ST. LOUIS — Upstream Theater, known for producing plays in translation, announced its 21st season Sept. 10.
The company, led by polyglot and Artistic Director Philip Boehm, is rare in American theater. It’s difficult for companies to regularly stage unfamiliar work. Upstream, though, has a national reputation and has presented more than two dozen world or U.S. premieres.
The company’s latest season brings plays from Brazil, Canada and Austria.
The first show is “An Orchard for Chekhov,” (Nov. 7-23) a Brazilian play from Pedro Brício translated by Steven K. Smith. The story is about an actor, Alma Duran, who is trying to stage Anton Chekov’s “The Cherry Orchard” and it’s not going well.
She’s out one day and runs into the world-renowned playwright, which is unexpected since he’s dead. Upstream describes the play as “Chekhovian in tone,” and Boehm went to great lengths to read it.
“I read reviews of plays in different languages. I’m not very fluent in Portuguese, but I can read it pretty well,” said Boehm, who also knows German, Polish, Spanish and other languages. “I came across this play that sounded interesting, and then I tried to get a copy of the script, but I couldn’t.”
He continued searching and found a post on Instagram from someone who had seen the Brazilian production. Boehm wrote a note in Portuguese to that person, who connected him with the playwright.
Boehm read it and liked it so much he commissioned the adaptation and will be directing the show.
Jan. 23-Feb. 8, Upstream will present the Canadian play “Myth of the Ostrich,” a fast-paced comedy from Matt Murray that Boehm saw in translation in Poland, where he worked in theater for many years and where he regularly visits.
“It was June,” Boehm recalls. “A lot of European theaters don’t offer much, but this play was packed. I barely got a seat.”
Boehm was especially struck by his seatmates, a woman there with her teenage daughter. “I thought, ‘How cool is that? Taking your teenage daughter to a play?’”
The show is also intergenerational. In it Pam confronts Holly over a letter Holly’s teen daughter, Jodi, wrote to Pam’s son, Evan. She thinks the letter is inappropriate.
At first, the interaction is pleasant, but soon Holly realizes Pam has no idea what’s going on between their kids and is trying to keep it from the unsuspecting mom. Then Pam’s loudmouth friend Cheryl shows up.
“It’s hilarious,” says Boehm.
The final show, running from April 17 to May 3 is one that Boehm himself adapted, “The End of the World Cabaret.” The show was written in 1936, but its plot may sound familiar to people who saw the 2021 film “Don’t Look Up.”
It opens with the planets all dancing, but Earth is out of step because of its Earthlings. The other planets see a comet coming through the solar system and tell it to hit Earth. On Earth, the Earthlings are having mixed reactions: an American millionaire is selling seats on a spaceship. Governments are being ineffective. One professor says he can fix everything, but no one is listening.
The piece is by Jura Soyfer, a leftist and communist. He died in a concentration camp.
“The play is surprisingly and shockingly timely,” Boehm says, “and it’s also fun. We’re doing it as a cabaret style.” Lizi Watt, Upstream’s managing director, will direct the production. Paige Brubeck of Sleepy Kitty, a rock duo that used to be based in St. Louis but has since decamped to Paris, will be composing original music for the show.
All three of the shows are U.S. premieres and will be presented at the Marcelle Theatre (3310 Samuel Shepard Drive) in Grand Center. The theme for this year’s season is When World’s Collide. “We have worlds that are literally colliding as we all internal words colliding,” says Boehm. “Even in our first play, the world of contemporary Rio (de Janeiro) is colliding with a Chekhovian world.”
But Upstream also does a robust series of community-centered programming, including the Springboard series, 15- to 30-minute post-play discussions with an expert in a field related to the show.
For instance, someone from the St. Louis Art Museum talked to audiences after Upstream’s show “Pictures from a Revolution,” which blended art with a revolutionary farce.
The Springboards are always after the second and third Sunday matinees in each play’s run.
In 2024, Upstream started a critics roundtable, where area critics, artistic directors and other theatermakers convene to discuss criticism and contemporary theater. This year’s will be on Oct. 5 at the City Foundry (3745 Foundry Way, Suite 149).
In November, Upstream will invite high school Spanish students to a translation slam where they all translate a song and work with translator Stephen K. Smith. In March the company will stage a reading of Alistair McDowall’s play “X,” about a research station on Pluto, and they’ll host Migratory Verses Know No Borders at the International Institute. The evening will feature poetry and music from around the world.
Boehm says an idea still being worked out is Soundings, “a book club for the theatrically minded.” If you’re interested in attending any of these events, contact Watt to be put on the mailing list, lizi@upstreamtheater.org.
In the meantime, season subscriptions are on sale starting at $120 for all three shows at upstreamtheater.org (or you can email Watt).
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Rosalind Early | Post-Dispatch
Deputy features editor
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