By the time he became an internet sensation thanks to the millions who viewed his top-tier performance on NPR’s Tiny Desk concert, Durand Bernarr was already booked to headline St. Louis’ WerQfest for 2023. “We never imagined WerQfest would grow into something that resonates with audiences nationwide,” Tre’von Griffith said of the event he founded […]

Black theater in America is alive, vibrant and viable — it just isn’t funded.  That reminder from August Wilson framed Ron Himes’ reflections as The Black Rep announced its 50th anniversary season. For Himes, Black theater remains truth telling and celebration — the place where Black artists can control their own images. “Our programming allows […]

For four decades, the Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis has been more than a cultural steward. Since its founding in 1985, RAC has invested $115 million into the arts and culture sector, fueling what has become a billion-dollar industry in the region. As RAC marks its 40th anniversary, it enters a shifting funding landscape […]

Music at the Intersection’s 6th annual festival brought four days of performances, conversations and community to the Grand Center Arts District. More than 100 artists across jazz, hip hop, funk, soul and spoken word filled venues throughout the neighborhood. Through MATI, audiences were offered a comprehensive look at the region’s cultural legacy and the national […]

When Jazz St. Louis and Saint Louis Dance Theatre (STLDT) joined forces last year to reimagine Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker, the result was a holiday classic in its own right. The production itself was an homage to another reimagination. Nearly 75 years after Tchaikovsky’s original, Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn gave the work a jazz edge with […]

For the first time in 60 years, a St. Louis group performed during the annual Missouri Music Educators Association Conference, with the Sheldon All-Star Chorus earning the honor. Under the direction of Artistic Director Maria A. Ellis, the chorus performed during the 2026 conference Jan. 29-31 at Tan-Tar-A Resort at the Lake of the Ozarks. […]

YouTube video by STL Stage Snaps

Not so much a jukebox as a time machine stocked with memory, falsetto and swagger.

“The Black Feminist Guide to the Human Body” is a mouthful to say. Playwright Lisa B. Thompson makes no apologies about that. In fact, she feels that the title deserves to be spoken slowly – with intention and reverence. The same way that Black women deserve to have agency in this world. The same way […]

Portfolio Gallery and Education Center opened its latest “All Colors” exhibition with a reminder that art is more than what hangs on a wall — it is a network of stories, histories and connections that shape how Black creativity is seen and valued. The visual art showcase, featuring invited artists from across the country, is […]

The Muny is ready to make summer 2026 one for the books. Fresh off its Regional Theatre Tony Award win, the nation’s oldest and largest outdoor musical theatre has unveiled its 108th season—a lineup that Artistic Director and Executive Producer Mike Isaacson said is built on joy, spectacle, and community. “It opened on Broadway in […]

Last year, Black Rep Founder and Producing Director Ron Himes directed “A Raisin in the Sun” for the University of South Carolina.  A staple of the American theater canon, working on Lorraine Hansberry’s groundbreaking 1959 play reminded him of its brilliance.  “Lorraine was so ahead of her time,” Himes said.  The experience also reconnected him […]