A virtual format including roundtable discussions, summer performing arts classes and video performances helped The St. Louis Black Repertory Company remain active during the past year.
Without further ado, live performances will return to The Black Rep’s mainstage for its 45th season beginning in September. The season’s theme centers on exploring identity and self-worth.
“As we all pick up the pieces of our life in our community, we wanted to include a range of plays that explore how people define their self-worth and cope with society’s view,” Ron Himes, founder and producing director of The Black Rep, said in a press release.
“With each of our five productions this season we’ll ask our audience to join us to explore their own identity and place. And, I personally can’t wait to see everyone.”
Lynn Nottage’s Pulitzer Prize winning drama Sweat opens the season at Washington University’s Edison Theatre September 8-26. It is the story of friends from different walks of life who work at a steel factory in Reading, Pennsylvania. Decisions between loyalty and fending for oneself come into play when layoffs and picket lines materialize..
Himes said the company is currently in the pre-production planning process. Set design, costume design and other work are underway.
Sweats ensemble cast will feature veteran actors who’ve been on The Black Rep’s stage several times. Actors new to the Black Rep will also make debuts..
Casting is still in place for one more role and auditions are being held.
“We are anxious to start rehearsal on the 17th of August.” Himes said. “We are elated and very, very excited about coming back live in September.”
Himes thoroughly enjoys Nottage’s work calling her an “incredible wordsmith” and her writing “concise” and “poetic.” His admiration for her way with words and storytelling motivated him to feature several of her other plays.
“Our audience loves her work and so we thought that this would be a good play to come back with,” Himes said. “It’s got a nice diverse cast and I think it speaks to a lot of current issues that have been brought to light during the shutdown. I think that people will come out and enjoy Lynn’s work.”
Dontrel Who Kissed the Sea, written by Nathan Alan Davis, will run January 12-30 at the Edison Theatre. The production chronicles 18-year-old Dontrell Jones, who has embarked on a quest in the Atlantic Ocean in pursuit of finding an ancestor that was lost in the Middle Passage. It’s a culmination of wit, poetry, comedy and formality. It’s a modern tale about the extreme measures that can occur in attempting to reimagine historical misfortunes.
“It’s a wonderful play,” Himes said. “Nathan’s a wonderful young writer.”
Fireflies by Donja R. Love premieres February 9-27 at Washington University’s Hotchner Studio Theatre.
“Donja is another wonderful playwright,” Himes said. “Fireflies is a two-character play that will feature in the blackbox small theater during the season. It is part of a trilogy, and so I’m very excited to be able to present his work in St. Louis.”
Chronicled during the Jim Crow South era, Fireflies delivers a story about Olivia, an aspiring speechwriter, and her undeniable loyalty to her husband Charles and his voyage to freedom. The aftermath of a church bombing that claimed the lives of four girls causes their relationship to become rocky. Olivia contends that the current society is too unsafe to bring a Black child into the world.
For its first production at the Center of Creative Arts’ (COCA) Berges Theatre, The Black Rep will showcase Charly Evon Simpson’s Behind the Sheet March 16-April 3.
Set in 1840s Alabama, Philomena helps her owner with experimental surgeries on fellow slave women in hopes of discovering a solution for post-childbirth complications. The production reveals a brutal truth surrounding the history of involuntary surgeries in women.
August Wilson’s Jitney concludes the season May 11-29 at the Edison Theatre.
Set in the late 1970s, this is Wilson’s first play in a 10-play series explaining Pittsburgh’s history of urban renewal and how it jeopardizes a temporary cab service. It follows men cab drivers as they deal with issues affecting their personal lives and community.
The Grammy Award-winning Fisk Jubilee Singers will perform at The Black Rep’s annual gala.
Himes assures that this season has something to offer for all demographics.
“I think that the season certainly has something for everybody, across the board in terms of demographics and age groups,” Himes said.
“I think all the plays have some appeal and speak directly to a broad range of demographics on each production. Each production will have a student matinee. That’s how wide we think the range will be. We think that all the plays will be appropriate for junior high, high school age audiences as well as our regular audience all the way up to the senior matinees we do as well.”
For more information about The Black Rep’s 2021-2022 season, visit www.theblackrep.org.