Posts Tagged ‘aurora behlke’

“Confetti Kids” at SATE Finds Relationship Drama in Environmental Crisis

Posted in St Louis Theatre, tagged , , , , , on August 22, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Confetti Kids
by Aurora Behlke
Directed by Kristen Strom
SATE 
August 20, 2026

Nicole Angeli, Tia René Williams
Photo by Joey Rumpell
SATE Ensemble Theatre

SATE, one of my favorite theatre companies in St. Louis, is presenting a world premiere production at the Chapel arts venue. Confetti Kids by Aurora Behlke, directed by Kristen Strom, takes a real life story that has affected the St. Louis area and envisions a family drama in the midst of it. It’s a compelling story with intense drama, as well as humor and heart. It also serves as an excellent showcase for superb local actors. 

The story follows Dr. Rachel Graves (Nicole Angeli), a single mom, nuclear scientist and former college professor, and her teenage daughter, Maya (Tia René Williams), who is going through some personal struggles leading up to her high school prom. Rachel is distracted, however, by her own personal issues, and by the fact that she is giving a presentation at a PTA meeting at Maya’s school on the night of the prom. Rachel grew up in the area, as well, and so she has some personal ties to her subject matter at the presentation–the Coldwater Creek nuclear waste contamination in North County. Rachel is also hiding a personal secret from Maya that her friend and physician Daniel (Adam Flores) and one of Maya’s teachers, Vera (Hailey Medrano) urge her to reveal. Rachel, however, is stubborn, and if she’s going to do this presentation, she’s going to do it her own way, regardless of looming consequences about which she’s in perpetual denial. Meanwhile, Maya tries to contact her mother on prom night, only to have to leave voicemails and texts, wondering what exactly is going on. 

The script is clever and fascinating, creating a credible personal story connected to a known environmental catastrophe. The format is non-linear, following Rachel’s presentation but hopping around between other times to show the lead-up to the meeting, Maya’s issues with her friends and Rachel about prom preparations, Rachel’s own personal history, and more. There’s also effective use of video and projections by Eric Satterfield that help to educate about the overarching issues as well as the highly personal relationship story that spans generations in Rachel’s family. I did find a little bit of trouble with Rachel’s continuing denial of her need to reveal her secret, which seems to be dragged out a bit long, but the resolution works reasonably well and leads to a mostly satisfying ending. 

The acting makes the show especially engaging, with the relationship between Rachel and Maya front and center. As Rachel, Angeli is compelling and seemingly eternally stubborn, which can be frustrating although Angeli makes the stubbornness entirely credible. As Maya, Williams is believable as well, understandably presenting the teenage angst leading up to prom. The relationship between mother and daughter is especially credible, as well. There’s also excellent support from Flores as Rachel’s concerned friend and doctor, Daniel, and Medrano as Maya’s young, activist teacher, Vera. It’s a strong cast all around, although Daniel isn’t given a lot to do at first and initially comes across as just nagging, but Flores handles the role well, and he is given more to do later. 

The scenic design by Erik Kuhn helps frame the story well, with various set pieces that can be moved around as needed. There’s also excellent work from lighting designer Theresa Comstock and sound designer Ellie Schwetye, especially in the scenes toward the end involving confetti. Yes, there is real confetti–a lot of it, and it creates a fun element in the story. There’s also strong work from costume designer Kayla Lindsay and videographer Brian Dooley. 

Confetti Kids is a compelling story taken from a “headline news” topic made personal. It’s educational as well as being a relationship drama, with some moments of humor to balance out the intensity. It’s another excellent ensemble show from SATE. 

 

Adam Flores, Nicole Angeli, Tia René Williams, Hailey Medrano
Photo by Joey Rumpell
SATE Ensemble Theatre

SATE is presenting Confetti Kids at the Chapel until August 26, 2026

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SATE’s “Aphra Behn Festival” Impresses with Thoughtful, Imaginative Stories

Posted in St Louis Theatre, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 13, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Ninth Annual Aphra Behn Festival
SATE Ensemble Theatre
April 5, 2025

Image: Sate Ensemble Theatre

SATE’s annual Aphra Behn Festival ran last weekend at the Chapel, reflecting the company’s theme for its 2025 season: the “Season of Adventure”. All three plays featured here explore that theme in different ways, and they are each especially entertaining and thought-provoking in their own ways. This is an excellent lineup of plays, with first-rate casts and thoughtful direction. Here are some brief thoughts about all three entries:

“Felicity” by Dylan Molloy, Directed by Ashwini Arora 

This play is part coming-of-age story, part sci-fi, and overall a fascinating look at two young people and their relationships with each other and the world around them. The two characters are remarkably played by Lyd Foss as Will and Rose Shawver as June. The two are childhood best friends who are facing the reality of growing up in a world where their future seems bleak, but the imminent launch of the spaceship Felicity in an effort to colonize Mars gives them a moment to reflect on their place in the world, as well as how they relate to each other and their peers.

The sci-fi elements here are subtle but clear, and there are also themes of climate change, economic disparity, and strict class structure. It’s one of those “five minutes in the future” sort of stories, which adds a compelling backdrop to the main attraction, which is these two intriguing characters and their interactions, which show their close bond as well as the threats from growing up and pressures of outside expectations. The setup here, and the conversations, seem entirely natural and credible. This is a play that’s made even more powerful by the thoughtful performances and direction. It’s a thought-provoking, profoundly insightful story.

Scenes from Pierrot’s Blanket by Meredith Lyons, Directed by Christina Yancy

This delightful presentation is apparently a series of vignettes from a larger work, centering on traditional French “Sad Clown” character Pierrot, or Pierre (Joseph Garner), and a sort of love-interest character known as “Blanket” (Miranda Jagels Félix), who become involved in a series of comic escapades that are also contain degrees of romance and poignancy. There’s also a great deal of physicality involved, involving mime and physical comedy.

Garner is a delight in a highly expressive performance as the earnest Pierre, who finds himself in various situations including working in a high-pressure restaurant kitchen presided over by an imperious chef (Jan Niehoff), and as a guest performer on a late night talk show hosted by the excellent Niehoff. Jagels Félix is also excellent as the elusive, flirtatious Blanket, and Kaylyn McCoy provides strong support as an apprentice chef and the talk show announcer. This is a highly entertaining story and it made me curious about what the full show is like.

“The Inferno is for B*tches” by Aurora Behlke, Directed by Kayla Lindsay

The evening got a hard-rocking finale in this clever, creative show following a high school student, Heaven (Celeste Genevieve Gardner) trying to salvage her grade after having failed to finish an essay on Dante’s Inferno by performing a “visual essay” of sorts in the form of a punk-rock concert and skit, aided by her twin cousins Manny (Bradley Rohlf) and Mannie (Claudia Barney), who play in her band as well as playing characters in a sort of reenactment of the Inferno story  casting Heaven in the central role, as she has been apparently banished to hell for pirating the movie Detective Pikachu on her family’s computer. 

This show is a lot of fun, featuring a good representation of what the Inferno is about while also giving it a driving punk score and lots of modern youthful attitude. Gardner is full of energy and likable personality as Heaven, and Barney and Rohlf are also strong in their supporting roles and musical skills. This is a hilarious, thought-provoking, musically memorable show that leaves a strong impression and works well as a finale for the festival.

There’s also great work across the board from lighting designer Erik Kuhn, costume designer Tyler White, and  projection designers Kayla Lindsay and Ellie Schwetye, sound designers Christina Yancy and Schwetye. The technical aspects of all shows contributed to the overall look and vibe of this festival, and added much in the way of entertainment value. Overall, this was a thoroughly impressive Aphra Behn Festival, and I hope each of these shows can have a life beyond their initial performances. 

 

 

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