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ST. LOUIS - The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis is a beloved landmark for many young actors, and one of The Rep’s most accomplished alums will be in town this weekend to fundraise for the theater.
The “Rally for The Rep: Holiday Benefit with John Goodman” will kick off at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 17, 2023. Attendees can enjoy a conversation with the famous actor, music by The Lovettes, a cameo by Ozzie Smith and a “Raffle for The Rep” that boasts a grand prize of tickets to see Adele in Las Vegas. The goal is to raise $2.5 million so The Rep can finish their 2023-24 season.
“We’re so grateful for everybody’s support so far,” said Becks Redman, the theater’s associate artistic director. “The Rep is so important. It’s so important to St. Louis. It’s been a cultural institution here for such a long time. We’re so grateful that so many people are coming to this event and have helped with the campaign so far in general.”
Redman explained that The Rep hit a difficult financial period during the COVID-19 Pandemic, which was a challenging time for a lot of regional theaters. The Rep opened in 1966 and has been a St. Louis touchstone for decades, but they struggled to get people back in the doors after this break, an issue that was then compounded by rising inflation costs.
While Redman said it was “scary” to announce that the theater needs financial support, it has been a great experience to watch people “Rally for The Rep” and support local theater. She noted the importance of keeping The Rep alive because they can produce more actors and creatives like Goodman, keep people employed, and provide an artistic experience for theatergoers of all ages through their education and outreach programs that target students throughout the Greater St. Louis area.
“Of course, it’s a really, really scary announcement, but I couldn’t be more proud of the way that the staff has banded together to really support and persevere through this time,” she said. “To have a big producing theater in town is a huge honor. It is something that most cities do have, and it is really a cultural pinnacle and icon for the city. In our next iteration of what we grow to be and what we hope to be after this moment is a real place for cultural tourism here in St. Louis.”
Redman added that the theater provides the longest contracts for union employees in St. Louis through their employment of carpenters, electricians and scenic artists. The Rep is also a member of the League of Resident Theaters (LORT), which is the largest professional theater association in the U.S. The Rep regularly attracts creatives from across the country as one of the top-producing LORT theaters in Missouri.
“It would actually have a pretty big rippling effect on other cultural institutions, should The Rep no longer be here,” Redman added. “We are working very, very fast, but it’s because everybody both feels the gravity of the situation and also wants to make sure that we can keep going.”
Redman encourages anyone who wants to help to attend the Rally for The Rep: Holiday Benefit With John Goodman on Dec. 17, 2023, at The Rep Theater at 130 Edgar Rd in Webster Groves, Missouri. Ticket prices range from $75 to $500. Attendees can enjoy holiday music, an “intimate conversation” with Goodman and the silent auction and raffle.
Raffle tickets cost $25 each or five for $100. In addition to the Adele concert, other prizes include tickets to the Fabulous Fox, the Muny and a St. Louis sports package. All proceeds from the raffle and benefit go back to The Rep so they can hit their goal of $2.5 million and complete their season.
For more information about the benefit and to purchase tickets, visit the official webpage at RepSTL.org/HolidayBenefit. You can also attend a show at The Rep, including their current production of “It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play,” to support the theater.
“The Rep has such a big commitment to what we call lifelong learning, which is not just cultivating the young theatergoers to then grow into older theatergoers, but making sure that we are always a place where anyone of any generation can come and be and experience art, which I think is just so incredibly powerful and kind of the point of art in general,” Redman added. “The Rep, to me, is a place where you can lose yourself, where you can find yourself, where you can join community.”
To learn more, visit RepSTL.org or RallyForTheRep.org.
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