Arts

Playwright Nancy Bell set her radio play about a fascist regime in an alternate reality, but she took inspiration from recent American history. "SHE" tells the story of an unnamed fascist leader determined to stay on the airwaves as rebels threaten the radio station she controls.

Many critics of the white-dominated theater canon in the U.S. point to the intense focus on Shakespeare as a force that holds back artists of color. St. Louis Shakespeare Festival's production of "King Lear" features a predominately Black cast — and makes room for new interpretations of a revered playwright.

Nancy Kranzberg takes a look at folk art and the fuzzy lines between it and fine art.

Black curators are documenting how the pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement affected Black artists and their work. That's the message behind "Curating The End Of The World: Red Spring," an online exhibit curated by St. Louis organizers.

The Muny will abandon plans to limit capacity when it reopens its doors to audiences in July. That means up to 11,000 people may be in attendance each night and the theater could avoid the multimillion-dollar budget deficit its leaders had forecast.

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis returns to in-person, indoor performances with "Mlima's Tale," an intense play about the black-market ivory trade by two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner Lynn Nottage. But director Ali Shariff said the story's implications go far beyond the treatment of elephants.

iLLPHONICS fuses hip-hop with rock, metal, funk, old-school R&B, gospel and other styles. The band released a new album this week ahead of its 15th anniversary.

Creve Coeur officials plan to ask artists to design a monument to honor a Black doctor forced to sell his land in the 1950s. The monument will be built at Dr. H. Phillip Venable Memorial Park. Until 2019, it was named for John Beirne, a mayor who compelled the sale through eminent domain.

The Muny will return this summer with a five-show season that starts July 26. But there will be changes for theatergoers, including limited capacity in the venue and socially distanced seating.

A new music festival coming to St. Louis in September aims to highlight local musicians and get fans back into music venues. Music at the Intersection will feature more than 60 St. Louis-based and national artists. They're booked for six venues in the Grand Center Arts District.