Show & Tell

NEW COMPANIES ON THE BLOCK

By Mark Bretz | prism photos courtesy of Gerry Love, moonstone photos courtesy of moonstone theatre

Despite ongoing COVID-19 pandemic challenges, two more theater companies are launching on metro area stages this season. LN recently spoke with the women behind Prism Theatre Company and Moonstone Theatre Company about their goals to inspire conversation and promote inclusivity in theater here. ln

Prism Theatre Company

prismtheatrecompany.org

Prism – St. Louis’ “newest professional performing arts organization,” according to its news release – hopes “to promote the work of women and emerging artists, both onstage and off, through the lens of theater for the new world. We produce both new and classic works in an atmosphere of inclusivity.”

Artistic director Trish Brown (a professor of theater at Principia College in Elsah, Illinois, as well as a professional director, actress and theater educator) performed for several years in Chicago, while managing director Joy Addler (a stage manager, company manager and nonprofit professional) graduated from the Conservatory of Theatre Arts at Webster University and belongs to the Actors’ Equity Association.

Addler says they “really started talking seriously about making this happen” in December 2019. “Our original plan was to launch in the summer of 2020,” she says. “Obviously, the world had other plans … ”

The company, Addler continues, seeks “to produce two full productions in the summer of 2022 along with another festival of new works.” A recent weekend of staged readings of four plays by four different women “was far more successful than we imagined,” she adds. “Given the fact that we are a new company, the amount of support we received from the community was truly humbling. Both nights of the readings were sold out.”

Moonstone Theatre Company

moonstonetheatrecompany.com

Sharon Hunter, founder and producing artistic director of Moonstone, says it launched “in response to my vision for creating a cultural theatrical environment in St. Louis to inspire actors and artists to do their best work. …

“The plan is to present theater that challenges and enlightens audiences on topics that our society is currently discussing, such as equality, diversity, inclusivity, mental health and the pandemic. I’m happy to be back in my hometown where I began and collaborate with so many talented artists, designers and actors.”

Hunter also founded and serves as executive director of the St. Louis Theatre Community Task Force, which includes more than 90 theaters, colleges and venues from the metro area, aiming to “discuss our concerns, ideas and solutions for how to move forward in the midst of the shutdown.”

Moonstone’s initial season opens Oct. 14 at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center with Neil Simon’s Jake’s Women for three weekends. “I chose this season prior to the COVID crisis because I wanted to place a spotlight focusing on mental health and how it affects individuals and their families,” Hunter says.

Other works in Moonstone’s inaugural season include David Auburn’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Proof and The House of Blue Leaves by John Guare.