Storytelling runs deep in St. Louis at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center.
The recent announcement of 5 St. Louis Theater Circle award winners for last year’s season gives theatergoers plenty to celebrate as the recognition sets the stage for the 2024 season. The award winners include:
- Outstanding Performer in a Comedy, Male or Non-Binary Role: Mark Price, “Clue”
- Outstanding Costume Design in a Play: Brad Musgrove, “Clue”
- Outstanding Ensemble in a Comedy: “Clue”
- Outstanding Director of a Comedy: Steve Bebout, “Clue”
- Outstanding Production of a Comedy: “Clue”
People are also reading…
Professional musical theater company Stages, now in its 38th year, brings the well-stocked show roster for 2024 with this year’s showcase theme: the power of found family.
“We made sure our three titles feature something every member of the audience will love. You’ll see this is based on chosen family, the power of coming together to initiate change,” said Andrew Kuhlman, Stages’ executive producer.
Stages employs the best musical theater artists from throughout the region and the nation for its productions. By holding auditions in St. Louis and New York, Stages attracts Broadway talent while supporting professional St. Louis actors, providing nearly 450 union work weeks annually. In addition to being the top regional employer of local union actors, Stages educates thousands of students each year at its Performing Arts Academy, the region’s only year-round arts school with a comprehensive curriculum run by a professional theater company.
On the bill this year: “Steel Magnolias,” May 31 through June 30; “Disney Newsies,” July 26 through Aug. 25; and “Ragtime,” Sept. 20 through Oct. 20.
Kuhlman, a St. Louis native, said Stages is much more than a theater company.
“Because St. Louis is home for me, our theater community includes so many of us — the people we work with, the actors, people who make the shows, the donors and patrons — we are all a part of it,” Kuhlman said.
According to Kuhlman, being with people who love the same things you love is another reason this season is so special — and a motivator to come and enjoy a show.
Kuhlman is Stages’ second executive producer, taking over the role in January 2023 from founding executive producer Jack Lane.
The main theater seats 529 guests positioned so patrons can enjoy “every aspect of the shows.” The intimate “jewel box effect is something you just can’t take for granted,” he explained.
For the first time, Stages will partner with the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis to present “Million Dollar Quartet Christmas,” which opens Dec. 4.
Stages is home to additional artistic endeavors, events and performances, making it a regional arts and culture hub. In addition, the campus space is an immersive environment offering cabaret productions, the Ross Family Theatre and the Strauss Black Box Theatre.
Founded in 1987 by Jack Lane and artistic director Michael Hamilton, Stages moved to its current location in 2020. The campus is a $25 million capital investment by the city of Kirkwood, which aims to draw visitors, guests and residents to downtown businesses, as well as provide a welcoming home for the performing and cultural arts, Kuhlman said.
For more information about the 2024 Stages season, Kirkwood Performing Arts Center and its programming, please visit stagesstlouis.org.