Saint Louis University Visual and Performing Arts Department

It might be summer, but our faculty are still busy in all areas of the visual and performing arts! Say HI to Joe Akers, our valued trumpet instructor. 🎺

This summer, Joe will be playing the musical Curtains with the Rockwood School District Community Education theater program. He'll be following that up with Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street by Fly North Theatricals. If you're a theatre lover, check out these productions! And stay tuned for our next faculty highlight.

📸 Hunter Robinson

Get excited! Tickets go on sale for our 2026-2027 Main Stage season in just TWO WEEKS!

💛 Mary Jane by Amy Herzog
October 1-4, 2026
Directed by Nancy Bell

🕵️‍♂️ The 39 Steps, Adapted by Patrick Barlow
November 12-15, 2026
Directed by Lucy Cashion

🕯The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams
February 25-28, 2027
Directed by Nancy Bell

🏆 The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Music and Lyrics by William Finn, Book by Rachel Sheinkin, Conceived by Rebecca Feldman
April 22-25, 2027
Directed by Sara Rae Womack

Trust us — you don't want to miss any of these shows! Pick up a season ticket and see all four productions for only $45.

Tickets go on sale July 1 at all MetroTix locations, by phone at 314-534-1111 or online at metrotix.com

Looking for something to do this weekend? Check out SLU Theatre & Dance faculty member Nancy Bell starring as Prospero in THE TEMPEST, presented in Forest Park by St. Louis Shakespeare Festival.

After a violent storm, travelers wash ashore on a mysterious island where nothing is quite as it seems. Ruled by Prospero – a mother and sorcerer haunted by betrayal – the island becomes a place where old wounds resurface. As tensions rise between Prospero, her daughter, and the brother who stole her future, magic, romance, and mischief bloom. The Tempest is a spellbinding story of forgiveness, love, and finding your way home.

Performances run through June 21 in the beautiful Shakespeare Glen. As always, you can see this production for FREE! For more information, visit https://stlshakes.org/production/the-tempest-2/

Photo credit: Phillip Hamer Photography

Congratulations to the students and families celebrating at today's Saint Louis University College of Arts & Sciences Pre-Commencement ceremony. We are so proud of our students and can't wait to see what they achieve next. Hats off to you! 🎓

Honoring the life and legacy of Gary Baker, Professor of Theatre & Associate Dean for Administration and Undergraduate Affairs in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Through his teaching, mentorship, and presence, Professor Baker touched the lives of the SLU community and beyond. We remember him with gratitude for the impact he made, the knowledge he shared, and the lives he helped shape.

View the Celebration of Life video honoring him: https://loom.ly/9yVZDOw

Thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate our annual Spring Concert Series. We cherish the talents of our gifted student musicians, ensemble directors, and featured artists.

Take a look at this special performance by the String Chamber Ensemble, led by James Nacy and featuring Stephanie Tennill, soprano. This concert took place in the beautiful Museum of Contemporary Religious Art (MOCRA) on campus at Saint Louis University.

Visit MOCRA now through May 31 to take in Liminal. MOCRA’s final exhibition celebrates 33 years of this first-of-its-kind museum and affirms the ongoing engagement of contemporary art with religion and spirituality. Learn more at slu.edu/mocra

Photos by ProPhotoSTL

Today's the day! 🎓 Don't miss the VPA Student Celebration: Senior Awards and Recognition Ceremony.

Join the Department of Visual and Performing Arts for the annual celebration of students graduating in the programs of Art History, Studio Art, Music, and Theatre, as well as minors in areas of Visual Communication and Dance. We will also honor student award winners for each program area and announce the deserving recipients of the VPA Summer Awards.

The event takes place on Tuesday, May 5 from noon to 1:30 pm in the Wool Ballroom, lower level of Busch Student Center. Friends and family are welcome. Refreshments will be served!

Announcing the Saint Louis University Theatre & Dance 2026-2027 Main Stage Season!

Mary Jane
By Amy Herzog
October 1-4, 2026
Xavier Hall, Main Stage Theatre
Directed by Nancy Bell

As Mary Jane navigates both the mundane and the unfathomable realities of caring for Alex, her chronically ill young son, she finds herself building a community of women from many walks of life. Mary Jane is Pulitzer Prize finalist Amy Herzog’s remarkably powerful and compassionate portrait of a contemporary American woman striving for grace.

MARY JANE is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com


The 39 Steps
Adapted by Patrick Barlow, From the novel by John Buchan
November 12-15, 2026
Xavier Hall, Main Stage Theatre
Directed by Lucy Cashion

Mix a Hitchcock masterpiece with a juicy spy novel, add a dash of Monty Python and you have The 39 Steps, a fast-paced whodunit for anyone who loves the magic of theatre! This two-time Tony and Drama Desk Award-winning treat is packed with nonstop laughs, over 150 zany characters (played by a cast of four), an onstage plane crash, handcuffs, missing fingers, and some good old-fashioned romance!

THE 39 STEPS is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.com


The Glass Menagerie
By Tennessee Williams
February 25-28, 2027
Xavier Hall, Main Stage Theatre
Directed by Nancy Bell

A faded remnant of Southern gentility, Amanda Wingfield lives in poverty with her children, Tom and Laura. Desperate to secure their future, she pressures shy, fragile Laura to find a suitor. When Tom brings Jim to dinner, hope and heartbreak intertwine. Memory, illusion, and longing blur as each character reaches for a better life. The Glass Menagerie is a luminous, deeply moving classic of the American stage.

THE GLASS MENAGERIE (AMATEUR PERFORMANCE RIGHTS) is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Dramatists Play Service. www.concordtheatricals.com


The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Music and Lyrics by William Finn
Book by Rachel Sheinkin
Conceived by Rebecca Feldman
Xavier Hall, Main Stage Theatre
April 22-25, 2027
Directed and choreographed by Sara Rae Womack

An eclectic group of six mid-pubescents vie for the spelling championship of a lifetime. While candidly disclosing hilarious and touching stories from their home lives, the tweens spell their way through a series of (potentially made-up) words, hoping never to hear the soul-crushing, pout-inducing, life un-affirming "ding" of the bell that signals a spelling mistake. Six spellers enter; one speller leaves a champion!

THE 25TH ANNUAL PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE Is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.mtishows.com

Tickets go on sale July 1. Email [email protected] to sign up for updates!

Mark your calendars! 🎓 The VPA Student celebration is NEXT WEEK!

Join the Department of Visual and Performing Arts for the annual celebration of students graduating in the programs of Art History, Studio Art, Music, and Theatre, as well as minors in areas of Visual Communication and Dance. We will also honor student award winners for each program area and announce the deserving recipients of the VPA Summer Awards.

The event takes place on Tuesday, May 5 from noon to 1:30 pm in the Wool Ballroom, lower level of Busch Student Center. Friends and family are welcome. Refreshments will be served!

Photo by Sarah Conroy