The St. Louis Black Repertory Company’s 45th Season
The St. Louis Black Repertory Company was founded in 1976 by Producing Director Ron Himes. The Black Rep is one of the largest, not-for-profit professional African-American theatre companies in the nation and the largest African-American performing arts organization in Missouri. Its mission is to provide platforms for theatre, dance, and other creative expressions from the African-American perspective — one that heightens the social and cultural awareness of its audiences.
September 8 through 26 — Sweat by Lynn Nottage
As timely as ever, this Pulitzer Prize winner addresses the complexities of race, class and friendship at a pivotal moment in America. This deeply heartfelt drama is crafted with generous humor and tells the story of a group of co-workers who find friendship working together on a factory floor. When layoffs and picket lines enter the picture, these friends must decide if they should look out for each other — or prioritize themselves. A must-see drama for it is a reflection of the now.
January 12-30, 2022 — Dontrell, Who Kissed the Sea by Nathan Alan Davis
When 18-year-old Dontrell Jones decides to voyage into the Atlantic Ocean in search of an ancestor lost during the Middle Passage, his family struggles with the thought of losing its prized son to the waters of a mysterious and haunting past. Blending poetry, humor, wordplay and ritual, this rhythmic journey is a present-day hero’s quest to explore the lengths and depths we must go to rewrite history’s wrongs. This drama details one man’s present-day heroic quest. Co-produced with the Nebraska Rep.
February 9-March 20, 2022 — Fireflies by Donja Love
Set in the Jim Crow South, Fireflies tells the story of Olivia, the inspiring speechwriter and force behind her charismatic husband Charles and his freedom movement. When four little girls are bombed in a church, the couple’s relationship is thrown into jeopardy as Olivia begins to believe, “this world ain’t no place to raise a colored child.” This intimate performance allows viewers to experience the powerful drama from Olivia’s female-led perspective. A telling of the complexities of love and color.
March 16-April 3, 2022 — Behind the Sheet by Charly Evon Simpson
In 1840s Alabama, Philomena assists a doctor, her owner, through experimental surgeries on her fellow slave women in search of treatment for a common post-childbirth complication. This compelling work challenges what history remembers through the women who experienced these involuntary surgeries, and reframes the very origin story of a great medical breakthrough. The forgotten story behind one of the greatest medical break throughs in history. Developed with support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and The Black Rep’s Sophisticated Ladies.
May 11-29, 2022 — Jitney by August Wilson
Set in the late 1970s, August Wilson’s first play in his 10-play cycle of 10 decades of history in Pittsburgh takes place in the midst of urban renewal, which threatens to eliminate the makeshift gypsy cab service. The story follows a group of men who make a living driving these cabs, as they navigate love as fathers and sons, loss and hope, and ultimately, community. This must-see work comes to life with a passion that transcends all races. August Wilson’s compelling story of one community’s unwavering determination and connection.
The St. Louis Black Repertory Company
6662 Olive Blvd
University City, MO 63130
Tel.: 314-534-3807
Theblackrep.org
On FB, INSTA, TWITTER: @STLBLACKREP