Cinema St. Louis Presents Award Winners in Best of Fest Jan. 22- 31

Cinema St. Louis Presents Award Winners in Best of Fest Jan. 22- 31

The 29th Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival (SLIFF) wrapped on Nov. 22, 2020, but Cinema St. Louis is providing cinephiles another opportunity to view the event’s award winners in the Best of Fest, which is available virtually from Jan. 22-31, 2021.

A few of SLIFF’s honorees are already or imminently out in the world — “Transhood” is available on HBO Max, and “9to5: The Story of a Movement” premieres on PBS’s “Independent Lens” on Feb. 1 — but Best of Fest reprises the other 19 winners of the festival’s juried and audience-choice awards.

Like 2020’s SLIFF, the Best of Fest is an online-only event and is again presented with our virtual-festival partner, Eventive. Nine features and a program of 10 shorts will be available to stream during all 10 days of the event, and several of the films will once more include recorded Q&As with filmmakers and documentary subjects. Geographic restrictions will apply to some films. All programs will be available in Missouri and Illinois, but some will be accessible throughout the U.S. or world. This information is noted on each listing.

Individual tickets are $15 ($12 for Cinema St. Louis members). A 5-film pass is $65 ($55 for Cinema St. Louis members). Information on films, purchase of tickets/passes, and details on the virtual fest is available on the Cinema St. Louis website: cinemastlouis.org.

Film Programs

Asia

Ruthy Pribar, Israel, 2020, 85 min., Hebrew, Narrative

Audience Choice Award for Best Narrative Feature. In her debut feature film, Israeli filmmaker Ruthy Pribar focuses on a pair of Russian immigrants in Israel, candidly exploring the challenges of motherhood and the desires of the differently abled. Asia (Alena Yiv) and Vika (Shira Haas) are more like sisters than mother and daughter. Young mom Asia hides nothing about her work-hard, play-hard lifestyle and expects the same openness and honesty from teenage Vika. But Vika is at an age where privacy and independence are paramount, and she inevitably begins to rebel against her mom’s parenting style. When health issues confine Vika to a wheelchair and her need for romantic experiences and sexual exploration becomes more urgent, Asia realizes she must get out of the way so that her daughter can live her life.

Award-Winning Shorts Program

150 min.

  • Always Coming Back (Noah Readhead & Nate Townsend, U.S.,  2020, 9 min., English): Audience Choice Award for Best Documentary Short. Webster Groves rallies around a man with a mental disability to support his greatest passion.
  • Augustus (Jon Alston, U.S., 2020, 16 min., English): Essy Award for Best Narrative Short. Augustus, a literate carpenter and family man who is living free as a fugitive slave, is faced with a decision to speak or die when denied the wages he’s earned.
  • Black Goat (Yi Tang, Nepal/U.S., 2019, 12 min., Nepali): Best Live Action Short. A new girl at a nunnery has her first period after hearing a late-night ghost story and believes that she has been cursed, requiring her to sacrifice a black goat to avoid further misfortune.
  • Colette (Anthony Giacchino, France/Germany/U.S., 2019, 24 min., French & German): Best Documentary Short. Colette Catherine, now 90, revisits the terrors of her childhood, when she fought the Nazis as a member of the French Resistance.
  • The Cut (Chloé Cinq-Mars, Canada, 2019, 18 min., French): Best International Short. Emma, who had a C-section, didn’t see her son when he was born, and when she finally meets him, she doesn’t recognize her baby.
  • I Want to Make a Film about Women (Karen Pearlman, Australia, 2019, 12 min., English & Russian): Essy Award for Best Documentary Short. A speculative love letter to Russian constructivist women in the 1920s Soviet Union.
  • Josiah (Kyle Laursen, U.S., 2019, 20 min., English): Best of Fest Short. A Black actor auditions for a part in a period television series.
  • The Mirror (Joel Kohn, Australia, 2020, 22 min., English): Audience Choice Award for Best Narrative Short. When a young girl discovers a mysterious antique mirror in the basement of her ailing grandmother’s house, she opens a window between time that allows her to cross over into Nazi-occupied Poland.
  • R.A.S. (Lucas Durkheim, France, 2019, 5 min., French): Best Short Short. For months now, a group of five bored young soldiers have been stuck on a mission in the middle of the Afghan mountains, but the routine is finally broken during a support mission.
  • To the Dusty Sea (Héloïse Ferlay, France, 2020, 12 min., French): Best Animated Short. Left alone in the summer, Malo and Zoe try their best to catch their mother’s elusive eye.

Beasts Clawing at Straws

Kim Yong-Hoon, South Korea, 2020, 108 min., Korean, Narrative

Audience Choice TV5MONDE Award for Best International Feature and St. Louis Film Critics Joe Pollack Award for Best Narrative Feature. A wild, fast-paced crime thriller that deftly crosses the Coen Bros. with “The Grifters,” “Beasts Clawing at Straws” is a pitch-black neo-noir. When a cash-stuffed Louis Vuitton bag is left in a sauna, it sends a group of hard-luck lowlifes on a desperate chase for a fortune. Fish-mongering gangsters, a greasy cop, an “innocent” gym cleaner, and a prostitute and her trio of men (wife-beating husband, ruthless boss, and clueless boyfriend) all violently scheme to get their hands on the elusive bag. The film is a beautifully constructed puzzle whose pieces snap perfectly into place with each double-cross.

God Save the Wings

Adam Knapp & Kenneth Linn, Denmark/U.K./U.S., 2020, 102 min., English, Documentary

Audience Choice Leon Award for Best Documentary Feature. “God Save the Wings” offers a rousing, highly entertaining look at the brief history of Wichita’s MISL indoor-soccer franchise, narrated primarily by former Wings player Andy Chapman. The documentary features plenty of deliciously dated archival footage and appears to round up nearly every living person involved in the franchise for an appearance. Made with affection for its subject, with an enthusiastic vibe and penchant for oddball meta-movie flourishes, “God Save the Wings” chronicles the team’s journey through the ’80s, recounting the thrills, wackiness, and flagrant debauchery. St. Louis’ own beloved MISL club, the Steamers, plays a prominent role in the documentary’s narrative, with our boys serving as the thuggish American heavies to the Wings’ more elegant, European style of soccer.

I Am You

Sonia Nassery Cole, Afghanistan, 2020, 89 min., Dari, English & Turkish, Narrative

Interfaith Award for Best Narrative Feature. “I Am You” offers an insider’s look at the Taliban’s rule in Afghanistan and the tragedy of its refugees. After the loss of his father at the hands of ISIS, young Masoud leaves the world he once knew to embark on a perilous journey to safety. Embarking on a perilous migration from Afghanistan into the unknown, he vows to honor his late father’s memory by securing a safe future for his mother and sister. As he and his family flee the country they once called home, he is accompanied by his best friend, an aged Muslim warrior, and a pregnant doctor. Inspired by the stories of the world’s many refugees, the film provides an evocative, empathetic study of our current refugee crisis.

A Place to Breathe

Michelle Grace Steinberg, U.S., 2020, 87 min., Central Khmer, English, French, Spanish & Swahili, Documentary

Interfaith Award for Best Documentary. A work of timely urgency, director Michelle Grace Steinberg’s “A Place to Breathe” toggles between immigrant and refugee communities in two cities — Lowell, Mass., and Oakland, Calif. — to illustrate their varied struggles to assimilate, preserve cultural identity, and, most prominently, heal from the traumas that sent them to the U.S., all assisted by determined healthcare and social workers. A series of small, intimate interactions illustrate how these challenges play out person to person, family to family, rather than in congressional shouting or mass protests. Interviews offer context, and animation is briefly used to portray past-life events in other lands that began in happiness before they turned horrific, but the film keeps the focus mostly narrowed on two families, with outside voices amplifying their experiences. At a time when some U.S. political leaders persist in demonizing the “other,” Steinberg provides a patient immersion in the quiet effort to revive lives whose dreams were momentarily extinguished and then are slowly brought back to life.

The Road Up

Greg Jacobs & Jon Siskel, U.S., 2020, 94 min., English, Documentary

Spotlight on Inspiration Documentary Competition Winner. “The Road Up” follows four Chicagoans on the daunting journey from rock bottom to stable employment. Their lifeline: Mr. Jesse, a charismatic mentor with Cara, a nonprofit that helps the chronically unemployed find long-term jobs. Mr. Jesse’s own troubled past — which is eventually revealed — compels him to help his “students” find hope in the face of homelessness, addiction, incarceration, and trauma. The participants in the program are required to go through a month-long “boot camp” called Transformations, and the film records lengthy stretches of these sessions, with Mr. Jesse putting his charges through some serious emotional changes, forcing them to acknowledge and examine their own self-sabotaging behaviors and learn ways to change them. Filmmakers Jon Siskel and Greg Jacobs’ “Louder Than a Bomb” won SLIFF’s Audience Award as Best Documentary in 2010, and “The Road Up” proves a similarly powerful and inspirational work.

Small Time

Niav Conty, U.S., 2020, 104 min., English, Narrative

New Filmmakers Forum Emerging Director Award (The Bobbie). “Small Time” takes an empathetic and at times darkly humorous look at life, faith, and childhood. Though just a kid, Emma navigates a dysfunctional adult world of relentless addiction, stubborn patriotism, dogmatic faith, and the pervasive sexualization of young girls. Her challenge is to emerge with a sense of self. It can be brutal enough just growing up a girl, but when you add poverty, addiction, and God to the mix, it’s no wonder that Emma doesn’t know how to make friends. With a gun in her bag and fairy prayers on her tongue, she and her cat bravely go where too many girls have gone before. But are innocence and hope enough to save the day?

Test Pattern

Shatara Michelle Ford, U.S., 2020, 82 min., English, Narrative

Essy Award for Best Narrative Feature. “Test Pattern,” the gripping and powerful first feature by Shatara Michelle Ford, chronicles a young Black woman’s attempts to get help from an uncaring system after an assault. An interracial couple’s supportive relationship is put to the test after the woman (Brittany S. Hall, HBO’s “Ballers”) is sexually assaulted and her boyfriend (Will Brill, “The OA,” “Not Fade Away”) must drive her from hospital to hospital around Austin in search of a rape kit. Part psychological horror movie and part realistic drama, “Test Pattern” is set against the backdrop of our national discussions about an inequitable health system, #MeToo, and race relations. Director Ford was raised in St. Louis.

Zappa

Alex Winter, U.S., 2020, 129 min., English, Documentary

Essy Award for Best Documentary Feature. Far from a typical music doc, “Zappa” is a multifaceted narrative that brings a complex artist to vibrant life, providing a nuanced look at visionary iconoclast Frank Zappa and the environment that formed him. A simultaneously intimate and expansive look into the iconic musician’s innovative career, the film had unfettered access to the Zappa family trust and its vast trove of archival footage. Exploring the private life behind a musical career that never shied away from the political turbulence of its time, “Zappa” features revealing interviews with Frank’s widow, the late Gail Zappa, and such collaborators as Mike Keneally, Ian Underwood, Steve Vai, Pamela Des Barres, Bunk Gardner, David Harrington, Scott Thunes, Ruth Underwood, and Ray White. “Zappa” is directed by former St. Louisan Alex Winter — a Cinema St. Louis Award honoree in 2015 — who recently returned to acting in “Bill and Ted Face the Music” but who has spent the last decade helming a string of impressive documentaries, including “Downloaded,” “Deep Web,” “The Panama Papers,” and “Showbiz Kids.”

SLIFF, SLFS 2019 Best of Shorts Virtual Screening July 31 on Twitch

SLIFF, SLFS 2019 Best of Shorts Virtual Screening July 31 on Twitch

 

Cinema St. Louis and St. Louis Public Radio are proud to co-present Best of Shorts, a virtual screening of a selection of the award-winning short films from the 2019 Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival (SLIFF) and 2019 Whitaker St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase. In addition to the films, the event will feature an interview with Marshall Curry, director of “The Neighbor’s Window,” which won this year’s Academy Award for Best Live Action Short.

The program will be streamed for free at 7 pm Friday, July 31, on St. Louis Public Radio’s Twitch channel. Register for the event at stlpublicradio.org/events/.

Twitch is a live-stream video platform owned by Amazon. It’s like YouTube, but all the videos are live, so the experience is different at any given time. Twitch’s popularity started with video gamers and e-sports players, but many people join Twitch to chat or to live stream events.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has long sanctioned SLIFF’s shorts competition as a pre-screening event for the Academy Awards. The winners in four categories of SLIFF’s juried shorts programming (Best of Fest, Best Animation, Best Live Action, and Best Documentary) are eligible to submit their films directly to the Academy for Oscar consideration.

St. Louis Public Radio is an award-winning news organization and NPR member station, providing in-depth news, insightful discussion, and entertaining programs to more than a half-million people per month on-air and online. With a large, St. Louis-based newsroom and reporters stationed in Jefferson City and Rolla, Mo., and Belleville, Ill., the station’s journalists find and tell important stories about communities across the region and help people to become deeply informed about the issues that affect their lives. Broadcasting on 90.7 KWMU FM in St. Louis, 90.3 WQUB in Quincy, Ill., 88.5 KMST in Rolla, and 96.3 K242AN in Lebanon, Mo., and sharing news and music online at stlpublicradio.org, St. Louis Public Radio is a member-supported service of the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

The following short films will be screened during this event:

Bodies Like Oceans

KC Cory, U.S., 2019, 13 min., documentary, adult content (language and nudity)

A dreamy portrait of photographer Shoog McDaniel, a self-described queer fat freak, whose work with fat bodies in nature transgresses reality. Best Documentary Less Than 20 Minutes at the 2019 Showcase.

Charon

Cullen Parr, U.S., 2019, 12 min., documentary

A profile of Myron Dyal, a California artist with temporal-lobe epilepsy who creates striking paintings, drawings, and sculptures inspired by the visions he has during his seizures. Best Documentary Short at the 2019 SLIFF.

Grab My Hand: A Letter to My Dad

Camrus Johnson & Pedro Piccinini, U.S., 2019, 5 min., animated narrative

A touching and personal exploration of the relationship between the filmmaker’s father and his best friend. Best Short Short at the 2019 SLIFF.

Miller & Son

Asher Jelinsky, U.S., 2018, 21 min., live-action narrative

A transwoman mechanic runs her family’s auto shop during the day and expresses her femininity at night, but an unforeseen event threatens the balance of her compartmentalized life. Best Live Action Short at the 2019 SLIFF.

The Neighbors’ Window Oscar winner for Best Live Action Short

The Neighbors’ Window

Marshall Curry, U.S., 2019, 20 min., live-action narrative, adult content (language and brief nudity)

A middle-aged woman with small children has her life shaken up when two free-spirited twentysomethings move in across the street. Academy Award winner as Best Live Action Short and Best of Fest Short at 2019 SLIFF.

St. Louis Superman

Sami Khan & Smriti Mundhra, U.S., 2019, 28 min., documentary, adult content (strong language)

A profile of Bruce Franks Jr., the 34-year-old battle rapper, Ferguson activist, and former Missouri state representative. Academy Award nominee as Best Documentary Short and Best Local Short at 2019 SLIFF.

Two

Emre Okten, U.S., 2019, 6 min., animated narrative

Two robots discover the value of their friendship as a decades-long mission to the sun comes to an end. Best Animated Short at 2019 SLIFF.

Cinema St. Louis Announces Move to Virtual Festivals in 2020

Cinema St. Louis Announces Move to Virtual Festivals in 2020

Because of the ongoing world health crisis, Cinema St. Louis (CSL) will move all of the organization’s 2020 film festivals and events online. This includes CSL’s signature event in November, the 29th Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival.

When the Covid-19 pandemic began, CSL originally moved its spring events to summer with the hope that the virus would have abated and in-person theatrical screenings could resume in some form. Even though the U.S. has begun to loosen restrictions on some activities, it has become clear to CSL that holding traditional film festivals would be impossible. To protect the health and safety of our patrons and volunteers, and to ensure that the organization can deliver the highest-quality festival experience possible, CSL has decided that a virtual approach to our events is the prudent and most responsible course of action.

CSL will be partnering with Eventive (watch.eventive.org) to present its festivals online. In a few instances, films will only be available at a specific time and date, but patrons will be able to stream the majority of films, shorts programs, and special events at any time during the run of a festival, similar to the video-on-demand approach of cable services and such platforms as Amazon Prime, YouTube, or Vudu. Once a program is started, viewers will have 24 hours to watch the stream. Programs can be paused, rewound, and fast-forwarded. Films will be accessible on most computers and tablets, and on televisions via services such as Roku or Chromecast. Full information will be available on the CSL website as festivals are announced. 

Patrons will be able to purchase individual films — $10 general, $8 for CSL members, students, and ARTS Card holders — but passes will also be available for the various festivals. CSL remains committed to making its events as accessible as possible, so select programs will continue to be offered for free.

To retain as much of the festival experience as possible, many of the films will feature accompanying conversations with filmmakers, documentary subjects, critics, academics, or experts on the subjects addressed in a film. Most conversations will be recorded, but live Q&As, master classes, and seminars will also occur. In addition, recordings of all such conversations and events will be available for free on the CSL website.

The following CSL festivals will be offered online:

  • QFest St. Louis: CSL’s annual LGBTQ-focused festival will now take place virtually from June 19-28.
  • St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase: The event will take place virtually from July 10-19.
  • Classic French Film Festival: Because films in this event are older works, many of the originally scheduled programs were unavailable for online presentation, but a smaller-scale virtual fest will include three of the selected films — “India Song,” “Olivia,” and “Rider on the Rain” — from July 17-23. Experts will still offer recorded intros, and CSL will record Q&As with the presenters that will play after the films.
  • St. Louis International Film Festival: CSL’s premier event will take place virtually in November, with specific dates to be announced. Originally scheduled to take place Nov. 5-15, SLIFF will likely increase the length of its run by several days.

Three CSL co-presentations are still in flux, and announcements will be made when CSL’s partners make decisions on how to proceed:

  • St. Louis Science Fiction and Fantasy Short Film Festival: CSL is a co-presenter of this event with the Saint Louis Science Center. The fest was originally scheduled for May 1. The Science Center hopes to reschedule the event for later in the summer, but a virtual presentation remains an option.
  • SLIFF Best of Shorts: CSL is co-presenter of this event — a selection of the best shorts from the 2019 SLIFF at the Public Media Commons — with St. Louis Public Radio. The event was originally scheduled for June. St. Louis Public Radio hopes to reschedule the event for later in the summer, but a virtual presentation remains an option.
  • Filmmaking Camps: CSL partners with local libraries and schools to present free filmmaking camps. Because these events are not able to be presented virtually, many of the camps have already been cancelled, including all St. Louis Public Library camps. The Community School and the University City Library have cancelled camps through June, but the possibility of camps later in the summer remains open at present.

Finally, here are updates on two other CSL events in 2020:

  • I Love Movies Trivia Night: This fundraiser, originally scheduled for June 5, will now be held online in a new format. Details will be announced soon.
  • Golden Anniversaries: Films of 1970: The six-film fest is currently slated for Aug. 22-23, Aug. 29-30, and Sept. 5-6 at the St. Louis Public Library’s Central Library. If the library is not able to hold public events during these dates, the screenings will be cancelled, but CSL will hold Zoom conversations on the scheduled films in a format similar to CSL’s Movie Club, with people watching the films on their own but gathering virtually to discuss them
Some of the movies that played at the 29th annual St Louis International Film Festival. Photo from Cinema St Louis

‘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.

Bright Lights Column: Breakthrough Time

Bright Lights Column: Breakthrough Time

By Lynn Venhaus
Managing Editor
You go, girls! Local singer-actors get national attention, and the St. Louis-produced Broadway musical “The Prom” made Thanksgiving Parade television history.
BREAKING OUT: We have a talented trio of local ladies who are living their dreams right now.
Lexi Krekorian, 27, of Waterloo, Ill., is one of the nine struggling musicians featured on the Netflix reality series, “Westside,” now available. She goes by the stage name, Alexandra Kay, and has released her first single, “You Think You Know Someone,” and several music videos of songs on the “Westside” soundtrack. She started out in school and community theater, and is chasing her dream in L.A. Here is the feature I wrote for the Belleville News-Democrat about her rising star.
https://www.bnd.com/living/magazine/article221600685.html
Kennedy Holmes of Florissant, the John Burroughs student and Muny Kid who is wowing the nation as a contestant on “The Voice,” made it through to the Top 11 Live Playoffs on Nov. 20. She sang “Wind Beneath My Wings” and is on Jennifer Hudson’s team, headed for the Top 10 showdown Nov. 26. Here is her Top 11 performance:
https://www.nbc.com/the-voice/video/kennedy-holmes-wind-beneath-my-wings/3832852
Thirteen proved to be lucky for Kennedy, as she was not among the 12 eliminated from the Top 24 Live Playoffs in Episode 13. She sang Beyonce’s “Halo.” “The Voice” is on Mondays and Tuesdays on NBC, with live voting the first night and results the second night. She is 13.
Meadow Nguy, providedMeadow Nguy, 23, of O’Fallon, Ill., performed in two musicals at Stray Dog Theatre (Marta in “Spring Awakening” in 2012 and the female lead in the original musical “Spellbound” in 2015), and in community and school theater. She guest-starred on the Nov. 18 episode of “Madam Secretary” called “Baby Steps,” as a Southeast Asia surrogate caught up in a human trafficking imbroglio . She made her crime-drama debut in ‘The Blacklist” earlier this year. Both shows available on demand. Here is the news article I wrote for the Belleville News-Democrat:
https://www.bnd.com/news/local/article221829910.html

***ATTABOY: Congratulations to Cory Finley, who scored a Film Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best First Screenplay for his “Thoroughbreds.” The annual awards, held since 1984, honor independent filmmakers working with small budgets. The awards are always announced the day before the Oscars, and this year, it will be Saturday, Feb. 23.
Focus Features photoIn fall 2017, the St. Louis Actors’ Studio presented Finley’s play, “The Feast.” A John Burroughs School grad, Finley’s movie opened nationwide in March after premiering at the Sundance Film Festival in January. It played the St. Louis International Film Festival in 2017.
Olivia Cooke (“Ready Player One,” “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl”) and Anya Taylor-Joy (“Split,” “The Witch”) play upper-class Connecticut teenagers who rekindle their unlikely friendship and hatch a plan to solve both of their problems — no matter what the cost. It’s the last film of Anton Yelchin.                                                                    Finley, who grew up in Clayton, is based in New York City. He is a member of the Obie-winning Youngblood playwrights group at Ensemble Studio Theater, has received a commission from the Alfred P. Sloan foundation for playwrighting, and was the inaugural recipient of the Gurney Playwrights Fund for his play, “The Feast,” at The Flea Theater. Check out www.thoroughbredsmovie.com
***STANDING O’s: Standing ovation for stand-up guy, Kwofe Coleman, who started as an usher at the Muny the summer of 1998, and now has been named managing director! He has served as Director of Marketing and Communications since 2013.
Kudos to the Cinema St. Louis team on their record-setting attendance of 28,723 at this year’s St. Louis International Film Festival Nov. 1 – 11. SLIFF screened 413 films, including 88 narrative features, 77 documentary features, and 248 shorts. Local actors are often seen in the regionally produced short films.

Cast members from “Disney’s Aladdin” presented “Sultan’s Soiree,” an exclusive cocktail reception, Nov 18 to benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Guests mingled while enjoying cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, photo opportunities, live entertainment and karaoke. To learn more, visit www.broadwaycares.org. Michael James Scott, a Webster University Conservatory graduate, is playing the Genie while Jonathan Weir, formerly of Belleville, is Jafar. “Aladdin” is at the Fox through Nov. 25.
***BIG SPLASH: The reviews are in, and it’s all raves for the new original musical comedy “The Prom,” which opened on Broadway Nov. 15 at the Longacre Theatre, following previews that began Oct. 23.
The New York Times said: “Makes you believe in musical comedy again.”
Variety said: “This original musical has laughs, tears and joy — not to mention jaw-dropping star-turns — in a clash-of-cultures hoot that earns a big Broadway corsage.”
Vanity Fair photoThe show has multiple local connections – Centralia, Ill., native Chad Beguelin is the co-book writer, with Bob Martin (co-creator of “The Drowsy Chaperone”) and lyricist, with music by Matthew Sklar. Beguelin wrote lyrics to Disney’s “Aladdin” and both he and Sklar were Tony-nominated for “The Wedding Singer.”
Some local producers include Jack Lane, executive director of Stages St. Louis; Ken and Nancy Kranzberg, Patty Gregory of Belleville, Terry Schnuck, Andrew S. Kuhlman of St. Louis and Fairview Heights native Joe Grandy. St. Louis performers Jack Sippel and Drew Reddington are part of the ensemble, and stars Beth Leavel and Christopher Sieber have appeared several times at The Muny. The Broadway cast also includes Brooks Ashmanskas (Tony nominee for ‘Something Rotten!”),
Casey Nicholaw, Tony winner for “The Book of Mormon,” directed and choreographed the show.
“The Prom” is about a canceled high school dance – a student is barred from bringing her girlfriend to the prom — and four fading Broadway stars who seize the opportunity to fight for justice — and a piece of the spotlight. Its tagline is “There’s no business like getting in other people’s business.”
***
NOBODY RAINED ON THEIR PARADE: “The Prom,” one of four musical acts in the 92nd annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Nov. 22, made parade history with the first same-sex kiss televised live. As the number, “It’s Time to Dance,” closed, cast mates Isabelle McCalla and Caitlin Kinnunen embraced and kissed. The LGBTQ community cheered.
Here is that performance: https://youtu.be/VDZDLJjzJBI
Tony nominee Taylor Louderman of Bourbon, Mo., performed with the cast of “Mean Girls.” She plays Regina, the snotty leader of the cool girls’ pack. Taylor was last seen locally on the Muny stage in 2016’s “Aida” as Amneris.
Fun Fact: The dance company, Radio City Rockettes, was founded in St. Louis in 1925 by Russell Markert. First known as the “Missouri Rockets,” the precision chorus line has performed in Radio City Music Hall since 1932.
***HANNUKAH HULLABALOO: The eighth annual Brothers Lazaroff show to benefit Metro Theater Company will take place on Saturday, Dec. 8, at 7 p.m. at The Grandel Theatre, and all ages welcome.
The show will feature Rabbi James Stone Goodman and the Eight Nights Orchestra, DJ Boogieman, tributes to Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen and more! As always, free latkes will be fried on-stage! Food vendors will include Taco Buddha, The Dark Room and STL-Style will be selling their St. Louis-inspired apparel.
***AROUND TOWN: Legendary Wilco founder and Belleville native Jeff Tweedy took to The Pageant stage with Jon Hamm Nov. 17 to discuss his storied career. The book tour stop was sold-out.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch photoThe Grammy-winning singer-songwriter’s memoir “Let’s Go (So We Can Get Back”): Memoir of Recording and Discording with Wilco, Etc.,” features stories about his childhood, putting Uncle Tupelo together, and recollections about St. Louis record store, rock clubs and live-music scene during his formative years.
Now based in Chicago, Tweedy can be spotted in the indie movie “Hearts Beat Loud” as a customer, in what else, a record store.
Playwright Vladimir Zelevinsky was in town for the opening weekend of West End Players Guild “The Great Seduction,” and graciously spoke to Tina Farmer of KDHX and I about his interesting life and writing process.
 
Zelevinsky also wrote “Manifest Destiny,” performed at WEPG in 2016, which was nominated for Best Ensemble by the St. Louis Theater Circle.
***SANTA’S COMING! I KNOW HIM: With the holiday essential film “Elf” as its next movies-for-foodies event, Tenacious Eats returns to the St. Louis Banquet Center in Holly Hills, at 5700 Leona Street, on Saturday, Dec. 15.
Guests will feast on five courses and have cocktails themed to the movie, and the event also includes contests and live music. Chef Liz Schuster has left West End Grill and Pub to devote more time to her cinema-and-theme-dining experience – and Tenacious Eats is known for its “full-contact dining experiences.” Tickets are on sale now at BrownPaperTickets.com.
***GO SEE A PLAY POLL: Ah, Church Ladies and Christmas Pageants are customary fixtures during the holiday season, so the folks behind the Lutheran laugh-apalooza, “Church Basement Ladies: Away in a Basement” have returned with a warm, sentimental and uproarious show.
Now playing at The Playhouse @ Westport through Jan. 6, this is a perfect show to take your mom or grandma to – and you can win two free tickets to the show if you enter our drawing.
Select a show from the list below to answer our question: “What is your favorite holiday-themed play or musical?”
 
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Story
Elf
Inspecting Carol
It’s a Wonderful Life
White Christmas
And send it via email, along with your name, cell phone and email address by 5 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 25, to lynnvenhaus@gmail.com and you will be entered in a drawing. Winner will receive 2 tickets to an upcoming show.
In our last “Go See a Play” poll, Graham Emmons of St. Louis won two tickets to Rebel and Misfits’ “Macbeth: Come Like Shadows.” The survey’s response to best mystery play landed the 1952 classic “Dial M for Murder” by Frederick Knott op top, with “Wait Until Dark” – another Frederick Knott play from 1966 — a close second.
***FOSSE, VERDON AND ALL THAT JAZZ: The next show-biz limited series for FX will be “Fosse/Verdon” in 2019, about the legendary Broadway choreographer Bob Fosse and his professional and personal relationship with dancer Gwen Verdon.
Oscar winner Sam Rockwell is cast as Fosse while Oscar nominee Michelle Williams will be Verdon, returning to the network 20 years after “Dawson’s Creek.”
The cast features St. Louis native Norbert Leo Butz as writer Paddy Chayefsky, Margaret Quall as Ann Reinking and Nate Corddry as Neil Simon.
Lin-Manuel Miranda is executive-producing the eight episodes and “Hamilton” choreographer Andy Blankenbuehler is creating the dance.
***WHISTLING A HAPPY TUNE: The lavish acclaimed Tony-winning revival, “The King and I,” will be shown two nights at the Plaza Frontenac Cinema, on Nov 29 and Dec. 4 at 7 p.m. The Rodgers and Hammerstein musical filmed during its run at the London Palladium, June 21 to Sept. 29 and features more than 50 performers.
Kelli O’Hara reprised her Tony Award-winning performance and Tony and Oscar nominee Ken Watanabe played The King again. Tony winner Ruthie Ann Miles returned as Lady Thiang and West End “Aladdin” star Dean John Wilson and Na-Young Jeon played Lun Tha and Tuptim. Director Bartlett Sher reunited the original creative team.
***TRIVIA TIME-OUT: With St. Louis performers making a name for themselves on the national stage, here’s a little flashback to the halcyon days of “American Idol,” the big-bang of reality competition singing shows.
1. Who is the only St. Louisan to make “American Idol” Top Ten Finalists?
2. What “American Idol” winner tried out in St. Louis one of the two times auditions were held here?
Answers (both Season 4):
Nikko Smith, born Osborne Earl Jr., son of Cardinal Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith, who wound up ninth overall in 2005. He had been voted off in the third round of the semi-finals, but the producers asked him back to take the place of Mario Vazquez, who left for “family reasons.”
Carrie Underwood, who drove up with her mom from the family farm in Checotah, Okla., in 2004, sang “I Can’t Make You Love Me” by Bonnie Raitt.
Here’s that audition: https://youtu.be/P0j9NGV-Jm4
She just won CMA Female Vocalist of the Year, killed with a live awards show performance of “Love Wins” at six months’ pregnant, and has to date seven Grammy Awards, including Best New Artist in 2007, the only second country artist to win it.
St. Louis has hosted auditions for Seasons 4 and 11.
***WORD: “Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.” – Plato
 
 

Bright Lights: Wicked Awesome

Bright Lights: Wicked Awesome

By Lynn Venhaus
Managing EditorGREEN DAY: We have been changed for good by the cultural phenomenon “Wicked,” which has broken records in St. Louis and is still “Popular” around the world after opening on Oct. 30, 2003 on Broadway.
To commemorate the musical’s 15th anniversary, NBC will air a tribute concert on Monday, Oct. 29, at 9 p.m. (CST).
“A Very Wicked Halloween” was recorded live Oct. 16 at the Marquis Theatre, hosted by the original Elphaba and Glinda, Idina Menzel and Kristen Chenoweth.
The celebration will feature Pentatonix, Ariana Grande and Ledisi. Adam Lambert will join them, and he is certainly not mourning the wicked. He left the Los Angeles cast after making “American Idol,” and from 2005 to 2008, had been in the ensemble and understudy for Fiyero, and on a national tour.
The current Broadway cast will also make an appearance.

This spellbinding untold story about the Witches of Oz is now the sixth longest-running musical in Broadway history, having surpassed “A Chorus Line” on July 12 with its 6,128th performance.
Since its debut, “Wicked” has broken box office records around the world. St. Louis is one of the cities where “Wicked” currently holds the weekly-gross-takings records, along with Los Angeles, Chicago and London.
It has played the Fox Theatre five times since 2005, selling out and each week broke box office records. The national tours stopped here in 2005, 2007, June 2010, for four weeks Dec. 12, 2012 – Jan. 6, 2013, and for four weeks in Dec. 9, 2015 to Jan. 5, 2016. Another tour is under way but St. Louis isn’t listed – as yet.
St. Louisan Norbert Leo Butz originated Fiyero in “Wicked.”The original Broadway cast featured St. Louisan Norbert Leo Butz as Fiyero. The Bishop DuBourg and Webster U. Conservatory grad played Elphaba’s love interest Fiyero twice, from Oct. 8 to Nov. 23, 2003, and from Jan. 20 to July 18, 2004. He met his second wife, Michelle Federer, during the production – she played Nessarose, and they were married in 2007.
Norbie, the seventh of 11 children born to Elaine and Norbert A. Butz, went on to win two Tony Awards, for “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” and “Catch Me If You Can.” He is planning to leave his Tony-nominated role as Alfred P. Doolittle in the Lincoln Center revival of “My Fair Lady” on Jan. 6, 2019.
Composer Stephen Schwartz told Playbill why he cast him.
“I’ve wanted to work with Norbert since I saw him in ‘Thou Shalt Not’ and particularly in ‘The Last Five Years.’ He’s a lyricist’s dream. In ‘Wicked,’ I wrote ‘Dancing Through Life’ especially for him to take advantage of both his voice and charisma.”
In July 2017, “Wicked” surpassed “The Phantom of the Opera” as Broadway’s second-highest grossing show, trailing only “The Lion King.”
Based on the best-selling 1995 novel by Gregory Maguire, “Wicked” has won more than 100 international awards, including three Tony Awards and a Grammy.
The TV special isn’t the only way “Wicked” is celebrating its milestone – Ben and Jerry’s locations in Times Square and Rockefeller Center will sell special ice cream sand-Witches beginning Oct. 26. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the National School Climate Center’s BullyBust campaign.
The NBC Studios Store has an Ozmopolitan apparel display. And a special “Wicked” cupcake, baked by Melissa, is available online and at all 14 store locations through the rest of October. A portion of the cupcake proceeds with benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and A BroaderWay.
***GET REEL: Native sons and daughters can bask in the klieg lights in the ‘Lou during the 27th annual St. Louis International Film Festival, which will screen a record 414 films from 63 countries Nov. 1 through Nov. 11 at nine venues.
John GoodmanJohn Goodman, one of St. Louis’ favorite sons, will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award. That program and a screening of “The Big Lebowski” on Nov. 2 are already sold out. Goodman, who grew up in Affton, has enjoyed a long career – in movies, on TV and on stage. He is part of the “Roseanne” reboot called “The Conners,” along with former Edwardsville resident Laurie Metcalf, who plays his sister-in-law Jackie. The TV   sitcom began Oct. 16 on ABC and can be seen at 7 p.m. on Tuesdays.
Yours truly is hosting a special event film. The fest is celebrating the Golden Anniversaries of several influential films that came out in 1968: “Bullitt,” “Medium Cool,” “Once Upon a Time in the West,” “Rosemary’s Baby” and “Pretty Poison.”
Anthony Perkins, Tuesday Weld in “Pretty Poison”I will introduce “Pretty Poison” and lead the post-show discussion after the free screening on Saturday, Nov. 10, at 11 a.m. at the St. Louis Public Library central headquarters downtown on Olive. The film is sponsored by the St. Louis Film Critics Association.
This underrated film noir-like thriller starred Anthony Perkins and Tuesday Weld, and has gained new appreciation as a cult gem, its influence noted in Terence Malick’s “Badlands” and Billy Bob Thornton’s “Sling Blade.” Think “Gun Crazy” meets “Lolita.” Mix in conspiracy theories, passion, greed and fantasy. With its inspired casting, it’s a strange and wonderful film about a teenage arsonist who is paroled, becomes smitten with a young femme fatale, and dangerous plans are put into play.
For a complete schedule or for more information, www.cinemastlouis.org For the trailer by Sleepy Kitty Arts (you rock Paige Brubeck and Evan Sult), watch this: https://youtu.be/UTm2PZJng_0
I was fortunate to be the moderator of a Q&A session after a sold-out screening of “Beautiful Boy” Sunday at the Hi-Pointe, with writer Nic Sheff, whose story is the film, and star Timothee Chalamet, whose fans started lining up at 8 a.m. for the 11 a.m. screening. St, Louis was one of four stops the Oscar-nominated Chalamet did over the weekend; Nic Sheff is appearing at over 10 locations.
Lynn Venhaus, Timothee Chalamet, Nic Sheff at “Beautiful Boy” Q&A. Photo by Kevin Brackett.***
APPLAUSE FOR: Congratulations to Kathleen Sitzer on her honor from the Alliance for Jewish Theatre, an International organization dedicated to promoting the creation, presentation, and preservation of theatrical endeavors by, for, and about the Jewish experience.
She is seen here with honoree Tovah Feldshuh at the recent Alliance for Jewish Theatre annual conference in Philadelphia. Feldshuh’s one-woman show, “Golda’s Balcony,” is the longest running in Broadway history. She received the Theodore Bikel Award for Excellence in Jewish Theatre.
Kathleen, the recently retired Founding Artistic Director of New Jewish Theatre, was recognized for her years of service and dedication to the concept of Jewish Theatre.
In addition to Sitzer, the conference will honor actress Tovah Feldshuh with the Theodore Bikel Award for Excellence in Jewish Theatre. Her one-woman show “Golda’s Balcony” was the longest running in Broadway history.
The conference provides an opportunity for theatre artists and organizations to network and learn from each other through a variety of workshops, panel discussions and performances. It is hosted annually by a member theatre. This year’s conference in Philadelphia is hosted by Theatre Ariel. New Jewish Theatre hosted the conference two years ago in 2016 and also in 2002.
For more information, visit: www.alljewishtheatre.org.
***
AROUND TOWN: Sarajane Alverson, who played Chef Rossi in the autobiographical “The Raging Skillet” at the New Jewish Theatre, was able to meet the real-life inspiration when she came to St. Louis for the play’s premiere.
Sarajane Alverson, Chef RossiHere is a photo of the two from their appearance on a Fox 2 news segment. Photo courtesy of Aemi Tucker. Sarajane made it through three weeks of performances without a knife injury!
Country singer Alexandra Kay of Waterloo, Ill.Let’s hear it for country singer Alexandra Kay, aka Lexi Krekorian from Waterloo, Ill., who is among the nine people on Netflix’s new “Westside” that premieres Nov. 9. (I have an in-depth feature article that will be published in the Belleville News-Democrat soon).
Mark Saunders isn’t trying out his Halloween costume — he began the national tour of “Something Rotten!” last month and revealed his character Brother Jeremiah’s look.
His show will be in Champaign, Ill., on Monday, Oct. 29, for a one-night performance at 7:30 p.m. at the State Farm Center (University of Illinois). It’s a 2-hour, 43-minute drive from St. Louis. For more information, visit www.rottenbroadway.com.
***
 
 
 
AMERICAN IDOL: Interesting in auditioning for the next season of “American Idol” on ABC? Online audition videos are being accepted now through Nov. 5. You must be at least 15 years old to submit a video for consideration. You’ll be notified by Nov. 19 if you made the cut.
More information can be found here: https://fmna.etribez.com/ag/fmna/ai2abc/welcome.html
***BOOK SHELF: St. Louis native Ellie Kemper, a John Burroughs graduate, has published a collection of uplifting essays called “My Squirrel Days.” Her Oct. 13 book signing at the St. Louis County Library Headquarters was sold out.
The comic actress, known for “The Office” and “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” has written about her journey from Midwestern naif to Hollywood.
Can’t get enough of Tony winner “Dear Evan Hansen”? The smash-hit has been turned into a young adult novel by Val Emmich and published on Oct. 9 by Little Brown. T
o promote the book, show composers Benj Pasek and Justin Paul went on a 10-city bus tour with musical book writer Steven Levenson and author Emmich. Fellow Michigan alumnus Darren Criss joined them in Ann Arbor, and Tony winner and late-night host James Corden sang “Waving through the Window” at an L.A. bookstore.
A new deluxe album, including cut songs along with the original Broadway cast recording, is now available through Atlantic Records.
***
LIFE IS ART – SAVE THE DATE: Who will be nominated for their work in 2018 St. Louis metropolitan area community theater – in musicals (Best Performance Awards) and plays (Theatre Mask Awards)?
Winners will be revealed at the annual Arts For Life Trivia Night, now set for Saturday, Feb. 1 at St. Joseph’s parish hall in Manchester. Ryan Cooper returns as the emcee.
Our theme this year is “That ‘70s Trivia” – you can decorate your table and dress accordingly (costumes optional) – but questions are a variety related to the category titles (announcing the show nominees).
AFL awards excellence in large and small ensemble musicals, dramas and comedies, and youth musical productions. The TMAs will take place on Saturday, April 6, at and the BPAs on Sunday, June 9, at the Skip Viragh Center for the Performing Arts at Chaminade.
Boogie the night away with AFL! Enjoy 10 rounds featuring a variety of trivia, silent auction, raffles, table decoration contest, “STL Theatre Sampler” ticket raffle, attendance prizes, and more.
New this year – VIP Tables – $200/8 people. VIP Tables include snacks, soda/water, prime seating, and a dedicated runner.  Reserve your table today! $160/8 people
For more information, visit AFL’s Facebook page or website, www.artsforlife.org.
***
THEATRE RECOGNITION GUILD: Interested in scoring community theater and youth production musicals during the calendar year 2019? From now through Nov. 15, you can apply to be an AFL judge in what’s called the Theatre Recognition Guild. It’s the branch of AFL that judges musical theater for the Best Performance Awards given in 33 categories every June.
This is the only time during the year that you can apply. The online application is available here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2019trgapplication
You will be notified in December if you have been selected. Between 50 and 60 volunteers are judges, and 10-12 judges are assigned to score each eligible show for about 25 groups in the metropolitan St. Louis area.
Judges are required to attend shows throughout the bi-state region. There is no monetary compensation – it is all volunteer. If you judge 8 shows, you receive a free ticket to the BPAs. In 2018, TRG will have judged a total 48 shows (21 large ensemble, 7 small ensemble and 20 youth).
If you have any questions, please contact me, the TRG Chairman on the AFL Board of Directors since 2010, at lynnvenhaus@gmail.com
***GO SEE A PLAY POLL: Artistic Director Kelly Hummert whipped us into a frenzy for months trying to figure out clues as to what Shakespeare play would be the next Immersive Theatre Project by her Rebel and Misfits Productions.
She recently revealed it’s “Macbeth: Come Like Shadows” which opened Oct. 24 and runs through Nov. 10, Wednesday through Saturday.
Sean Michael Higgins, Kelly Hummert in “Macbeth: Come Like Shadows”You can be there, too. Rebel and Misfits is offering 2 tickets to a performance for our current giveaway. All you do is answer our poll below – we’re asking about your favorite mystery play because Kelly was so mysterious about her show.
Send your pick, along with your name and phone number, to lynnvenhaus@gmail.com by noon on Tuesday, Oct. 30. A winner will be selected from the entries, we’ll announce the name, and get the lucky pair set up for this yet-to-b-revealed enticing fall premiere.
FAVORITE MYSTERY PLAY (make selection to enter the drawing):
Deathtrap
Dial M for Murder
The Mousetrap
Night Must Fall
Sleuth
Wait Until Dark
Send your choice by noon Tuesday, Oct. 30, to enter the drawing to: lynnvenhaus@gmail.com.

WORD: “Movies will make you famous, television will make you rich, but theatre will make you good.” – Terrence Mann
***
 
 

John Goodman to be Honored with Lifetime Achievement Award at SLIFF

John Goodman to be Honored with Lifetime Achievement Award at SLIFF

The 27th Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival (SLIFF) — held Nov. 1-11 —  will honor native St. Louisan John Goodman with a Lifetime Achievement Award at a tribute program that will include a clip reel of the actor’s career highlights, a conversation betwen Goodman and John Carney of KTRS (550 AM), and a screening of “The Big Lebowski” on the occasion of its 20th anniversary. The program will take place at 7:30 pm Friday, Nov. 2, at the Tivoli Theatre, 6350 Delmar Blvd. Tickets for the event are $25 and go on sale through the Tivoli website on Tuesday, Sept. 25.
John Goodman starred in “Big River” on Broadway, his first big break.Goodman grew up in Affton and graduated in 1975 from Missouri State University (then Southwest Missouri State) in Springfield, Mo. He soon moved to New York City to begin his acting career. On Broadway, from 1985-87, Goodman starred as Pap Finn in Roger Miller’s musical take on Mark Twain, winning a Drama Desk nomination. In recent years, he’s returned to the stage with “American Buffalo” in London and “The Front Page” on Broadway.
Goodman began earning film roles in the 1980s, debuting in “Eddie Macon’s Run” (1983) and receiving increasingly prominent roles in such films as “Sweet Dreams” (1985), “True Stories” (1986), and “The Big Easy” (1986). He began a long collaboration with Joel and Ethan Coen with “Raising Arizon” in 1987, and he’s since appeared in the Coens’ “Barton Fink” (1991), “The Big Lebowski” (1998), “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” (2000), and “Inside Llewyn Davis” (2013). Goodman’s filmography is extensive, but other highlights of his career include “Sea of Love” (1989), Steven Spielberg’s “Always” (1989), “King Ralph” (1991), “The Babe” (1992), “Matinee” (1993), “Fallen” (1998), Martin Scorsese’s “Bringing Out the Dead” (1999), “The Artist” (2011), “Argo” (2012), “Flight” (2012), and “10 Cloverfield Lane” (2016).
HyperFocal: 0Goodman has been just as active in TV, where he is best known for his long-running role as Dan Conner in “Roseanne” (1988-97 and 2018) and now “The Conners.” He also had regular roles on Amazon’s “Alpha House” (2013-14) and HBO’s “Treme” (2010-11), and played memorable recurring characters on such shows “West Wing,” “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,” “Damages,” and “Community.” Goodman also does frequent voice-over work in animation,
including Pixar’s “Monsters Inc.” and “Cars.”
The SLIFF schedule, ticket and venue information, and a complete list of films (with descriptions) will be available at the Cinema St. Louis website (cinemastlouis.org) the first week of October.
For more information, the public should visit cinemastlouis.org or call 314-289-4150.
John Goodman receives caricature at Sardi’s for the famous wall. 

Bright Lights Column: St. Louis Putting on the Glitz

Bright Lights Column: St. Louis Putting on the Glitz

By Lynn Venhaus
Managing Editor
RISING STARS: Seeing talented teenagers passionately follow their dreams is such a thrill. The Fox Performing Arts Charitable Foundation is ahead of the game, for it fosters, promotes, and encourages young people in the St. Louis region to discover and participate in the joy and wonder of live performances.
Besides the St. Louis Teen Talent Competition, the Fox Performing Arts Charitable Foundation also produces a variety of other performing arts programs that focus on youth including Kids’ Night at the Fabulous Fox, Broadway Master Classes, Educational Encores, and is a producing partner of the 2nd Annual St. Louis High School Musical Theatre Awards.
This Sunday, they are sponsoring a free event that will feature 25 entertainment acts, including finalists from the 8th Annual St. Louis Teen Talent Competition and nomineees from the 2nd Annual St. Louis High School Musical Theatre Awards:

The High Schooll Musical Theatre Awards representatives include: Outstanding Lead Actress winner Maggie Kuntz and nominees Paige Terch. Meg Gorton and  Sydney Jones
Outstanding Lead Actor nominees Tony Merritt and Jared Goudsmit.
Outstanding Supporting Actress nominees Annelise Laakko, Natalie Brown and Haley Driver.
The Teen Talent Showcase representatives include pianists John Yanev and Robyne Sieh, singers Morgan Taylor, Josh Royal, Bennett English and Jennifer Ferry; dancers Arielle Adams, De’Jai Walker, Madison Alexander, Megan Mayer, Brooke Reese, Hillary Zgonina, Kelsey Carnes and DessaRae Lampkins; alto sax player Kameron Huff and TBD (Lilliana Matthews, Aaron Moore, Everett Remstedt, Allan Stacy and Jalen Thompson.
The Rising Stars Showcase featuring the Stars of Tomorrow will take place on Sunday, Aug. 5, at 2 p.m. at The Sheldon Concert Hall, 3648 Washington Blvd., St. Louis. Admission is free and it is open to the public. For more information, visit: www.foxpacf.org.
 
Photo Maggie Kuntz, Dolly Levi in Cor Jesu’s “Hello,Dolly!” She went on to compete in the National Jimmy Awards.
***
EXPLORE ST. LOUIS:  St. Louis will be rolling out the red carpet when throngs come to the city for the 100th PGA Championship Aug. 6 – 12 at the Bellerive Country Club.
Have you seen the four commercials that award-winning actor and St. Louis native Sterling K. Brown has done for the St. Louis Visitors and Convention Bureau? The 30-second segments are “Arch,” “Blues,” “Family Fun” and “Neighborhoods.”

Local actor, playwright and theater booster Stephen Peirick played Merriwether to Matt Lindhardt’s Lewis in the “Arch” commercial. He said Sterling was kind and introduced himself before they started working on the spot.
If you want to see the commercials or find out more about what’s happening here in August, check out www.explorestl.com.
 
***
GO SEE A PLAY POLL: Meet at the Muny for “Meet Me in St. Louis,” the finale of the Muny’s Centennial Season! Those who send in their choice in the poll will be placed in a drawing for two tickets to any performance of “Meet Me in St. Louis” from Aug. 4 – 12 at the Muny in Forest Park.
“Meet Me in St. Louis” was a 1944 MGM movie before it was adapted as a stage musical in 1989, although the Muny presented it before that.in the 1960s and ’70s.
This 2018 production will feature a revised book by Gordon Greenberg and new orchestrations by John McDaniel is the first since 2009, and the eighth overall.
McDaniel, a Grammy, Tony and Emmy-winning producer, composer, conductor and pianist is from St. Louis. He was Rosie O’Donnell’s talk show bandleader from 1996 to 2002, and has worked with the Muny before, on the 2012 “Pirates!”
Poll Question for Ticket Drawing: What is your favorite movie that either takes place in St. Louis or was shot in St. Louis?
“The Game of Their Lives”“The Great St. Louis Bank Robbery”“King of the Hill”“Meet Me in St. Louis”“Up in the Air”“White Palace”
Send your selection by email to: lynnvenhaus@gmail.com by 10 p.m. Friday, Aug. 3. Please include your phone number. The winner will be notified, and arrangements will be made with the Muny for the night you choose.
Our July 28 poll winner was Robert Kapeller of St. Louis. He won two tickets to “Evita” at The Rep on Sept. 7. As for the favorite girlfriends musical, “Wicked” won in a landslide.
***
DOWN MEMORY LANE: The first time I saw the movie “Meet Me in St. Louis” was at a free showing at the downtown Famous Barr department store the summer of 1974. They had special events and exhibits in honor of the 70th anniversary of the World’s Fair in St. Louis and showed the movie for free in their ninth floor exhibition hall. (That’s what was transformed into the holiday world extravaganza at Christmastime.) At the movie, they sold specially-priced iced tea and hot dogs, two refreshments who made their debut in 1904.
Sally Benson’s “Kensington Stories” was the basis for the movie, and her family lived at 5135 Kensington in north St. Louis city. The house is long-gone but this is what it once looked like, pictured at left.
***
 
 
TRIVIA TIME-OUT: Forty years ago, the first National Lampoon movie, “Animal House” premiered. This groundbreaking movie first shown on July 28, 1978 spawned many knockoffs and launched the careers of many young stars, including the first film by SNL breakthrough John Belushi. (And is very helpful in the “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” game).
Question: Who are the two people associated with the movie that have a local connection?
Answer: Writer Harold Ramis attended Washington University, Class of 1966, and used his college days as a member of Zeta Beta Tau for inspiration. He would go on to fame as a writer, actor (“Ghostbusters”) and director (“Groundhog Day”), and returned to his roots here. He served two terms on the Washington University board of trustees and was master of ceremonies for Homecoming in 1984. Here is a 1979 photo of him back in a Wash U frathouse.

Karen Allen, who played Katy, was born in Carrollton, Ill. Her mother was from Jerseyville and her father from Roodhouse, and she spent summers visiting her grandparents in Jersey County after his FBI work took them to other cities for her first 10 years. Her father went to Washington University after her parents married; they met at Illinois College in Jacksonville.
I interviewed the delightful and very active Allen two years ago when she was being honored by the St. Louis International Film Festival. She said she enjoys seeing cast members at film reunion events.

At left she is shown with Peter Riegert. “Animal House” was her first movie.
To read more about her life, here is my feature in the Belleville News-Democrat. https://www.bnd.com/living/magazine/article114225998.html
***WORD: Wise advice from the late great screenwriter, actor and director Harold Ramis:
“There’s a great rabbinical motto that says you start each day with a note in each pocket. One note says, “The world was created for you today,” and the other note says, “I’m a speck of dust in a meaningless universe,” and you have to balance both things.”
“No one will laugh at how great things are for somebody.”
“My only conclusion about structure is that nothing works if you don’t have interesting characters and a good story to tell.”
― Harold Ramis (1944 – 2014)
***
WINNERS CIRCLE: Cinema St. Louis handed out awards for the St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase on July 22. This year’s event featured 107 films, and some advanced to the 27th annual St. Louis International Film Festival Nov. 1 – 11. These are the juried award winners that were written, directed, edited, or produced by St. Louis residents or films with strong local ties.
DOCUMENTARIES
Best Use of Music: Busking on the Wagon, Randy Shinn and Drew Gowran
Best Sound: Such and Such, Cory Byers
Best Editing: Gateway Sound, Justin Fisher and Patrick Lawrence
Best Cinematography: Lingua Francas, David Christopher Pitt
Best Local Subject: The Man Behind the Merferds, Phil Berwick
Best Direction: Lisa Boyd, An American Tragedy
Best Documentary Short: For a Better Life, Yasmin Mistry
Best Documentary Feature: Gateway Sound, Justin Fisher
EXPERIMENTAL
Best Experimental Film: Passages in Revisiting: I Hear Someone Playing Urheen, Xinyue Deng
NARRATIVES
Best Costumes: Shutter, Nancy Eppert and Maude Vintage
Best Makeup/Hairstyling: East Plains: Get Out!, Jessica Dana
Best Use of Music: The Wedding Song, Ben Stanton, Thia Schuessler and Will Dickerson
Best Sound: Strings, Ross Mercer, Ryan Kneezle and Theo Lodato
Best Production Design/Art Direction: Parallel Chords, Gypsi Pate
Best Special/Visual Effects: Dawn of Man, Vlad Sarkisov
Best Editing: MLM, Benjamin Dewhurst
Best Cinematography: Parallel Chords, Kyle Krupinksi
Best Screenplay: Foxes, Tristan Taylor and Garrick BernardBest Actor: Ayinde Howell, Foxes
Best Actress: Jackie Kelly, Mother of Calamity
Best Direction: Richard Louis Ulrich, Steve
Best Animated Film: Tiffanys, Caitlin Chiusano, Sean Esser and Zhara Honore
Best Comedy: Cabin Killer, Michael Rich
Best Drama: Saint Sinner, Brian Cooksey
Best Narrative Short: Foxes, Tristan Taylor
Best Narrative Feature: Parallel Chords, Catherine Dudley-Rose
To see the list of films selected for SLIFF, visit www.cinemastlouis.org
Pictured are Best Actor Aynde Howell of “Foxes” and Best Actress Jackie Kelly of “Mother of Calamity” on the Showcase program.
***
Have any tidbits for the column? Please contact Lynn Venhaus at: lynnvenhaus@gmail.com.
Featured photo of ‘Meet Me in St. Louis” from Tams-Witmark. Harold Ramis photos from Washington University archives.