Through July 27: The 11th Annual LaBute Theater Festival is Underway at St. Louis Actors' Studio
Six Playwrights, including Neil LaBute, Have Their New Works Presented at The Gaslight Theatre in Midtown. "Scenes from a Bookstore" is the best of the Festival.
The 11th Annual LaBute New Theater Festival opened this week at The St. Louis Actors’ Studio. The annual festival produces a handful of new plays from several hundred submissions received each year. While there are several festivals producing new works in the area, the LaBute Festival is consistently the elite among these festivals.
The St. Louis Actors’ Studio casts a wide net when soliciting new plays for consideration. The quality of the submissions may come from LaBute’s collaboration with The Actors’ Studio, the festival’s reputation, or the sheer volume of submissions received by the selection team.
Plays submitted must be no longer than 45-minutes in length. They must have four characters or fewer and must be conducive to performing on the small stage in The Gaslight Theater.
The success of a staging new works is reliant upon three factors: the quality of the script, the vision of the director, and the talent of the ensemble of actors, who often take on more than one role across several different plays. Selection Team members Bryn McLaughlin and Avery Harrison were tapped to direct three plays each. McLaughlin and Harrison effectively found each playwright's voice, supported their actors in the creation of new characters, and told fascinating stories.
The cast includes MacLean Blanner, Claire Coffey, Tyler Crandall, Xander Huber, Reagan Posey-Mank, and Sarah Wilkinson. The chameleon-like Coffey, the nuanced Wilkinson, and the ruggedly charismatic Crandall were standouts among a talented ensemble. The versatile Coffey and Wilkinson performed four and three roles respectively, while the dashing Crandall oozed sexy charm wooing a bookstore clerk in LaBute's Scenes From a Bookstore.
The reading committee selected five plays, plus the one written by Neil LaBute, for this year’s festival. Here are a few thoughts on each of the plays:
“Scenes from a Bookstore” by Neil LaBute
LaBute’s simmering script is sultry, but it’s Tyler Crandall (He) and MacLean Blanner’s (Her) palpable chemistry that sets his story ablaze. Crandall and Blanner go full flirt, igniting searing sexual tension. Director Bryn McLaughlin leans into Crandall and MacLean’s smoldering carnality, and the actors milk the sizzle with strong physical portrayals. Claire Coffey (She) plays the concerned wife who turns up at the bookstore to confirm suspicions. “Scenes from a Bookstore” is the best of the festival telling an engaging story with strong direction and magnetic performances.
“A Modest Proposal” by David MacGregor
Corporate greed is pushed to the limits by a snake oil consultant with an atrocious suggestion for cutting costs and improving profitability. Two business owners are tired of the usual recommendations of pizza parties and team building when a shyster attempts to sell a grotesque idea. A modest proposal works because of MacGregor’s shocking script and Sarah Wilkinson’s animated and energetic performance as the slick salesperson. Reagan Posey-Mank and Tyler Crandall are believable as the unethical CFO and CEO who are all to willing to consider the consultant’s outrageous ideas.
“Teotwawki” by Aleks Merilo
In a post apocalyptic America, a recent high school graduate (Sarah Wilkinson) uses an old-fashioned ham radio attempting to reach other survivors. Her loneliness and panic-stricken desperate pleas attract a response. Wilkinson is convincing as the angst-ridden and frightened teen. Aleks Merilo’s unpredictable script will surprise you.
“Hungry Women” by Melissa Maney
Four repressed Victorian-aged women discuss the possibilities for a life of independence after their husbands are killed. The women are enticed by the new reality that allows them to embrace feminism and alternative lifestyles. Maney’s play is a lot campy, a little shocking, somewhat creepy, and filled with dark humor. Well acted, staged, and directed, Maney’s black comedy may not be for everyone while others will eat it up.
“Carpool” by David Carley
Director Avery Harrison has fun with their staging of David Carley’s “Carpool.” A trio of co-workers share the ride and travel in and out of the city on their daily commute. The two chatty women in the front seat discuss the daily drive while their male counterparts silently rides along in the backseat passenger. The expressive Xander Huber shines as the third passenger who may have more to say than initially thought, especially when it comes to the perceived value of charity for both the giver and receiver.
“Poor Me” by Tracy Carns
Cleo (Claire Coffey) is squatting in an apartment she used to share with Ted (Xander Huber) and his girlfriend. Ted’s father owns the apartment building, and he’s saddled with the responsibility of evicting his former roommate. Seems straight forward enough, but Tracy Carns story takes a bit of a turn. Just who has the upper hand?
Coffey and Huber are fantastic as the sparring former roommates. The gritty narrative works up to a point but the playwright misses the moment when she should have ended the play for maximal effect. Unfortunately, Carns muddles the conclusion with a couple unnecessary scenes that leaves the audience scratching their heads.
This year’s LaBute Festival is filled with six strong scripts that are enhanced by Bryan McLaughlin and Avery Harrison’s entertaining direction. Both directors help their actors find and create intriguing characters in completely original stories.
The 11th Annual LaBute Festival for New Theater continues at The St. Louis Actors’ Studio through July 27, 2025. More infromation can be found at the St. Louis Actors' Studio Website.