Casting call

“The WHY of MY City” is a multi-year signature program that captures and documents pieces of black history through written word and art while training the next generation to become active, engaged citizens. The goal is that programs become a force multiplier, rippling into families, schools, and neighborhoods, offering solutions to common urban problems.

Saint Louis Story Stitchers has commissioned playwright Mario Farwell to write a new script for “The WHY of MY City,” centering on St. Louis’s Black neighborhoods and historic figures. The new play will be presented to the public June 15 and 16, as part of Juneteenth celebration.

Farwell, playwright and director, is a native of St. Louis. Farwell will, along with Bobby Norfolk, work with youth to transform the recorded interviews into the outline for a new multidisciplinary performance work. He attended the University of Mis- souri at Kansas City and received a B.A in theater. While in Kansas City, he founded The Black and Avant-Garde Theater. After graduating college, he moved to New York City and lived there for 26 years. His plays and musicals have been produced off-off Broadway in NYC, San Diego, California, Minneapolis, St. Louis, Boston and Africa. Farwell is the founder and current director of the St. Louis Writers’ Group in St. Louis. This is his first project with Saint Louis Story Stitchers.

The play will include community members and will be staged at the ZACK Theatre at Kranzberg Arts Foundation. Story Stitchers will work with Gregory S. Carr as director. This is Carr’s first project with Saint Louis Story Stitchers.

A casting call takes place at The Center at 3701 Grandel Sq, 1A in St. Louis. May 10 from 6 – 10 p.m. are auditions and interviews. May 13 from 12 – 5 p.m. is casting call and auditions and May 17 from 6 – 10 p.m. are call backs. Register Link for auditions with director Gregory S. Carr: https:// storystitchers.dm.networkforgood.com/ forms/the-why-of-my-city-casting-call Performance takes place June 15 and 16 at 7 p.m. at ZACK Theatre at 3224 Locust in St. Louis.

Tickets are $10 on MetroTix and can be purchased at https://www.metrotix.com/ events/detail/saint-louis-story-stitchers-thewhy-of-my-city

“The WHY of MY City” is presented with support from the National Endowment for the Arts, Missouri Arts Council, a state agency, Missouri Humanities Council, a state agency, The Lewis Prize for Music 2021 Accelerator Award, and Kranzberg Arts Foundation.

For more information visit https://storystitchers.org/the-why-of-my-city/.