing 36 different roles and more.
LINKS:
Anchorage Community Theater website
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![Addie Studebaker works on her interactive exhibit "[UN]STUCK" at the International Gallery of Contemporary Art in Anchorage last year. She is an artist based in the Mat-Su and is the recipient of a 2025 Rasmuson Individual Artist Award.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/bc67d9a/2147483647/strip/true/crop/600x334+0+11/resize/560x312!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F1f%2F4e%2F1c80e2734dbb889d348c82dcdaf3%2Fwebsite-display-images-1.jpg)