St. Louis Actors’ Studio (STLAS) is pleased to present its ninth annual LaBute New Theater Festival celebrating new works by emerging professional and high school playwrights July 7-23 at The Gaslight Theater. STLAS received hundreds of submissions worldwide and selected four to be produced on the stage at The Gaslight Theater, along with a brand new piece by esteemed film director, screenwriter and playwright Neil LaBute, for whom the festival and is named and who serves on its creative team. This year’s productions include the following works/playwrights:
§ The Mockingbird’s Nest by Craig Bailey of Vermont
§ One Night in the Many Deaths of Sonny Liston by JB Heaps of New York
§ Da Vinci’s Cockroach by Amy Tofte of California
§ The Blind Hem by Bryn McLaughlin of Oregon
§ Safe Space by Neil LaBute
“We are pleased to once again share the works of some of the country’s best emerging playwrights, as well as Neil LaBute,“ said William Roth, founder and artistic director of St. Louis Actors Studio.
Shows will be performed on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings at 8 p.m. and on Sundays at 3 p.m. General admission tickets are $30 each plus fees, $25 each plus fees for students with valid ID and seniors 65+, available via Ticketmaster or at the theater box office one hour before show time. For more information, visit stlas.org or email help@stlas.org.
About St. Louis Actors’ Studio
St. Louis Actors’ Studio was founded to bring a fresh vision to theatre in St. Louis. Housed in The Gaslight Theater in historic Gaslight Square, STLAS is committed to bringing engaging theatrical experiences to our community of actors, writers, producers, filmmakers and all patrons of the arts; and to provide a strong ensemble environment to foster learning and artistic expression.
St. Louis Actors’ Studio, through the use of ensemble work, will explore the endless facets and various themes of the human condition by producing existing and original collaborative theatre. For more information, visit stlas.org.
COVER PHOTO of Jane Paradise and Reginald Pierre in Neil LaBute’s “Safe Space” by Patrick Huber
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.