SATE’s Original Work ‘Confetti Kids’ Is Hard-Hitting Act of Conscience

SATE’s Original Work ‘Confetti Kids’ Is Hard-Hitting Act of Conscience

By Lynn Venhaus

Calls to action come in familiar places – neighborhoods, schools, and city halls, which we know produce results because of the recent primary election and other grassroots activism on display in St. Louis.

And who knows? Maybe even a theater. Playwrights can sound a clarion call like moms, nuclear scientists and teachers do. Produced by SATE, an original play “Confetti Kids” by Aurora Behlke kicks of their “Season of Motherhood.”

And sometimes, the lead character can be a nifty combo of all three — a mom, nuclear scientist and teacher. Such is the protagonist Dr. Rachel Graves, who is realized by Nicole Angeli, in a quietly devastating, emotionally shattering performance.

Behlke uses humor and hope to spotlight the enduring public health and environmental crisis from World War II radioactive waste contamination in Coldwater Creek and the north St. Louis County communities.

Adam Flores as Daniel and Nicole Angeli as Rachel. Photo by Joey Rumpell.

Sure, it’s from a long time ago, but the ripple effect is enormous – generations of St. Louisans and new hot spots continue to surface, therefore it is very much a contemporary issue, and it affects us all as a region.

The past is going to collide with the present, and not in a good way. The world that Rachel desperately tries to control is unraveling. She is on the front lines of the nuclear waste crisis as the community confronts this decades-old contamination near her daughter’s high school.

Behlke tells this story through relatable relationships – the single mother’s only child Maya (Tia Renee Williams), the mother’s friend Daniel (Adam Flores) and the daughter’s teacher Vera (Hailey Medrano).

While Rachel is naturally drawn to the fight for environmental justice, she wants to protect her teenage daughter, and that makes her guarded and vulnerable. Maya’s world is one of drama – friendship issues and prom preparations are priorities.

Nicole Angeli and Hailey Medrano. Photo by Joey Rumpell.

Because of those rites of passage, her mother doesn’t want to distract, so she keeps her significant medical news to herself, despite her friend , who is also a doctor, urging her to tell Maya and start treatment.

In his grounded way, Adam Flores plays the sincere caring friend. He also expresses frustration by Rachel’s stubbornness and what he perceives to be inaction and poor decisions.

A natural dynamo, Tia Williams continues to impress after her first local stage performance this spring as Juliet in A Chorus of Fools’ “Romeo and Juliet.” While she’s not exactly in the age range of high school students, she’s still a bright spot here.

While the provocative play weaves a history lesson into a lecture by Rachel, who recently lost her professor job, these are not dry textbook examples – these relate to the humans affected.

Mother and daughter. Photo by Joey Rumpell.

For the unfamiliar, starting in 1942, Mallinckrodt Chemical Works downtown St. Louis processed uranium for the first atomic bombs. That resulted in the Manhattan Project nuclear waste being uncontained in North St. Louis County.

Byproducts containing radium, thorium and uranium were moved to poorly secured sites near Lambert Airport and piled openly along Latty Avenue. Rainwater and floods washed radioactive materials into the 19-mile Coldwater Creek and the West Lake Landfill, contaminating neighboring suburban yards, parks and schools.

Residents have documented staggering clusters of rare cancers, autoimmune diseases, and birth defects. Grassroots activism, led by such groups as Just Moms STL and the North County Community Advisory Group, is pushing to expand radioactive soil testing and expedite the multi-million-dollar cleanup of Coldwater Creek.

The play’s audio includes sounds of a child playing in the creek accompanied by her mother, which would be innocuous if we didn’t know the frightening implications, and why we’re hearing it. Studies have linked those living near the creek in childhood to having significantly higher rates of various cancers.

Confetti of course. Photo by Joey Rumpell.

The very real consequences of neighbors walking, kids playing, and families spending time with each other have led to unimaginable horrors scarier than anything Stephen King has conjured up in his more than 65 novels.

One must mention Jana Elementary School in Florissant, part of the Hazelwood School District, which closed in late 2022 after independent tests found radioactive contamination there. The building is now a district logistics and storage center, and the students were shifted to other schools. This place is part of Behlke’s story.

Rachel reluctantly delivers a PTA lecture, at the urging of an overzealous teacher marvelously embodied by Hailey Medrano, which is a way to detail all the accurate historic facts.

Rachel acknowledges the conflicting safety reports between private testers and federal agencies, with the EPA on hand, too. Behlke has painstakingly researched this subject, and the result is a passion project that has legitimate staying power and perhaps can advance more discussion, more activism and more understanding.

Adam Flores, Nicole Angeli, Tia Williams and Hailey Medrano. Photo by Joey Rumpell.

The basics – that neighborhoods and schools should be a safe and healthy place to learn, work, and play – are no longer a given. And that should send a chill down your spine. That’s why Rachel wants to carry the torch for action and reform.

One of her most powerful lines: “…and I will fight. Because I guess that’s what moms do. Love so hard it becomes a fight.”

Don’t ever discount a mom. While the subject matter is serious, Behlke also included character traits to make sure community advocacy is appealing. She has engaged with small details – including an enthusiastic first-year teacher who runs on caffeine and home-baked treats – and a desire to genuinely shift the narrative.

In this 90-minute one-act show, the ensemble delivers poignant and affecting portraits of people you may interact with daily. Director Kristen Strom allows this tender tale to unfold in a realistic way, showcasing flawed characters and the performers’ instincts for nuance. Angeli and Williams are convincing as the close-knit mother and daughter, and the other relationships are earnest as well.

Grooving to Donna Summer. Photo by Joey Rumpell.

Pitch-perfect sound design by Ellie Schwetye, and video/ projection designs by Eric Satterfield add to the message’s urgency. Theresa Comstock’s lighting design and Erik Kuhn’s set design give this intimate play a cozy feel, and director Kristen Strom has adroitly staged the action for maximum effect. Kayla Lindsay’s costume designs project personality and Cecile “Cece” Entz’s prop work helps the atmosphere.

A finalist in St. Louis Shakespeare Festival’s Confluence Writers Project in 2024, which spotlights Midwest stories, Behlke is an intriguing emerging voice that was mentored by three prominent local playwrights – Courtney Bailey, Taylor Gruenloh and Deanna Jent.

Communities come in all configurations, and one seems to have been born through audience engagement during “Confetti Kids.” The impactful work is not finished by any means.

(And special mention to stage manager Jim Bernatowicz and assistant stage manager Tara Laurel for managing all that confetti.)

“Confetti Kids” by Aurora Behlke is a world premiere, with performances Aug. 20–Sept. 5, Thursdays through Saturdays at 7 p.m., at The Chapel, 6238 Alexander Drive (63105). Tickets are $20 for artists, seniors, and students; $25 for general admission; and are available through Eventbrite.

Prom Night. Photo by Joey Rumpell.

The Black Rep’s ‘Raisin’ Is A Soulful, Expressive Musical That Defines a Moment in American Life

The Black Rep’s ‘Raisin’ Is A Soulful, Expressive Musical That Defines a Moment in American Life

By Lynn Venhaus
What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
 like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore—
And then run?
 Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over—
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?
– “Harlem,” Langston Hughes, 1951

Where are we now, 74 years later? Timely and timeless, the musical “Raisin” is a vibrant exploration of the class, gender and racial divides that have become a dominant part of American life.

The Black Rep’s sensitive, thoughtful production pulses with its character-driven work that hopefully resonates and renews pleas for social justice in today’s divided times.

The iconic poem, “Harlem,” shared above, was an inspiration for playwright Lorraine Hansberry to explore deferred dreams and class divides in 1951 segregated Chicago in her groundbreaking drama, “A Raisin in the Sun.”

Anita Michelle Jackson and Andrea Mouton. Photo by Keshon Campbell.

The matriarch is expecting a $10,000 life insurance check in the mail after her hard-working husband’s passing. She wants to move the family from the South Side to Clybourne Park, a nicer neighborhood, where she has put a down payment on a 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom house. She sees this home as a foundation to build everyone’s dreams on, a door to new opportunities.

Hansberry was the first black female playwright on Broadway – the show debuted in 1959, and it was a new look at black life in America in a way that had not been represented. Think of the dialogues it may have started!

While the musical has hiccups based on its construction, not the singing, dancing or acting, the Black Rep’s stylistic choices and casting decisions are highlights.

The Younger family leaves an indelible impression in the hands of Anita Michelle Jackson (Mama Lena), Duane Martin Foster, (her son Walter Lee), Adrianna Jones (his wife Ruth), their young son Travis (Jaron Bentley), and Walter’s sister Beneatha (Andrea Mouton).

Duane Martin Foster and Jaron Bentley. Photo by Keshon Campbell.

The 1973 musical adaptation, “Raisin,” won the Tony Award for Best Musical in 1974, as well as Virginia Capers winning Best Actress in a Musical for playing Mama Lena, out of nine nominations. It also won the Grammy Award for best musical theater album.

But it has largely been forgotten over time. Landmark musicals of that era – “Purlie” in 1970, “The Wiz” in 1975 and “Dreamgirls” in 1981, signaling a new wave of creative artists, have been produced many times.

The book was co-written by the late Hansberry’s husband, Robert Nemiroff, and Charlotte Zaltzberg. The themes are the same — a family dares to dream of a better life that has been denied them and threatens to fall apart.

The music score by composer Judd Woldin, with lyrics by Robert Brittan, is an intimate story of a family, their daily and big-picture struggles, and real ongoing conversations. That was rare then and remains an unusual approach now.

This musical is an ambitious undertaking, and while the story is absorbing, faithful to Hansberry’s intentions, this isn’t a splashy, bombastic score with extravagant numbers. Still, there is much heart and soul to be discovered.

“He Came Down This Morning” – ensemble church number. Photo by Keshon Campbell.

Emphasizing authenticity and empathy, director Ron Himes depicts the Youngers’ struggles with the help of the creative stage work from sound designer Kareem Deanes and lighting designer Tony Anselmo.

The setting is their cramped, roach-infested apartment, effectively visually realized by scenic designer Tim Jones. But it opens beyond those walls – to a church, bar and streetscape. Mikhail Lynn contributed as a props designer, too.

The exceptional orchestra, led by music director Jermaine Manor, robustly brings out the jazz, gospel, blues and soul.  William Von Hombract is on bass, James Belk on percussion, Des Jones on drums, Mary Weber and Brady Lewis on trumpet, Stan Coleman on reed, Monet Royal and Adrian Walker on viola, David Glenn on guitar, and Manor on keyboard.

Choreographer Kirven Douthit-Boyd’s inspired dance work adds so much to the street life, with expressive moves to the musical beats of the city. Dancers Jorrell Lawyer-Jefferson, Demetrius Malik Lee and Aaliyah Weston are extraordinary in their pieces and group numbers.

Adrianna Jones and Duane Martin Foster. Photo by Keshon Campbell.

The gritty, bustling “Streets of Chicago” and “Runnin’ to Meet the Man” are livelier company numbers because of the choreography, and so is “Booze,” traditional “African Dance” and the ebullient spiritual gospel song “He Come Down This Morning.”

Walter Lee is a chauffeur but wants to open a liquor store and go into business with two other friends. Walter’s restlessness and growing resentments cause more fights between him and his wife and mother, mostly about the money. Mama Lena also wants to put money aside for Beneatha’s studies because she’s attending medical school.

Accomplished, acclaimed singers Jackson and Foster are the epitome of powerhouse vocalists, but to see them slip into the roles of Lena and Walter Lee with all their well-honed skills is to marvel at how natural their acting abilities are as well.

Jackson, who has a song full of hope as the prayerful Lena – “A Whole Lotta Sunlight,” and then a power ballad about resilience “Measure the Valleys” that’s a showstopper.

Jaron Bentley and Adrianna Jones. Photo by Keshon Campbell.

Foster’s sarcastic, bitter “Man Say” with his wife Ruth sets his tone, tired of playing by the rules while his aspirations are dismissed. while he seethes with rage in “You Done Right.”

In a tender moment, Foster and Jones pair on a lovely duet “Sweet Time,” while Jones shines in “Whose Angry Little Man,” a tribute to their son Travis.

In the second act, Foster shows a wider range of emotions, from an ebullient “It’s a Deal” to his anger that can’t be contained in the satirical “Not Anymore,” after a lifetime of disappointment and the bigotry they’ve endured, with his wife and sister participating, too.

The hopeful solo “Sidewalk Tree” is a special moment for the poised and talented Jaron Bentley, who delivers a dynamic performance as young Travis. He stood out at the Muny this summer in “Frozen” and “Evita” as part of the youth ensembles, and he has a bright future ahead with his remarkable stage presence.

A superb Robert McNichols is potent as Nigerian student Asagai, who is a friend seeing Beneatha. His charm shines through in the number “Alaiyo.” Beneatha’s exploration of her cultural awakening is another highlight, as illustrated in her fashion choices – fine work from costume designer Gregory Horton.

Singing in church. Photo by Keshon Campbell.

Supporting roles also include Will Bonfiglio as weaselly Karl Lindner, not exactly a Welcome Wagon for Clybourne Park., and De-Rance Blaylock as neighbor Mrs. Johnson, who literally takes us to church in the spirited number “He Come Down This Morning.”

The ensemble also includes Dwayne Moss III as Willie Harris, Adrian Rice as Bobo, Damari Padilla and Tia Renee Williams.

The ensemble moves well, their passion obvious.

The hope is that spotlighting this work will introduce a new generation to the play or at least remind others of work that still needs to be done.

The Black Rep presents “Raisin” as their 49th season opener from Sept. 3 through Sunday, Sept. 21 at the Edison Theater on the campus of Washington University in St. Louis. For more information: www.theblackrep.org.