The Muny

The Muny, one of St. Louis’ biggest outdoor attractions, is bracing for the heat wave moving through the region. The theater will hold its final performance of “Sweeney Todd” today. It’s leaders pledge to do everything they can to keep fans comfortable as the heat index approaches 105 degrees.

The awards for the best theater in St. Louis returned after taking a year off during the coronavirus pandemic. The Muny won the most acclaim, with nine awards.

"Chicago," "Jersey Boys" and "King Lear" received the most nominations from the St. Louis Theater Circle. Read the full list of nominees before the group's award ceremony on March 28.

Kwofe Coleman, a Muny veteran who has held various leadership roles for 13 years, wants to see more diversity onstage, backstage and in the audience.

Fresh off her first year as an undergrad at Oklahoma City University, Scott impressed Blue Strawberry owner Jim Dolan with her performance at an open mic night earlier this summer. On July 29, she's putting on a full show.

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 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.

Muny managing director Kwofe Coleman, a 22-year veteran of the Forest Park theater, will take the helm when current President and CEO Dennis Reagan retires at the end of the year. Coleman will join the short list of Black professionals at the helm of large performing arts organizations in St. Louis.

Artists and performers have scrambled to make and share their work during the pandemic. They've also turned to the work of their peers to help get through a tough year. Here are some of the locally produced things that inspired St. Louis artists in 2020.

The Muny plans a late-starting season in 2021 that would include all seven shows originally scheduled for this year. But it all depends on the state of the coronavirus pandemic.