The St. Louis Rep Previews Their 2025-2026 Season of Daring Imagination

Recently The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis’ Danny Williams, Kate Bergstrom, Delaney Piggins, and Brian Coats welcomed invited members of the press to share The Rep’s plans for what they are calling their ‘Season of Daring Imagination.’ This year’s season will include five mainstage shows with an additional three shows in the Steve Woolf Studio Series. Bergstrom, the Augustin Family Artistic Director said, “This year we’ve planned relevant, excellent, and extraordinary experiences for our audience.” 

The mainstage season opens September 3, 2025, with The Rep’s production of Sandy Rustin’s The Cottage. Bergstrom called The Cottage farcical, sophisticated, witty, and sharp. “When Danny (Williams) and I were both reading the script, it was one of the first plays that made me laugh out loud from just reading it.”  

Williams, The Rep's Managing Director, concurred, “It’s nice to open with a comedy and start our season off with laughs.”  

When the mainstage season continues The Rep will be bringing a bit of London’s West End to their stage beginning October 8, 2025. “The Woman in Black is a perfect show for Halloween,” Bergstrom shared, “It is a proper Victorian ghost story that features old fashioned theatricality, suspense, and thrills, laced with British wit. It is a scary and fun experience for anyone who enjoys a fright.” 

The Rep’s production of The Woman in Black is based on Susan Hill’s original London production. It features two actors from London who’ve been touring with the show in the United Stages. 

The holiday offering on the mainstage this December will be the Jane Austen classic Emma. The Rep’s production will coincide with the 250th celebration of Jane Austen’s birthday. Bergstrom calls it the perfect holiday romance. “It ends with a winter wedding,” they said.  

St. Louis audiences have not seen this adaptation of Emma by playwright Kate Hamill. Broadway World called Hamill’s adaptation “a fresh, fast paced, screwball comedy with wit and charm.” Bergstrom shared that Hamill, the most produced playwright in the country for four years running, is synonymous with Jane Austen adaptations.  

Associate Artistic Director Delaney Piggins talked about the partnership The Rep has with the Jane Austen Society of North American and The St. Louis County Public Library. “We are going to have some fun surprises coming up that will coincide with the holidays and the celebration of Jane Austen,” she said.  

Emma will be directed by Minneapolis’ Guthrie Theatre’s Senior Artistic Producer Tracy Brigden. She has directed more than 75 productions, but Emma will mark her directing debut at the Repertory Theater of St. Louis. Bergstrom talked about the excitement of bringing Brigden to The Rep saying, “She is a phenomenal collaborator.”  

Williams spoke of the other Emma adjacent anniversary this year. 2025 marks the 30th Anniversary of the Alicia Silverstone film Clueless that was loosely based on the Jane Austen novel. “One of the things that Kate thinks about when programming is finding shows that entice people to give theater a chance,” he said. “Those who like scary movies will like The Woman in Black and those who like farce will enjoy The Cottage.” 

Bergstrom said, “Exactly, Clueless fans or people who enjoy the wit, wisdom, romance, and sexiness of Bridgerton will love Emma!”  

On February 4, 2026, the mainstage season will continue with Ebony Booth’s Pulitzer Prize Winner Primary Trust. Bergstrom told the group how exciting it is to produce Booth’s play about a neurodiverse man in his early 30’s who is faced with finding a new job late in life after the bookstore he is working at closes. 

“Booth’s script touches everyone in unique ways around what it means to be a member of community. It is a late in life coming of age story where the protagonist navigates change through the kindness and generosity of others,” Bergstrom shared. “Kindness is so important today.” 

The Rep will close its season with what Bergstrom calls the King Lear of musicals. “We are so excited to bring the raw glitz, glamour, and theatricality of Gypsy to The Rep.” They talked of their vision with Williams, long before becoming the Augustin Family Artistic Director, of producing Gypsy with a cast of 12.  

“We wanted a show this season that would have a real wow factor and we are preparing to blow our audience away with this trunk show version of Gypsy,” says Bergstrom who will direct.  

Williams added, “The Rep has been known for doing top-notch musicals and we think Gypsy will continue that tradition.” He shared that Gypsy is one of his and Bergstrom’s favorite musicals.  

Bergstrom agreed, “Danny and I bonded over the overture. Sondheim’s lyrics are extraordinary and are much like a Shakespeare, Eugene O’Neill, or Arthur Miller play. It is going to punctuate the season with something phenomenal.”  

Adding to the extraordinary experiences of this season will be The Rep’s three studio shows. Two of the three shows, Mrs. Krishnan’s Party and The Enigmatist, have been announced. The first show of the studio season will be announced at the sold-out Backstage Pass event later this week at the St. Louis County Public Library.  

“We won’t be announcing our first show until tomorrow night, but I can tell you that it’s been a while since The Studio theatre has been configured in the round,” Bergstrom teased. 

The second show in the Studio season, Mrs. Krishnan’s Party, is comedic, experiential, and interactive theater. Piggins said, “We are collaborating with Indian Ink Theatre Company in a global outreach to bring international talent to The Rep stage. The audience are invited guests to Mrs. Krishnan’s dinner party. They will have the opportunity dance, help Mrs. Krishnan cook, or just be a wallflower in a choose your own adventure theatrical experience.” 

New York Times puzzle creator Daniel Kwong will bring his one-man immersive show The Enigmatist to the Studio stage in March 2026. Williams says, “It's a show that is equal parts entertaining and educating. It is perfect for people looking for something that is different and fun. It was one of the hardest tickets to get when Kwong first started performing this show in New York.” 

“It is going to be so much fun to have this broad range of immersive experiences in the Studio this year,” says Bergstrom.  

Season and Individual Tickets for The Rep’s Season of Daring Imagination are on sale now. The Rep offers Mainstage packages, Studio Packages, and flex packages to meet the needs of subscribers. Click the link below for more information about ticket packages and individual performance tickets.