#st. louis shakespeare festival

[vinca-majors]

As You Like It - Shakespeare in the Park, St. Louis 2024 [x, x, x]

[mybleedingboy]

free recordings of shakespeare plays

in alphabetical order for convenience (but pls use CTRL+F) disclaimer: i have not watched all of these.

all's well that ends well to julius caesar (part 1, here)

king john to the winter's tale (part 2, coming tomorrow maybe idk)

*login with public library card or university, italicized are audio recordings, ! means I don't want the video to get taken down so I didn't add it but search it up and you'll find a good production on a specific website...

All's Well That Ends Well

Shakespeare by the Sea (2013)

UC Davis Playing Shakespeare (2010)

BBC Television Shakespeare* or (1981)

Plainfield Little Theatre (2016)

Shakespeare Network (1998)

Antony and Cleopatra !

Royal Shakespeare Company (1974)

Unbound Theatre (2019)

Shakespeare & Company (2018)

Shakespeare Network (1998)

Greatest Audio Books (2013)

As You Like It

movie adapted by JM Barrie and Robert Cullen (1936)

The Public Theater of MN (2013)

Rice University (2019)

Oxford Theatre Guild (2020)

Shakespeare & Company (2014)

Battle Ground High School Drama Club (2017)

Shakespeare Network (1998)

Greatest Audio Books (2015)

BBC Shakespeare Plays* (1978)

Comedy of Errors

Steam-Punk Performance (2014)

Shakespeare by the Sea (2019)

Shakespeare in the Park NZ (2007)

Coronado Playhouse (2021)

Highland Arts Theatre (2021)

Theatre Company of Saugus, pt. 2 (2023)

Shakespeare Network (2020)

Greatest Audio Books (2013)

BBC Movie* (1984)

Coriolanus !

Brussels Shakespeare Society (2017)

Movie (1964)

Shakespeare Network (1998)

Cymbeline

Shakespeare by the Sea (2016)

Shakespeare & Company (2012)

Movie* (1984)

Shakespeare Network (1998)

Hamlet ! (hint: Moriarty)

adapted and dir. Laurence Olivier (1948)

Abrahamse & Meyer Production (2015)

Bob Jones University (2020)

Broadway Production (1964)

starr. Maxine Peake (2015)

BLC Theatre (2013)

Hamlet as a Rock Opera (2007)

Radio Drama (2018?)

Studio Album star. 1964 Broadway cast (1964)

Shakespeare Network (1998)

BBC Shakespeare Plays* (1980)

Royal Shakespeare Company* (2013)

Wooster Group Re-making* (?) (2012)

Henry IV, Part I

English Shakespeare Company (1990)

Brussels Shakespeare Society (adapted I and II, 2017)

TVO (1990)

Shakespeare & Company (2017)

Shakespeare Network (1998)

Oregon Shakespeare Festival (1950)

Oakshot Press (2017)

BBC Shakespeare Plays* (1984)

H4* (Henry IV parts I and II in futuristic Los Angeles, 2012)

Henry IV, Part II

English Shakespeare Company (1990)

Shakespeare Network (1998)

Oakshot Press (2017)

BBC Shakespeare Plays* (1984)

Henry V

Laurence Olivier (1944)

English Shakespeare Company (1990)

Barn Theatre (2020?)

St. Louis Shakespeare,pt. 2 (2011)

ASC Theatre Company (2022)

Shakespeare Network (1998)

AudioBookBuzz (2018)

BBC Shakespeare Plays* (1979)

Henry VI, Part I

Royal Shakespeare Company (parts I, II, and III, 1956)

English Shakespeare Company (1990)

Shakespeare by the Sea (2021)

Shakespeare Network (1998)

BBC Shakespeare Plays* (1984)

Henry VI, Part II

English Shakespeare Company (1990)

ASC Theatre Camp (2020)

Shakespeare Network (1998)

Oregon Shakespeare Festival (1954)

BBC Shakespeare Plays* (1984)

Henry VI, Part III

English Shakespeare Company (1990?)

Whitman College (1992)

Shakespeare Network (1998)

Oregon Shakespeare Festival (1955)

(BBC Shakespeare Plays* (1984)

Henry VIII

Shakespeare Happy Hours (online, 2020)

Shakespeare Network (1998)

Oregon Shakespeare Festival (1957)

BBC Shakespeare Plays* (1984)

Julius Caesar !

starr. Gielgud, dir. Stuart Burge (1970)

Festival Series (1960)

Flint Hills Shakespeare Festival (2016)

Shakespeare at Winedale (2018)

Acting for a Cause (2022)

Shakespeare Network (1998)

Greatest AudioBooks (2013)

dir. Gregory Doran* (2012)

[shakespearenews]

ESTEBAN: Excuse me, I’m sorry, we’re also not queering Shakespeare. Shakespeare came to us queer as fuck. Okay?

ESCO: I’m just going off the text right now, like: oh, Feste is two-spirited. It takes a special human being to be able to move through this type of world. This cannot be someone that holds onto what society says is right. I cannot play Feste if I think that there’s only one way that’s right. That’s Malvolio! Who you are and what you would…

ESTEBAN: …are out of my welkin.

ESCO: I see you. Be you, boo. You are trying to survive. I’m trying to survive. And I see the survivalist in you. Do you, boo. You’re safe with me.

---

ESCO: I want to say, growing up as a Black person, there were no Shakespeare books being thrown in front of me. And also with dyslexia, words are horrifying, terrifying. But if you have the right people around you, and the people who can see that you’re capable, and then also go, “Hey, would you like to join?” I’m very thankful for those people for giving me the opportunity, because I now want to pass on to other people that if you have the opportunity, and you feel safe enough, I think it’s a place to try—a place that should be explored. What they don’t know is that it’s for our people. It’s for the artists. It’s really for the artists. Some people have tried to make it so high and mighty and uppity. It’s not. It’s literally for the artists that are still trying to speak in code. Definitely do Shakespeare if you can. Which I would never have thought I would ever say, so it has to go on record.

ESTEBAN: I feel an aversion to Shakespeare in the way it’s practiced in this country, which is to be put as a museum piece up on a pedestal, up on a shelf. Also, even though there are some companies that have the word “American” in their name, whenever they do Shakespeare, they have to (puts on an affected British accent) put on a British lilt, and lift up the language so that it sounds “better.” So we already have this still like conquistador-able idea of what colonialism looks like, and we try and make it like people don’t see what they’re doing with Shakespeare when they’re doing that.

[writemarcus]

Playwrights Set for THE FIRE THIS TIME Festival 7th Cycle Of New Works Lab

The seventh cycle began in October 2024 and will meet monthly through May 2025.

By: Chloe Rabinowitz Oct. 24, 2024

The Fire This Time Festival, an annual festival of new work by playwrights of African and African-American descent, has revealed that playwrights Melda Beaty (2022 International Black Theatre Festival's Sylvia Sprinkle-Hamlin Rolling World Premiere Award for "Coconut Cake"), Rachel Herron (2022-2023 resident playwright with Colt Coeur), and Marcus Scott (Princess Grace Award finalist) have been selected to develop full-length plays in the seventh cycle of their New Works Lab. The seventh cycle began in October 2024 and will meet monthly through May 2025.

In 2015 The Fire This Time established The Fire This Time Writers' Group with the mission to provide TFTT alumni and writers from the TFTT community the opportunity to develop new work in a nurturing and supportive environment. In 2017, the initiative was renamed the New Works Lab. From its inception to the present, the lab has been co-directed by educator and playwright Cynthia Grace Robinson ("Letters From Loretta," "Freedom Summer" "What If?" "Dancing on Eggshells") and A.J. Muhammad, a producer with TFTT. Funding for the 7th cycle of the New Works Lab was made possible by generous support from The Black Seed Fund.

Since its launch, over twenty playwrights have developed work in the New Works Lab including Kendra Augustin, Ngozi Anyanwu, France-Luce Benson, Kim Brockington, Tyrell Bennett, Christine Jean Chambers, Edgar Chisholm, Adrienne Dawes, Danielle Davenport, Khalil Kain, Jay Mazyck, Maia Matsushita, Liz Morgan, Shawn Nabors, Deneen Reynolds-Knott, T.R. Riggins, James Anthony Tyler, William Watkins, Shamar S. White, Mars Wolfe, and Antu Yacob.

Melda Beaty is an enthusiastic playwright of eight stage plays: "Front Porch Society," "Coconut Cake," "Thirty," "The Lawsons: A Civil Rights Love Story," "Feebleminded," "COVID Be Damned," "Gaslight Garden" and "Guess What's for Dinner?" Her plays have enjoyed national productions and/or recognition. Most recently, she received the 2022 International Black Theatre Festival's Sylvia Sprinkle-Hamlin Rolling World Premiere Award for her stage play, "Coconut Cake." The play will receive five professional productions between 2024-2025. She was also a 2021 Confluence Fellow with the St. Louis Shakespeare Festival. In addition, Melda is the author of two books. When not writing, she serves on the Board of Directors for the August Wilson Society and as a contributing editor for Black Masks magazine. Melda resides in Chicago, Illinois with her three talented daughters and is an assistant professor of English at Olive-Harvey Community College. She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and her graduate degree from Illinois State University.

Rachel Herron is a Black, queer, multidisciplinary artist residing in Brooklyn. She is currently a company member of Colt Coeur Theater, where she was a 2022-2023 resident playwright. Her plays include "It's Only a High School Reunion" (Live and In Color 24 Hour Festival), "Red Red Wine" (Fire This Time Festival 13th annual Ten-Minute Play Program), and "Token" (O'Neill Center Semifinalist). Additionally, her playwriting portfolio has landed her as a finalist for the WP Theater Lab and a semi-finalist for the June Bingham Commission with Live and In Color. She's written several original pilots, of which she was named a CBS Writers Mentoring Program finalist (2019), a Mentorship Matters semifinalist (2021), and a two-time Disney Writing Program finalist (2022 and 2023). She is a mentee in the #startwith8 program for women of color trying to break into television writing. She wrote, directed, and starred in a short film called IDOL CHASER, which premiered in Fall 2024 at Katra Film Series and took home the Audience Choice Award. Her satirical writing is featured on McSweeney's Internet Tendency. She received a BFA in Drama from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts.

Marcus Scott is a dramatist and journalist. Full-length works: TUMBLEWEED (finalist: 2017 BAPF & 2017 Austin Playhouse Festival of New American Plays; semifinalist: 2022 O'Neill NPC, 2022 Blue Ink Playwriting Award & 2017 Princess Grace Award), SIBLING RIVALRIES (finalist: 2023 Normal Ave's NAPseries, 2021 Seven Devils Playwrights Conference & 2021 Judith Royer Excellence In Playwriting Award; semi-finalist: 2022 Lanford Wilson New American Play Festival, 2021 Blue Ink Playwriting Award & 2021 Princess Grace Award), THERE GOES THE NEIGHBORHOOD (finalist: 2023 Princess Grace Award, 2023 Blue Ink Playwriting Award; semifinalist: 2024 BAPF, 2024 Fault Line Theater's Irons in the Fire & 2024 O'Neill NPC), CHERRY BOMB (recipient: 2017 Drama League First Stage Artist-In-Residence). Heartbeat Opera commissioned Scott to adapt Beethoven's FIDELIO (Co-writer; Met Live Arts at the MET Museum, NY Times Critics' Pick). Scott is the recipient of the Chelsey/Bumbalo Playwriting Award (2024). He is a finalist for the 2024-2025 Dramatists Guild Foundation National Fellows Program, 2022 Many Voices Fellowship, 2021 NYSAF Founders' Award and is a 2021 Doric Wilson Independent Playwright Award semi-finalist. His articles appeared in Architectural Digest, Time Out New York, American Theatre Magazine, Playbill, Elle, Out, Essence, The Brooklyn Rail, among others. MFA: NYU Tisch.

The Fire This Time Festival was founded in 2009 by playwright and producer Kelley Girod to provide a platform for playwrights of African and African-American descent to write and produce evocative material for diverse audiences. Since the debut of the first 10-minute play program in 2010, presented in collaboration with FRIGID New York, The Fire This Time Festival has has produced and developed the work of more than 90 playwrights including Katori Hall, Dominique Morisseau, Radha Blank, Antoinette Nwandu, Jocelyn Bioh, korde arrington tuttle, Stacey Rose, Aziza Barnes, C.A. Johnson, Kevin R. Free, Charly Evon Simpson, Angelica Cheri, James Anthony Tyler, Jordan Cooper, Nathan Yungerberg, Nia A. Robinson, and Cris Eli Blak.

The Fire This Time's first anthology, "25 Plays from The Fire This Time Festival: A Decade of Recognition, Resistance, Rebirth, and Black Theater" edited by Kelley Girod was released by Bloomsbury Publishing in February 2022. www.firethistimefestival.com

FRIGID New York's mission is to provide both emerging and established artists the opportunity to create and produce original work of varied content, form, and style, and to amplify their diverse voices. We do this by presenting an array of monthly programming, mainstage productions, an artist residency, and eight annual theater festivals that create an environment of collaboration, resourcefulness, and innovation. Founded in 1998, the aim was and is to form a structure, allowing multiple artists to focus on creating and staging new work and providing affordable rental space to scores of independent artists. Now in our third decade we have produced a massive quantity of stimulating downtown theater. www.frigid.nyc

[texaspridehvac]

by Linda Chuvala

Most of us look forward to the month of April as spring returns with warm temperatures, blooming flowers, and many outdoor festivals.  There are a lot of fun facts and celebrations in April– let’s start it off with a laugh!

Did you ever wonder how April Fool’s Day started? It is speculated that the custom of April Fools began in France during the 16th century, after the New year calendar was moved from April 1st to January 1st. Those who continued to celebrate the April new year were considered fools, and often the victims of practical jokes. Today we just like to have a little fun with our friends!

Many festivals occur in April. In Washington DC, there is the beautiful cherry blossom festival.  New Orleans hosts its Jazz and Heritage Festival and Atlanta celebrates its annual Dogwood Festival. Here in St. Louis, thousands come out to participate in the annual Earth Day festival. Make sure you mark your calendars for the 27th or 28th.  

April has two birth flowers. Both the daisy and the sweet pea are considered birth flowers for the month of April. The sweet pea signifies blissful pleasure, while daisies represent childhood innocence, loyalty, and purity. 

The month celebrates the birth of Queen Elizabeth II, Leonardo da Vinci, William Shakespeare and Thomas Jefferson.

The first shots of the American Revolution started April 19, 1775. The Civil War, Spanish War and World War II all started in April.

On 15 April 1912 the Titanic, believed to be unsinkable, hit an iceberg and sank 2 hours and 40 minutes later. Unfortunately, there we too few lifeboats to save everyone and only about 700 of the 2,224 passengers were rescued.

“Houston, we’ve had a problem”!   April 11, 1970 Apollo 13 launched from Cape Kennedy.  Fifty-six hours later, she suffered a catastrophic explosion that crippled the ship.  Fortunately, the astronauts were able to return home unharmed.

April celebrates Arab American heritage, child abuse prevention, and Autism Awareness. It is also Keep America Beautiful month, Jazz Appreciation Month and Poetry Writing Month.

Some “just for fun” April celebrations include: National Pillow Fight Day (6th), National Library Worker Day (9th), national siblings day (10th) and World Penguin Day (25th). 

[bottomoftheriverbed]

The St. Louis Shakespeare festival is streaming King Lear starring Andre de Shields until the 1st August for free!

[stllimelight]

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis is excited to introduce Amelia Acosta Powell as its new associate artistic director.

[writerchickmarie]

John Lloyd Young In St. Louis - Making Memories, Set To Music

“In memory, everything seems to happen to music.” 

This line, spoken by Tom Wingfield in The Glass Menagerie, fits with John Lloyd Young’s shows at Blue Strawberry for a couple of reasons. JLY portrayed Tom in The Glass Menagerie at Alabama Shakespeare Festival a few years ago...and this character is based on his author, Tennessee Williams.  As JLY explained during his performances, Mr. Williams set the story where he grew up in St. Louis, and he lived in the Central West End - the very neighborhood where Blue Strawberry is located. So everything came full circle for JLY and all of us who were blessed to see him make the role of Tom his own in Montgomery, Alabama. (And as a writer myself, it gave me chills...in a good way.) It was meant to be for him to perform here.

The other reason? Because as we listen live to JLY’s music and experience the magic in person in the present and appreciate the moment, at the conclusion of the weekend it becomes a memory...and JLY always creates special memories for all of us, which are absolutely set to music.  Both old and new friends and fans alike have some wonderful moments and memories to treasure, set in the perfect location.

Each evening began with Tommy Faragher at the piano, starting off the memory making process with his instrumental version of “What’d I Say”. Then JLY came out and sang “Oh What A Night”, involving all of us in the fun from the first moment.  

Audience participation was important throughout the evening in a variety of ways. He encouraged us to sing along (while testing the male audience members’ falsetto skills), clap along, and get up on our feet. And he also worked his way around the room to get up close and personal with as many people as he could - proving that there was not a bad seat in the house, from any angle.

JLY performed some favorites from his My Turn album - “In The Still Of The Night” and “Unchained Melody”, which always sound fresh and new every time.  For the newest members of the audience, the songs were completely fresh and new, and we could tell by the reactions around us that they were blown away. They were also just as thrilled as we were when JLY came around for “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me” - and had many of us follow the directions in the song, creating fun memories for everyone involved.

At one point in the set, JLY took a short break while Tommy Faragher rocked the club with “Bring It On Home”...showing his talents and one of the many reasons that he and JLY have been working together for ten years. May there be many more to come!

JLY also performed a stunningly beautiful “Only The Lonely”, which always makes me think how amazing he would be portraying Roy Orbison in a biopic.  He also took our breath away with “Ooh Baby Baby”, and shared sweet stories about that song, Smokey Robinson, and the trip to Cuba as part of the US Arts Delegation. 

He told some intriguing stories about filming the Jersey Boys movie and working with Clint Eastwood on set, including a couple of new ones.  And of course he performed our favorites from the show along with the stories - “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You”, “Walk Like A Man”, “My Eyes Adored You”, and “My Mother’s Eyes”.  It’s always fun to watch him get right into character as he sings, complete with the “Frankie” mannerisms we all recognize from the movie...the mark of a true actor.

Another thrilling moment was experiencing the magic in Italian as JLY performed “Parla Piu Piano (theme from The Godfather)”.  This one continues to become more powerful every time he sings it, and was a special treat for the new audience members as well.

Each evening’s show concluded with JLY coming around the room to all of us with “Cara Mia”, then us on our feet clapping and singing along for “Working My Way Back To You” and “Sherry”.  Those experiencing a JLY show for the first time said afterward how incredible it was and how happy they were to be there...and you could tell that they are storing away those musical memories for many years to come.

Each evening we also got to participate in a meet and greet with JLY and Tommy, and were able to make even more memories with photos and great conversations.  Both gentlemen are always so wonderful and gracious, and they are both very much appreciated.

JLY mentioned on stage that he would love to come back to Blue Strawberry with his Mostly Soul set - which would be perfect for this venue.  Hopefully they can make that happen.  We look forward to more moments and memories in the Williams/Wingfield neighborhood...set to music, of course!  There is nothing like serendipity at its finest - and the magic of JLY. Here’s to more of that in the future!

[jenniferstolzer]

Time for Shakespeare in the Park #stlouismissouri #shakespeare #shakepeareinthepark #andredeshields #kinglear #stl (at St. Louis Shakespeare Festival) https://www.instagram.com/p/CQPgK_rDNBB/?utm_medium=tumblr

[blackkudos]

Maxine Sullivan

Maxine Sullivan (May 13, 1911 – April 7, 1987), born Marietta Williams in Homestead, Pennsylvania, was an American jazz vocalist and performer.

As a vocalist, Maxine Sullivan was active for half a century, from the mid-1930s to just before her death in 1987. She is best known for her 1937 recording of a swing version of the Scottish folk song "Loch Lomond". Throughout her career, Sullivan also appeared as a performer on film as well as on stage. A precursor to better-known later vocalists such as Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan, Maxine Sullivan is considered one of the best jazz vocalists of the 1930s. Singer Peggy Lee named Sullivan as a key influence in several interviews.

Career

Sullivan began her music career singing in her uncle's band, The Red Hot Peppers, in her native Pennsylvania, in which she occasionally played the flugelhorn and the valve trombone, in addition to singing. In the mid 1930s she was discovered by Gladys Mosier (then working in Ina Ray Hutton's big band). Mosier introduced her to Claude Thornhill, which led to her first recordings made in June 1937. Shortly thereafter, Sullivan became a featured vocalist at the Onyx Club in New York City. During this period, she began forming a professional and close personal relationship with bassist John Kirby, who became her second husband in 1938.

Early sessions with Kirby in 1937 yielded a hit recording of a swing version of the Scottish folk song "Loch Lomond" featuring Sullivan on vocals. This early success "branded" Sullivan's style, leading her to sing similar swing arrangements of traditional folk tunes mostly arranged by pianist Claude Thornhill, such as "If I Had a Ribbon Bow" and "I Dream of Jeanie". Her early popularity also led to a brief appearance in the movie Going Places with Louis Armstrong.

In 1940, Sullivan and Kirby were featured on the radio program Flow Gently Sweet Rhythm, making them the first black jazz stars to have their own weekly radio series. During the 1940s Sullivan then performed with a wide range of bands, including her husband's sextet and groups headed by Teddy Wilson, Benny Carter, and Jimmie Lunceford. Sullivan performed at many of New York's hottest jazz spots such as the Ruban Bleu, the Village Vanguard, the Blue Angel, and the Penthouse. In 1949, Sullivan appeared on the short-lived CBS Television series Uptown Jubilee, and in 1953 starred in the play, Take a Giant Step.

In 1956, Sullivan shifted from her earlier style and recorded the album A Tribute to Andy Razaf; originally on the Period record label, the album featured Sullivan's interpretations of a dozen tunes featuring Razaf's lyrics. The album also highlighted the music of Fats Waller, including versions of "Keepin' Out of Mischief Now", "How Can You Face Me?", "My Fate Is in Your Hands", "Honeysuckle Rose", "Ain't Misbehavin'", and "Blue Turning Grey Over You". Sullivan was joined by a sextet that was reminiscent of John Kirby's group of 15 years prior, including trumpeter Charlie Shavers and clarinetist Buster Bailey.

From 1958 Sullivan worked as a nurse before resuming her musical career in 1966, performing in jazz festivals alongside her fourth husband Cliff Jackson, who can be heard on the 1966 live recording of Sullivan's performance at the Manassas Jazz Festival. Sullivan continued to perform throughout the 1970s and made a string of recordings during the 1980s, despite being over 70 years old. She was nominated for the 1979 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical (won by Carlin Glynn) for her role in My Old Friends, and participated in the film biography Maxine Sullivan: Love to Be in Love, shortly before her death.

Personal life

Sullivan married four times; her second husband was the band leader John Kirby (married 1938, divorced 1941), while her fourth husband, whom she married in 1950, was the stride pianist Cliff Jackson, who died in 1970. She had two children, Orville Williams (b. 1928) and Paula Morris (b. 1945). [1][2]

Death

Maxine Sullivan died aged 75 in 1987 in New York City after suffering a seizure. She was posthumously inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame in 1998.

Discography

Leonard Feather Presents Maxine Sullivan 1956 (Period, 1956)

Leonard Feather Presents Maxine Sullivan, Vol. II (Period, 1956)

Close as Pages in a Book with Bob Wilber (Monmouth Evergreen, 1969)

Live at the Overseas Press Club (Chiaroscuro, 1970)

Sullivan, Shakespeare & Hyman with Dick Hyman (Monmouth Evergreen, 1971)

We Just Couldn't Say Goodbye (Audiophile, 1978)

Maxine Sullivan with the Ike Isaacs Quartet (Audiophile, 1981)

The Queen Maxine Sullivan & Her Swedish Jazz All Stars (Kenneth records, 1981)

Maxine with Ted Easton (Audiophile, 1982)

Great Songs from the Cotton Club (Stash, 1984)

On Tour with the Allegheny Jazz Quartet (Jump, 1984)

Sings the Music of Burton Lane with Keith Ingham (Stash, 1985)

Uptown with Scott Hamilton (Concord Jazz, 1985)

Good Morning, Life! (Audiophile, 1985)

I Love to Be in Love (Tono, 1986)

Enjoy Yourself! (Audiophile, 1986)

Together with Keith Ingham (Atlantic, 1987)

Swingin' Sweet with Scott Hamilton (Concord Jazz, 1988)

Spring Isn't Everything with Loomis McGlohon (Audiophile, 1989)

At Vine St. Live (DRG, 1992)

The Music of Hoagy Carmichael (Audiophile, 1993)

1937–1938 (Classics, 1997)

Love...Always (Baldwin Street Music, 1997)

As guest

Bobby Hackett, Live from Manassas (Fat Cat's Jazz,)

World's Greatest Jazz Band of Yank Lawson and Bob Haggart, On Tour II (World Jazz, 1977)

Charlie Shavers, The Complete Charlie Shavers with Maxine Sullivan (Bethlehem, 1957)

Film and television credits

1938 - Going Places (Film)

1939 - St. Louis Blues (Film)

1942 - Some of These Days (Short)

1949 - Sugar Hill Times Episode 1.2 (TV series)

1958 - Jazz Party (DuMont TV Series)

1970 - The David Frost Show (TV series)

1986 - Brown Sugar (Documentary)

1994 - A Great Day in Harlem (Documentary)

Theater credits

1939 - Swingin' the Dream

1953 - Take a Giant Step

1954 - Flight From Fear (directed by Powell Lindsay, a play about the numbers racket)

1979 - My Old Friends

[shakespearenews]

Tony winner André De Shields, who plays King Lear, performs during opening night of "King Lear" in Forest Park on Friday, June 4, 2021. The St. Louis Shakespeare Festival production runs nightly through June 27 excluding Mondays. Photo by Jon Gitchoff

[mattbellstl]

Passing our programs tonight at @shakesfeststl for Love’s Labours Lost! Come see me (and this free show - starts at 8) over by Art Hill in Forest Park! #stl #stlouis #shakespeare #livetheatre #loveslabourslost (at Shakespeare Festival St. Louis) https://www.instagram.com/p/ByydPnGDnwO/?igshid=tknsrmrvpgcn

[lilnasxvevo]

Before this class I thought of myself as someone who just sort of liked Shakespeare, someone who was almost neutral in my feelings about Shakespeare

But it’s day 3 and I’m starting to realize that I was measuring my enthusiasm about Shakespeare against the enthusiasm of my friends, most of whom I met through Shakespeare Festival St. Louis

So turns out that compared to the average person I am a goddamn freak about Shakespeare

[zeldaspeaksmindfulness]

Northlight Theatre continues free Interplay series of new play readings with A Distinct Society Written and directed by Kareem Fahmy Sunday, May 16-20, 2021 Northlight Theatre, under the direction of Artistic Director BJ Jones and Executive Director Timothy J. Evans, continues to engage audiences with its commitment to developing new work with free Interplay readings. A Distinct Society, written and directed by Kareen Fahmy, premieres Sunday, May 16, 2021 at 6:30pm. The cast of A Distinct Society includes Barzin Akhavan, Declan Desmond, Marika Engelhardt, Susaan Jamshidi, and Kevin Minor. The dramaturg is Leean Kim Torske. The Zoom Coordinator is Sophia Danielle-Grenier A quiet library that straddles the border of the U.S. and Canada becomes an unlikely crucible for five people from around the world. When an Iranian family, separated from one another by the "Muslim ban," use the library as a meeting place, the head librarian, a U.S. border patrol officer, and a local teenager have to choose between breaking the law and saving themselves. The play is set in the main reading room of the Haskell Free Library & Opera House, located on the border between Derby Line, Vermont, and Stanstead, Quebec. While the library and the circumstances around it are real, the characters and events in this play are entirely fictional. A Reuter’s feature about the library is available here. The reading is part of Northlight’s Interplay New Play Development program, providing customized support for new work in the critical stages of early play development. The premieres will be followed by a live Q&A with the director and playwright. Recordings of each play will be available for 96 hours following the premiere. Interplay events are FREE with a suggested donation, but registration is required to receive a viewing link. The reading premieres Sunday, May 16, 2021 at 6:30pm with a live post-show discussion, streaming through May 20, 2021. To register, and for additional details, visit  northlight.org/events/interplay-distinct-society/. ABOUT THE ARTISTS Kareem Fahmy (Playwright/Director) is a Canadian-born playwright and director of Egyptian descent and is currently a TCG Rising Leader of Color. His plays, which include American Fast, A Distinct Society, The Triumphant, Pareidolia, The In-Between, and an adaptation of the acclaimed Egyptian novel The Yacoubian Building, have been developed at the Atlantic Theatre Company, New York Stage & Film, Oregon Contemporary Theatre, Capital Repertory Theatre, TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, Northlight Theatre, Target Margin Theater, The Lark, Fault Line Theater, and Noor Theater. He has directed and developed new plays at theaters around the country, including MCC, Ensemble Studio Theatre, The New Group, New Dramatists, The Civilians, Geva Theatre, Pioneer Theatre, Portland Stage, Silk Road Rising, San Diego Rep, and Berkeley Rep. Fellowships/Residencies: Sundance Theatre Lab, Oregon Shakespeare Festival (Phil Killian Directing Fellow), The O’Neill (National Directors Fellow), Second Stage (Van Lier Directing Fellow), Soho Rep (Writer/Director Lab), Lincoln Center (Directors Lab), New York Theater Workshop (Emerging Artist Fellow & Usual Suspect). Kareem is co-founder of the Middle Eastern American Writers Lab at The Lark and of Maia Directors, a consulting group for organizations and artists engaging with stories from the Middle East. MFA in Theatre Directing: Columbia University. www.kareemfahmy.com Barzin Akhavan (Peyman Gilani) Broadway: Network (Belasco). NYC: Macbeth (CSC), Richard II (Public/WNYC), Hamlet (Waterwell), Richard II (Public/WNYC). International Tour: Aftermath (Arktype). Regional: Pericles (Guthrie and Folger Theatre), Arabian Nights (Arena, Berkeley Rep, Lookingglass), A Thousand Splendid Suns (World Premiere, ACT SF and Theatre of Calgary), Shakespeare in Love (Baltimore Center Stage and Cincinnati Playhouse), The Kite Runner (World Premiere, San Jose Rep and Arizona Theatre Company), and Twelfth Night (Seattle Rep). He spent five seasons with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, four seasons with the Lake Take Shakespeare Festival, and one season with the Colorado Shakespeare Festival. Film and TV credits include Joyful, The Blacklist, Chicago Med, Girls5Eva, Smash, and Law and Order CI. Declan Desmond (Declan Sheehan), making his Northlight debut, has worked with many Chicago theaters, including The Gift, Goodman Theatre, Marriott, Lookingglass, and Writers Theatre. He is currently finishing his junior year at Boston University, where he also studies acting. In his free time, he likes to practice singing, the guitar, and the violin while also coincidentally reading DC comics. He’s honored to be performing and can’t wait until theater can be performed live. Now more than ever people are yearning for connection, and the theater connects like no other art form. Thanks to all of his mentors, friends, and family who made this possible and always support him in his projects. Marika Engelhardt (Manon Desjardins) Theatrical credits include The Goodman Theatre, Steep Theatre, American Blues, A Red Orchid, Chicago Dramatists, and the Comedie Francaise in Paris. Television credits: Empire, Chicago Fire, The Chi, Easy on Netflix, Amazon's Patriot, and HBO's Somebody, Somewhere. Recent films include Come as You Are which premiered at SXSW, and a starring role in Knives and Skin, which premiered last year at the Berlin and Tribeca film festivals. Her performance was named one of the "Top Ten Performances of Tribeca 2019" by Entertainment Tonight. She is a graduate of the DePaul Theatre School where she is also an adjunct professor. Susaan Jamshidi (Shirin Gilani) is a Chicago based actor (SAG/AFTRA, AEA) and is participating in her second workshop of A Distinct Society. She recently performed in several shows at Goodman Theatre: A Christmas Carol '19 and '20 (the latter which was produced as a free streaming audio play), The Winter’s Tale, and Rohina Malik's Yasmina’s Necklace. Chicago credits include work with Lookingglass, Victory Gardens, Drury Lane, The Gift, Northlight, Remy Bumppo, Theatre Wit, and Sideshow Theatre Company (Jeff Award for Best Ensemble – Idomeneus), among others. International tours: Oh My Sweet Land (London/Toronto/Vancouver with Silk Road Rising). Regional theater credits include Arena Stage, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, and Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, among others. Film and television credits include Little Nations, Cicero in Winter, The Wallet, Chicago Med, Chicago P.D. and Sirens. Susaan earned her MFA from DePaul University and is represented by Paonessa Talent. Susaan is also an avid potter. You can follow her on Instagram @susaanlayla and @littlefigwheelworks Kevin Minor (Bruce Laird) (he/him/his) is a Chicago-based actor, director, and budding playwright. Kevin is currently a theatre teacher at Niles West and Niles North High schools in Skokie, IL. As an actor, Kevin has worked at numerous theatre companies including Asolo Repertory, Contemporary American Theatre Festival, Writers Theatre, Virginia Repertory, St. Louis Shakespeare, Tennessee Williams Theatre Festival, Heritage Theatre Festival, Slightly Askew Theatre, and many others. Kevin is represented by Stewart Talent. ABOUT INTERPLAY Since its inception in 2006, Northlight’s Interplay Program has invested in provocative new works by American and international playwrights, providing customized support in the critical stages of early play development. Through Interplay, Northlight seeks to serve the specific needs of the play and can provide playwright commissions, workshops with actors, and private or public readings. The public reading series is an instrumental part of the Interplay program, providing audiences the opportunity to participate in a part of the evolutionary process from initial idea to full theatrical production, including first-hand insight from the playwright. Also through the reading series, the playwright has the opportunity to hear audience response that is integral to shaping the play for full production. As of 2020, Interplay has provided support for 40 new plays, 33 of which have gone on to full productions – some at Northlight and others around the country, including the Goodman Theatre, the Humana Festival, TheatreWorks, and off-Broadway. Four plays have continued on to acclaim at Ireland’s famed Galway International Arts Festival. That staggering success rate has established Interplay as a valuable incubator for new work in the American theatre, and has helped cement Northlight’s national reputation as an important contributor to the American theatrical canon. Support for new play development and this reading, available at no cost to general and student audiences, comes from The Ralla Klepak Foundation for Education in the Performing Arts; The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; ComEd, An Exelon Company; BMO Harris Bank; The Sullivan Family Foundation; Illinois Arts Council, a state agency; The Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation; the John R. Halligan Fund; the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation; and Evanston Community Foundation. Northlight Theatre aspires to promote change of perspective and encourage compassion by exploring the depth of our humanity across a bold spectrum of theatrical experiences, reflecting our community to the world and the world to our community. Founded in 1974, the organization has mounted over 220 productions, including more than 40 world premieres. Northlight has earned 208 Joseph Jefferson Award nominations and 36 Awards, as well as ten Edgerton Foundation for New Play Awards. As one of the area’s premier theatre companies, Northlight is a regional magnet for critical and professional acclaim, as well as talent of the highest quality. Northlight is supported in part by generous contributions from Allstate Insurance; the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation; BMO Harris Bank; Bulley and Andrews; The Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation; ComEd, An Exelon Company; The Davee Foundation; Evanston Arts Council; Evanston Community Foundation; Lloyd A. Fry Foundation; Full Circle Foundation; John R. Halligan Fund; Illinois Arts Council, a state agency; Illinois Humanities; Katten Muchin Roseman LLP; Kirkland & Ellis Foundation; Margaret and Paul Lurie; The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; Jackie Mack and More; Colonel Stanley R. McNeil Foundation; Modestus Bauer Foundation; National Endowment for the Arts; Niles Township; NorthShore University HealthSystems; Northwestern University; The Offield Family Foundation; The Pauls Foundation; PNC Bank; Polsinelli; Ralla Klepak Trust for the Performing Arts; Room & Board; Sanborn Family Foundation; Dr. Scholl Foundation; The Shubert Foundation, Inc.; Skokie Community Foundation; The Harold and Mimi Steinberg Charitable Trust; The Sullivan Family Foundation; and Tom Stringer Design Partners.

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Go See a Play! What's Happening Aug. 16 - 22

Go See a Play! What’s Happening Aug. 16 – 22

By Lynn Venhaus Managing Editor Voices are unleashed at the St. Louis Fringe Festival now underway in the Grand Arts Center.

Voices are soaring in the St. Louis premiere of “The Light in the Piazza” and Kurt Weill’s “Lost in the Stars.”

Voices are having fun in “Mamma Mia!”, “The Great American Trailer Park Musical” and “The Robber Bridegroom,” which all end their run this weekend.

Voices are…