Mission And History:
ACT INC was founded in 1979 by a group of actors who wanted the opportunity to perform in the summer.
At that time, the only consistent summer theatre in St. Louis was the MUNY; no Non-Equity groups produced in the summer.
Our charterwas to produce the “lesser-known works of well known playwrights or plays not often produced”.
Over the years this, most well-known works we did (Charley’s Aunt, Life with Father, The Matchmaker) were no longer popular.
We introduced lesser-known playwrights, such as Cicely Hamilton, Lennox Robinson, Ashley Dukes. We did some very old shows (Servant of Two Masters) and some pretty new ones (All in the Timing and Heroes).
We love to produce “plays of charm and literary merit.” Certain playwrights keep appealing to us: we’ve done four Shaw’s, four Noël Cowards, three J.B. Priestleys, three A.A. Milnes, three Agatha Christies, two Oscar Wildes, two J.M. Barries, two Somerset Maughams.
We produced at the Studio Theatre at the Loretto Hilton (now The Rep) from 1979 through 1996, but in 1997 Webster University needed the space , so our ’97 and ’98 seasons were in the old proscenium theatre at Fontbonne.
In 1999 Fontbonne closed that theater, and we moved to proscenium theatre at the College of Pharmacy, near Barnes Hospital. In 2001, Fontbonne opened it’s black box theatre, and we were happy to return there, where we remained through 2013, when Fontbonne told us they needed the space.
We now perform at the Emerson Black Box Theater at the J. Scheidigger Center for the Arts at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, MO.
We are pleased to announce that Lindenwood University has named us their Resident Summer Repertory Company.
