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Theatre Showcase

Public Media Commons
3653 Olive Street, St. Louis, MO 63108

Join us for the St. Louis Public Radio Theatre Showcase on the Public Media Commons!

Over the course of two nights, we’ll feature short performances by some talented local theatre companies! Bring your favorite lawn chair and a picnic, cold drinks will be available to purchase.

Performances start at 7 p.m. on Friday, September 12 and Saturday, September 13, 2024.


Sponsored By:

Metro Transit Wacker Financial Group of Wells Fargo

Participating Companies

A Call to Conscience Albion Theatre Aquarian Rising Productions Chorus of Fools Theatre Company First Run Theatre Magic Smoking Monkey Theatre The Midnight Company Prism Theatre Company St. Louis Shakespeare Stray Dog Theatre That Uppity Theatre Company Upstream Theater

Performance Details

Friday

Elsinore (scenes from)

Years before Hamlet uttered, "To be or not to be," things were not yet rotten in the State of Denmark. In Elsinore, an inspired prequel to Shakespeare's classic, both family and kingdom are poisoned by power, lust, envy, betrayal, and murder. Elsinore imagines the years before Hamlet avenges his fathers' murder - allowing the audience to experience the precise moment before Hamlet begins

An extract from “I Have Been Here Before” by J.B. Priestley

A group of people thrown together by chance when they decide to stay at a remote Yorkshire inn, discover that they are so inter-dependent that a decision taken by any one of them is likely to have a profound effect on the lives of the others. Have they lived through the experience before? Is there a chance to make different decisions this time

"My Friend, Orion" by Kasey Kopp

My Friend, Orion explores hope through a cosmic, backyard encounter between a woman and a dying constellation. It’s about the stubborn, sometimes ridiculous, human impulse to reach for connection — and to believe that even fading light can still shine

"Heavenly Escort" by Vince Gordon

Everyone makes mistakes on the job. Even angels. But when your job is to collect souls for their final one-way trip, a simple mistake is... well, it's a matter of life and death.

"A Day Late" from "A Colored Funeral" by Gregory S. Carr

A very exaggerated, vaudeville-esque comedy. One performer is always late that the old adage "you'll be late to your own funeral" came true. Throughout the run C.P. is recounting how great T.'s funeral was since, as always, they were late and missed it.

Saturday

Preview of ST. NICHOLAS by Conor McPherson

a theatre critic in Dublin who encounters vampires.

(not the) Beatles performing a song or two from A HARD DAY’S NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD

Side Effects

A Black man calls America to voice his grievances and seek solutions for the everyday challenges he faces—like walking down the street, driving, jogging, shopping, renting an Airbnb, and sitting in Starbucks—all things most people take for granted.

Connections

A grandmother and teenage grandson find surprising ways to cross the generational chasm.

“That Painting at the Metropolitan Museum of Art” by Joan Lipkin and “Homo Sapiens” by Chantal Bilodeau

“That Painting at the Metropolitan Museum of Art” is about the conflict between a nonbinary climate activist who has been arrested after organizing an action to throw Campbell’s soup onto a masterpiece and their father who is on the board of the museum who disagrees with this strategy and the urgency of climate change.

“Homo Sapiens” is set in the future as a new existing species travels back to visit our contemporary selves to great comic effect and to offer hope for what we tried to accomplish on the planet.

Show info coming soon…

The Myth of the Ostrich by Matt Murray

An incredibly funny and moving story of the collision of three women–Holly, Pam, and Cheryl–with three different worldviews and approaches to life. What starts as a pleasant first meeting quickly becomes a complicated, bizarre and hilarious roller-coaster ride of misunderstandings. One lie leads to another and another as Holly and Cheryl do everything in their power to try to keep Pam in the dark…