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