The Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis invites playwrights to submit original one-act plays for our 2020 Playwriting Initiative. At least three winners will be chosen by our panel of playwrights. The winning plays will be presented in a staged reading, with professional actors, as an element of the 2020 Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis, May 7-17, 2020.
The winning playwrights will be invited to attend the staged reading and to participate in a talkback panel—featuring the other winners and the judges—at the conclusion of the event. The plays, with playwrights’ biographies, will be listed in the official Festival program.The winning playwrights will be provided with Festival passes. (The Festival will not be able to provide other compensation or reimbursement.)
Tennessee Williams
Tennessee Williams started out in St. Louis writing one-act plays, and one of his biggest breaks was winning a competition sponsored by the Group Theater in New York—the first time he signed his name as “Tennessee” rather than “Tom.” He wrote more than seventy throughout his career—sometimes edgy, often experimental, and always infused with his unsurpassed poetry. Many of them have been presented at the Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis, several as world premieres. We invite you to find your inspiration in his artistry and to share it with us.
The panel is chaired by Jack Ciapciak, winner of New York University’s 2017 Goldberg Playwriting Prize and winner of our own inaugural Playwriting Initiative. Judges also include Deanna Jent, whose play Falling has been produced on Broadway, and Gregory Carr, who teaches playwriting at Harris Stowe University.
Guidelines for submission:
The play must be no more than 15 minutes long.
The play must not have been professionally produced (although plays that have been workshopped or presented as staged readings are acceptable).
The play must be submitted by the author of the play.
Only one submission per author.
The author must include a statement of no longer than 250 words, including a brief biography, contact information, and author’s availability to attend the staged reading and serve on the talkback panel. (Attendance is requested but not mandatory.)
The play must be in a PDF in Standard Playwriting Format.
Submit your materials by March 1, 2020, to info@twstl.org with the subject line 2020 Playwriting Initiative.
Winners will be notified no later than April 1, 2020. By submitting the play, authors give performance rights to the Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis for the May, 2020 event, as well as possible other uses in connection with the 2020 Festival. Authors retain all other rights.
For more information, visit the website: www.twstl.org
By Lynn Venhaus Attorney Bryan Stevenson’s own account of the Walter McMillian case, as recorded in the 2014 bestselling nonfiction book “Just Mercy: A Tale of Justice and Redemption,” is faithfully adapted on screen by writer-director Destin Daniel Cretton.
After earning a law degree from Harvard, Bryan Stevenson (Michael B. Jordan) sets up shop in Alabama, focusing on defending wrongly condemned Death Row inmates, and finding out many were not afforded proper representation.
McMillian (Jamie Foxx) is one of his first cases. He is sentenced to die in 1987 for the murder of an 18-year-old girl. Evidence overwhelmingly proves his innocence, but it’s an uphill battle because of racism and legal and political maneuvering.
While the film is basically a legal procedural, it pushes buttons – frustration, anger and a clear indication that justice is sometimes only for those who can afford a good lawyer.
Cretton, along with screenwriter Andrew Lantham, depicts
the harsh reality of dealing with black-and-white issues in the deep South (and
beyond) as it methodically details the ‘cover your ass’ local good-old-boy police
and legal system.
What elevates this film, however, is the acting. With the
customary outstanding portrayals one expects from Michael B. Jordan and Oscar
winner Jamie Foxx, we are presented with the ‘so-what’ obstacles that have led
real-life hero Stevenson to overturn convictions of dozens of innocent people.
The McMillian case, detailed on “60 Minutes,” is so obvious
in its railroading of an innocent man that the struggles seem more outrageous
as the film weaves its matter-of-fact account with all the subtlety of a
freight train collision.
The supporting cast also excels in bringing clearly defined
characters to life – especially Rob Morgan and O’Shea Jackson Jr. as Death Row
inmates Herbert Richardson and Anthony Ray Hinton. Brie Larson, so good in
Cretton’s film “Short Term 12,” conveys activist Eve Ansley’s plight as a
Southern wife and mother.
Versatile character actor Tim Blake Nelson delivers one of
his finest performances as a key witness, Ralph Myers, whose original testimony
helped put McMillian in prison.
Stevenson’s work, through his Equal Justice Institute, shows
how badly the criminal justice system is broken – more criminal than just – and
the filmmakers have done a public service by bringing it to our attention.
“Just Mercy” won the Audience Award at the St. Louis International Film Festival in November. It’s easy to see why it strikes a chord with anyone who believes in truth and justice.
This image released by Warner Bros Pictures shows Michael B. Jordan, left, and Rob Morgan in a scene from “Just Mercy.” (Jake Netter/Warner Bros. Pictures via AP)
Genre: Drama, True Story Director: Destin Daniel Cretton Starring: Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Foxx, Brie Larson, Tim Blake Nelson, O’Shea Jackson Jr. Rated: Rated PG-13 for thematic content including some racial epithets. Lynn’s Grade: B+ A version of this review was originally published in the Times newspapers.
Life it ain’t real funky Unless it’s got that pop Dig it Pop life Everybody needs a thrill Pop life We all got a space to fill — Prince, “Pop Life”
Welcome to PopLifeSTL.com, a new arts, entertainment and lifestyle website curated by veteran journalist Lynn Venhaus.
Venhaus has had a continuous byline in St. Louis area publications since 1978 and has worked as a reporter, feature writer, reviewer and editor for daily and community newspapers and other platforms in the region. She has taught journalism and media at three area colleges as an adjunct instructor.
Lynn Venhaus
“We will spotlight local events but also cover a wide
spectrum of entertainment,” she said.
Venhaus has written movie and theater reviews for many years. From 2008 to 2017, she wrote entertainment reviews for the Belleville News-Democrat, and currently covers film reviews for the Times newspapers (Webster-Kirkwood Times, South County Times and West End Word), KTRS Radio and the Reel Times Trio podcast. She also has a partnership with OnSTL.com for the podcast and content. This will be home to her theater reviews but she will also feature other local reviewers.
“We want to explore the local arts scene with enthusiasm and insight, but also with an informed critical eye,” she said.
Local contributors include reviewers CB Adams, Connie Bollinger, Andrea England Braun, Joe Pfaller and Jeff Ritter. We will welcome more experts as we grow.
Currently, we are a work in progress and will be placing fresh content as much as possible and after that, get the archives up to speed.
Venhaus talks to Seth Meyers at the Critics Choice Association Awards Jan. 12 in Santa Monica, Calif.
As a founding member of the St. Louis Theater Circle in 2012, which awards excellent in St. Louis regional professional theater, she has enjoyed getting to know the local theater community.
Film is a major force in her life, and she has been a vetted member of the St. Louis Film Critics Association since 2008 and its elected secretary since 2012. She has been accepted into the national Alliance of Women Film Journalists and the Critics Choice Association (formerly the Broadcast Film Critics Association).
She is also a volunteer and member of Cinema St. Louis, and frequently serves on juries for the St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase, 48-Hour Film Project and St. Louis International Film Festival.
She has served on the Arts for Life board since 2010, which
recognizes outstanding work in community theater.
“We are going to spotlight local people and places,
including food and drink too – the whole leisure experience.”
She is a former feature writer, food editor and reviewer at
the defunct St. Louis Globe-Democrat and wrote for niche publications at the
Belleville News-Democrat, so promoting what the metropolitan area has to offer
is important to her.
“We have hidden gems to explore, and there are so many
untapped subjects in the region. I look forward to informing people of our colorful
heritage and the interesting people who enrich our area,” she said.
Venhaus is a graduate of Illinois State University, with a comprehensive mass communications major and a minor in theatre. Born and raised in the metro-east, she currently lives in St. Louis. Her son, Charlie, lives in New York City and her son Tim passed away in December 2018.
Charlie, Lynn and Tim Venhaus, ushers at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.
Currently, she covers news and features for several local publications as an independent contractor, Venhaus Creative. Editing and writing services are also available.
The St. Louis Black Repertory Company announces additions to its Board of Directors. Joining the Board is Feleccia Moore-Davis, Wanda Starr-Ferguson, and Paul Steger. “The new members further diversify the board towards the goal of bringing the magic of live theatre to everyone by entertaining diverse audiences, educating promising youth, and enriching our community,” says Ron Himes, Founder and Producing Director.
Feleccia Moore-Davis is Campus President at St. Louis Community College: Meramec. Feleccia is a first generation college graduate that recognizes the importance of education. She has more than 20 years of higher education experience teaching and in cross-functional administrative roles within Community Colleges. Prior to coming to STLCC Feleccia served as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Tallahassee Community College in Florida and Vice President for Instruction at Lone Star College-CyFair. Feleccia brings leadership, grant writing, fundraising, and program management to the board and plans to expand partnerships support and further expose students to the arts.
Wanda Starr-Ferguson is the Inclusion & Diversity Specialist for Edward Jones. Throughout her 20-year tenure at Edward Jones, Wanda served in multiple capacities the Compliance and Operations division including Asset Surveillance Officer, leading to a promotion to Field Supervision Director. Wanda has a passion for developing relationships with the community and giving back. In 2017, Wanda was awarded “Volunteer of the Year”, by the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis. Wanda brings leadership, program management skills, and a strong passion for inclusion and diversity to the board. She looks to increase awareness of the Black Rep offerings to the St. Louis Community.
Paul Steger, Dean of the Leigh Gerdine College of Fine Arts at Webster University. Paul is a director, producer, actor, and action designer with credits on Broadway and in numerous regional theatres. He is a Certified Teacher with the Society of American Fight Directors and holds certificates from the British Academy of Stage and Screen Combat, the Nordic Stagefight Society, and Fight Directors Canada. Paul is a member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Screen Actors Guild, and the National Theatre Conference among others. He plans to serve as a liaison to higher education institutions across St. Louis and nationwide.
About the Black Repertory Company
The St. Louis Black Repertory Company was founded in 1976 by Producing Director Ron Himes. The Black Rep is one of the largest, professional African-American theatre companies in the nation and the largest African-American performing arts organization in Missouri. Quality professional dramas, comedies and musicals by primarily African-American and third world playwrights are produced. Mainstage productions and education programs combine to reach more than 80,000 people annually.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
