The Rep presents "Spinning Into Butter"

Alestle Staff Report

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis continues its 34th Mainstage season with an explosive new drama by playwright Rebecca Gilman called "Spinning Into Butter." Performances will be given at the Loretto-Hilton for the Performing Artsat 130 Edgar Road in Webster Groves. The show continues through March 9. "Spinning Into Butter" tells the story of Sarah Daniels, the earnest dean of students at the small Vermont college, who must bring back harmony after an incident on campus involving prejudice against a black student. Eager to avoid negative publicity for the school and determined to demonstrate their self-defined progressive attitudes, Sarah and the school struggle to embrace diversity. Far from relieving tension on campus, this incident sparks flames of conflict by angering and alienating many of the students. Is it possible for blacks and whites to talk to each other honestly about race is the underlying question and the basic premise of the play. Spinning into Butter is a thoughtful drama with many surprising moments of humor and warmth. Selected performances will be followed by panel discussions about racism in society and other social issues raised in the play. Featured guests will be from the National Conference for Community & Justice, the "A World of Difference" Institute and the Webster University Multicultural Studies Committee. Gilman has been repeatedly honored for her challenging works. She is the recipient of the Stevens Award from the Kennedy Center Fund for New American Plays and was named a finalist for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, both for "Spinning Into Butter." Ticket prices range from $9 to $47. Students and senior adult tickets are $5 with identification a half-hour before curtain. For tickets, visit the Rep box office inside the Loretto-Hilton Center, or charge by phone by calling (314) 968-4925. For more information, visit the Rep online, www.repstl.org.