Maya doesn’t have a ride to prom. Her friends have ditched her, and her mom, Dr. Rachel Graves, is too busy fighting for a community that’s been poisoned by WWII-era radioactive waste. Like most fights, the front line has formed at a St. Louis County PTA meeting.
Confetti Kids by Aurora Behlke is a world premiere, with performances Aug. 20–Sept. 5, Thursdays through Saturdays at 7 PM, at The Chapel, 6238 Alexander Drive (63105). Tickets are $20 for artists, seniors, and students; $25.00 for general admission; and are available through Eventbrite.
Confetti Kids follows Rachel Graves, a nuclear scientist and single mother whose carefully controlled world begins to unravel as her community confronts the legacy of decades-old radioactive contamination near her daughter’s high school. As Rachel is drawn into the fight for environmental justice, she must navigate the tension between scientific objectivity and the deeply personal stakes of protecting her family.
All while life continues to revolve around the very real, very urgent matters of teenage friendships, prom preparations, and growing up. Blending humor and hope, Confetti Kids explores motherhood, friendship, inherited consequences, and the choices we make when the past presents constant obstacles.
For generations, Coldwater Creek has been woven into the fabric of North St. Louis County. A place where families walked, children played, and neighborhoods grew. What many residents didn’t know was that the creek also carried the legacy of radioactive waste generated during uranium processing for the Manhattan Project.
As contamination spread through flooding, Coldwater Creek became the center of decades of community advocacy, scientific investigation, and ongoing environmental cleanup. Its story raises urgent questions about environmental justice, public trust, and what we owe communities living with the consequences of decisions made long ago.
The performing ensemble includes: Nicole Angeli, Adam Flores, Hailey Medrano, and Tia Williams.
Kristen Strom will direct the production. Jim Bernatowicz is the stage manager. Lighting design by Theresa Comstock, costume design by Kayla Lindsay, set design by Erik Kuhn, with sound design by Ellie Schwetye. Props by CeCe Entz, Video/Projection design by Eric Satterfield. Dramaturg was Keir Aitken. Mason Hunt serves as master electrician, and graphic design by Dottie Quick. Ellie Schwetye, Rachel Tibbetts, and Summer Baer are co-producers.
Confetti Kids was developed through the 2024 Confluence Writers Project, the St. Louis Shakespeare Festival’s fellowship supporting emerging playwrights from Missouri and Illinois. Written by Aurora Behlke for the festival, the play continues the Confluence Writers Project’s mission of nurturing new voices and bringing original Midwestern stories to the stage.
This production also marks SATE’s second full production of a Confluence developed play, following its acclaimed world premiere of Courtney Bailey’s Brontë Sister House Party, another commission that went on to earn multiple St. Louis Theater Circle Awards. SATE is proud to continue to foster new and impactful work by local playwrights.
Funding for Confetti Kids made possible by Missouri Arts Council and the Regional Arts Commission.
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.