Jacqueline Thompson News

Picture Farm Film Festival has announced THE LINEUP for its 5th annual festival, taking place April 13 - 14 at the Wythe Hotel in Brooklyn.

As the New Jewish Theatre closes out the first season of our third decade, it's time to make a few changes. So the upcoming 2018-19 Season includes many things that are NEW for the New Jewish Theatre. This includes a new season where four of the five shows are regional premieres which have only been performed a handful of times. Three of the five are comedies.

It's uncanny the way that Upstream Theater is able to produce plays that consistently tackle issues that, while often international in scope, often resonate with situations we face in our own country and, in particular, the current political climate we find ourselves in. A HUMAN BEING DIED THAT NIGHT is a very intriguing and powerful work by Nicholas Wright (adapted from a book by Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela) that focuses our attention on post-apartheid South Africa, and which delves into the institutionalized racism that gripped that area of the world for many, many years. It's a subject that it is abhorrent in nature, but one which we seem to see America headed toward with the rise of white nationalist actions and policies. The seeds seem to have been sown with the cultural backlash from certain quarters following the election of Barack Obama, our first African American president, and which are starting to become more dangerously vocal and violent since he left office and was replaced by our current president, who surrounds himself with people whose agendas and ideologies are in direct conflict with the progress that has occurred since the Civil Rights movement of the 1960's. This work, though it deals mainly with conciliatory efforts, is one that needs to be seen as a reminder that, if we are to continue to progress as an open society, we need to remain vigilant as citizens to ensure we do not take steps backwards in this regard. There's a lot to contemplate here, and this production is decidedly must-see theatre.

During the 1990s, psychologist Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela interviewed Eugene de Kock, commanding officer of the South African government's death squad stationed at Vlakplaas--a man who had ordered and carried out the torture and murder of dozens of anti-apartheid activists, earning the nickname "Prime Evil." De Kock was serving a 212-year prison sentence for crimes against humanity.

The New Jewish Theatre's production of playwright Lynn Nottage's INTIMATE APPAREL is a very engaging work that presents the audience with layers of text and subtext to chew on. It's primarily about the pursuit of a dream, and the events that occur that may delay or derail that dream, but not to the point where the protagonist ever gives up hope. Though set in New York at the turn of the last century, there are a lot of issues brought forth that will ring true for a modern audience. In these especially difficult times, it's a reminder of the way people of color were treated then, something we have to work vigilantly to make sure doesn't happen again. Drawing on the experiences of her great-grandmother, Nottage has written a wonderfully touching, and ultimately hopeful, work that is brought to life with an incredibly well done production by The New Jewish Theatre. I recommend it highly!

The New Jewish Theatre continues its 20th Season with the Award-winning Lynn Nottage play, Intimate Apparel from January 26 - February 12.

The New Jewish Theatre continues its 20th Season with the Award-winning Lynn Nottage play, Intimate Apparel from January 26 - February 12.

Perhaps the best way to approach Dickens' venerable A CHRISTMAS CAROL is straight-forward, with a generous helping of music, sterling performances, and some cool effects to liven up the proceedings. After all, the story, which dates from 1843, has been reworked, parodied, and used as a device by nearly every sitcom and animated show ever made. So, what's old seems new again in The Repertory of St. Louis' current presentation for the holidays. And, what a treat it is. David H. Bell's adaptation is faithful to the spirit and language of the story, which occurs when the industrial revolution has wreaked havoc on the lives of both the old and young. Filled with energy and enthusiasm, this is an absolute must-see for the Christmas season!

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents A Christmas Carol, adapted by David H. Bell from the novella by Charles Dickens and directed by Steven Woolf.

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis presents A Christmas Carol, adapted by David H. Bell from the novella by Charles Dickens and directed by Steven Woolf.

On November 14, 2016, at 7:30pm at the Kranzberg Arts Center in Grand Center, That Uppity Theatre Company and the St Lou Fringe, present excerpts from a collection of three minute plays specifically written and curated in response to the massacre at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida, on June 12, 2016, that took the lives of 49 LGBTQ and Allied people.

People in the St. Louis area have two opportunities to see the show. Center of Creative Arts (COCA, 524 Trinity Ave, St. Louis, MO 63130) will be hosting a performance on Saturday, October 15th at 8pm and The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis (130 Edgar Rd, Webster Groves, MO 63119) will be hosting a performance on Monday, October 24th at 8pm. All performances will be free of charge.

McCarter Theatre Center will partner with the Princeton University Lewis Center for the Arts and Department of African American Studies to present The Every 28 Hours Plays on October 24, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. on McCarter Theatre Center's Berlind Stage.

It's always fun to take in the many treats available at Shakespeare Festival St. Louis each year in Forest Park, and I'm not just talking about the food and drink stands, but also all the performers, mini-versions of the show, etc, that take place before the main attraction begins (arrive early). And,with the weather just a touch cooler there's no excuse not to attend, Besides, it's truly special watching a classic work by the immortal bard under the stars. This year a most apropos example of his work, A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM, takes flight in the wooded confines, exactly the place where the action of this play occurs. It's a match made in heaven, and it's also a work that, as I've stated in other reviews, is a great introduction to the playwright. So, by all means, bring the family and enjoy this fantastic production.

Pearl Vodka in conjunction with That Uppity Theatre Company and Vital VOICE Magazine will present the fifth annual BRIEFS: A Festival of Short LGBTQ Plays. BRIEFS is a unique venture in St. Louis that brings together numerous directors and theatrical artists to showcase the work of eight different playwrights all under one roof. BRIEFS presents theatrical work that address the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer or questioning people. The festival is targeted to a diverse and mature audience that appreciates good theatre in unique settings.

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.

? Renowned New York actress and Olivier nominee Nancy Anderson will play the role of Titania in Shakespeare Festival St. Louis' production of A Midsummer Night's Dream, June 3-26, at Shakespeare Glen in Forest Park.  This marks the company's 16th season of free, outdoor, professional theatre in the park.  Preview performances are scheduled June 1-2.  Performances run nightly, except Tuesdays, and begin at 8 p.m. 

Trinity Rep invites the public to a kick-off performance of the nationwide theater initiative, Every 28 Hours, on Monday, October 26, 2015. The project responds to the statistic that every 28 hours, a black person is killed by police. Following a week-long workshop in St. Louis, Missouri with playwrights from around the country, the first public reading of up to 90 one-minute plays resulting from the workshop will be held in Trinity Rep's Dowling Theater on Monday, October 26, 2015 at 7pm. The event is free and open to the public.

An artful adaptation of William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, will be featured in the fourth annual, wildly popular, Shakespeare in the Streets, it was announced today by Rick Dildine, Artistic and Executive Director for Shakespeare Festival St. Louis. The event is scheduled today through Saturday, Sept. 17-19, on N. 14th Street in the Old North neighborhood.

Local Old North St. Louis residents, including a police officer, will be learning staging tips from professional actors when rehearsals begin this week for The World Begun, a play artfully adapted from William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.  The show, part of the wildly successful Shakespeare in the Streets event, will be performed Thursday through Saturday, Sept. 17-19, on N. 14th Street, between Montgomery and St. Louis Avenue.