Lynn Venhaus

Total Post: 1248

Lynn (Zipfel) Venhaus has had a continuous byline in St. Louis metro region publications since 1978. She writes features and news for Belleville News-Democrat and contributes to St. Louis magazine and other publications.  She is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic, currently reviews films for Webster-Kirkwood Times and KTRS Radio, covers entertainment for PopLifeSTL.com and co-hosts podcast PopLifeSTL.com…Presents.  She is a member of Critics Choice Association, where she serves on the women's and marketing committees; Alliance of Women Film Journalists; and on the board of the St. Louis Film Critics Association. She is a founding and board member of the St. Louis Theater Circle. She is retired from teaching journalism/media as an adjunct college instructor.

Surreal ‘Wildfire’ Sizzles with Terrific Trio’s Dive into the Weird and Wacky

Surreal ‘Wildfire’ Sizzles with Terrific Trio’s Dive into the Weird and Wacky

By Lynn Venhaus
Every so often, an unusual play debuts in St. Louis that is such a delicious mix of sweet and salty, sharp and tangy that one devours every word. “Wildfire” is one such experience.

Produced by Upstream Theater, the 2012 unconventional French Canadian one-act play “Le Brasier” by Montreal playwright David Paquet has been translated by Leanna Brodie.

I suspect Brodie’s work is faithful to the original’s spirit, and along with the dramaturg by Clare Fairbanks, a clever blend of pungent, absurd humor in the vein of legendary Firesign Theatre in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s for the first two scenes and a heated “Dateline” scenario for the finale.

Upstream, as they often do, is presenting the U.S. premiere of this original and quite engaging surreal comedy-drama. But instead of their usual venue, the Kranzberg Arts Center, they move to larger digs at The Marcelle, which is an advantage for the set and lighting.

Nancy Bell and Jane Paradise as triplet sisters. Photo by ProPhotoSTL

Under artistic director Philip Boehm’s pivotal direction, we’re led through Paquet’s fertile imagination, game for the detours and intersections, eager for the ‘a-ha moment’ each scene reveals. Without spoiling too much, every segment focuses on peculiar people and items with a key tiny thread.

The dialogue (with mostly monologues) is delivered with fervent conviction by a trio of highly skilled performers, who crisply capture all the nuances. Six eccentric characters are played by the splendid Nancy Bell, Jane Paradise and Tom Wethington, the who are remarkably nimble in their interactions. Their rhythms for each character, both separately and together, is a marvel to watch.

Bell’s virtuoso fire-and-ice performance as Caroline in the third scene, “The Fever,” conveying a repressed woman’s sexual awakening in an alarming way, is a master class in storytelling. Bell is always compelling in parts large and small, but this monologue of temptation, desire and regret raises the bar quite high to start the year.

Paradise and Wethington are daffy and charming as a pair of socially awkward adults, Callum and Carol, who find each other in “The Dragons.” They’re so likable that they make their strange behaviors endearing.

With “The Bonfire,” the play opens with all three playing neurotic adult triplets – Claudette, Claudine and Claudia — each with their own obsessions and tics that call their sanity into question.

Jane Paradise and Tom Wethington talk tarantulas. Photo by ProPhotoSTL.

Michael Heil’s scenic design, with its eerie black and red emphasis, mysteriously sets the stage and draws us into this bizarre world, expertly lit by Tony Anselmo from Steve Carmichael’s lighting design. That color scheme is carried through in Laura Hanson’s costume design.

Also noteworthy are Sleepy Kitty’s graphic art, projection design by Traci Lavois Thiebaud, sound design and music compositions by Anthony Barilla and Jenny Smith’s props, including an antique gilded birdcage.

“Wildfire” glows with the heat of discovery, releases a kinetic energy with surprise revelations and pops with dark humor. If you embrace quirky, this is a must-see.

Nancy Bell as Caroline. ProPhoto STL photo.

 “Wildfire” is performed Friday through Sunday from Jan. 24 to Feb. 9 at The Marcelle, For tickets or for more information, visit www.upstreamtheater.org

Original Musical ‘Madam’ Showcases Feisty Women

Original Musical ‘Madam’ Showcases Feisty Women

By Lynn Venhaus
Ambitious and intriguing, “Madam” is a new musical full of promise and potential.

Elevated by a charming cast of local performers, this vibrant musical cements composer and music director Colin Healy as one to watch.

His fifth original musical, “Madam” showcases what a multi-talent he is — Healy wrote the book, music and lyrics and did the orchestrations for his new Fly North Theatricals company’s latest work. He also conducts a very tight band and plays the piano.

With a lot of passion and heart behind it, “Madam” had a triumphant sell-out run of nine performances last summer at the Bluff City Theater in Hannibal, which commissioned the musical.

Now, St. Louisans has the opportunity to discover one of its most notorious businesswomen from the 19th century, wealthy brothel madam and philanthropist Eliza Haycraft. She built quite an empire, as the opening song says, and became the richest woman in Missouri, beloved by the general public during the Reconstruction Era.

Haycraft, born in 1820, arrived destitute in St. Louis at age 20. When prostitution was legal, for only a brief time, in St. Louis, she became owner and manager of a brothel, doing well even though she couldn’t read or write. She bought commercial and residential property and rented it back out. She was known for helping the city’s poor, offering them help and financial aid.

Healy’s crafted message is about the vulnerability of aging and the power of saying “No.”
Haycraft empowered her courtesans by granting them the right to refuse service to anyone. She had three simple rules: Respect, Consent and Pay Up Front.

“Madam” focuses on the last year of her life – she died in 1871 at age 51. While based on true events, the musical fictionalizes the story about a search for an heir to her sex empire when the richest and most powerful men were hellbent on taking it all away from her.

The passage of The Social Evils Act of 1870 made her business legitimate, but denied women affected by it of many of their rights they previously enjoyed.

The fascinating story’s conflicts must include the double standard conundrum – her houses were well-frequented by those rich guys who ran the city but she was shut out of polite society.

What the musical brings out in the small cast of female characters is their dependence on prostitution to support themselves and their independence by defying the status quo at a time when they had few legitimate rights – an early glimpse at feminism and sexism.

These characters are composites of strong spunky women – among them an escaped slave who disguised herself as a man to fight in the Union Army and a sister to Victoria Woodhull, a candidate for president in 1872.

Sunny Eileen Engel and Gracie Sartin, who have been with the production since its workshop, effortlessly strut with confidence in song and dance, smiles beaming as Tennie and Ripley.

They open the show, along with new addition Marta Bady as gutsy Billie, with a vivacious “Empire.” The three are often paired in song – including “Love Is Work,” “Another Fence (The Baseball Song)” and “The Great Benefactor.”

They aren’t the only working girls with gumption – Abigail Becker is the complicated once-married Mercy Jones and Cameron Pille is the troubled Calista, each with outstanding solos: Mercy in “A Man with Money” and “I Want to be a Star,” and the sad “The Unfortunate Song” with The Benefactor (Phil Leveling), and Calista with “It Feels So Good” and “Special.”

The women have moments to shine and plenty of melodic tunes to sing, and director Sydnie Grosberg Ronga has staged the musical numbers with verve in the small .Zack space, creating an intimacy by having performers up close on the ground and on the second level, not far from the audience.

Scenic designer George Shea has created a good space for the action to flow, well-lit by lighting designer Kevin Bowman.

Healy knows the drawbacks of the .Zack’s acoustics, and his sound designer Tazu Marshall has done a terrific job.

Choreographer Carly Niehaus has resolved the space challenges with streamlined numbers that punctuate the music. Eileen Engel also designed the costumes, and she made them extremely functional while period-appropriate.

The St. Louis cast is almost the same as the Hannibal cast minus three. Kimmie Kidd-Booker, who played Madam in the COCA workshop and Billie in Bluff City, resumes the leading role as man-hating Eliza. She is fierce and feisty as this remarkable dignified woman in her declining final days.

With her rich, velvety voice, Kidd-Booker has become a welcome fixture in both regional professional and community theater. She commands attention as she sashays across the two-level set with major attitude, first introduced in “All You Need to Know.” Her “No,” with Calista in the Part 1, and solo in Part 2, is a hard-hitting high point.

She understands Eliza as a smart, pragmatic woman who knows how to operate in a male-dominated world. Her mistrust of men reaches a boiling point as they threaten to ruin her. Fuming, she joins Ripley and The Benefactor in “The Social Evils Act.”

One of the three new cast members, Leveling has a fine voice but seems miscast as the unsavory The Benefactor, an imposing bad guy and frequent customer. This male chauvinist pig must be menacing and Phil is not that. In reality, maybe it’s a good thing that he’s not believable being mean to women, but not for the part – it is a sticky wicket. The role is a tad underwritten as it is.

While the music – infused with jazz and blues for a St. Louis flavor — is admirable, the book could use a little more tweaking – there are a few time leaps that are somewhat confusing

The musical is still a work in progress but the elements for success are there and will be going places.

Fly North Theatricals presents the local premiere of “Madam” from Jan. 10 to Feb. 2, with performances at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at the .Zack Theater, 3224 Locust Street. For more information, visit www.flynorthmusic.com.

A Lot of Song, A Lot of Dance, A Lot of Sparkle on Her Dress — The Donna Summer Musical Works Hard for Your Ticket Money

A Lot of Song, A Lot of Dance, A Lot of Sparkle on Her Dress — The Donna Summer Musical Works Hard for Your Ticket Money

By CB Adams
Contributing Writer
It’s nice to be surprised, even at what might seem like just another jukebox musical. And yet, that’s exactly what “Summer: The Donna Summer Musical” achieved.
On opening night at the Fox Theatre, the audience obviously came primed to be wowed by performances of Ms. Summer’s greatest hits like “Love to Love You Baby,” “MacArthur Park,” “Bad Girls,” “Hot Stuff.” The show doled them out in a steady stream and culminated, predictably in…you guessed it, the show-ender “Last Dance.”
Like many jukebox musicals, Summer the show suffers from moments of clunky dialogue, yuck-yuck jokes and plot shifts that require more than a simple suspension of disbelief. And it artificially tries to create momentum by turning up the volume or bass (or both).
But unlike most of this genre’s brethren and sistren, Summer transcends its own shortcomings, with thanks due largely to Dan’yelle Williamson as Diva Donna/Mary Gaines (her birth name), Alex Hairston as Disco Donna and Olivia Elease Hardy as Duckling Donna/Mimi (one of Ms. Summer’s daughters.)
Yes. That’s right.
It takes three performers to properly portray the one real-life Donna Summer, who was no one-hit wonder. This vocal triptych is apropos because Summer was more than the sum of her parts, and that sum comprised her many talents as singer, songwriter, mother, wife, visual artist and all-around diva.
Sometimes solo and sometimes sharing the stage simultaneously as Summer wrestled with her life’s demons and dilemmas, Williamson, Hairston and Hardy (you could call them the Three Facets) do Donna proud.
They may not have Summer’s chops or X-factor presence, but they evoke and reflect the power, emotion and confidence of their powerful pop progenitor.
Another part of this show’s success is the book by Colman Domingo, Robert Cray and Des McAnuff. Instead of concocting a contrived, wink-wink plot, Summer hits the Cliffs Notes (the highs as well as the lows) of Ms. Summer’s life and career.
This nonfiction element works well enough within the context of this show and provides an acceptable, linear story arc while engaging in some not-too off-putting revisionist history and legacy polishing.
It appeared that most in the audience were already familiar with the undulations of Summer’s career. They came to party like it was 1979, not slog through the high drama of Mommy Dearest or The Color Purple (though this show presents “lite” versions of similar themes).
The songs, to borrow a phrase from oenology (and maybe Tina Turner), still have legs. Though at the time of their release they suffered the slings and arrows of the “Disco Sucks” movement,
Summer’s songs still have the power to make you shake your groove thing, even if more than a few audience members had to shake ‘em sitting down. Blues Brother Dan Aykroyd and his diatribe about “pre-programed electronic disco” would have been admonished to shut up and dance.
The auditorium was filled with so much head bobbing and seat dancing that surely they put to shame the puny “Bohemian Rhapsody” scene in Wayne’s World.
The Summer stage sparkled brightly under the direction of Des McAnuff, choreography by Sergio Trujillo, music supervision by Ron Melrose, scenic design by Robert Brill, costumes by Paul Tazewell and lighting by Howey Binkley. This combination gave Summer an early-MTV vibe, a la Robert Palmer’s “Addicted to Love” video.
The stage was clean and minimal while evoking the spirit of its times while never overwhelming the presence of Summer in any or all of her three facets.
The unexpected surprise of this show, wasn’t, however, any of the above. It wasn’t one of Summer’s mega-hits, which were practically designed to be uber-crowd-pleasers. Rather, it was a song later in the one-act show – “I Believe in Jesus” performed by Disco Donna. Hairston’s passionate performance brought the show to a standstill, in all the best ways, and received some of the most heartfelt, resonant applause of the evening.
The song’s placement in the show marks a beat in Summer’s life when her faith was reinvigorated. And, like several other obvious and subtle moments, conveyed yet another facet of the strong, talented, driven, successful woman behind the Queen of Disco moniker.
The Fabulous Fox Theatre presents “Summer: The Donna Summer Musical” January 15-26. For more information, visit www.fabulousfox.com.

‘Much Ado About Nothing’ to be Shakespeare Festival St. Louis’ 20th Anniversary Show This Summer

‘Much Ado About Nothing’ to be Shakespeare Festival St. Louis’ 20th Anniversary Show This Summer

Shakespeare Festival St. Louis (Tom Ridgely, Producing Artistic Director) announced Jan. 10 that its the 20th anniversary Shakespeare in the Park production will be “Much Ado About Nothing.”

The production will mark 20 years of free Shakespeare in Forest Park, one of the largest outdoor Shakespeare venues in the country. Much Ado will be directed by Bruce Longworth and begin performances on Wednesday, May 27, with an opening night set for Friday, May 29 at 8 pm, and will play through June 21.

To celebrate the 20th Anniversary Season, the Festival is expanding the amount and variety of completely free and open to the public programming in Shakespeare Glen leading up to the opening of Much Ado About Nothing. “Twenty years is a lifetime for an arts organization,” said artistic director Tom Ridgely in a statement, “and it’s a testament to both the vision of the founding board and the appetite of the people in St. Louis for world-class Shakespeare productions in a world-class public park. It means that an entire generation has grown up with the beloved summer tradition of hearing these timeless stories under the stars. These plays belong to everyone. The Festival exists to make sure everyone can enjoy them.”

On May 8-9 the Festival will kick-off the anniversary celebration with two family-friendly performances of Cymbeline, Shakespeare’s epic adventure about love, loss and reconciliation. The play follows Princess Innogen as she sets out on a journey to find her husband and – with courage and ingenuity – clear her good name.

These encore performances will be given by TourCo, the Festival’s regional touring company, and will be directed by Tom Ridgely featuring Hannah Geisz, Britteny Henry, Mary Heyl, Keating, Halli Pattison and Jenni Ryan. TourCo’s performance of Cymbeline will be the first outdoor performance of its kind. TourCo has exclusively performed in schools and community centers for the past 19 years, and this first Park performance will kick off the Festival’s 20th Birthday Bash weekend.

The Birthday Bash will celebrate the Festival’s 20th anniversary, complete with food trucks, live music, family activities, and more On May 15-17 the Shakespeare Festival is partnering with the St. Louis International Film Festival to present the inaugural Shakespeare Movie Weekend in the Glen, with three nights of Shakespeare-inspired films for all ages. On Friday, 10 Things I Hate About You starring Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles based on Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew will kick off the weekend. 1994’s beloved and acclaimed The Lion King, based loosely on Hamlet, will follow on Saturday; and the series will end Sunday with St. Louis-born Vincent Price’s Theatre of Blood, a campy horror-comedy in which a slighted Shakespearean actor (Price) seeks poetic and murderous revenge on his critics – killing them in the same ways made infamous by Shakespeare.

Much Ado About Nothing is one of Shakespeare’s most popular and enduring comedies. The central characters, Beatrice and Benedick, are thorny, intelligent, witty, and hopelessly bad at love. A battle royale ensues in a hilarious attempt to resist their overpowering mutual attraction that makes Much Ado such a timeless story of romance, suspicion and restoration. This will Bruce Longworth’s fifth Shakespeare in the Park production, following 2010’s Hamlet, 2012’s Othello, 2014’s Henry V and 2017’s The Winter’s Tale. The creative team is rounded out by Josh Smith (Scenic Design), Dorothy Englis (Costume Design), John Wylie (Lighting Design) and Kathy Ruvuna (Sound Design) and Matt Pace & Brien Seyle (Original Music).

Performances are free and open to the public. Seats and blankets may be reserved or audiences may bring their own. Please visit sfst.com for more information. Leadership support for Shakespeare Festival St. Louis’ 2020 season is provided by the Whitaker Foundation. The Festival is also funded in part by the Hearst Foundations, The Bellwether Foundation, the Missouri Arts Council, the Regional Arts Commission, and the Arts & Education Council of Greater St. Louis. BIOS Shakespeare Festival St. Louis presents Shakespeare and works inspired by his legacy of storytelling. Since 2001, the festival has grown from producing a single production of Shakespeare in the Park to a year-round season of impactful theater in exciting and accessible venues throughout the St. Louis community.

Bruce Longworth

The festival’s artistic and education programs reached over 50,000 patrons and students during the 2018 season and have reached over one million since 2001. In 2019, the Festival received a “What’s Right with the Region” award from Focus St. Louis. Bruce Longworth (Director)* is a Resident Artist at Shakespeare Festival St. Louis and previously directed The Winter’s Tale (2017), Henry V (2014), Othello (2012), and Hamlet (2010) for Shakespeare in the Park. He has been a faculty member in the Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University since 1985 and is the Head of the Performance programs. Local and regional directing credits include Alabama Shakespeare Festival, Repertory Theatre St. Louis, Pulitzer Museum, Saint Louis Symphony, Lyceum Theatre, Mustard Seed Theatre, New Jewish Theatre, Illinois Shakespeare Festival, Missouri Thespians, International Thespians and many shows for the Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster. Bruce is a member of the Society of Stage Directors and Actors Equity Association.

The Rep Tops Sales Records with ‘Pride and Prejudice’

The Rep Tops Sales Records with ‘Pride and Prejudice’

This December, Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice swept into The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis and charmed theatregoers from every corner of the region. In the process, it shattered The Rep’s preexisting sales records and grossed more than $1 million.
 
Adapted by Christopher Baker and directed by The Rep’s Augustin Family Artistic Director, Hana S. Sharif, the play handily topped the theatre’s previous top-seller – 2016’s A Christmas Carol – and enchanted more than 20,000 audience members during its run.
 
“Part of the joy of directing Pride and Prejudice was watching everyone – from the cast to the creative team to audiences – fall in love with Jane Austen’s characters and storytelling all over again,” Sharif said. “It is a gift to witness the magic of an incredible onstage team forging an emotional connection with sold-out houses. This was my first love letter to St. Louis and I am honored to witness its historic success.”
 
The production marked Sharif’s directorial debut at The Rep, and served as a triumphant capper to the first half of her debut season as The Rep’s artistic leader.
 
Sharif officially arrived at The Rep in June, part of a new wave of leadership at regional theatres throughout the nation. This fresh crop of leaders is younger and more diverse  – in a survey of 101 regional artistic director positions filled since 2015, Bay Area theatre directors Rebecca Novick and Evren Odcikin found that 42 of these incoming leaders were women (up from 22) and 29 were people of color (up from 13).
 
As an African-American woman taking the reins at one of the country’s most prestigious regional theatres, Sharif quickly became one of the leading faces of this exciting sea change.
 
In just six months, Sharif has galvanized The Rep’s presence both onstage and in the community. The theatre has rapidly expanded its outreach programs, hiring a Special Events Manager and a Community Organizing Manager to help bring The Rep beyond its home in suburban Webster Groves to the rest of the St. Louis region.
 
“This first year is very much about learning from and listening to the community,” Sharif said. “We’re planting seeds for the next era of The Rep, and a major part of that is understanding what the community needs from its art. We’ve learned at every step of the way, from our season-opening Angels in America through Pride and Prejudice, and it’s all informing our plans for the 2020-2021 season and beyond. I can’t wait to share our next act with St. Louis.”

Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy. Photo by Philip Hamer.

Local Activists Team Up with Climate Change Theatre Action St. Louis

Local Activists Team Up with Climate Change Theatre Action St. Louis

On Dec. 13, 2019 at the Mark Wilson Theatre on the campus of St. Louis University, Playhouse Emissions: Climate Change Theatre Action St. Louis 2019 was presented as part of the international Climate Change Theatre Action 2019.

The St. Louis event follows the growing tradition of rapid response from theatre artists for collective action on some of the most pressing issues of our time, including gun violence and extrajudicial violence against people of color. 

There is a growing movement within the global theatre community: a succession of artwork-cum-advocacy events, collections of short plays, crafted with an urgent deadline and for immediate performance, in an effort to address some of the most critical sociopolitical issues of our time. After an initial production, these play collections often circulate for years, becoming part of the theatrical and activist zeitgeist, and often a movement unto itself. Climate Change Theatre Action (CCTA) is one such movement.

CCTA is a worldwide series of readings and performances of short plays on climate change, primarily presented to coincide with the United Nations COP 25 meeting. 

Produced by Joan Lipkin, and directed by Thomas Martin, Anna Blair, Alex Knapp, Playhouse Emissions featured a sampling of the CCTA international collection of short plays inspired by climate change and the science surrounding it. In 2019, close to 250 events were hosted in 25 countries, reaching an audience of 10,000 through live performance and an additional 10,000 via live streams and radio broadcasts.

“Climate change is one of the greatest challenges facing us as a global community,” said Joan Lipkin, Producing Artistic Director of That Uppity Theatre Company, and one of 2019’s commissioned playwrights. “Scientists estimate that we have 15 years to decarbonize the economy if we want to stave off the worst impacts of climate change that will affect all of us.”

The plays were selected from two anthologies that were commissioned by the CCTA organization. 50 playwrights were chosen from over 25 countries, from industrialized and developing countries and urban and rural areas. These perspectives include low-lying nations threatened by sea level change and countries facing severe heat waves, floods, droughts, deforestation and/or biodiversity collapse. 

Lipkin and Knapp co-hosted the event, which featured performances from leading actors in St. Louis, including Dan Kelly, Michelle Dillard, Don McClendon, and Anna Blair, as well as students from St. Louis University and Washington University in St. Louis. The performance opened with a drum performance by World Vibrations, led by Lisa Frumhoff and concluded with a question and answer segment with David Brotherton, the Program Director for Business and the Environment at the University of California – Berkley.

Plays selected for Playhouse Emissions included Single Use by Marcia Johnson, Brackendale by Elaine Ávila, About That Chocolate Bar by Joan Lipkin, Six Polar Bears Fell from the Sky This Morning by Alister Emerson, El Toro Sagrado In the Car Repair Shop by Mindi Dickstein, and Homo Sapiens by Chantal Bilodeau.

“Among the short plays was a dramatic, interpretive reading of Greta Thunberg’s UN address on Climate Change. I was deeply moved by the re-enactment and inspired by how theatre arts keep the most compelling issues of our time alive,” said audience member Anne Taussig. Thunberg’s remarks were adapted by Lipkin and Knapp, a second-year master’s student in Theatre and Performance at Washington University in St. Louis, with music by Mitchell Manar. “The most important thing we can do is inform ourselves and understand the situation,” according to Greta Thunberg, the 16-year old climate activist. 

“As a scholar and artist, I care deeply about education and access, especially regarding the most pressing concerns to life on this earth. I find performance to be an excellent venue for bringing these issues to the fore, sparking a dialogue within communities, and providing equitable access to education on these topics,” says Knapp.

“Saint Louis University is dedicated to providing the vehicle through which students and the general public can learn the facts about climate change using a variety of platforms including academics, public programs, and the arts. We are pleased to support this creative use of the arts in the service of both the humanities and climate change awareness,” said Dr. Jack Fishman, a Professor of Meteorology in the Department of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences and director of their Center for Environmental Sciences.

About Climate Change Theatre Action:

A collaboration between the Center for Sustainable Practice in the Arts, NoPassport Theatre Alliance, The Arctic Cycle, Theatre Without Borders, and York University, CCTA is a worldwide series of readings and performances of short climate change plays presented to coincide with the United Nations COP25.

Following the model pioneered by NoPassport, the organizers asked fifty writers from around the world to write short plays about an aspect of climate change. These plays were made available to producing collaborators who have presented over 100 events so far this season. Collaborators can choose as few or as many of the plays as they want.

Events range from readings in classrooms to fully staged performances and will take place in theatres, high schools, universities, eco-centers, community centers, on radio, and outdoors.

For the full list of events and participating playwrights:  

www.climatechangetheatreaction.com

Events can also be followed via their Facebook Page.                                                

Opera Theatre of St. Louis Expands Audience and Increases Fundraising in FY2019

Opera Theatre of St. Louis Expands Audience and Increases Fundraising in FY2019

Following the conclusion of the 2019 fiscal year on Sept. 30 — the first under the leadership of General Director Andrew Jorgensen — Opera Theatre of Saint Louis announced preliminary results that demonstrate a growing audience, positive national attention, and vibrant philanthropic support for the company.

A comprehensive audit will be completed and published in February 2020. Opera Theatre’s contributed operating support exceeded $6.49 million, or 109% of the company’s fundraising goal, and the endowment totaled more than $33 million at fiscal yearend. New donor households grew by 53%, bringing total donor households to 1,156 in 2019.

Philanthropic investment from the St. Louis community represented 75% of contributed revenue; Opera Theatre also continued to attract strong national support from funding partners including the National Endowment for the Arts and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

This year, OTSL completed its five-year partnership with The Wallace Foundation, collaborating with 25 other leading performing arts organizations across the country to design, implement, and evaluate programming as participants in the Building Audiences for Sustainability initiative.

A key component of OTSL’s 2019 fundraising success was its annual spring gala in May, chaired by Kim and Tim Eberlein with Host Presenting Sponsor Centene Charitable Foundation. The event grossed more than $1 million to support the artists who bring Opera Theatre’s season to life on stage. Response to the 2019 Festival Season from audiences and press was overwhelmingly positive, driven in part by OTSL’s 28th world premiere, Fire Shut Up in My Bones, commissioned by Opera Theatre and co-commissioned by Jazz St. Louis.

Composed by six-time Grammy Award winner and Oscar nominee Terence Blanchard with libretto by acclaimed film director Kasi Lemmons, the opera was based on the memoir of renowned author Charles Blow. Directed by OTSL Artistic Director James Robinson, this world premiere was hailed by The New York Times as “a bold and affecting adaptation” that sold out four of its six performances at OTSL.

In September 2019, the Metropolitan Opera announced it would produce Fire Shut Up in My Bones in a future season — the first production by an African American composer in the Met’s 136- year history, and the first OTSL commission to be re-mounted there. Total audience households attending Opera Theatre’s festival season increased by 6% over 2018, with ticket buyers from 46 states and 17 countries. Younger and more diverse audiences were an important component of that progress; audiences of color grew by 13% and Millennial households were up 50% over the prior year.

Ticket sales for Opera Theatre’s successful Young Friends program for audiences 45 years and younger increased by 25% and philanthropic dollars from Young Friends members grew by 19%. The national media roundly praised Opera Theatre’s 2019 Festival Season, with 5 separate features in The New York Times and more than 45 reviews in publications including The Wall Street Journal, Opera News, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and Chicago Classical Review.

“It’s one of the loveliest opera-going experiences anywhere, and quite unlike any other,” wrote Scott Cantrell of The Dallas Morning News. “It has been enormously gratifying to collaborate with Andrew Jorgensen during his first year as Opera Theatre’s General Director, and to see how warmly the St. Louis community has embraced him,” said Opera Theatre’s Chairman, Noémi Neidorff. “Andrew’s vision, his creativity, and his thoughtful approach are both refreshing and essential, as he leads Opera Theatre towards greater successes.”

“As I reflect on my first year at Opera Theatre, I am deeply grateful to the board, staff, volunteers, and artists who made the 2019 Festival Season possible,” said General Director Andrew Jorgensen. “Our company’s long record of artistic success and fiscal responsibility is rooted in the generosity of our St. Louis community, which has provided steadfast support for all of our work including world premieres, classic repertoire, and the development of future artists and audiences alike. I am so excited to build upon this year’s achievements and look forward to what lies ahead.”

As Opera Theatre celebrates its 45th season in 2020, the company will continue to build on its strengths, shaping the future of opera through innovative new productions and the training of talented young artists. The company’s artistic team, including newly appointed Artistic Director of Young Artist Programs Patricia Racette and Director of Artistic Administration Damon Bristo, recently completed OTSL’s seven-city young artist audition tour.

A total of 1,091 singers across the country applied for the prestigious Gerdine Young Artist and Richard Gaddes Festival Artist programs; only 35 will be selected to appear in the 2020 Festival Season.

Opera Theatre’s 2020 Festival Season runs May 23 – June 28 and features Bizet’s Carmen, Strauss’ Die Fledermaus, the world premiere of Awakenings by Tobias Picker and Aryeh Lev Stollman, Floyd’s Susannah, and the annual Center Stage concert showcasing OTSL’s young artists.

Tickets for the 2020 Festival Season start at just $25 and can be purchased online, via phone, or in person at the OTSL Box Office at the Loretto-Hilton Center. For more information about the season, visit ExperienceOpera.org or call (314) 961-0644. ### About Opera Theatre of Saint Louis Opera Theatre of Saint Louis is a spring festival featuring casts of the opera world’s most exciting singers accompanied by members of the Grammy Award-winning St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.

Each season, OTSL presents four inventive new productions in English during the months of May and June. In addition to presenting innovative interpretations of classics, OTSL is also committed to premiering new and relevant operas by prominent composers; since its inaugural season in 1976, 28 operas have received their world premieres at Opera Theatre. T

he company’s competitive young artist programs foster the next generation of emerging American singers; these programs have been a springboard for countless artists to launch international careers.

OTSL is led by General Director Andrew Jorgensen and Artistic Director James Robinson. Opera Theatre of Saint Louis is funded in part by the Regional Arts Commission, Arts and Education Council, National Endowment for the Arts, and the Missouri Arts Council. Opera Theatre gratefully acknowledges Webster University for its sustaining partnership

New Places and Faces for Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis

New Places and Faces for Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis

The Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis has announced a move to The High Low in the Grand Center Arts District.

Helene Estes

The High Low is a new venue from the Kranzberg Arts Foundation which focuses on the spoken and written word.

“We are thrilled to house the Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis in such a creative establishment and cannot wait for the partnerships that will come from this relocation,” said Carrie Houk, executive artistic director.

Helene Estes has been hired as the new Director of Operations. A St. Louis native, Helene holds a B.F.A in Drama from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. She has maintained a varied artistic career that includes theatre and screen acting, film producing, and new play development in New York City and the St. Louis area.

“She is extremely honored to to be joining this amazing team of creatives and eager to support such an incredible organization,” Houk said.

“We are excited to announce more new faces with the addition of several members to our TWStL board. We’re pleased to have Jane Robert, Rayme Cornell, Peter Shank, Carlos Zamora, Melodee DuBois, Donna Beck, KC Carroll, and Kyle Crocker join our governance,” she said.

The 5th annual festival will be held May 7-17, located in the Grand Center Arts District. 2020 programming will be announced in the weeks to come.

Alex Prakken Added to Muny Magic with Mikaela Bennett

Alex Prakken Added to Muny Magic with Mikaela Bennett

By Lynn Venhaus
Managing Editor

A longtime Muny performer, Alex Prakken left his native St. Louis to grow his musical theater aspirations, but his heart is at home on the local stages that have meant so much to him.

Prakken will star alongside Mikaela Bennett in the eighth
installment of its off-season concert series, Muny Magic at The Sheldon, on
Tuesday and Wednesday, Nov. 5 and 6, at 7:30 p.m.

“The Muny is such a special place, not just for me, but for
many,” he said. “I always wanted to go to New York. And The Muny definitely
helped me to get to where I needed to be in singing, acting and dancing. And I
got to watch these phenomenal actors on that stage, work with them, and learn
from them.”
Prakken replaces Jason Gotay, who was cast as Che in the upcoming New York City
Encores! Production of “Evita” and had to withdraw. Gotay appeared as Prince
Topher in “Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella,” as Prince Eric in “Disney’s
The Little Mermaid” and Jack in “Into the Woods” at The Muny.

“We’re so grateful to Alex for joining this always
joyous and magical night,” said Muny Artistic Director and Executive
Producer Mike Isaacson. “Alex thrilled audiences last season in 1776 and
his performance as Marius in Les Misérables remains a Muny favorite. I’m sure
he and Mikaela will make serious magic.”  

A former Muny Kid and Muny Teen, Prakken said he was
thrilled to return to the Muny as the Courier in “1776,” singing the signature
solo “Momma Look Sharp,” after an absence of six years.

“It was nice to be back for ‘1776,’” he said. “It’s such a
special song, such a special show. It really sticks with you.”

Alex Prakken as The Courier in “1776” at The Muny last season. Photo by Phillip Hamer. He had participated as the Courier in a concert version at
54 Below in New York City, which takes place every Fourth of July.

Prakken, a graduate of The John Burroughs School and
University of Michigan, was previously in a much heralded “Les Miserables” as
Maurius at the Muny in 2013.

“I’ll never forget that. I had never seen an audience so enamored
with a show,” he said. The audience leapt to its feet after “One Day More.”

“It was the perfect show for the Muny – on that big stage
with a big cast,” he said.

After that, he went on to the first national tour of
“Newsies” as Oscar Delancey and as Jack Kelly’s understudy as well as Davey’s,  stopping at the Fox Theatre in St. Louis.

“Playing the Fox was crazy. We spent a year playing in
really big houses, 2500-3000, but the Fox is practically double in size. It’s
the biggest one we played,” he said.

While growing up, The Fox was where he saw his first
touring shows.

“It was a shining beacon of theater, but I took it for
granted. It is a stunning theater, so freaking beautiful, big and cavernous.
Performing there, it really did feel majestic, very special,” he said.

He played Jack Kelly at La Mirada Playhouse in California,
and at the Paramount Theatre in Chicago. He has toured as Jesus in “Jesus
Christ Superstar” and as Roger in “Grease.”

Alex Prakken as Jack Kelly in “Newsies” at La Mirada PlayhouseNow living in New York City, Prakken said he’s been
fortunate to be working steadily, but enjoys returning home for a break around
the holidays. Since early May, “I’ve been going non-stop.”

His agent sends him out on auditions for things he may be
right for – “it’s about who they happen to be looking for,” he said. “It’s
often being at the right place at the right time. I’m starting to get noticed
by casting directors. It’s about knowing who they can trust.”

He and Bennett, who had never met before, were rehearsing
the week before the shows.

“She has a lovely voice, it gave me chills – really
spectacular,” he said.

Bennett played the title character in Rodger and
Hammerstein’s “Cinderella” last summer and is a graduate of The Juilliard
School, known for her work on stage and concert halls. She won a Lincoln Center
Award for Emerging Artists this year.

Her credits include Maria in “West Side Story” at the Lyric
Opera of Chicago and in concert performances at the BBC Proms, New York
Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic
Orchestra. She has appeared at the Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall.

She originated both the role of Norma in the off-Broadway
production of “Renascence” and the title role of Acquanetta at the Prototype
Festival.

Michael Baxter is directing the show and frequent Muny
music director Charlie Alterman is directing the music.
Prakken said they have come up with solos and duets to reflect their strengths,
the new season, Muny classics and shows they have been in around the country.

“What felt best for us,” he said. The timeless music of Leonard Bernstein, Harold Arlen, Jason Robert Brown and Rodgers and Hammerstein is among the selections. Bennett and Prakken will be accompanied by a trio: Charlie Alterman (music director and piano), Nick Savage (drums) and Vince Clark (bass).

The concert will feature Broadway hits including “If I Loved You” (“Carousel”), “How Could I Ever Know” (“The Secret Garden”), “One Second and A Million Miles” (“The Bridges of Madison County”) and a medley from “West Side Story.”

In addition to the performances, Isaacson will reveal the
line-up for the much-anticipated 2020 summer season, its 102nd.

“It’s a very exciting season next year,” Prakken said — while
not revealing anything.

“Mike is so supportive. There is a whole other level of
care at the Muny,” he said, noting that Isaacson comes to rehearsals, making
sure people have what they need to put on a good show.

“It’s just such a great place,” he said. “In St. Louis, it’s a cultural event. People come two and a half hours early to listen to music, watch the young people perform. I hope we can make a little bit of Muny Magic at the Sheldon. It’s really a knockout place.”

He has sung at the Sheldon before, too, for a senior recital.

“It was an awesome night,” he said. Muny Magic at The Sheldon is sponsored by The Kranzberg Arts Foundation.  The Sheldon is located at 3648 Washington Boulevard in St. Louis.

Tickets are available now and range from $25 to $50. For
more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.muny.org/munymagic or call
314-534-1111.

For more information about The Muny, visit muny.org

Take Ten with Dixie Longate, the Tupperware Lady on Stage

Take Ten with Dixie Longate, the Tupperware Lady on Stage

Dixie Longate, the fast-talking Tupperware Lady, packed up her catalogues, left her children in an Alabama trailer park and took Broadway, the UK & Australia by storm!  

Emery Entertainment welcomes her back to the Playhouse @ Westport Plaza for a multi-week engagement filled with outrageously funny tales, heartfelt accounts, free giveaways, audience participation and the most fabulous assortment of Tupperware ever sold on a theater stage.

The show opened Oct. 29 and runs through Nov. 24. Tickets are $50 for performances on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Tickets are $60 for performances on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

All seats are on sale now and may be purchased through MetroTix at www.metrotix.com or by calling 314/534-1111. Additionally, tickets will be available at the Playhouse @ Westport Plaza box office one hour prior to show time. Groups of ten or more should call 314/402-2430 for special rates. Please note this show contains adult content.

The performances are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30 p.m.; Friday at 8 p.m.; Saturday at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.; and Sunday at 2 p.m.

Loaded with the most up-to-date products available for purchase, audience members will learn how Dixie became a member of the illustrious #1 Tupperware Seller in the World Club, as she educates her guests on the many alternative uses she has discovered for her plastic products.

 “Not your grandmother’s Tupperware Party!” said NBC’s Today Show. The LA Times raved, “I was laughing too hard to breathe!” and NYTheatre.com called her show “Pure theatrical bliss!”

Audiences howl with laughter from her outrageously funny tales, homespun wisdom, audience participation and uses for Tupperware that you never thought possible.  The vivacious gum-chewing, ginger-haired Alabama gal will leave your heart a little bigger and your food a little fresher. For more information about Dixie Longate, visit www.dixiestupperwareparty.com.

Playhouse @ Westport Plaza is located at 635 Westport Plaza in Maryland Heights. For more information, please visit www.playhouseatwestport.com.

Here is our Q&A with Dixie.

1. Why did you choose your profession? “I got out of prison and my parole officer said I needed a job to get my kids back.  So it was sort of thrust upon me. I have had quite a few things thrust upon me in my day and a fair amount of them have been worth it but this was definitely the best by far.”

2. How would your friends describe you? “Kind, funny, good at holding my liquor and one heck of a Mechanical bull rider.”

3. How do you like to spend your spare time? “Either at my best friend’s honky tonk or sipping sweet tea on the back porch at dusk looking at fireflies. “

4. What is your current obsession?  “I am a huge knitter and I have started making lots of sweaters for Fall.  I am also determined to make myself a 70’s Farrah Fawcett-Inspired poncho.”

5. What would people be surprised to find out about you?  “I’m double jointed but only on even-numbers months.”

6. Can you share one of your most defining moments in life?  “Making 2,500 people in a theater in Melbourne, Australia burst into fits of laughter while it was being televised all over the country.  Also when a lady recently gave me the biggest hug I’ve ever gotten, while telling me she had laughed during my show and it had been the first time laughing since her husband had passed away eight months prior.”

7. Who do you admire most?  “Brownie Wise. She created the Tupperware party.  If it wasn’t for her, millions of women would never have realized their potential, myself included.”

8. What is at the top of on your bucket list?  “I’d love to be making people chuckle on TV. Hopefully someday. “

9. What is your favorite thing to do in St. Louis?” Going to the Fuzzy Taco because they always make a drink in my honor!”

10. What’s next for Dixie? ” I have so many irons in the fire.  I’m working on a funny book with a bunch of stories about my life and friends in my trailer park in Mobile, Alabama.  I’ve started to write another show that I hope to be performing at some point early next year.  And I hope by Christmas that I can do the front splits!”

More about Dixie:

Name: Dixie LongateAge: (optional) Late 20’s to mid-30’s to early 40’sBirthplace: Mobile, AlabamaCurrent location: As I’m scribbling this down, I’m in Palm Springs, CaliforniaFamily: I have three kids that I know about: Wynona, Dwayne and little Absorbine Jr.  He’s sweeter than poop.  He can’t talk or walk or open a bottle of wine, but he’s young still, so I’ll let it go this time. Education: Grade 1-4: Book Smart, The rest of the grades: Street Smart!Day job: Tupperware ladyFirst job: Legally, it was working at the Golden Corral.  I was in charge of the chocolate fountain.  It set me up for all sort things later in life. Awards/Honors/Achievements: Drama Desk Nomination for Outstanding Solo Performance (I lost to Laurence Fishburne. Really.)  The Michigan State Theater Award (Wilde Award – Best Actress.)  Highest Fund Raiser at my church’s Christmas Strip car wash. (I Dressed as Mrs Klaus.)Favorite quote/words to live by: “Stop picking at it.  You’ll only make it worse.”

1. Why did you choose your profession? I got out of prison and my parole officer said I needed a job to get my kids back.  So it was sort of thrust upon me. I have had quite a few things thrust upon me in my day and a fair amount of them have been worth it but this was definitely the best by far. 2. How would your friends describe you? Kind, funny, good at holding my liquor and one heck of a Mechanical bull rider. 3. How do you like to spend your spare time? Either at my best friend’s honky tonk or sipping sweet tea on the back porch at dusk looking at fireflies. 4. What is your current obsession?  I am a huge knitter and I have started making lots of sweaters for Fall.  I am also determined to make myself a 70’s Farrah Fawcett-Inspired poncho. 5. What would people be surprised to find out about you?  I’m double jointed but only on even-numbers months.6. Can you share one of your most defining moments in life?  Making 2,500 people in a theater in Melbourne, Australia burst into fits of laughter while it was being televised all over the country.  Also when a lady recently gave me the biggest hug I’ve ever gotten, while telling me she had laughed during my show and it had been the first time laughing since her husband had passed away eight months prior.7. Who do you admire most?  Brownie Wise.  She created the Tupperware party.  If it wasn’t for her, millions of women would never have realized their potential, myself included. 8. What is at the top of on your bucket list?  I’d love to be making people chuckle on TV. Hopefully someday. 9. What is your favorite thing to do in St. Louis? Going to the Fuzzy Taco because they always make a drink in my honor!10. What’s next for Dixie?  I have so many irons in the fire.  I’m working on a funny book with a bunch of stories about my life and friends in my trailer park in Mobile, Alabama.  I’ve started to write another show that I hope to be performing at some point early next year.  And I hope by Christmas that I can do the front splits!HERE ARE THE THINGS WE WANT TO KNOW FOR THE INFORMATION GRID:(More About — Dixie)Name: Dixie LongateAge: (optional) Late 20’s to mid-30’s to early 40’sBirthplace: Mobile, AlabamaCurrent location: As I’m scribbling this down, I’m in Palm Springs, CaliforniaFamily: I have three kids that I know about: Wynona, Dwayne and little Absorbine Jr.  He’s sweeter than poop.  He can’t talk or walk or open a bottle of wine, but he’s young still, so I’ll let it go this time. Education: Grade 1-4: Book Smart, The rest of the grades: Street Smart!Day job: Tupperware ladyFirst job: Legally, it was working at the Golden Corral.  I was in charge of the chocolate fountain.  It set me up for all sort things later in life. Awards/Honors/Achievements: Drama Desk Nomination for Outstanding Solo Performance (I lost to Laurence Fishburne. Really.)  The Michigan State Theater Award (Wilde Award – Best Actress.)  Highest Fund Raiser at my church’s Christmas Strip car wash. (I Dressed as Mrs Klaus.)Favorite quote/words to live by: “Stop picking at it.  You’ll only make it worse.”