Get ready, theatre fans! The Grand Center Theatre Crawl is back for its seventh year and will feature more than two dozen professional theatre companies from across the St. Louis area.
The two-day theatre-centric event, which is free and open to the public, takes place Friday, June 28, and Saturday, June 29, throughout the Grand Center Arts District. Stage performers from groups, such as Stray Dog Theatre, Shakespeare Festival St. Louis, The Rep, Gateway Opera, West End Players Guild and more, will be showcasing their work in numerous venues.
“Audience members can expect to see firsthand the breadth, richness and diversity of work done locally,” said event coordinator Peggy Holly. “In each of three time slots on Friday evening, Saturday afternoon and Saturday evening, they can see up to six different shows for a total of 18—and that’s still not all of the dozens of performances.”
Holly adds the goal of the event is twofold: to introduce audiences to the remarkable live theatre scene in St. Louis, and to increase awareness of live theatre as an affordable alternative for entertainment dollars.
“We’ve learned that much of our community thinks of live theatre as expensive. But, it is, instead, the local ‘farmers’ market option’ for entertainment dollars—it supports local artists and keeps the money in the local economy,” she said. “Many companies’ ticket prices are comparable with going to the movies and, again, the money stays local.”
Performances for the Grand Center Theatre Crawl will be held just about anywhere—in theaters, restaurants, schools, churches, lobbies, etc. The performers will stage short, 15-minute samples of their work every 30 minutes beginning at 7 p.m. on Friday, June 28, and beginning at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday, June 29. Find more information on the event’s Facebook page, Grand Center Theatre Crawl.
