THE BROTHERS' SIZE and THE UGLY DUCKLING Join The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis Season

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis announced two plays to round out its 59th anniversary season, along with the directors and creative teams. The Brothers Size by Tarell Alvin McCraney will kick off the 25/26 Steve Woolf Studio Series October 22 - November 16, 2025, in the Emerson Studio of the Loretto-Hilton Center.

Tarell is a prolific playwright, actor, and Oscar winner for the screenplay of Moonlight who currently serves as the Artistic Director of The Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles.  This will be the first production of his work in St. Louis, a landmark moment led by some of the most visionary respected artists in the city including director Jacqueline Thompson (Metro Theater Artistic Director) and choreographer Kirven Douthit-Boyd (Saint Louis Dance Theatre Artistic Director).

Deep in the Louisiana bayou, myth meets the common man. In The Brothers Size, Academy Award–winner Tarell Alvin McCraney fuses Yoruba cosmology with contemporary reality to craft an immersive and visceral exploration of brotherhood, incarceration, and the fight for freedom. Gritty, poetic, and mythic in scale, this electrifying drama pulses with rhythm, ritual, and raw humanity. Brought to life for the first time in St. Louis, The Brothers Size is a searing portrait of love, loyalty, and the hard road to healing.

The Brothers Size joins the two previously announced plays in the Steve Woolf Studio Series including the utterly disarming new comedy that celebrates life, death, and rebirth in a joyous and immersive celebration in Mrs. Krishnan’s Party January 14 - February 8, 2026, and the mind-bending The Enigmatist written and performed by New York Times crossword constructor David Kwong, March 11 - April 5, 2025.

“We are incredibly excited to bring Tarell Alvin McCraney's powerful and poignant play, The Brothers Size, to St. Louis for the first time,” said Kate Bergstrom, Augustin Family Artistic Director. “Tarell's voice is a vital force in American theater, and this production, helmed by the visionary Jackie Thompson and Kirven Douthit-Boyd, promises to be an unforgettable and immersive experience in the studio. The Brothers Size perfectly embodies the Rep's commitment to daring artistry and authentic community connection, and we know it will resonate deeply with our Steve Woolf Studio audiences.”

Furthering The Rep’s commitment to learning and community engagement, its Imaginary Theatre Company (ITC) has focused on theatre for young people and their families for over four decades. This season’s play is The Ugly Duckling, adapted by Jennifer Cameron and Nathan A. Roberts from the classic Hans Christians Andersen story. ITC will tour The Ugly Duckling throughout St. Louis in the spring of 2026 to schools, community centers and libraries and will conclude with a public performance at the Loretto-Hilton Center on Saturday, March 28, 2026 at 10:30am and 1pm. Directed by The Rep’s Associate Artistic Director Delaney Piggins, Ugly Duckling is a celebration of curiosity, courage, and the idea that being different might just be your superpower.

"Directing The Ugly Duckling as my debut at The Rep is incredibly meaningful," says Delaney Piggins, Rep Associate Artistic Director. "Joy is at the center of this musical adaptation about the community and belonging we find when we have the courage to venture into the unknown with curiosity and compassion. The Rep's Imaginary Theatre Company gives many young people across Missouri their first connection to theatre - and we know this is a vital opportunity to foster empathy, imagination, and a lifelong love of theatre.”