The Black Rep has found a new home for its 37th season: the Emerson Performance Center at Harris-Stowe State University.
“To produce African-American theatre at an African-American institution of higher learning just adds to the sweetness,” said Ron Himes, founder and producing director for the Black Rep.
“And to be able to have a wonderful, beautiful, comfortable theatre for our patrons to be able to see the work that we do is the cherry on top of this cake.”
The 250-seat theatre is the ideal size for the Black Rep’s subscription base and attendance averages, Himes said.
“We see it as a perfect fit for Harris-Stowe as an educational institution and the important role that the Black Rep plays in educating St. Louis,” said Constance Gully, interim president of Harris-Stowe State University.
“We’ve gone from a teacher education institution to one with 15 degree programs. And to bring in the Black Rep – one of the cultural centers of St. Louis – is not only about theatre and the arts, but about history and our community.”
Gully said the university’s Board of Regents is “excited and encouraging” about the decision. Board Chair Thelma V. Cook, Gully said, “has been a season ticket holder at the Black Rep since its inception.”
“Since the St. Louis Avenue days,” Himes chimed in, referring to one of the troupe’s venues before the Grandel Theatre. Over the summer the Black Rep lost the Grandel Theatre, which it had called home for the past 20 years, when the building was sold by Grand Center.
Himes and Gully are still hammering out the details. The partnership could include the Black Rep aiding the university’s theatre program – including its resident theatre troupe, The HSSU Players – and hosting master classes, workshops and symposia on campus.
“Which says a lot about the opportunity that will be available to our students,” Gully said. “It’s perfect for the mission of Harris-Stowe.”
Himes said he is not aware of any other African-American theatre company in the nation taking residency at an HBCU campus.
“Both of our organizations have rich histories,” Himes said. “We both have a commitment to African-American excellence and the arts.”
The move means the Black Rep season will open one month earlier than usual. This year the season will start in December with Black Nativity.
It is yet to be determined if the Black Rep will stay on campus beyond this upcoming season.
“We’re talking,” Himes said. “We’re seeing how this season goes, and we certainly hope that there will be some vestiges of this relationship that continues into the future.”
The Emerson Performance Center is located at 3031 Laclede Avenue, on the campus of Harris-Stowe State University. For more information about the Black Rep, visit www.theblackrep.org or call 314-534-3807.
