This Spring William Whitaker, Professor of Practice in Drama stepped off of campus and into the world of Pulitzer prize winning playwright, Sam Shepard. His directing of Shepard's True West for St. Louis Actor's Studio has been met with critical success. Paul Friswold, writing for the St. Louis Riverfront Times notes, "In St. Louis Actors' Studio's current production of the play, directed by William Whitaker, True West is as dangerously alive — and unpredictable — as wildfire, an all-consuming wave of destruction that harrows the stage, the audience and perhaps the actors. While Mark Bretz of Ladue News called it "...a rollicking romp through scary Shepard territory in STLAS’ solid production." Students were offered the opportunity to see the play at no cost due to the combined generosity of St. Louis Actor's Studio, the Performing Arts Department, and William Whitaker's belief that as one of America's stalwart playwrights, Shepard must be seen. "True West is, I think, a fairly important American play . . . perhaps a good opportunity for our students. I'm proud of the production and I think it's a good one.
See the Full Reviews:
Riverfront Times:
St. Louis Actors’ Studio’s True West Is an Exhilarating Look at Feuding Brothers
By Paul Friswold
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
'True West' at St. Louis Actors' Studio is brilliant and hilarious
By Calvin Wilson St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Ladue News
Dinner & A Show: True West
Mark Bretz
HEC-TV's "Two on the Aisle"
True West @ St. Louis Actor's Studio
Bob Wilcox and Gerry Kowarsky
Whitaker teaches directing and acting. He has been associated as a director and actor with many professional theatres, including the Washington Stage Guild and the Round House Theatre. He regularly teaches at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London as part of Washington University’s summer program there.
