Scott Miller, director of New Line Theatre, is an expert on the correlation between politics and the dramatic arts. Look him up on amazon.com, and you’ll find that he’s penned more than one book on the subject. In fact, his new (as-yet-untitled) book on musical theater—along with his newest piece of actual musical theater, a political satire entitled Johnny Appleweed—are both fiercely political.
“When the country is in the greatest turmoil,” Miller says, “that’s when the political theater starts to show up.” Miller fits right in with the current zeitgeist—London is experiencing a strong resurgence of political drama—and producing dozens of American playwrights whose work is deemed too controversial here in the United States.
St. Louis may not be London, but this fall’s Political Theater Festival (which was informally pulled together back in February by a group of local theater companies, including New Line) has its share of controversial works. Though not all of the plays are flagrantly political—the line-up includes oldies but goodies like Troilus and Cressida and Tartuffe—other productions, such as Touch the Names and Coming Out Stories, deal head-on with potentially squirm-inducing subjects like war and sexual identity. Miller says the idea was basically to fill the bill with a range of plays. Mamet’s American Buffalo, produced by the NonProphet Theatre Company at the start of the festival in August, examines “the American culture of lying” that became entrenched in this country during the 1970s—but also works as a straight-up piece of narrative drama.
“The Orange Girls are doing a show called Bold Girls,” Miller says, “which is basically about death and loss in Northern Ireland. But it’s also about what it’s like when people you love are fighting and dying, with this backdrop of a never-ending war that no one really understands. It becomes political theater just because they’re doing it now. You can talk about war … but if you go see Mother Courage or Hair, it becomes personal and emotional. That’s what political theater does better than anything else—it personalizes issues, and explores the emotions behind them.”
Troilus and Cressida (September 1–10). The Trojan War drama, directed by Donna Northcott, tells a story of forbidden love and sexual betrayal. $20; seniors $18 Thu & Sun; $22 adults, $20 seniors Fri; $15 students. Time: 7:30 p.m. Thu; 8 p.m. Fri and Sat; 2 p.m. Sun. St. Louis Shakespeare, Grandel Theatre, 3610 Grandel Square, 314-361-5664, www.stlshakespeare.org.
Touch the Names (September 17). Series of monologues based on letters left at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Soundstage Productions, The Heights, 8001 Dale Avenue, 314-968-8070; www.soundstageproductions.net.
Tartuffe (October 5–22). Molière’s comedy in five acts, set in 17th-century Paris, lampoons the hypocrisy of a group of religious zealots. $18; students & seniors $15. Times: 8 p.m. Thu–Sat, 2 p.m. Sun. Stray Dog Theatre, 314-531-5923, www.straydogtheatre.org.
Bold Girls (October 5–22): Rona Munro’s play about women trying to keep their families together during the war in Northern Ireland. $15; seniors & students $12. Call for times. The Orange Girls, Center for Creative Arts, 524 Trinity, 314-520-9557, www.orangegirls.org.
Johnny Appleweed (October 12–November 4): A modern-day John Chapman follows Johnny, “an Obi-Wan Kenobi for the modern stoner,” who plants marijuana plants instead of apple trees … and makes many astute political observations along the way. New Line Theatre, ArtLoft Theatre, 1429 Washington, 314-773-6526, www.newlinetheatre.com.
Girl Gone (October 19–29). An exotic dancer, seeking to come to terms with the death of her best friend, tries to uncover clues to her murder. $15; students & seniors $12. Times: 8 p.m. Thu & Sat, 4 p.m. Sun. NonProphet Theatre Company, Sarah & Abraham Wolfson Studio Theater, JCC, 2 Millstone Campus, 314-752-5075, www.nptco.org.
Coming Out Stories: An Interactive Event (October 11). Troupe of improv actors will perform “coming out” stories provided by audience members. Call for location, times and prices. Uppity Theatre Company and Playback Workshop Theatre, 314-995-4600, www.uppityco.com.
Sonnets for an Old Century (December 7–17). José Rivera’s Spoon River Anthology for a new generation and a new city (Los Angeles). Consists of 16 monologues from various people on their way to the afterlife, who’ve been given one last chance to tell their stories. Call for location, times and prices. Off Center Theatre’s Slightly Askew Theatre Ensemble 314-322-8850; www.slightlyoff.org.
For more information, visit the St. Louis Political Theatre Festival online.
