Michael Schimmele News

Stages St. Louis opened their 40th Anniversary season with one of the most adorable and wittiest ensemble theater pieces written in the past 25-years. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is the award winning, silly, and relatable musical comedy about a group of quirky middle schoolers competing to win a trip to a national spelling bee competition. Stages St. Louis frolicsome production of The 25th Annual Spelling Bee is gleefully irreverent carefree fun. Directors RonnGibbs and Gayle Holsman Seay capture the script’s humor and the heart that is carefully tucked behind the comedic playfulness.

St. Louis native Michael Schimmele returns home to star as Chip Tolentino in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee at Stages St. Louis, opening the company's 40th Anniversary Season.

Stages St. Louis has announced full casting for their season opening production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. The ensemble, comprised entirely of actors who call St. Louis home, includes multiple St. Louis Theater Circle Award winners.

Ryan Gregory Thurman has joined the company of Aladdin on Broadway as Babkak. Also joining the Broadway company of Aladdin, is Rodney Ingram in the title role.

McCarter Theatre Center will present a new Teen Conservatory Program starting in 2026, aimed at providing young artists with professional training, mentorship, and performance opportunities. This initiative seeks to nurture the next generation of theater professionals by offering a comprehensive educational experience in a supportive environment.

For the past year, St. Louisan Michael Schimmele has been living his dream. Schimmele is currently playing Babkak in Disney’s Aladdin at the New Amsterdam Theatre on Broadway. Babkak is Aladdin’s food-loving, wise cracking friend with a sky-high tenor. He is one-third of the storytelling trio who function like a mini-Greek chorus setting the stage, providing commentary, and helping to advance the plot.

Registration is now open for Actors Professional Theatre Conservatory's fall program, Own The Room: Audition Workshop for Young Artists. Learn more and see how to join!

Earlier today, 106.7 LITE FM's Broadway in Bryant Park concluded its 2025 program, bringing the best of Broadway back together for free performances, every Thursday in July. Check out photos from today's show!

Theatre [Untitled] continues its groundbreaking Reading Series with the next powerful installment: You Are Not Gay, a new musical by Timothy Thomas Leech and Alexander Ronneburg.

Aladdin celebrates its 11th anniversary at the New Amsterdam Theatre today, March 20th, 2025! As it plays performance 3,932 tonight, Aladdin has welcomed more than 6.5M guests to the New Amsterdam Theatre and ranks #15 on the list of all-time Broadway long runs.