The 12th Annual LaBute New Theater Festival is underway at St. Louis Actors’ Studio. This edition adds to the festival’s distinguished record of selecting new plays worth seeing.

This comedy gives human personalities to objects in a junk drawer: a penny, a casino chip, a felt marking pen, and one more I won’t name. The script has some nice puns, a clever insight into why markers end up in junk drawers, and a humane message for people who feel discarded.

This drama is about the tension-filled meeting between Whitaker and Chloe, who have not seen each other in many years. Whit is outraged that Chloe has contacted him. She tries to be as accommodating as possible, but she is impelled to carry out her agenda. The dialogue and flashbacks drop hints, but the source of the powerful emotions is not reveal what happened until near the end.  

This dark comedy is set in the early 19th century, when the need for cadavers in medical schools was far greater than the legitimate supply. Resurrection men addressed the shortage by robbing graves. The opening section features testy banter between Hatt, an experienced body snatcher, and Fitz, a novice. Then the doctor who hired the Hatt and Fitz comes to the gravesite and explains the need for this particular body. This turn of events is anachronistic but makes an important point about medical research then and now.

The two women in this play meet for brunch at an upscale restaurant. The first one seated, Candice, receives a call just before Shasta arrives. After hanging up, Candice explains that the call was from the police, who want to meet with her to discuss a new detail in the disappearance of her husband, who vanished without a trace two years earlier. The ensuing conversation digs deeply into the strain and uncertainty of Candice’s predicament.

While sitting on a park bench, Ryan is approached by Brett, an awkward, finicky man carrying a suitcase. After Ryan makes room on the bench, Brett puts on a facemask, withdraws a dummy from the suitcase, and begins practicing his ventriloquism. As one might expect from a ventriloquist who wears a mask, Brett’s technique is not his strong suit. Even so, the dummy, Little Johnny, provokes increasing anxiety. The play has a clever ending.

The two characters are brothers who have grown far apart in the five years they have not seen each other. They. Leo is an automobile mechanic. Mario has made a name for himself on RuPaul’s Drag Race and is in a same-sex marriage. Mario has just returned to New York for their mother’s funeral. Leo picks Mario up at JFK. Their conversation in the car is rancorous until Leo realizes Mario can help him communicate with his children.

As always, this edition of the LaBute Festival has attracted an excellent group of actors and directors, whose contributions are listed above. The production features fine work in the scenic design and lighting by Patrick Huber, the costumes by Amanda Brasher, the props by the company, and the sound by the company and the directors. Erin Knadler created Little Johnny.

The 12th Annual LaBute New Theater Festival continues through July 26 at the Gaslight Theater, 358 North Boyle Avenue.

—Gerry Kowarsky

Photo by Patrick Huber
From the left, Nick Barrows as Ryan and Alexander Huber as Brett in “Little Johnny Knows Things.”