About the Founder

My name is Simone Brown and I am the founder and inaugural performer for Black Princess Parties DMV. I grew up with a love of the stage, the world of make believe, elaborate costuming, and, of course, Disney!

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I always knew I was meant to perform; and when the time came to go to college, I knew I wanted to study music. I graduated from Xavier University of Louisiana with a major in Vocal Performance; then went on to receive my Masters in Voice from The Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins. Since then, I have had the opportunity to sing in operatic roles, live concerts, and even made my way back to musical theater and worked in community outreach! Through all this, I often was inspired by the world of Disney. I loved the songs, the stories, and I saw aspects of myself in the characters. Like Belle, I loved to get lost in a good book; and like Ariel, I loved to sing and spend time in the ocean.

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However, as I got older, some of the joy I had always found in the world of Disney was lost. As I continued to pursue my creativity, I noticed that I was often the only person who looked like me. I grew accustomed to rarely seeing faces like mine in the creative spaces I chose to occupy. As a young adult, I was told by teachers and coaches time and time again that it was better to stick to a repertoire from “Black shows,” because directors could easily see me in these roles. At times, I even told myself, “I will never be able to play that role because I am a person of color.”

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In 2019, I decided to apply to perform with some local princess party companies, regrettably, I received rejections. They remarked that I would be suitable to perform as Tiana; the only Black Princess in the Disney canon of characters. But, as a rarely requested character by clients, opportunities to be hired (even to perform as Tiana) with these established companies would be virtually non-existent. Once again, I was told that regardless of my education, performance background, and talent, I was not an appropriate casting choice because I was not white. But I refused to let these experiences determine my future...instead they birthed a company.