of St. Louis announced its lineup of shows for next season on Thursday. The theater expanded its season to include eight shows, up from six this season.
The mainstage season will include four plays and a musical, an increase in one show from this season. And the Rep’s studio series — smaller plays put on in the Emerson studio space in the Loretto-Hilton Center for Performing Arts — will expand from two to three shows next season.
The theme for this season is “power and perils of a daring imagination,†says Kate Bergstrom the Augustin Family artistic director.
“What does it take to move the world into a new picture, a new image?†Bergstrom asks. The shows include the classic “Gypsy,†a Stephen Sondheim musical; a stage adaptation of Jane Austen’s beloved “Emma;†and the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for drama winner “Primary Trust.â€
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Each show, in its own way, features a daring dreamer. “Who can be dangerous and exciting at the same time,†Bergstrom says.
The season opens with “The Cottage†by Sandy Rustin, running from Sept. 3-28. The comedy is about a group of married couples coming together at a vacation cottage. They all have some secrets to get off their chests. Set in 1920s Britain, it has “tons of physical comedy and this sort of 1920s rhetoric and wit,†Bergstrom says.
The Rep is staying across the pond for its second show, “The Woman in Black†(Oct. 8-26). This thriller ghost story is coming directly from London’s West End. The story is about Arthur Kipps, a man with a past that he’s determined to confront. He hires an actor to help him bring his memories to life, but things start to get sinister as they rehearse.
The original cast from the West End is coming to St. Louis to put on the production. “These guys have been doing this work for a decade, scaring people and delighting people and thrilling people with this show over multiple continents,†Bergstrom says.
"Mrs. Krishnan's Party"
Another British play “E³¾³¾²¹,†closes out 2025 for the Rep and will run from Dec. 3-21. Based on the novel by Jane Austen, the book also has a famous adaptation, the film “Clueless.â€
Emma Woodhouse fancies herself a matchmaker, so during the holiday season in 1815, she sets about getting people to fall in love. But can she make a match for herself?
The play, adapted by Kate Hamill, was a perfect fit for the season because 2025 is Austen’s 250th birthday, plus Emma is set during the holidays.
“We have a commitment that we’ve been honoring for at least the past two seasons, where more than half of all of our artistic positions, whether that’s directors, actors, designers, what have you, are local folks,†says Danny Williams, managing director for the Rep. “And that’s going to continue to be a real hallmark of the Repertory Theatre of St Louis. We want people to be able to be working artists here in St. Louis, and we don’t want to lose them to other cities. And so as much as we can, we’re trying to locally embrace that, that ethos moving forward.â€
In 2026, the Rep is returning stateside with “Primary Trust†(Feb. 4-March 1, 2026), the Eboni Booth play that won the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for drama. The play is about a guy who has an imaginary friend. When he loses his job at a bookstore and has to find another job, his imaginary friend becomes a real hindrance.
The show draws on classic American fare like “Our Town,†“Harvey,†and “It’s a Wonderful Life†to create a heartwarming adventure where the hero (and his imaginary friend) drink a lot of mai tais.
“There will be mai tais at the concession stand,†Williams promises.
The musical “G²â±è²õ²â†will close out the mainstage season and runs March 18-April 12, 2026. Bergstrom is directing and promises it’ll have some surprises. “G²â±è²õ²â†is about Gypsy Rose Lee and her mom Rose, who is the ultimate show mom.
The Steve Woolf Studio Series runs concomitant with the mainstage season. The first production will run from Oct. 22-Nov. 16, but the Rep is waiting to announce what the play will be until July at its Backstage Pass event.
The second play will be “Mrs. Krishnan’s Party,†where audience members are part of a party that has gotten out of control. This play, which will include food, is presented by Indian Ink Theatre Company, a New Zealand based theater company that originated the immersive theater show. It runs Jan. 14-Feb. 8.
Finally, David Kwong, a magician and New York Times crossword constructor, will bring his one man show “The Enigmatist†to the Rep March 11-April 15. The show was one of the toughest tickets in town when it was in New York, and has had sold-out runs in Los Angeles, Chicago and D.C. The audience tries to solve a mystery while Kwong keeps everyone spellbound with magic and misdirection.
“My hope is, every time you come to the Rep next year, you’ll make a memory that you’ll not soon forget,†says Bergstrom. “I think coming together to laugh or to solve a puzzle with someone else is such a delight that is priceless. So I hope that these sort of priceless experiences stay with folks long after the curtain’s closed.â€
The St. Louis Repertory Theater is opening their prop collection to the public to sell a variety of items, from collectibles, furniture, antiques, and more from June 26-29. Video by Allie Schallert, aschallert@post-dispatch.com
