Cassia Thompson News

Alabama Shakespeare Festival invites friends, neighbors and visitors to Montgomery to celebrate and reflect on Juneteenth with us. Walk the stunning grounds to learn about the history of Juneteenth and take in perspectives on freedom from 13 Black artists who've collaborated with ASF over the years. The Juneteenth outdoor installation will be up on ASF's great lawn through July 5.

With audiences and artists alike separated from live performing arts by the global COVID-19 pandemic, actors who have appeared on stage at Alabama Shakespeare Festival are sharing their favorite Shakespeare monologues online.

Syracuse Stage along with the Syracuse Department of Drama brings a captivating and raw production of Sarah DeLappe's The Wolves under the impressive direction of Melissa Rain Anderson. The production features numerous Syracuse University student actors along with members of the Actors' Equity Association as they bring the Pulitzer Prize nominated drama about nine young women soccer players to life with such immense intensity and talent. The production is intense, chilling, and brilliant.

The Syracuse Stage season continues with the critically acclaimed 'The Wolves,' Sarah DeLappe's Pulitzer Prize nominated drama about nine young women soccer players. Co-produced with the Syracuse University Department of Drama and directed by Melissa Rain Anderson, 'The Wolves' runs Jan. 22 - Feb. 16 in the Storch Theatre at the Syracuse Stage/SU Drama Complex, 820 E. Genesee St., Syracuse.

Bay Street Theater & Sag Harbor Center for the Arts announced this year's Literature Live! production of A Raisin in the Sun, by Lorraine Hansberry; directed by Lydia Fort. The show starts November 14 and runs through December 1. This classic work from the American Theater is celebrating its sixtieth anniversary of the play's first production on Broadway.

Bay Street Theater & Sag Harbor Center for the Arts announce the production of Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun, directed by Lydia Fort.

From the page and to the stage, William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet launches Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival's annual WillPower Tour which will perform for 50 schools across Pennsylvania and New Jersey through November 17.

Shakespeare Festival St. Louis' production of The Winter's Tale opens at 8 p.m., on Fri., June 2, at Shakespeare Glen in Forest Park. Highlights to this year's production include original music composed by St. Louis-based The Rats & People Motion Picture Orchestra, a diverse cast under the direction of four-time Festival director Bruce Longworth, and the unveiling of Schlafly's custom-labeled draft beer, The Winter's Ale. Preview performances are scheduled May 31 and June 1. Performances run nightly, except Tuesdays, and begin at 8 p.m., through Sun., June 25.

The vengeful and doubting King Leontes and his falsely accused wife Queen Hermione will be played by Festival veterans Charles Pasternak and Cherie Corinne Rice in Shakespeare Festival St. Louis' production of The Winter's Tale, June 2-25, at Shakespeare Glen in Forest Park. This marks the company's 17th season of free, outdoor, professional theatre in the park. Preview performances are scheduled May 31 and June 1.  Performances run nightly, except Tuesdays, and begin at 8 p.m. 

Jake Kevrick, a 23-year Playwright and Literary and Office Manager intern for That Uppity Theatre Company, a St. Louis/New York based theatre company, is one of the first shows to open the Winterfest Theatre Company (formerly the Venus Adonis Theater Festival) beginning January 5th and running for three performances until January 8th at the Hudson Guild Theatre on New York's Westside.

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.

? 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. 

America has a rich history, some of which, of course, we'd all prefer to forget. But, to ignore them can just lead to repeating them, and we all should know better than that by now. However, it's important that we continue to mine the events of the past in order to enlighten and provoke discussion. This is the very thing that Keith Josef Adkins' brilliant work SAFE HOUSE does with a considerable amount of power and conviction. It's a story set in Kentucky in 1843, when slavery was still very much a resident evil that ruled the land, even though there were African Americans who were freeborn. The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis is currently presenting this new play, and as they always seem to have a knack for doing, it's done in a completely compelling and infinitely memorable fashion that makes for a truly moving and enriching experience.

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis continues the 2014-2015 Studio Theatre series with Safe House by Keith Josef Adkins and directed by Melissa Maxwell. This compelling production will be performed in the Emerson Studio Theatre of the Loretto-Hilton Center for the Performing Arts, 130 Edgar Road (on the campus of Webster University), Webster Groves, today, January 21-February 8, 2015.

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis continues the 2014-2015 Studio Theatre series with Safe House by Keith Josef Adkins and directed by Melissa Maxwell. This compelling production will be performed in the Emerson Studio Theatre of the Loretto-Hilton Center for the Performing Arts, 130 Edgar Road (on the campus of Webster University), Webster Groves, January 21-February 8, 2015.