Jeena Yi’s Jesa, directed by Mei Ann Teo and now running at The Public Theater, is anchored by sharply observed characters but hampered by a structure that repeats more than it builds, stretches where it should tighten, and resolves with a neatness that feels at odds with the play’s otherwise compelling messiness. Four estranged sisters…
Anna Ziegler’s Antigone (This Play I Read in High School) at the Public Theater is a show you should see. It is a powerful, performance-driven piece that draws on the ancient tragedy to make a contemporary argument about bodily autonomy and state power. Directed by Tyne Rafaeli, the production grounds the story in recognizable, present-day…
Public Charge, a new play by Julissa Reynoso and Michael J. Chepiga, directed by Doug Hughes at the Public Theater, arrives with strong material and a capable production. The staging is clear, the direction disciplined, and the acting consistently solid. It is a story worth telling. The problem is that the writing undermines it, diminishing…
If you’re interested in gardening, food justice, composting or building community around any of that in St. Louis, you probably already know Ro Kicker. They’re the person behind garden consultation business Grow with Ro, and the friendly worm enthusiast of Ro’s Wigglers. They’re also behind Feed the People Garden Project and its offshoot, Queers in…
Standing on the podium at the 2025 Winter Guard International World Championships, bronze medal dangling from his neck, tears running down his face, and confetti falling all around, La Voûte founder Brandon Fink looked at his young team (ages ranging from 18-27) and was filled with pride that he’d helped facilitate the next generation reaching…
The St. Louis Transgender Community is proud to announce the 16th annual Trans Day of Visibility by organizing an historic series of events called Visibility for Our Lives: 4 Days of Trans Visibility. Events celebrating the joy and beauty of being Transgender will be taking place in various locations across the St. Louis region beginning…
Trigger Warning: This column discusses suicide, homophobia, addiction, and trauma. Please take care while reading. As I cross over the Kingshighway viaduct—what we all just call “the bridge”—heading toward the south side, I start to think. This drive always freakin’ triggers me. The older I get, the more I understand how deeply those triggers…
Spend more than six months in St. Louis, and you’ll find everyone knows someone who knows you. St. Louis is a big small town of distinct social, political and professional circles that overlap only slightly at their fringes. Tyler “Tai” Davis, who passed away on January 9, 2026, was that rarest St. Louisan, someone who…
As a 55-year-old lesbian, I often look back on my twenties and the “safe” spaces we created for ourselves—spaces that became our family. Coming out of the closet (as we called it back then) meant you’d better know how to survive and how to find your people. I came out at a time when it…
When Nick Fruend, 36 (Janessa Highland when in drag), travels the region, the Miss Gay Missouri America naturally scouts talent, especially in smaller cities like his native Springfield, Missouri. He’s proved to be an effective recruiter. “When I was traveling and performing frequently, I did a ton of shows all over,” Fruend says. “I’d talk…
