The Rep Presents "Athena"

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis Closes the 24/25 Steve Woolf Studio Series with Electrifying Play Athena Featuring Friendship and Live Fencing

January 15 - February 9, 2025 in the Emerson Studio of the Loretto-Hilton Center

St. Louis, MO – (December 17, 2024) The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis is proud to present Athena by Gracie Gardner as the second and final play in the 24/25 Steve Woolf Studio Series - Adventurous Theatre for Adventurous Theateregoers - in the Emerson Studio of the Loretto-Hilton Center on the campus of Webster University January 15 - February 9, 2025.

Athena features competition and friendship going head to head with live fencing on the piste. In Gracie Gardner’s engaging play, which was named a New York Times Critics’ Pick, characters Mary Wallace and Athena are brave, and seventeen, and fencers, and training for the Junior Olympics. They practice together, they compete against each other, they spend their lives together. They wish they were friends.

The Athena cast features Jailyn Genyse as Mary Wallace, who captivated audiences at The Rep in It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play and as Shug Avery in COCA’s The Color Purple. Making her Rep debut is Carmen Retzer who takes on the role of Jamie, while Isa Venere, who delivered a memorable performance in last season’s August: Osage County, returns to the stage as Athena.

Athena is directed by Nancy Bell who recently wowed audiences onstage in her portrayal as Robyn in The Roommate, The Rep’s record-setting studio studio show this past November.

She’s joined by set designer Seth Howard, costume designer Renee Garcia, lighting designer Jayson Lawshee, sound designer Jimmy Bernatowicz, dramaturg Simone Hoagland, and fight director Paul Steger. Additionally, The Rep has partnered with Fence St. Louis and owner Annamaria Lu to provide elite fencing training and consultation for the production.

“Gracie Gardner’s Athena is a thrilling exploration of competition, identity, and the tender complexities of teenage friendship. With its dynamic storytelling and live fencing sequences, this play offers an electrifying experience that pushes the boundaries of intimacy and rivalry,” said Augustin Family Artistic Director Kate Bergstrom. “We’re honored to bring this critically acclaimed work to the Emerson Studio in the LHC and invite our audiences to join us in celebrating the resilience and vulnerability of young women finding their place in the world.”

Leadership support for The 24-25 Steve Woolf Studio Series is generously provided by Susan and Peter Tuteur, with additional production support for Athena by Gwen and Paul Middeke, Gina and Lee Hoagland, and Ven and Cynthia Houts.

Tickets are available online at repstl.org, over the phone 314-968-4925 or in person at the Loretto-Hilton Center Box Office Tuesdays - Thursdays from 10:30-5pm. Seating for the Studio Series is General Admission with subscribers given priority seating beginning 30 minutes prior to curtain.

Be sure to catch the rest of The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis 24/25 Season including the holiday musical Million Dollar Quartet Christmas in partnership with STAGES St. Louis running now through December 22, 2024; Lynn Nottage’s Tony-nominated comedy, Clyde’s, February 5 - March 2, 2025; and the uproarious retelling of Ken Ludwig’s Sherwood: The Adventures of Robin Hood directed by Augustin Family Artistic Director Kate Bergstrom, March 19 - April 13, 2025 all performed at the Loretto-Hilton Center on the campus of Webster University.

For more information, please visit repstl.org.

FACT SHEET

Athena

By Gracie Gardner
January 15 - February 9, 2025 in the Emerson Studio at The Loretto-Hilton Center (130 Edgar Road, St. Louis, MO)

TICKET INFORMATION:
Tickets: Purchase tickets online at Repstl.org, by phone at 314-968-4925, or The Rep Box Office will also be available for in-person support at the Loretto-Hilton Center(130 Edgar Rd, Webster Groves), Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 10:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m, and 2 hours before curtain.
Seating: Seating for the Studio Series is General Admission with subscribers given priority seating beginning 30 minutes prior to curtain.

Rush Tickets: Available for students, seniors, educators, and theatre professionals by calling the Box Office at 314-968-4925, 1 - 2 hours prior to curtain time.

Group Sales: Discounted tickets available for parties of 10+. Call 314-968-4925 or email mdorn@repstl.org.

SPECIAL EVENTS:
Post Show Discussions January 25 and 26

All Access Performances:

Audio Described Performance - Thursday, January 30 Open Captioned Performance - Sunday, February 2

MEMBERS OF THE MEDIA:

Press night for critics is Friday, January 17 @ 7 PM. Photos, bios and headshots are available in The Rep Press Room.

About the Playwright Gracie Gardner

Gracie is an American playwright with works selected for Theatertreffen Stückemarkt in Berlin, premiered at Munich Volkstheater, and honored with the Relentless Award; it was developed by Less Than Rent at HERE Arts Center, and The Old Vic in London. Her play Athena (New York Times Critics’ Pick) was presented by The Hearth at JACK. Gracie is the recipient of the McKnight National Residency and Commission, an Ensemble Studio Theater Sloan Foundation Commission, the James E. Michael Award and the James Stevenson Prize, and she is a Samuel French OOB Festival winner. She’s a proud member of New Dramatists, Ars Nova Play Group and Youngblood, and she has received commissions from Clubbed Thumb, Manhattan Theatre Club and the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music.

ABOUT THE REPERTORY THEATRE OF ST. LOUIS

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis (The Rep) is the region’s premiere theatre for compelling, award-winning theatrical experiences that entertain, engage, and illuminate audiences’ shared humanity. Founded in 1966, for more than five decades The Rep has sustained and built upon its commitment to artistic excellence by creating, developing, and curating adventurous new works and beloved classics from the most exciting emerging and established American voices. The Rep builds bridges within the St. Louis community and beyond by offering productions that allow audiences to see themselves and the stories that matter to them represented on stage, through the organization’s robust community engagement programs, and across its educational initiatives.

The Rep welcomes audiences with inspiring and expansive productions at several inviting stages across St. Louis including the Virginia Jackson Browning Theatre at the Loretto-Hilton Center for the Performing Arts and other venues around the St. Louis area. A thought leader in the national theatre landscape, The Rep is a dedicated partner with arts organizations in St. Louis and across the country, expanding audiences’ appreciation and understanding of the

world through theatre. In December 2023, The Rep was named a Missouri Historical Theatre, which is awarded to theaters that contribute to tourism in Missouri, promote arts in its community and throughout Missouri, and has been operational for a minimum of 50 years.