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Your readers should call 1-800-916-0040 (USA and Canada) or 1-314-421-1023 for a free copy of the Official St. Louis Visitors Guide or point, click and explore St. Louis online at www.explorestlouis.com
Music, Dance & Theater
It's no surprise that a place responsible for launching so many talented actors, musicians and writers would have a lively and active contemporary music, dance and theatre scene. Playwright Tennessee Williams spent his formative years in St. Louis. So did poets T.S. Eliot and Maya Angelou. Actors from Hollywood's Golden Age-Betty Grable, Vincent Price, Virginia Mayo, Buddy Ebsen among them-and current favorites including John Goodman and Kevin Kline all have called St. Louis home. So while you're calling St. Louis your temporary home, be sure to take advantage of the amazing variety of live entertainment on the banks of the Mississippi.
Start your entertainment tour in the Grand Center arts and entertainment district. Grand Center, which boasts of being "at the intersection of art and life," is located just minutes west of downtown. You can settle back in a plush seat at beautiful Powell Symphony Hall, designed to resemble part of the French palace of Versailles, to listen to the 125-year-old St. Louis Symphony Orchestra now lead by the exciting young music director David Robertson. Or take in a touring Broadway show at the Fox Theatre, where special concerts and dance performances also fill the massive stage throughout the year. The ornate 1929 theatre, described as Siamese-Byzantine in design, is one of the most stunning performance venues in the country. Tours of the Fox and Powell Hall are offered at pre-set times during the week. The hit musicals "The Producers," "Big River" and "Mama Mia" lead the list of the Fox's Broadway series in 2005. The Fox also produces popular long-running shows such as "Late Nite Catechism" and "Triple Espresso" in the district's Grandel Theatre.
Also in Grand Center, the St. Louis Black Repertory Company presents a season of drama, comedy and music told from an African-American perspective at the Grandel Theatre. The Black Rep, in season from January through June, has been called America's best African-American theatre. The acoustically perfect Sheldon Concert Hall presents jazz, folk, chamber music and much more throughout the year, including the elegant Grand Center Cabaret series. Dance St. Louis stages performances at the Fox Theatre and the Edison Theatre on the campus of Washington University. The organization brings the greatest dancers and dance companies of the world to St. Louis audiences each year.
St. Louis boasts one of the most acclaimed opera companies in North America. Opera Theatre of Saint Louis presents classic and contemporary opera sung in English by some of the best young talent in the business. To see why opera has made such an impact in the region's vibrant arts community, plan a visit in May or June for their festival season at the Loretto-Hilton Theatre on the campus of Webster University. The Times of London called their performances, "A spellbinding festival of opera." The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis, which also performs at the Loretto-Hilton Theatre, offers a thrilling live theatre experience for audiences with a season of cutting-edge drama, contemporary comedy and classics on the main stage and in the studio theatre. The season runs from September through April each year. The Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center is located on the campus of the University of Missouri - St. Louis. The venue hosts opera, concerts, dance, musicals and much more in its theatres throughout the year.
Each summer the magic of musical theatre echoes through Forest Park as The Muny-short for Municipal Opera Association-stages seven weeks of American musicals under the stars. A St. Louis tradition since 1917, The Muny is America's biggest outdoor theatre, offering more than 12,000 seats for classic shows such as "Meet Me in St. Louis," "Camelot" and "The Music Man." The Shakespeare Festival of St. Louis brings "The Tempest" to Forest Park this year. The free, outdoor performances, which take place every night but Tuesdays from May 25 through June 19, begin with a traditional English green show featuring songs, dance and a synopsis of the night's play for children.
For detailed information on the performing arts and entertainment scene in St. Louis, check the interactive St. Louis Calendar of Events at www.explorestlouis.com.
Each Thursday the "Get Out" section of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch carries current event listings as does The Riverfront Times, a free newspaper found in restaurants and clubs throughout St. Louis.
MEDIA NOTE: For more information or photography of St. Louis, send an e-mail to pr@explorestlouis.com or call Becky Sharp at 1-314-992-0652. For up-to-date information about St. Louis, your readers should call the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission at 1-800-916-0040 or check out our website at www.explorestlouis.com. This news release is also available in electronic form. To obtain an electronic version, e-mail your request to pr@explorestlouis.com or go to St. Louis’ online media center at www.explorestlouis.com/media.
