St. Louis theatre calendar for the week of August 26, 2019

New shows this week include The 39 Steps at St. Louis Shakespeare and Shakespeare in Love at Insight.

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St. Louis Shakespeare presents The 39 Steps, opening on Friday, August 30, at 8 pm and running through September 7. "Four actors play over 100 characters in this hilarious parody of Hitchcock's 1935 thriller. You won't want to miss it!" Performances take place at The Regional Arts Commission, 6128 Delmar. For more information: stlshakespeare.org.

Antigone
Photo by Joey Rumpell

Slightly Askew Theatre Ensemble and ERA Theatre present Antigone, adapted from the Sophocles tragedy by Lucy Cashion, Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8 pm through August 31. " Antigone explores themes of fidelity, citizenship, civil disobedience, and the struggles and consequences the characters within the world of the play encounter as a result of their choices. Antigone's story of fighting civic law to obey divine law became famous in the Classical Greek tragedy Antigone, which premiered in Athens in 441 B.C. Since then, scholars, poets, and playwrights have written their own translations, adaptations, and critiques of the Antigone story, each from a different point of view. The continuation of this tradition resulted in a new version of Antigone, which was performed in October 2017 by SLU theatre majors in St. Louis and then with a performance by PPA participants at WERDCC in March 2018. The collaboration now continues with this ERA/SATE co-production in St. Louis." Performances take place at The Chapel Venue, 6238 Alexander Drive. For more information: slightlyoff.org.

CSZ St. Louis presents The ComedySportz Show on Saturday nights at 7:30 pm. The show is "action-packed, interactive and hilarious comedy played as a sport. Two teams battle it out for points and your laughs! You choose the winners the teams provide the funny!" Performances take place on the second floor of the Sugar Cubed, 917 S Main St. in St Charles, Mo. For more information: www.cszstlouis.com.

TLT Productions presents Karmatic opening on Friday, August 30, at 8 pm and running through September 8. "'You reap what you sow.' They soon find out that what lies behind and before us are small matters compared to what lies within yourself. Watch Karma go 'round and around... " Performances take place at the Marcelle Theatre in Grand Center. For more information: https://www.metrotix.com/events/detail/tlt-productions-karmatic.

The Monocle presents Living Singles, a monthly all-female open mic, on Thursday, August 29, at 8 pm. "Are you a female performer with a new single? Don't want to wait until FemFest to show your skills? Come and be a part of Living Singles, a monthly all-female act open mic night created by the founders of FemFest. Men are welcomed to attend but this is all about the ladies! All genres welcomed!" The Monocle is at 3610 Manchester in the Grove. For more information: themonoclestl.com.

Shakespeare in Love
Photo by John Lamb

Insight Theatre Company presents Shakespeare in Love by Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard, adapted for the stage by Lee Hall, August 29 - September 15. "Young Will Shakespeare has writer's block… the deadline for his new play is fast approaching but he's in desperate need of inspiration. That is, until he finds his muse - Viola. This beautiful young woman is Will's greatest admirer and will stop at nothing (including breaking the law) to appear in his next play. Against a bustling background of mistaken identity, ruthless scheming and backstage theatrics, Will's love for Viola quickly blossoms and inspires him to write his greatest masterpiece." Performances take place at the Grandel Theatre in Grand Center. For more information, call 314-556-1293 or visit insighttheatrecompany.com.

Stray Dog Theatre's New Works Lab presents a Short Play Festival Thursday through Saturday at 8 pm, August 29-31. The plays are 50 States That Are United And In America by Christopher Wiley, Florida by Steven Doloff, Open House by Jennifer Bennett, and Play by Laurence Klavan. Performances take place at The Tower Grove Abbey, 2336 Tennessee. For more information, visit straydogtheatre.org or call 314-865-1995.

Next Generation Theatre Company presents Tuck Everlasting Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 and Sundays at 2 pm, August 30 - September 8. "11-year old Winnie Foster yearns for a life of adventure beyond her white picket fence, but when she meets the Tuck Family, she gets more adventure than she could have ever imagined, including an extraordinary choice: Will Winnie return to her life, or leave her family behind and join Jesse on a journey of everlasting life?" Performances take place at the Florissant Civic Center Theatre at Parker and Waterford in Florissant, MO. For more information, call 314-921-5678 or visit www.nextgenerationtheatre.company.

The Bissell Mansion Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre presents Sherlock Holmes in "The Case Without a Clue" running through October 27 The Bissell Mansion is at 4426 Randall Place. For more information: bissellmansiontheatre.com

The Lemp Mansion Comedy-Mystery Dinner Theater presents Zombie Love (No Biting) running through November 2. "Calling all Zombies! Tired of being judged for munching on the occasional brain? So you're not really "alive" anymore but you can still enjoy socializing with the living and enjoying a hilarious show together! Well, we've got the perfect show for you! Drama! Comedy! Looove! ...And, of course, Zombies! Don your best Living Dead Costume and choose to be a Zombie, or not (its up to you), but we do promise lots of fun for both the living and the undead! hey, Hey, HEY! No Biting!" The Lemp Mansion is at 3322 DeMenil Place. For more information: lempmansion.com.

Looking for auditions and other artistic opportunities? Check out the St. Louis Auditions site.

For information on events beyond this week, check out the searchable database at the Regional Arts Commission's Events Calendar.

Would you like to be on the radio? KDHX, 88.1 FM needs theatre reviewers. If you're 18 years or older, knowledgeable in this area, have practical theatre experience (acting, directing, writing, technical design, etc.), have good oral and written communications skills and would like to become one of our volunteer reviewers, send an email describing your experience and interests to chuck at kdhx.org. Please include a sample review of something you've seen recently.