Deanna Jent News

Producers Terry Schnuck, James & Catherine Berges, Crystal Beuerlein and Michael F. Neidorff today announced that they will present the Off-Broadway premiere of Falling, the new play by Deanna Jent, that will begin an open-ended run tonight, September 27th at the Minetta Lane Theater (18 Minetta Lane, one block south of West 3rd Street, just off of Sixth Avenue). Opening Night is set for Monday October 15th (7PM).

Terry Schnuck, James & Catherine Berges, Crystal Beuerlein, and Michael & Noemi Neidorff, producers of the new Off-Broadway play Falling, have announced that they will donate $5 for each full-price ticket purchased for performances in October to Autism Speaks.

Producers Terry Schnuck, James & Catherine Berges, Crystal Beuerlein and Michael F. Neidorff will present the Off-Broadway premiere of Falling, the new play by Deanna Jent, that will begin an open-ended run Thursday September 27th at the Minetta Lane Theater (18 Minetta Lane, one block south of West 3rd Street, just off of Sixth Avenue). Opening Night is set for Monday October 15th (7PM). The marquee just went up at the Minetta Lane Theatre and you can check out a photo below!

If you go in thinking you're going to see a pachyderm when you attend GOING TO SEE THE ELEPHANT, then you might be disappointed. However, the metaphor it represents is duly explained early on to avoid any unnecessary confusion. Instead, you'll be treated to a post Civil War tale of four women taking on the harshness of the Kansas prairie. It's a brilliant slice of pioneer life, buoyed by powerful performances and excellent direction. Mustard Seed Theatre's current production is a fascinating look at a bygone era.

Producers Terry Schnuck, James & Catherine Berges, Crystal Beuerlein and Michael F. Neidorff today announced that they will present the Off-Broadway premiere of Falling, the new play by Deanna Jent, that will begin an open-ended run Thursday September 27th at the Minetta Lane Theater (18 Minetta Lane, one block south of West 3rd Street, just off of Sixth Avenue). Opening Night is set for Monday October 15th (7PM).

The Ceremony for the Seventh Annual Kevin Kline Awards took place last night at the Loretto-Hilton Theater, honoring productions in St Louis from 2011. We've got the full list of nominees and winners below.

Mustard Seed Theatre continues their season with playwright Athol Fugard's PLAYLAND, and the location of the play affords the company a chance to be very creative with the set design (Courtney Sanazaro). But, this is a dark, although it brightens just as the sun rises, tale of border wars and Apartheid, all wrapped up rather neatly in a pretty package by sterling performances and compelling direction.

I saw over a hundred shows again this year, and have decided to make a list of musicals as well as a list of comedies and dramas, which will be lumped together to form two different top eleven lists (in tribute to Nigel Tufnel of Spinal Tap) of 2011. All of these productions greatly entertained me in one way or another during the past year But, instead of me rehashing every single production, I'll just write up my lists for the year. I saw slightly fewer show than last year, but times are tough and we all should probably expect a certain amount of attrition (all lists are in no particular order) in this rough fiscal year. But, even in the toughest of times there are always the Arts to take us to a different place, away from our worries and strife.

How much truth is too much? When dealing with the masses, is it better to entertain or enlighten? Should people hear what they want or need to hear? How do we find meaningful relationships in such a diverse world? These are just a few of the issues addressed with compassion and lots of humor in Bill C. Davis' comedy/drama MASS APPEAL, presented by Dramatic License Productions.

Mustard Seed Theatre presents the final performance of Till We Have Faces May 1, 2011.

How much truth is too much? When dealing with the masses, is it better to entertain or enlighten? Should people hear what they want or need to hear? How do we find meaningful relationships in such a diverse world? These are just a few of the issues addressed with compassion and lots of humor in Bill C. Davis' comedy/drama MASS APPEAL, presented by Dramatic License Productions.

It's always exciting when a reviewer gets the opportunity to see a new work premiered, and Mustard Seed Theatre is currently presenting an adaptation of the C.S. Lewis novel TILL WE HAVE FACES by playwright/director Deanna Jent, and it's a well-done and literate play that captures the prose and style of the author quite nicely. While I was always more attracted to the science fiction of C.S. Lewis, the 'Space Trilogy' in particular, I think the show has appeal beyond the fan base of Lewis, and at the sold-out performance I attended it was clear that there's definitely an audience for this material. A terrific cast under Jent's thoughtful direction brings this novel, and the mythologies that it represents, to life in fine fashion.

Mustard Seed Theatre opens TILL WE HAVE FACES April 15 - May 1, 2011. A powerful Queen must surrender to invisible forces to rescue her sister and discover the secret of true beauty. From the novel by C.S. Lewis, this retelling of the Greek myth of Psyche has been adapted for the stage by Artistic Director Deanna Jent.

Mustard Seed Theatre's fifth season will open and close with a celebration of New Plays. The world premiere of Falling, by Artistic Director Deanna Jent, will run September 1-11, 2011. Both funny and frightening, the play explores the life of a family caring for an aggressive teen-aged boy with severe autism. Falling will be directed by Lori Adams, who directed Mustard Seed Theatre's acclaimed production of Fires in the Mirror.

Mustard Seed Theatre opens TILL WE HAVE FACES April 15 - May 1, 2011. A powerful Queen must surrender to invisible forces to rescue her sister and discover the secret of true beauty. From the novel by C.S. Lewis, this retelling of the Greek myth of Psyche has been adapted for the stage by Artistic Director Deanna Jent.

Writer William Nicholson's play SHADOWLANDS, which was adapted from his 1985 television screenplay, takes a look at the life of C.S. Lewis, focusing its attention on the relationship between the famous author and an American fan named Joy Gresham that he wound up marrying. It's a superbly constructed work that's touching and surprisingly funny, and Mustard Seed Theatre has mounted a wonderful production that's sparked by flawless direction and brilliant performances.

Twenty-two St. Louis theater companies are represented in the nominations for the Sixth Annual Kevin Kline Awards. Thirty plays and musicals produced in the St. Louis area during 2010 now share 112 nominations in 22 different categories for the coveted award.

SHADOWLANDS is based on the real-life story of C.S. Lewis, who unexpectedly falls in love with young American poet Joy Gresham. A romance with a bittersweet ending, by William Nicholson, with direction by Deanna Jent. The cast includes B.Weller, Terry Meddows, Richard Lewis, Michael Brightman, Jackson Mabry and Resident Artists Carmen Larimore Russell, Kelley Ryan as Joy Gresham and Gary Barker as C.S. Lewis.

The second half of the mini-Potok festival continues with an engaging and thoughtful dramatization of his classic novel THE CHOSEN, which I can recall reading (for English class) and enjoying myself many years ago. This adaptation, like the recent production of MY NAME IS ASHER LEV, is also written by playwright Aaron Posner, and it fully captures the flavor of the book, staging key scenes compactly, and with considerable economy, even though it relies on the use of a narrator, which the other adaptation eschewed in favor of having its protagonist portray the lead character at various stages. Mustard Seed Theatre's production is nicely conceived and executed, with a solid cast doing fine work under the guidance of director (of both productions) Deanna Jent.

Playwright Aaron Posner has done a wonderful job of adapting Chaim Potok's novel MY NAME IS ASHER LEV for the stage. With amazing economy, Poser whittles down the work to 90 minutes of stage time, and with two of the three actors playing multiple roles, condenses the complexities even further, and yet the play still maintains the flavor and intensity of Potok's writing. The New Jewish Theatre begin their 2010-11 season with a mesmerizing production of this engaging and compelling portrait of a young artist struggling with reconciling his family and religious beliefs with his own particular artistic aesthetic.