Upcoming Events

Mark Hollmann and Greg Kotis’ Urinetown is an outrageous musical fable of greed, corruption, love, revolution, and urination, set in a time when water is worth its weight in gold and there’s no such thing as a free pee. In this near-future dystopian Gotham, a severe 20-year drought has led to a government-enforced ban on private toilets. Citizens are forced to use public “amenities” now, regulated by a single malevolent corporation that profits from one of humanity’s most basic needs. But from the ruins of Democracy and courtesy flushes, an unlikely hero floats to the top, who decides he’s held it long enough, and he launches a People’s Revolution to lead them all to urinary freedom! This 2001 neo musical comedy helped catapult American musical theatre into the new millennium, with its rule-shattering tear through the traditions and conventions of Broadway. New Line produced the show in 2007 to rave reviews.

ALL PATRONS WILL BE REQUIRED TO WEAR MASKS IN THE LOBBY AND THEATRE. THE STAGE AREA WILL BE SAFELY DISTANCED FROM THE AUDIENCE.

WHAT NEXT? The many facets of musician singer songwriter theologian preacher public speaker poet novelist essayist comedian historian scholar editor storyteller

Jacinda Townsend Reading
High Low
June 2, 2022

Kimbilio Faculty Member and Mentor will be in St. Louis to read from her new novel MOTHER COUNTRY. Join us at HIGH/LOW for the inaugural event in Kimbilio’s St. Louis Reading Series

Stitchcast Studio Live!
Central Stage
January 28 – June 24, 2022

JUNE 3, 2022 / 9:00 PM

The pieces presented in “Unseen” are designed to foster conversations around our country’s often marginalized and underserved populations. This concert uses the vehicle of dance to shed light on the ongoing struggle of groups of people whose lives have been negatively affected by discrimination, conflict, neglect, or corruption. We seek to elevate the unheard voices of various unseen communities to make the invisible visible and promote collective liberation for a weekend of socially conscious performance art.   Do not miss this diverse concert featuring the work of choreographers Alicia “Sunshine” Gbaho, Jordan McDaniel, Thomas Proctor, Cecil Slaughter and Ashley L. Tate, and spoken word artist and poet, Cheeraz Gormon.

Location:
The Grandel
3610 Grandel Square
St. Louis, MO 63103

For general information, contact Ashleyliane Dance Company via email [email protected] or visit us at www.ashleyliane.com.

All of those attending MUST be ticketed. There are no refunds issued for lost or stolen tickets. Children (ages 2 and under) may attend for free if sharing a seat with a paying adult.

JUNE 4, 2022 / 10:00 PM

The sandy shores of Asbury Park, New Jersey are hallowed ground in the northeast; the rolling waves have ushered generations of venerated musicians to worldwide acclaim. Dogs in a Pile, an eclectic quintet, has emerged as the heir apparent to the town’s rich musical legacy. Merging funk, jazz, and rock and roll with psychedelia, the quintet presents a completely original vibe built on kaleidoscopic soundscapes eerily reminiscent of the days of yesteryear.

The Dogs employ a unified approach to performance and songwriting, crafting aural mosaics through adept instrumentation and humble precocity. As avid storytellers, they draw inspiration from personal experiences, balancing life’s foibles with ever-present youthful sanguinity.

Dogs began when Philadelphia University of the Arts guitar gun-slinger Jimmy Law began playing with young Joe Babick (drums), a student at the Count Basie Theater program in Red Bank, NJ.  Lightning struck when they were introduced to Berklee School of Music student and bass player Sam Lucid, who immediately suggested fellow Berklee student and keyboard player Jeremy Kaplan. The addition of fellow Berklee student Brian Murray (guitar) in 2019 made for the quintessential final piece in the Dogs’ puzzle.

A string of successful local shows drove the development of a massive northeast fan base, affectionately known as the Dog Pound. The band’s astronomical growth culminated in an epic, sold-out performance at the legendary Stone Pony in Asbury Park during the summer of 2021. Armed with a fresh batch of new material, Dogs in a Pile is taking its perpetually evolving testament to the Great American Songbook on tour in 2022, visiting plenty of new cities and spreading good music and good energy to good people along the way.

STLFringe Presents… for PRIDE… An Act of God by David Javerbaum

THE STORY: The One with the first and last word on everything has finally arrived to set the record straight. After many millennia, and in just 90 minutes, God (assisted by His devoted angels) answers some of the deepest questions that have plagued mankind since Creation.

“Delivering a new and improved set of Commandments, as transcribed by the man we might call the Moses de nos jours, David Javerbaum, God is really killing it up there. How funny is the guy? He’s Jon Stewart funny, plus Stephen Colbert funny. (Mr. Javerbaum has written for both.)…Verily I could quote every other line from Mr. Javerbaum’s annotation of the Scriptures and gather a chuckle, so deliriously funny is he as a sort of amateur theologian and stand-up comedy genius rolled into one.” —NY Times. 

“Javerbaum’s radical rewrite of the Ten Commandments—the evening is structured around God’s introduction of revised laws—is clever and even refreshingly positive, insisting on the separation of church and state and encouraging us to believe in ourselves, not some elderly white guy in the sky.” —Time Out (New York). 

“The jokes keep landing—nearly one per sentence—and…they are always smart. But Javerbaum [is] too theatrically savvy to leave it at that. Another note, slowly introduced among the zingers and rim shots, eventually becomes dominant, and this one, while still funny, is darker and potentially more theologically challenging than mere spoofs of Bible stories.” —NY Magazine.

Brock Seals is a multi-faceted artist whose creativity spans many different mediums, including his skills as a Hip-Hop artist and songwriter as well as a heralded painter and designer. He captured the attention of many, including the likes of Erykah Badu, Dapper Dan, Nipsey Hussle, and many more.

The High Noon series offers free cultural and artistic programming, during your lunch hour! This new, and weekly series at High Low will feature St. Louis talents from across the arts, cultural, and educational spectrum- every Thursday at noon. High Low is located at 3301 Washington Avenue, in Grand Center Arts District. Spend your lunch hour enjoying presentations and performances in a friendly, relaxed atmosphere – take a break, and feel free to bring your lunch!

Join us for the 2021-2022 ADC UNBOUND and Fusion Collective Showcase!! The show features work choreographed by ADC artistic staff and pieces created by the students through the UNBOUND program’s dance composition and improvisation training.

Stitchcast Studio Live!
Central Stage
January 28 – June 24, 2022

JUNE 10, 2022 / 9:00 PM

It’s about to go down here in the Lou! The Afrokuumba Dancers will put on a jaw dropping show!

The acclaimed Elite Afro Dance Fusion Company will give you Afro Soul. This dance concert expresses diverse characteristics of Black dance, art and music. It embodies the distinct characteristics of blackness connected to its global roots. It expresses the power and innovativeness of its genres that we believe bridges their soul ties.

You will see so many representations of the culture! from the creative expressions of our toddlers to the elite skills of our professionals. You will view the most amazing traditional  and commercial Afro dance fusion to date!

Two separate presentations:
3:30PM the younger dancers will perform.
Extended intermission which will include vendors along with the “dark room” accessibility  for food and beverages.
7:30PM the upper levels will come back with a bang!

If you’re unable to attend both no worries we appreciate your attendance, support and gratitude!

The House Trio is a Central Illinois group formed by guitarist Jose Gobbo, bassist Ben Taylor and drummer Nikola Djokic. Since December 2020 they have aired 52 consecutive weekly Livestreams on YouTube, exploring a repertoire of over 400 different tunes.
Born online, the group made its way into real life and recorded the album “Live From Home” in May 2021 featuring 10 of Jose’s original compositions, and have performed in New York City, Chicago, Nashville, Cincinnati and St. Louis.

Their sound is Brazilian, American, Serbian, jazz, pop, post-modern, new-retro, you name it.

Jamo Presents…
Yannon, Ashley Byrne, Cave Radio

Central Stage, 3524 Washington Ave.
Sat. June 11, 2022
Doors 7pm • Show 8pm

JUNE 11, 2022 / 10:00 PM

Pat Campbell, guitar, mandolin, and vocals; Wallace Pryor, fiddle, guitar, and vocals; and Terry Suhre, guitar and clawhammer banjo, will play a selection of old timey fiddle tunes, folk songs, and some contemporary tunes arranged for string band.

The High Noon series offers free cultural and artistic programming, during your lunch hour! This new, and weekly series at High Low will feature St. Louis talents from across the arts, cultural, and educational spectrum- every Thursday at noon. High Low is located at 3301 Washington Avenue, in Grand Center Arts District. Spend your lunch hour enjoying presentations and performances in a friendly, relaxed atmosphere – take a break, and feel free to bring your lunch!

Stitchcast Studio Live!
Central Stage
January 28 – June 24, 2022

Sarah Darling has developed collaborations with writers and producers in Nashville, Los Angeles, and the UK, giving her a distinct and contemporary country sound. Her credits include 5 full length albums, multiple singles and duets. The latest release, The Campfire Sessions, is an acoustic collection of country songs that inspired us all. Tracks include “Wide Open Spaces,” “Bring on the Rain,” “You’re Still the One,” and even a country version of “California Gurls.” The last full album release, Wonderland, reached #1 on the official UK Country Charts. She has over 20 million streams on streaming platforms, over 11 million video views, and over 600k worldwide fans. She has performed on many historic stages – Grand Ole Opry stage over 95 times, BBC Radio, C2C London, Conan, HLN and more. Sarah is currently on tour performing  new music, a preview to her upcoming EP “Darling.”

Nicole Witt is a nationally-touring, award-winning songwriter and multi-instrumentalist known for her soaring melodies and clever turns of phrase. She has written songs for artists such as George Strait, Lee Brice, Rodney Atkins, Jana Kramer, Terri Clark, Lauren Alaina, Balsam Range, Mandisa, and many more. In 2011, Witt received the international Bluegrass Song of the Year Award for Balsam Range’s “Trains I Missed.” In 2014, she was nominated for a Dove/GMA award for Country Song of the Year. She has moved into TV and film writing with song credits on shows like “Reign”, “American Idol” and the short film score called Black Mountain. Her latest cuts came in the spring of 2021 with a track called “Stronger” on Ellie Holcomb’s Canyon album and a song called “You Ain’t,” on the upcoming release by Canadian country super star Aaron Goodvin. Witt has spent the last 10 years writing and touring while building a grassroots small business as an artist, songwriter & mentor. In the past 3 years she has played over 200 dates performing all over the country and world opening for Kenny Chesney, Old Dominion, Trace Adkins, Billy Currington, Bacon Bros & many more.

JUNE 17, 2022 / 9:00 PM

A night you will not forget, bringing laughter, fun, and pizazz to the culture! Who’s Yo Daddy? is a tribute to this Father’s Day, celebrating our Fathers with gratitude—and humor!  Presenting her second show, your Host is the beautiful and extremely talented Strayablack. Who’s your Daddy? will feature Willie C, Spinks, Precious J and coming all the way from Phoenix Arizona, the talented and funny Ms. August O’Neal. DJ Hollywood will be on the-ones-and-twos. Visually Produced by artist Aaron Fowler and N2EXISTENCE, this will be a more than a comedy show but a comedy experience!

JUNE 18, 2022 / 10:00 PM

Join The McNary Experience for a soulful, powerful and engaging performance! One night only! Experience the magic of timeless classics, performed with passion, purpose, and authenticity. The McNary Experience’s soul-stirring tribute to Aretha Franklin will transport you back in time to a place where music meets the soul. With the powerhouse vocals of Qiana McNary, backed by piano/organ, lead guitar, bass, percussion, and 2 background vocalists, you will encounter an evening to remember. Performing all of her hits including Respect, Chain of Fools, Natural Woman and many more!

Lobby doors will open at 2:00 PM. The show will begin at 3:00 PM with special guest Chuck Flowers, followed by The McNary Experience.

Left Bank Books welcomes one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, who will discuss the book that every parent, caregiver, and teacher needs to raise the next generation of antiracist thinkers, How to Raise an Antiracist, in person at The Grandel and virtually at 7pm CT on June 21st. Tickets are available for the in person event or the virtual event.

Join us in person or virtually. Each ticket will include one copy of How to Raise an Antiracist from Left Bank Books to support authors and independent bookstores!

Dr. Kendi will be joined by special guest Cbabi Bayoc to celebrate the release of Goodnight Racism by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi and illustrated by St. Louis artist Cbabi Bayoc.

Dr. Ibram X. Kendi is the Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities at Boston University and the founding director of the BU Center for Antiracist Research. He is a contributing writer at The Atlantic and a CBS News racial justice contributor. He is the host of the new action podcast Be Antiracist. Dr. Kendi is the author of many highly acclaimed books including Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America, which won the National Book Award for Nonfiction, making him the youngest-ever winner of that award. He has also produced five straight #1 New York Times bestsellers, including How to Be an Antiracist, Antiracist Baby, and Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You, co-authored by Jason Reynolds. In 2020, Time magazine named Dr. Kendi one of the 100 most influential people in the world. He was awarded a 2021 MacArthur Fellowship, popularly known as the Genius Grant.

The book that every parent, caregiver, and teacher needs to raise the next generation of antiracist thinkers, from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of How to Be an Antiracist and recipient of the MacArthur “Genius” Grant.

The tragedies and reckonings around racism that are rocking the country have created a specific crisis for parents, educators, and other caregivers: How do we talk to our children about racism? How do we teach children to be antiracist? How are kids at different ages experiencing race? How are racist structures impacting children? How can we inspire our children to avoid our mistakes, to be better, to make the world better?

These are the questions Ibram X. Kendi found himself avoiding as he anticipated the birth of his first child. Like most parents or parents-to-be, he felt the reflex to not talk to his child about racism, which he feared would stain her innocence and steal away her joy. But research and experience changed his mind, and he realized that raising his child to be antiracist would actually protect his child, and preserve her innocence and joy. He realized that teaching students about the reality of racism and the myth of race provides a protective education in our diverse and unequal world. He realized that building antiracist societies safeguards all children from the harms of racism.

Following the accessible genre of his internationally bestselling How to Be an Antiracist, Kendi combines a century of scientific research with a vulnerable and compelling personal narrative of his own journey as a parent and as a child in school. The chapters follow the stages of child development from pregnancy to toddler to schoolkid to teenager. It is never too early or late to start raising young people to be antiracist.

Tobacco City is about simplicity. Simple songs and melodies built around nostalgic and blue stories. Built out of a mutual love of classic and cosmic country, the members of Tobacco City bring their psychedelic and folk influences to the exploding genre. The result is a feel good sway that fits into modern urban modes and passes by the shrewdest of classic country heads.

Quickly gaining traction, playing with new country icon Orville Peck and psychedelic taste maker Ty Segall, Tobacco City seems to fit in wherever good music resides regardless of the genre.

Dubb Nubb songs are sweet and mean and the stories paint a colorful map inspired by highways and cities, nature and concrete, love and loss. Delia and Hannah sing the kind of harmonies that only siblings can make over classical-inspired guitar, ukulele, and poetic yet fierce songwriting

The Opera Bell Band is new-novelty & cartoon-country music. Every Opera Bell Show is different than the last, featuring homemade props, vibrant costumes, tricks, schticks, and noisemakers.

Can you give an example of Ozark foods? Can you think of a positive portrayal of the Ozarks in popular culture? Bulrush restaurant was created to explore Ozark foods, but took a deep-dive into the origin of this lesser known cuisine or culture. Three years in and the staff have explored genealogy of free slaves, agricultural crops lost for generations, and the most extensive research to date on the role of Missouri wines in saving the French wine industry in the mid-1800s. Rob Connoley, chef and owner of Bulrush restaurant in Midtown, holds two James Beard Foundation honors, along with recognition by the Julia Child Foundation, Forbes magazine and the BBC. Rob was born and raised in St Louis with family roots in Ste. Genevieve since the 1830s. Rob is the author of Acorns and Cattails: A Modern Foraging Cookbook of Forest, Farm and Field.

The High Noon series offers free cultural and artistic programming, during your lunch hour! This new, and weekly series at High Low will feature St. Louis talents from across the arts, cultural, and educational spectrum- every Thursday at noon. High Low is located at 3301 Washington Avenue, in Grand Center Arts District. Spend your lunch hour enjoying presentations and performances in a friendly, relaxed atmosphere – take a break, and feel free to bring your lunch!

Stitchcast Studio Live!
Central Stage
January 28 – June 24, 2022

JUNE 24, 2022 / 9:00 PM

The All-Star Jazz Festival is an event that will feature some of the top Jazz musicians in the St Louis area. They will be composed of unique groups of five which will both showcase never before seen performances, as well as showing the camaraderie between the local Jazz community.

12pm – 6pm

Left Bank Books welcomes National Book Award winning author Jason Mott, who will discuss the 2021 National Book Award winning & national bestseller, Hell of a Book, in person at the High Low Performing Arts Space and virtually on Wednesday, June 29th at 7pm Central.
Doors for the in person event will open at 6pm.
Jason Mott will be in conversation with TBA.
Join us in person or virtually.
Order a SIGNED copy of Hell of a Book from Left Bank Books to support authors and independent bookstores!

**Proof of vaccination and mask will be required for entry to the in person event.** Guests will need to bring a photo ID AND either their physical vaccination card or a photo of their vaccination card.

Jason Mott has published four novels. His first novel, The Returned, was a New York Times bestseller and was turned into a TV series that ran for two seasons. He has a BFA in Fiction and an MFA in Poetry, both from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. His poetry and fiction have appeared in various literary journals, and his most recent novel, Hell of a Book, was named the winner of the National Book Award for Fiction, 2021.

***2021 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD WINNER***
***THE NATIONAL BESTSELLER***

Winner of the 2021 Sir Walter Raleigh Award for Fiction, Joyce Carol Oates Literary Prize Finalist, 2022 Chautauqua Prize Finalist, Willie Morris Award for Southern Writing Shortlist, and the 2021 Aspen Words Literary Prize shortlist

A Read With Jenna Today Show Book Club Pick!
An Ebony Magazine Publishing Book Club Pick!

One of Washington Post’s 50 Notable Works of Fiction One of Philadelphia Inquirer’s Best Books of 2021 One of Shelf Awareness’s Top Ten Fiction Titles of the Year One of TIME Magazine’s 100 Must-Read Books One of NPR.org’s Books We Love EW’s Guide to the Biggest and Buzziest Books of 2021 One of the New York Public Library’s Best Books for Adults San Diego Union Tribune–My Favorite Things from 2021 Writer’s Bone’s Best Books of 2021 Atlanta Journal Constitution–Top 10 Southern Books of the Year One of the Guardian’s (UK) Best Ten 21st Century Comic Novels One of Entertainment Weekly’s 15 Books You Need to Read This June On Entertainment Weekly’s Must List One of the New York Post’s Best Summer Reading books One of GMA’s 27 Books for June One of USA Today’s 5 Books Not to Miss One of Fortune’s 21 Most Anticipated Books Coming Out in the Second Half of 2021 One of The Root’s PageTurners: It’s Getting Hot in Here One of Real Simple’s Best New Books to Read in 2021

An astounding work of fiction from New York Times bestselling author Jason Mott, always deeply honest, at times electrically funny, that goes to the heart of racism, police violence, and the hidden costs exacted upon Black Americans and America as a whole

In Jason Mott’s Hell of a Book, a Black author sets out on a cross-country publicity tour to promote his bestselling novel. That storyline drives Hell of a Book and is the scaffolding of something much larger and more urgent: Mott’s novel also tells the story of Soot, a young Black boy living in a rural town in the recent past, and The Kid, a possibly imaginary child who appears to the author on his tour.

As these characters’ stories build and converge, they astonish. For while this heartbreaking and magical book entertains and is at once about family, love of parents and children, art and money, it’s also about the nation’s reckoning with a tragic police shooting playing over and over again on the news. And with what it can mean to be Black in America.

Who has been killed? Who is The Kid? Will the author finish his book tour, and what kind of world will he leave behind? Unforgettably told, with characters who burn into your mind and an electrifying plot ideal for book club discussion, Hell of a Book is the novel Mott has been writing in his head for the last ten years. And in its final twists, it truly becomes its title.

“It is a story of love and family. It is powerful…poignant and beautiful and what makes me so excited is I cannot wait to be part of these conversations…It’s a story of race, family, love, and justice. It’s original and Jason Mott is a talent.” –Jenna Bush Hager, “Read with Jenna”

“Hell of a Book more than lives up to its title. Playful, searching, raw, and necessary, this writing, this voice, this novel twisted me up and turned me inside out, dazzled me, surprised me and moved me.”– Charles Yu, author of the National Book Award winner Interior Chinatown

“What a powerful, timely, and provocative novel. Jason’s ability to take on deeply important themes with both poignancy and humor makes for an extraordinary emotional rollercoaster of a read, and I tore through this profoundly moving novel in a day but have been thinking about it ever since. Thank you, Jason Mott, for sharing this story with the world.”– Abi Daré, New York Times bestselling author of The Girl with the Louding Voice

“Mott’s unflinching meditation on racism, violence, and navigating life as a Black man in America is a surreal and searing triumph.” –Shelf Awareness for Readers (starred review)

“Hell of a Book is a masterwork of balance, as Mott navigates the two narratives and their delicate tonal distinctions. A surrealist feast of imagination that’s brimming with very real horrors, frustrations, and sorrows, it can break your heart and make you laugh out loud at the same time, often on the same page. This is an achievement of American fiction that rises to meet this particular moment with charm, wisdom, and truth.” –BookPage (starred review)

“Stunning…Mott’s poetic, cinematic novel tackles what it means to live in a country where Black people perpetually ‘live lives under the hanging sword of fear.'” –Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Relevant Links
https://www.left-bank.com/event/jason-mott-hell-of-a-book

Facebook Event Page
facebook.com/LeftBankBooks.StL