Deanna Jent News

As part of the kick-off event for the 2016 Kennedy Center (KC) American College Theater Festival, a special preview of the EVERY 28 HOURS PLAYS will be performed and livestreamed as part of KC's Millennium Stage Series. The preview consists of an excerpt of the collection with more than 30 one-minute plays inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, with participation by theater makers and institutions across the nation and showcases the creative outcome of a community outreach residency in Ferguson and St. Louis County, Missouri in the fall of 2015.

My lists for the best plays/musicals in St. Louis is in chronological order. I'm not limiting myself to any specific number of entries either. These are simply the best productions and performances in various categories that I witnessed during a packed year filled with companies closing and new ones opening. It continues to be a great time to be a theater-goer in our town, with many, many choices of quality shows available for your viewing pleasure on any given day or evening. My favorite show among all thesel selections just might be Upstream Theater's THE RIME OF THE ANCIENT MARINER. My son and I attended, and were simply delighted by the mix of music and drama occurring on stage. It was a magical experience that I was able to share with my then nine year old little boy, and we both highly recommend that you check out the band Sleepy Kitty.

So I'm watching a Paul McCartney DVD, which is a collection of videos he released over the years, and I start to queue up the one for the song "Pipes of Peace", and I notice immediately that the short film is based on the Christmas Truce of 1914. I don't recall any history classes I had in school ever mentioning this moment in time, and that's why I think it's so important that people see Mustard Seed Theatre's production of ALL IS CALM: THE CHRISTMAS TRUCE OF 1914. They need to know that even in the midst of the gruesome and grueling trench fighting that was emblematic of the first World War, there was this one day where the soldiers from both sides laid down their arms and celebrated the holiday. In fact, after seeing it twice before, I wanted to make sure that my wife and son were exposed to this beautiful and touching show. It's a moving piece that you simply must see!

As playwright Jessica Dickey reveals in her notes in the program, THE AMISH PROJECT is a fictionalized realization of an actual event that occurred in Nickel Mines, which has an Amish community. There, several female children were senselessly gunned down in their school room by a very troubled man who then killed himself. There is more to the story, and a simple search on the internet will reveal even more gruesome details. In fact, you'll find out that school shootings have, sadly, been going on for hundreds of years. This is not a new phenomenon, but a disturbing one nonetheless. Dickey explains that the schoolhouse no longer exists, but was razed by the Amish community and designated as a grazing area with three maple trees being the only reminder of the place where the tragedy happened. To maintain their anonymity, Dickey creates characters who are meant to represent various individuals, and gives us an unflinching glimpse into the scene that took place, while also respecting their privacy and helping us to better understand the surprising sense of forgiveness and acceptance that the Amish practice, even if others still find their ways to be unusual in this modern age we live in. Mustard Seed Theatre opens their season with this intensely powerful and moving work, and it's required viewing for any fan of exceptional theatre.

Mustard Seed Theatre has provided St. Louis theater-goers with a wonderful season full of premiers that have captivated and entertained audiences. They close with an astoundingly engaging and timely work by playwright Shualee Cook titled An Invitation Out. This fresh pieces utilizes the tropes established by writers like Shaw and Wilde, but instead of an English drawing room, we find ourselves transported to the virtual reality of a chat room in the near future. To me, this is a cautionary tale that beckons us to take a hard look at how intoxicating an imagined world can seem, especially when it allows individual participants to present themselves as they would like to be perceived , rather than as who they actually are. It's challenging and engaging, and though people who have a natural aversion to all things computer related may not get the point, they should make the effort to stick with this tale, because it's a type of reality that is fast becoming concrete in nature.

Rob Maesaka, a St. Louis playwright, receives the opportunity to have one of his works premiered with Mustard Seed Theatre's presentation of his play, WHITE TO GRAY. It's an engaging piece of theatre that tells an interesting story that's dramatic and even occasionally funny at times. Judging a new play can sometimes be a challenge because it's unique; there's never been a production for the viewer to gauge it against. But for viewers and critics alike, that's the fun part of seeing something fresh. We have no expectations going in, so we're being engaged by the actors and playwright for the first time. On the whole, I would say this is an entertaining show that features a number of good performances, and it covers a period of time that is ripe with dramatic possibilities that the writer explores. Maesaka's play, and Mustard Seed's production of it is definitely worthy of your time and attention.

Mustard Seed Theatre has brought back their popular staging of ALL IS CALM - THE CHRISTMAS TRUCE OF 1914, which premiered around this time last year, and it's definitely a piece of theatre that demands your time and attention. Somehow I must have missed mentioning this the first time around, but this was originally a broadcast that occurred on Minnesota Public Radio. Artistic director/director Deanna Jent took that raw material and molded it into a moving and compelling stage production that won deserved accolades and awards for its excellence. If you didn't catch it last year, then you need to make sure you do so during its current run, and even if you did see it, I can promise you that it's certainly worth seeing again.

Rogue Machine presents the World Premiere of NICE THINGS by Vince Melocchi opening tonight, October 4, 2014 with reception to follow 8pm Fridays and Todays, 3pm on Sundays through November 23, 2014 5041 W. Pico Blvd., LA, CA 90019

Rogue Machine presents the World Premiere of NICE THINGS by Vince Melocchi Opening October 4, 2014 with reception to follow 8pm Fridays and Saturdays, 3pm on Sundays through November 23, 2014 5041 W. Pico Blvd., LA, CA 90019

The fall of 2014 is shaping up to be very exciting for Eastern South Dakota theatre! From musicals to dramas, there seems to be a little bit of everything. To make things easy for you, I have complied a list of upcoming shows and theatre's that I believe you won't want to miss this fall. Mark your calendars!

It's been a couple of years since playwright Deanna Jent's FALLING debuted here in St. Louis, and since then it's been published, and gone on to receive rave reviews on both coasts. FALLING's impact has been a wonderful thing to witness from afar, and so it's especially nice that we get the opportunity to revisit the play in Mustard Seed Theatre's current production. This was challenging and rewarding must-see theatre when I reviewed it in 2011, and I can assure you that my opinion is even stronger. This is a powerful piece that raises a number of important questions.

Meadow Brook Theatre is proud to partner with Oakland University's Center for Autism-OUCARES tonight, March 22, 2014 at 6:00 PM for an evening dedicated to raise money for autism services at OUCARES.

At 18, most kids are thinking of leaving home, but not Joshua. Josh has autism, and it sets the tone for his entire household. When his grandmother comes for a visit, the carefully maintained balance in the family is sent spinning. After all, Josh isn't the only person in the family, and isn't everyone else entitled to a life, as well?

At 18, most kids are thinking of leaving home, but not Joshua. Josh has autism, and it sets the tone for his entire household. When his grandmother comes for a visit, the carefully maintained balance in the family is sent spinning. After all, Josh isn't the only person in the family, and isn't everyone else entitled to a life, as well?

Meadow Brook Theatre is proud to partner with Oakland University's Center for Autism-OUCARES on Saturday March 22, 2014 at 6:00 PM for an evening dedicated to raise money for autism services at OUCARES.

Quilting is truly an art form, and though a lot of the quilts made over the years were made strictly out of necessity, a lot of them now hang in art museums. Playwright Elyzabeth Gregory Wilder uses this fact to tell the story of the Pettway women from Gee's Bend, Alabama. Now, if you're thinking that quilting is all this play is about, you'd be mistaken. It's certainly a part of the picture, but Wilder let's us view the family as they age and confront the changes that occur to them against the backdrop of our history. GEE'S BEND is a fascinating piece that's deserving of your time and attention, and Mustard Seed Theatre has put together a very fine production.

ALL IS CALM: THE CHRISTMAS TRUCE OF 1914 is a smartly conceived acapella musical by Peter Rothstein that chronicles the stunning events that occurred on Christmas Day 1914. It mixes short narrative bursts with 23 songs from the period, and it's never dull or contrived. For me, the hearty vocals produced by the cast are a sheer delight to listen to. Mustard Seed Theatre has put together a wonderful production that's a real treat for the upcoming holidays.

Winner of the Kevin Kline Award for Outstanding New Play, Falling makes its West Coast debut with one of the most awarded young theatre companies in Los Angeles, Rogue Machine. Winning upwards of 50 awards (including Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle, LA Weekly, Ovation, Garland, and BEST PRODUCTION two years in a row), the company was lauded as 'Best Theatre Company of 2012' by the LA Weekly.

Winner of the Kevin Kline Award for Outstanding New Play, Deanna Jent's FALLING makes its West Coast debut with one of the most awarded young theatre companies in Los Angeles, Rogue Machine. Winning upwards of 50 awards (including Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle, LA Weekly, Ovation, Garland, and BEST PRODUCTION two years in a row), the company was lauded as 'Best Theatre Company of 2012' by the LA Weekly. Falling will open tonight, October 12, 2013, with a reception to follow, and is set to play 8pm Fridays and Saturdays, 3pm Sundays through December 1, 2013 at 5041 Pico Blvd., LA, Calif.

Winner of the Kevin Kline Award for Outstanding New Play, Deanna Jent's FALLING makes its West Coast debut with one of the most awarded young theatre companies in Los Angeles, Rogue Machine. Winning upwards of 50 awards (including Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle, LA Weekly, Ovation, Garland, and BEST PRODUCTION two years in a row), the company was lauded as "Best Theatre Company of 2012" by the LA Weekly. Falling will open on October 12, 2013, with a reception to follow.