Coming in 2024!
The WHY of MY City: Fair Ground
April 18 and 19, 2024
Tickets $10 on MetroTix
.ZACK Theatre
Details coming soon
Acknowledgements
Saint Louis Story Stitchers’ The WHY of MY City is supported is provided by Missouri Arts Council, a state agency.
Support for Story Stitchers creative youth development programs is provided in part by The Lewis Prize for Music 2021 Accelerator Award.
Additional support is provided by Kranzberg Arts Foundation, where Saint Louis Story Stitchers is a proud resident organization.
SOLD OUT!
Audience comments –
Keep up the good work.
I am so grateful for the opportunity to have enjoyed your excellent play. I am Euro-American, senior citizen and life -long St. Louisan. I learned so much in such a wonderful manner. Great story, fabulous energy and dancing- strong messages. Often I feel sad and discouraged about my hometown but tonight you provided me a different lens from which to view us all. Thank you most sincerely for using your many talents to uplift and inspire. Wow! Bravo!!!
The story was joyful and hopeful.
It was great to see young people interacting in the arts to bring historical accounts of St. Louis to life.
The play was excellent.
Very entertaining. Good job Stitchers!
Everything was dope!!! Loved it! The actors and everything was powerful!!!
Amazing play, great actors, singers, and rappers! I enjoyed myself.
Simple Amazing Entering Definitely do a part 2
I really enjoyed this play, everyone did amaze, especially the dancers.
The play was not exactly what I expected but I actually enjoyed it more as a result of my surprise for what it truly was. In this I mean I truly loved how past historical events and figures were intertwined with the present especially in North City. Afterwards I drove to Forest Park and the Grand Basin Refracted on the 1904 World Fair and then drove through North City and saw the two water towers and truly wonder why there doesn’t seem to be more development throughput the area. I moved to St Louis first when I was 17 years old and right out of high school. I feel a strong connection since I have learned so much about the history and origins. The play last night made no issue to the fact we have many issues that exist here today and I feel this is essential. We must face our realities before we will be able to embrace a better future. Thanks for your efforts. Well done.
The story… Wanda, a young African American, has just been accepted at a major university. She doesn’t know if she’ll return to St. Louis after graduating college. She wants to explore other opportunities, but Zoot Suit, a well-known gangster, entices her to come work for him. The community rallies to prevent Wanda from making a serious mistake and with the help of Scott Joplin, Madam CJ Walker, Cool Papa Bell and Tina Turner, they manage to save her from the clutches of Zoot Suit.
Mario Farwell, Playwright, 2nd from right
Mario Farwell, playwright and director, is a native of St. Louis Missouri. He founded The Black and Avant-Garde Theater. His plays and musicals have been produced off-off Broadway in NYC, San Diego, CA, Minneapolis, MN, St. Louis, MO, Boston, and Africa. Mario Farwell is the founder and current director of the St. Louis Writers’ Group in St. Louis, MO. This is Mario’s first project with Saint Louis Story Stitchers.
Gregory S. Carr, Director, far right
Gregory S. Carr is a St. Louis storyteller, writer-director-actor and Living History Presenter. This is Greg’s first project with Saint Louis Story Stitchers.
Willie James aka Sillo, Choreographer
With an impressive career spanning several years, Sillo has worked with some of the biggest names in the industry including Pretty Ricky, Kendrick Lamar, Rihanna and his expertise in dance has been showcased on prominent platforms such as BET and MTV.
CAST
COMPANY
CREW
Acknowledgements
Saint Louis Story Stitchers’ The WHY of MY City is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts. On the web at arts dot gov.
Support for Story Stitchers creative youth development programs is provided in part by The Lewis Prize for Music 2021 Accelerator Award.
Additional support is provided by Missouri Arts Council, a state agency, and Missouri Humanities Council, a state agency, and Kranzberg Arts Foundation.
StitchCast Studio Special Edition
In conjunction with The WHY of MY City, Story Stitchers artists are creating StitchCast Studio Special Edition podcast recordings focused on Black historic sites in Saint Louis, Missouri.
StitchCast Studio Guests include:
John A. Wright, Sr
Author and historian
Sowandé Mustakeem, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of History and of African and African-American Studies, Washington University in St. Louis
Pastor Richard Ashley
from Lutheran Church in The Ville
Doug Harding
Park Ranger, Gateway National Park
Lois Conley
Director, The Griot Black History Museum
Angela da Silva
on Mary Meachum Freedom Crossing
Emeara Burns, heading up The WHY of MY City Special Edition podcasts, has been Story Stitchers youth leader since 2016 and served as Story Stitchers Program Director 2019-21. Burns is a performing and recording artist, poet and songwriter. She is a graduate of Central Visual and Performing Arts High School and is a featured leading youth artist at Story Stitchers since 2015, performing original work created at the Stitchers Storefront Studio at Washington University, Harris Stowe University, Annie B Casey National Conference at Union Station, Unity Summit in Seattle, Washington, Sheldon Concert Hall, .ZACK Theater, and 300 other venues throughout the City of St. Louis. She lives in St. Louis, Missouri.
Emeara Burns will join cast members at a public Q&A after the June 15 performance.
Rochelle Caruthers, Director, African American History Initiative at the Missouri History Museum, Library & Research Center and Soldiers Memorial will join cast members at a public Q&A after the June 16 performance.
Podcasts and related research for these discussions is supported in part by Missouri Humanities Council, a state agency.
Additional support is provided by The Divided City. The Divided City is an urban humanities initiative, a joint project of the Center for the Humanities and the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts, College of Architecture and Graduate School of Architecture & Urban Design at Washington University in St. Louis. The Divided City is funded by the Mellon Foundation.
StitchCast Studio Special Edition podcast recordings for The WHY of MY City will be released in June.
StitchCast Studio Special Edition: The Ville with Paster Richard Ashley
Story Stitchers artists work in multi-year projects, allowing the work to be engage residents and additional storytellers as it moves forward in its development.
Below are past iterations of The WHY of MY City.
Saint Louis Story Stitchers presents StitchCast Studio Special Edition: The WHY of MY City Series with conversations exploring Ferguson, The Ville, the West Side, University City and the Delmar Loop, and the Richness of Music in St. Louis.
To learn more about the podcasts visit StitchCast Studio Special Edition: The WHY of MY City.
This program is a Special Edition of StitchCast Studio, called The WHY of MY City and is funded by Missouri Humanities Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act. Funding for this grant is provided by the CARES Act and the National Endowment for the Humanities. The views expressed in the product are not necessarily those of MHC or the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Special thanks to Kranzberg Arts Foundation for providing the .ZACK Rooftop and Ballroom for our recording sessions.
StitchCast Studio is sponsored by City of St. Louis’ Youth at Risk Crime Prevention Grant of 2020, Steward Family Foundation, Spirit of St. Louis Women’s Fund’s three year grant 2020-22, Arts and Education Council PNC Grant, and Missouri Foundation for Health.
The WHY of MY City Album
Now available on major music platforms.
Story Stitchers collected stories from residents and encouraging them to share what their community means to them as part of The WHY of MY City. Story Stitchers capture and document black history through written word and art by archiving oral history, story collection and storytelling. Audiences will gain insight into neighbors’ lives. The WHY of MY City seeks to collect positive stories of local heroes in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods that are struggling with decline.The WHY of MY City captures and documents pieces of black history through written word and art while training the next generation to become active, engaged citizens. Our goal is that programs become a force multiplier, rippling into families, schools, and neighborhoods, offering solutions to common urban problems.
The premiere of the new work of art was streamed online, having moved from Kranzberg Arts Foundation’s new facility, The High Low due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Friday, May 1st, 2020 at 7:00 PM
The WHY of MY City was also streamed at:
Saint Louis Story Stitchers Youtube
Saint Louis Story Stitchers facebook
Q&A with humanities scholars John A. Wright and Bobby Norfolk followed the presentation in a Zoom Room.
The WHY of MY City is presented with support from Mid-America Arts Alliance and the National Endowment for the Arts, Missouri Humanities Council, a state agency, National Endowment for the Humanities, Missouri Foundation for Health, and Kranzberg Arts Foundation.
May 1, 2020, 7:00 PM
Streaming Program
Our MC Tonight is Emeara Burns, the Steward Family Foundation Program Director at Saint Louis Story Stitchers
Bang in the Night
Written and performed by KP Dennis
Produced by Saint Louis Story Stitchers for The Why of MY City, 2020. Recorded by Preston Jones at Sawhorse Studios. Copyright Saint Louis Story Stitchers Artists Collective. All rights reserved.
Produced by Saint Louis Story Stitchers for The Why of MY City, 2020. Recorded by Preston Jones at Sawhorse Studios. Copyright Saint Louis Story Stitchers Artists Collective. All rights reserved.
Will They Remember
Spoken Word by Stitchers Youth Council member Branden
WADE in the Media Room
Bruno David Gallery
7513 Forsyth Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63105
January 30, 2:00-8:00 PM
Exhibition open through March 13, 2021
Bruno David Gallery Press Release
Lyrics written and performed by KP Dennis with Stitchers Youth Council members AnnaLise, Branden, Cali, Emeara, Rachel, Shawn, and She’Kinah
Music by Ntegrity, KP Dennis, Branden, and Emeara
Urban Videography by Troy Anthony, water and editing by Susan Colangelo
Produced by Saint Louis Story Stitchers for The Why of MY City, 2020. Recorded at Stitchers Storefront Studio by Ntegrity and mastered by Preston Jones at Sawhorse Studios. Copyright Saint Louis Story Stitchers Artists Collective. All rights reserved.
City Dance
Stitchers Youth Council members
Dance by Anthony, Drawings by Joshua
Editing by Susan Colangelo
Music by Ntegrity
Vandeventer’s Got a Cavity
Spoken Word by Stitchers Youth Council member Antigone
Home
Spoken Word by Stitchers Youth Council member AnnaLise
The Why of MY City Is… YOU!
Neighborhood Field Interviews recorded by Stitchers Youth Council member AnnaLise, Antigone, Branden, Sharritta, LaShonda, Shawn and Emeara
Music the Why and The Way written and performed by KP Dennis
Produced by Saint Louis Story Stitchers for The Why of MY City, 2020. Recorded by Preston Jones at Sawhorse Studios. Copyright Saint Louis Story Stitchers Artists Collective. All rights reserved.
Talkin’ Bout the Ville
Bobby Norfolk, Master Storyteller
What’s Your Why?
Music written and performed by KP Dennis and Ntegrity
Produced by Saint Louis Story Stitchers for The Why of MY City, 2020. Recorded at Stitchers Storefront Studio by Ntegrity and mastered by Preston Jones at Sawhorse Studios. Copyright Saint Louis Story Stitchers Artists Collective. All rights reserved.
City Beat!!
Beat, Dance and Video shoots by FLY BOYS — Shawndo, Cali and Tony, Stitchers Youth Council
Editing by Susan Colangelo
Q&A following the performance
Hosted by Emeara Burns,
Steward Family Foundation Program Director at Saint Louis Story Stitchers
Featured discussants Bobby Norfolk and John A Wright
Audio Engineering
Ntegrity, Chris Pendleton, Superhood
Videography
Susan Colangelo, Troy Anthony, Superhood
Photography
Troy Anthony, Susan Colangelo, AnnaLise, Stitchers Youth Council
Historic Photographs
John A Wright
Drawings
Joshua, Stitchers Youth Council
Graphics
Susan Colangelo
Download The WHY of MY City. Community Story Collection. docx
Bios
Troy Anthony joined Story Stitchers as an Artist in Residence in 2018. Anthony started plays classical and bass guitar. He joined the Army at the age of 17 where he has achieved the rank of Sargent First Class and is currently retired from the 1st Infantry Division Band. He support Story Stitchers as both a visual artist and musician. He currently resides in East Saint Louis, Illinois and maintains a photography studio in St. Louis, Missouri.
Emeara Burns, serves as the Steward Family Foundation Program Director at Story Stitchers Stitchers since 2019. Burns is a performing artist, poet and songwriter. She is a graduate of Central Visual and Performing Arts High School and is a featured leading youth artist at Story Stitchers since 2015, performing original work created at the Stitchers Storefront Studio at Washington University, Harris Stowe University, Annie B Casey National Conference at Union Station, Sheldon Concert Hall, .ZACK Theater, and 60 other venues throughout the city of St. Louis. She lives in St. Louis, Missouri.
Susan Colangelo, the Story Stitchers President & CEO, MFA, LSU ‘83, is the founding president of the Saint Louis Story Stitchers Stitchers Artists Collective and currently serves as president and CEO. Susan brings 30+ years of social justice arts practice experience and work with six school districts as an artist and consultant to the organization. Specializing in large scale community-school-university programs, she developed WOW! World of Wonder for West Virginia University, bringing the arts to 20,000 school children, and coordinated the first contemporary African music and dance concert at the University of Georgia. Susan is an advocate of literacy and a proponent of reading aloud to the young. She brings creative work in photography and videography to the project as a contributing artist (pro-bono). Colangelo lives in St. Louis, Missouri.
K.P. Dennis, Story Stitchers Artist in Residence and co-founder, and serves as the lead rap artist. He is the multi-talented director of Save Our Sons, Urban League of St. Louis, with over 22 years of professional music recording and performance experience and 7 years as a teaching artist. Dennis has a background as a professional touring rap and recording artist. “Mr. K.P. (Killa Poet)” was the lead artist in the group Out of Order in the 1990’s, has served as an educator for the Missouri History Museum. Dennis has received awards including the United States Congressional Award Bronze Medal and the Outstanding American Youth Foundation Award. Dennis lives in St. Louis. Missouri.
Branden Lewis, Stitchers Youth Council leader, is leading performing artist, poet and songwriter. Lewis is a graduate of Central Visual and Performing Arts High School and is a featured leading youth artist at Story Stitchers since 2017, creating and performing original work created at the Stitchers Storefront Studio at Washington University, Harris Stowe University, Annie B Casey National Conference at Union Station, ZACK Theater, and 50 other venues throughout the city of St. Louis. He lives and works in St. Louis, Missouri.
NtegrityXjoined Story Stitchers as an Artist in Residence and part-time employee in 2018, lives in St. Louis. Missouri and is committed to the project. Ntegrity is a recording artist, songwriter, producer. Ntegrity has been professionally recording, engineering and producing for over twelve years. In December 2015 Ntegrity graduated from Extreme Institute as valedictorian with a degree in Recording Engineering, and Production with management & Avid Pro Tools 110 certified. He released his album, View from the Inside Out, in November, 2018 at Harris Stowe University. He lives in St. Louis, Missouri.
Bobby Norfolk, a Story Stitchers featured artist in residence since 2017, three-time Emmy award winner and master storyteller; lives in St. Louis. Missouri and is committed to the project. In 1979, Bobby made his first appearance as a storyteller at the St. Louis Storytelling Festival. In television, Bobby won three Emmy awards as the host of the CBS TV show “Gator Tales”. Bobby was given the national Circle of Excellence Oracle Award, an honor presented by the National Storytelling Network, which recognizes the very best storytellers in the nation. Bobby has won the prestigious Parents Choice Gold Award. He has co-authored eight children’s books and is a featured artist in festivals world-wide. He lives in St. Louis, Missouri and joined Story Stitchers as an Artist in Residence in 2017.
Superhood is an audio engineer, photographer and videographer with over 25 years of experience in the hip hop world. Super was the editor of the Who’s Ready? music video
produced by Story Stitchers in 2018 and was audio engineer for the Pick the City UP song, produced by Story Stitchers in 2016. He edited To The Prairie music video in 2019 for Peace in the Prairie. He is based in Atlanta, St. Louis and Chicago.
John A. Wright, Sr. is a native of St. Louis, and holds a PhD from St. Louis University. Dr. Wright has had a long and distinguished career as a St. Louis academic leader and is an active member of the community, serving on numerous boards (e.g., the St. Louis World Trade Center and the Regional Arts Commission). He is the author of thirteen books about regional history, including Extraordinary Black Missourians (2013, Reedy Press).
Acknowledgements
Story Stitchers would like to express our sincere thanks to the many friends and contributors who care deeply about St. Louis’ people and neighborhoods. Thank you for sharing your stories and memories, your knowledge and opinions, and your support and friendship. We look forward to continuing our work together and with new friends and supporters in the coming years. To get involved please email us storystitchers@gmail.com.
Thank you to Chris Hansen, Executive Director of Kranzberg Arts Foundation, and the all the magical staff at Kranzberg Arts Foundation for helping us prepare and then pivot with the pandemic to present The WHY of MY City to you.
The WHY of MY City is created and will premiere at the St. Louis Storytelling Festival with support from Mid-America Arts Alliance and the National Endowment for the Arts, Missouri Humanities Council, a state agency, Missouri Foundation for Health, and Kranzberg Arts Foundation.
About Saint Louis Story Stitchers Artists Collective
The Saint Louis Story Stitchers Artists Collective is a non-profit organization engaged in urban storytelling. The mission of Saint Louis Story Stitchers is to document St. Louis through art and word to promote understanding, civic pride, intergenerational relationships and literacy.
Collective artists work alongside twenty 16-24-year-old urban youth to collect stories, reframe and retell them using the arts to promote a better educated, more peaceful and caring society. Saint Louis Story Stitchers are a resident organization at Kranzberg Arts Foundation where members rehearse, present and perform in the Foundation’s first-class spaces. The Collective also maintains the Stitchers Storefront Studio in the historic Loop District for recording, editing and publishing. Current projects focus on public health issues including gun violence.
