The State of Marriage

Playwright: Joan Lipkin

Directed by: Joan Lipkin

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St. Louis Actors’ Studio concludes its third season with the world premiere of the performance piece The State of Marriage. Conceived by Joan Lipkin, this original work is co-produced by That Uppity Theatre Company and St. Louis Actors’ Studio in their first collaboration. The piece explores the changing face of marriage and considers the institution's complicated emotional, religious, and social dimensions and history. Additionally, it tells the story of some same-sex couples from Missouri who traveled by bus to be wed in Iowa where it is legal. Featuring a Greek chorus of gender-bending bridesmaids, wedding cake, pop songs, a game of Twister, and a quiz-show take on the Book of Leviticus, this unconventional fantasia combines real life stories and text adapted from interviews. Both fun and poignant, each performance will feature a rotating selection of cabaret singers from St. Louis’s burgeoning cabaret scene to provide live accompaniment to some of the dance pieces.

Directed by Joan Lipkin and with choreography by J.T. Ricroft, The State of Marriage will feature the following cast:
Leon Braxton (a.k.a. Dieta Pepsi)
Chris Brenner
Laura Coppinger
Sally Eaton
Lynda Levy Clark
Sara Hamilton
Alice Kinsella
Theresa Masters
Carl Overly
James Slover
Keith Thompson
Troy Turnipseed
Mike Van Allen

Singers scheduled to perform include Deborah Sharn, Jeffrey Pruett, Summer Osborne, Cindy Duggan, Christy Simmons, Karen Fulks, Andy Waggoner, Jeffrey Wright, and Ken Haller