While theaters remain dark, we are excited to share a socially-distant, self-guided tour in Forest Park with custom art installations and open-air performances. The 1.25-mile walk was developed by St Louis Shakespeare Festival and will feature artists from Painted Black STL, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, The Big Muddy Dance Company, Poor Monsters and Jazz St. Louis.
See the park like you’ve never seen it before on this 80-minute jaunt full of poetry, music and art. Loosely inspired by Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, “A Late Summer Night’s Stroll” puts you at the center of the story: four lovers’ escape to an enchanted wood and the magical night of transformation that follows. A socially-distant self-guided tour of iconic spots and hidden gems, featuring custom installations, open-air performances and charming vignettes.
Free, but registration required. Suggested donation of $20.
Times and Group Sizes
The 1.25 mile walk begins at ten-minute intervals between 5 p.m. – 7:40 p.m., Tuesday-Sunday. Groups are limited to ten or fewer and only one group can register per time-slot (you will not be paired with another group). Guests are strongly encouraged to attend only with members of their own household.
Guests ages 9 and up must wear a face mask or covering in accordance with the City of St. Louis guidelines when in attendance.
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.
15 arts organizations will join forces with OTSL and RAC to present a streamed concert in support of artists whose livelihoods have been directly impacted by COVID-19.
Together with 14 other arts organizations and the Regional Arts Commission (RAC), Opera Theatre of Saint Louis (OTSL) is proud to announce “Arts United STL,” a free virtual benefit in support of RAC’s Artist Relief Fund, which provides critical aid to St. Louis working artists whose livelihoods have been critically interrupted by the pandemic. Produced by OTSL in partnership with the St. Louis Shakespeare Festival, this benefit will take place at 7 p.m. on Sunday, May 31st and present performances from local arts organizations, including The Big Muddy Dance Company, The Black Rep, Circus Flora, COCA, Jazz St. Louis, The Muny, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, St. Louis Ballet, St. Louis Children’s Choirs, St. Louis Shakespeare Festival, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, The Sheldon, STAGES St. Louis, the Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis, and more.
Arts United STL was first envisioned by OTSL General Director Andrew Jorgensen as a way for St. Louis’ established arts institutions to help support the community’s vibrant arts ecosystem. After an initial consultation between OTSL, RAC, and the St. Louis Shakespeare Festival, a consortium of 15 organizations was invited across an array of arts mediums. In the coming days, RAC will also encourage open submissions from independent artists and other arts organizations to further highlight the artistic diversity of the city.
More information about Arts United STL can be found on Opera Theatre’s website at ExperienceOpera.org/ArtsUnited, which will also host the live video stream on Sunday, May 31st. In addition, viewers may watch the livestream via YouTube on Opera Theatre’s channel. Viewers will be encouraged to donate to the RAC Artist Relief Fund during the concert. To date, the Artist Relief Fund has distributed $136,500 in direct support to individual artists. The goal of Arts United STL is to raise an additional $250,000 through 1,000 individual donations and sponsorships. Supporters may donate to the Artist Relief Fund at ExperienceOpera.org/ArtsUnited at any time before, during, or after the live event.
The arts and culture sector is an important driver for the St. Louis economy. According to the 2015 Americans for the Arts Economic Prosperity 5 study commissioned by RAC, the nonprofit arts and culture sector generated $590.9 million and 19,129 full-time equivalent jobs for the greater St. Louis area during that same year. Since the start of the pandemic, based on research conducted by Americans for the Arts, 89% of St. Louis City and County arts institutions have canceled events that would have reached more than 285,000 individuals.
“This benefit represents an exciting and collaborative effort to respond to the global crisis affecting the arts and culture sector in our region,” said Mont Levy, chair of the board of commissioners at RAC. “As the major public funder of arts in the region with a mandate to support individual artists, we know it is RAC’s responsibility to provide emergency support during this time of great need. We could not be more grateful to Opera Theatre of Saint Louis for spearheading this event, or to the St. Louis Shakespeare Festival and every participating organization for their work to highlight the rich cultural tapestry of our region and support their fellow artists.”
The Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis is the largest annual funder of non-profit arts in the region, providing grants to individual artists, arts and culture organizations, and other programs since 1985. RAC established the Artist Relief Fund through the St. Louis Community Foundation on April 1st to help working artists who have lost income due to the pandemic. So far, the fund has distributed $500 and $1,000 grants to more than 130 artists and will resume accepting new relief applications once additional funds have been secured.
OTSL General Director Andrew Jorgensen says of the effort, “We are thrilled to be collaborating with so many other arts organizations to help local artists, whose work makes St. Louis an immeasurably vibrant, special place. OTSL couldn’t be happier to produce this concert in support of artists during these difficult times. This benefit will highlight a fantastic array of art from different genres that reflect the artistic diversity and traditions of this community. I am so grateful to all my many colleagues who are uniting in this remarkable way to support one another and our entire arts ecosystem.”
All participating organizations are donating their time, with production costs and staffing needs covered by Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, additional staffing needs covered by St. Louis Shakespeare Festival, and an in-kind donation from Switch. The program will be directed by St. Louis Shakespeare Festival Artistic Director Tom Ridgely. Arts United STL is produced in partnership with the Regional Arts Commission, and the following arts partners: The Big Muddy Dance Company, The Black Rep, Circus Flora, COCA, Jazz St. Louis, The Muny, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, St. Louis Ballet, St. Louis Children’s Choirs, St. Louis Shakespeare Festival, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, The Sheldon, STAGES St. Louis, and the Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis.
Here is the HEC featurette piece: https://youtu.be/Upzz841hHX4
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About Regional Arts Commission
The Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis (RAC) supports artists and arts organizations through grantmaking, strategic initiatives and other programs that build capacity, improve quality and advance diversity, equity and inclusion within the region’s arts and culture sector. Celebrating its 35th anniversary in 2020, RAC has been pivotal in nurturing the vibrant art scene throughout St. Louis, awarding more than 7,000 grants totaling over $100 million since its inception in 1985. Directed by a board of 15 commissioners appointed by the chief executives of St. Louis City and St. Louis County, RAC prioritizes quality in its support of nonprofit arts organizations, individual artists, and programs and promotes partnerships that strengthen the sector and drive progress throughout the region. RAC receives its funding from hotel/motel room sales tax revenue from St. Louis City and County. Visit www.racstl.org for more information, or follow us on Facebook at Regional Arts Commission or Twitter @RACStLouis.
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.
COVID-19
Pandemic Results in Production Streamcast by HEC Media
New Jewish Theatre led the way with six awards at the eighth annual St. Louis Theater Circle Awards ceremony on Tuesday, April 7, 2020. Max & Louie Productions’ performance of Indecent garnered five awards, followed by four awards to The Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis for its production of A Lovely Sunday forCreveCoeur.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Circle’s gala event for this year’s award ceremony, originally scheduled for March 30, 2020 at the Loretto-Hilton Center, was canceled. Instead, HEC Media produced a version of the ceremonies that was streamcast on HEC Media’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/hectv/live/) as well as telecast on Spectrum channel 989 and AT&T U-verse channel 99. Here is the YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/embed/tCo0AFHbChE
Awards were given in 31 categories covering comedies, dramas
and musicals as well as two categories for opera. In addition, Ken and Nancy
Kranzberg received a special award for their philanthropic contributions to the
arts and theater in the St. Louis area, including many developments in Grand
Center. The awards honored outstanding achievement in locally produced professional
theater for the calendar year 2019.
A total of 21 productions and 14 companies were recognized by the awards, including eight individuals who have received honors in previous years. Will Bonfiglio, honored as Outstanding Actor in a Comedy for his performance in New Jewish Theatre’s production of Fully Committed, received an award for the third time in the last four years.
The 2020 presentation featured nominees from two companies,
Black Mirror Theatre and The Q Collective, which were represented for the first
time in consideration of St. Louis Theater Circle Awards. Each company received an award for
outstanding achievement.
In all, 25 local companies received nominations in 33
categories for comedy, drama, musical and opera, as well as 125 individuals up
for awards. Honorees who have previously received St. Louis Theater Circle
Awards include Will Bonfiglio, J. Samuel Davis, Kari Ely, Michael Hamilton,
Patrick Huber, Sean M. Savoie, Margery and Peter Spack, and Maggie Wininger.
The mission of the St. Louis Theater Circle is simple: To
honor St. Louis professional theater. Other cities around the country, such as
Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Francisco and
Washington D.C., pay tribute to their own local theatrical productions with similar
awards programs.
Nominations for the St. Louis Theater Circle Awards were
divided into categories for musicals, dramas, comedies and operas. More than 120 local professional theatrical
productions were staged in the St. Louis area in 2019.
Honorees of the eighth annual St. Louis Theater Circle
Awards are:
Outstanding
Ensemble in a Comedy
A
Lovely Sunday for Creve Coeur, Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis
Outstanding
Supporting Actress in a Comedy
Kelley Weber, A Lovely Sunday for Creve
Coeur, Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis
Outstanding
Supporting Actor in a Comedy
Patrick Blindauer, Love’s Labors Lost, Shakespeare Festival St. Louis
Outstanding
Actress in a Comedy (tie)
Katie Kleiger, Pride and Prejudice, Repertory Theatre
of St. Louis
Maggie Wininger, A Lovely Sunday for Creve Coeur, Tennessee Williams Festival St.
Louis
Outstanding Actor
in a Comedy
Will Bonfiglio, Fully Committed, New Jewish Theatre
Outstanding
Director of a Comedy
Kari Ely, A Lovely Sunday for Creve Coeur,
Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis
Outstanding
Production of a Comedy
Brighton
Beach Memoirs, New Jewish Theatre
Indecent
Outstanding
Ensemble in a Drama
Indecent,
Max & Louie Productions
Outstanding
Supporting Actress in a Drama
Carly Uding, Translations,
Black Mirror Theatre
Outstanding
Supporting Actor in a Drama
J. Samuel Davis, District Merchants,
New Jewish Theatre
Outstanding
Actress in a Drama
Donna Weinsting, Salt, Root and Roe,
Upstream Theater
Outstanding Actor
in a Drama
Gary Wayne Barker, District Merchants, New Jewish
Theatre
Outstanding
Director of a Drama
Joanne Gordon, Indecent, Max &
Louie Productions
Outstanding
Production of a Drama
Indecent,
Max & Louie Productions
Outstanding Set
Design in a Play
Margery and Peter Spack, Brighton Beach Memoirs,
New Jewish Theatre
Outstanding
Costume Design in a Play
Felia Davenport, District Merchants,
New Jewish Theatre
Outstanding
Lighting Design in a Play
Patrick Huber,
Indecent, Max & Louie Productions
Outstanding Sound
Design
Phillip Evans, Indecent, Max &
Louie Productions
Outstanding Set
Design in a Musical
Mary Engelbreit and Paige Hathaway, Matilda, The Muny
Outstanding
Costume Design in a Musical
Sarah Porter, La Cage aux Folles, New
Line Theatre
Outstanding
Lighting Design in a Musical
Sean M. Savoie, Man of La Mancha,
Stages St. Louis
Outstanding
Musical Director
Charles Creath, Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t
Cope, The Black Rep
Outstanding
Choreographer
Dexandro Montalvo, Such Sweet Thunder, Shakespeare
Festival St. Louis,
Big Muddy Dance Company, Jazz St. Louis, Nine
Network of Public Media
Outstanding
Ensemble in a Musical
Matilda,
The Muny
Outstanding
Supporting Actress in a Musical
Taylor Louderman, Kinky Boots, The
Muny
Outstanding
Supporting Actor in a Musical
Tielere Cheatem, La Cage aux Folles,
New Line Theatre
Outstanding
Actress in a Musical
Kendra Kassebaum, Guys and Dolls, The
Muny
Outstanding Actor
in a Musical
Luke Steingruby, Hedwig and the Angry
Inch, The Q Collective
Outstanding
Director of a Musical
Michael Hamilton, Man of La Mancha,
Stages St. Louis
Outstanding
Production of a Musical
Such
Sweet Thunder, Shakespeare Festival St. Louis,
Big Muddy Dance Company, Jazz St. Louis, Nine
Network of Public Media
Outstanding New
Play
Nonsense and Beauty, by Scott C.
Sickles, Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
La Boheme
Outstanding
Achievement in Opera (tie)
Terence Blanchard and Kasi Lemmons, Fire
Shut Up in My Bones, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis
Roland Wood, Rigoletto, Opera Theatre
of St. Louis
Outstanding
Production of an Opera
La
Boheme, Union Avenue Opera
Special Award
Ken and Nancy Kranzberg
Members of the St. Louis Theater Circle include Steve Allen,
stagedoorstl.com; Mark Bretz, Ladue News;
Bob Cohn, St. Louis Jewish Light;
Tina Farmer, KDHX; Michelle Kenyon, snoopstheatrethoughts.com; Gerry Kowarsky, Two on the Aisle (HEC Media); Chuck
Lavazzi, KDHX; Sarah Bryan Miller, St.Louis
Post-Dispatch; Judith Newmark, judyacttwo.com; Ann Lemons Pollack,
stlouiseats.typepadcom; Tanya Seale,
Broadwayworld.com; Lynn Venhaus, PopLifeSTL.com;
Bob Wilcox, Two on theAisle (HEC Media); and Calvin Wilson, St.
Louis Post-Dispatch.Eleanor
Mullin, local actress and arts supporter, is the group’s administrator.
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.
