Repertory Theatre of St. Louis

Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
Name	Repertory Theatre of St. Louis
Location	St. Louis, Missouri
Founded	1966

Repertory Theatre of St. Louis is a professional theatre company in St. Louis, Missouri, established in 1966 that produces a season of classic and contemporary plays and musicals; the company has engaged artists from New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, and regional centers such as Cleveland and Minneapolis. The organization has collaborated with institutions including Washington University in St. Louis, Saint Louis University, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, and touring entities like Broadway, Royal Shakespeare Company, and National Theatre (United Kingdom). The company's programming has attracted actors connected to Tony Award, Pulitzer Prize, Obie Award, Drama Desk Award, and houses works by playwrights associated with Eugene O'Neill, Arthur Miller, Tennessee Williams, August Wilson, and Lorraine Hansberry.

History

The company's founding in 1966 linked civic leaders from St. Louis with artists from New York City, Cleveland, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco; early donors and board members included figures tied to Anheuser-Busch, Washington University in St. Louis, Saint Louis Art Museum, Barnes Foundation, and municipal leaders from Mayor of St. Louis office. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s the company staged premieres and revivals alongside touring productions from Broadway and visiting companies from London and Toronto, engaging directors and designers associated with Joseph Papp, Harold Prince, Mike Nichols, Garry Marshall, and Nicholas Hytner. In the 1990s and 2000s the organization expanded new-work development, collaborating with playwrights connected to New Dramatists, Sundance Institute, Royal Court Theatre, and American Conservatory Theater, while funding sources shifted among foundations like Graham Foundation, Ford Foundation, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and local benefactors linked to Scardino family and Curry family. Recent decades saw ties with regional companies such as Actors Theatre of Louisville, Arena Stage, Goodman Theatre, and Steppenwolf Theatre Company and artists who trained at Juilliard School, Yale School of Drama, Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art.

Facilities and Venues

Performances have been presented in downtown and midtown venues associated with Washington University in St. Louis, The Fabulous Fox Theatre, Powell Hall, The Sheldon Concert Hall, and company-owned stages in Lindell Boulevard and the Grand Center Arts District. Technical collaborations have involved crews and designers who worked at Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, and Old Globe Theatre; set construction and scene shops have been modeled on practices at Steppenwolf Theatre Company and Goodman Theatre. The company has updated HVAC, lighting, and acoustic systems with vendors who serve Palace Theatre (Manchester), Royal Albert Hall, and Barbican Centre, and their lobby and rehearsal spaces are proximate to cultural anchors like Saint Louis Art Museum, Missouri History Museum, and City Museum.

Artistic Leadership and Company

Artistic directors, managing directors, and resident artists have included leaders with affiliations to Juilliard School, Yale School of Drama, Carnegie Mellon School of Drama, Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and conservatories such as New York University Tisch School of the Arts and Northwestern University School of Communication. Guest directors and designers have come from Broadway, West End, Royal Shakespeare Company, National Theatre (United Kingdom), and notable regional theaters including Arena Stage, Huntington Theatre Company, and Mark Taper Forum. The acting company has featured performers who also appeared in productions at Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Lincoln Center Theater, Globe Theatre, Shakespeare Theatre Company, and screen credits on Netflix, HBO, Amazon Prime Video, and PBS.

Productions and Programming

Seasonal programming mixes classics by playwrights linked to William Shakespeare, Anton Chekhov, Samuel Beckett, Arthur Miller, Tennessee Williams, and Eugene O'Neill with contemporary work by authors connected to August Wilson, Tony Kushner, Suzan-Lori Parks, Lynn Nottage, Tracy Letts, David Mamet, Benedict Andrews, and locally commissioned writers associated with Regional Theatre Tony Award initiatives. The company has mounted musicals drawn from collaborators with Stephen Sondheim, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Kander and Ebb, and has premiered or workshoped new plays through partnerships with New Dramatists, National Playwrights Conference, Playwrights Horizons, and The Lark. Co-productions and touring exchanges have included connections to Broadway League, SAG-AFTRA, Actors' Equity Association, and League of Resident Theatres members.

Education and Community Outreach

Educational initiatives partner with institutions such as Washington University in St. Louis, Saint Louis University, University of Missouri–St. Louis, Saint Louis Public Schools, and arts organizations including Council of the Arts of Greater St. Louis, Resilience Theatre Project, and Black Rep. Programs include school matinees, actor residencies, playwright incubators with New Dramatists and Sundance Institute, apprenticeships modeled after Steppenwolf Theatre Company's programs, and workforce development tied to Local 2–1199 stagecraft unions and vendors who serve Metropolitan Opera and Lyric Opera of Chicago. Community partnerships have connected the company to Missouri Arts Council, NEA, Regional Arts Commission (St. Louis), and neighborhood nonprofits focused on arts access, literacy, and civic engagement.

Awards and Recognition

The company and its artists have received awards and nominations tied to Tony Award, Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Drama Desk Award, Obie Award, Helen Hayes Awards, Jeff Awards, and regional honors from St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Riverfront Times, and have been cited in national coverage by The New York Times, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, and Variety. Institutional recognition includes grants and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Ford Foundation, and accolades from regional bodies like the Regional Arts Commission (St. Louis).

Category:Theatre companies in Missouri