Stephen McKinley Henderson Develops and Directs New Show for St. Louis’ Black Rep

St. Louis’ Black Rep will present an ambitious lineup of productions scheduled for the coming year, according to a report in today’s St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

The company’s plans include a new work that veteran performer and director Stephen McKinley Henderson will develop with Ron Himes, the theater’s founder and producing director, and local actress Linda Kennedy. The as-yet-named production staged by Henderson will play February 24-April 25, 2010.

In the less distant future, the theater will be collaborating with Washington University on a production of the musical Ragtime (October 15-November 11) and then, Black Rep will offer — for the first time in 20 years — Langston Hughes’ Black Nativity (December 2-27).

In early 2010, the Black Rep will mount its third production of a play by Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet (January 13-February 14). The theater’s production of the musical revue Five Guys Named Moe (March 24-April 25) will feature direction by Himes and choreography by Keith Tyrone, who was in the first national tour of the show. Black Rep will wind down its season with Yasmina Reza’s Art (May 5-May 23) and a revival of The Me Nobody Knows (June 2-July 2).

For further information, visit www.theblackrep.org.