Kenya Vaughn, St. Louis American Journalist Profile

Articles

Black Rep extends ‘Radio Golf’ run

3 weeks ago | stlamerican.com | Kenya Vaughn

After they took their final bows, Ron Himes and Ronald L. Conner were recognized for a special achievement at the June 1 performance of The St. Louis Black Repertory Company’s presentation of “Radio Golf.”“We are thrilled to congratulate Ron Himes and Ronald L. Conner on completing the August Wilson Century Cycle,” their co-star Velma Austin said before presenting them with plaques. The cycle is a collection of plays that depict Black life throughout the 1900s.
A concert for ‘the culture’

3 weeks ago | stlamerican.com | Kenya Vaughn

The last time Kendrick Lamar stepped foot on a St. Louis stage was in April of 2013. He was one of three acts to play The Verge College Tour at SLU’s Chaifetz Arena. Steve Aoki, a popular internationally known electronic dance music DJ, was the headliner. He returns next week as the other half of the biggest concert for “the culture” since Beyonce’s Renaissance Tour painted The Dome at America’s Center silver in 2023. Lamar and SZA’s co-headlining Grand National Tour will play The Dome on June 4th.
Doors open on ‘This House’

3 weeks ago | stlamerican.com | Kenya Vaughn

The wait is almost over. On Saturday, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis will present the world premiere of “This House” by mother-daughter librettist team Ruby Aiyo Gerber and Lynn Nottage along with composer Ricky Ian Gordon. “This opera will be the centerpiece of Opera Theatre’s 50th anniversary season,” Opera Theatre of Saint Louis General Director Andrew Jorgensen announced. The highly anticipated production that opens May 31st and continues through June 29th.
‘Radio Golf’ resonatesBlack Rep’s vivid storytelling restores legacy of August Wilson’s final play

1 month ago | stlamerican.com | Kenya Vaughn

In April of 2005, the play “Radio Golf” made its world premiere on the Yale Repstage. Two months later, the author – Pulitzer Prize-winner August Wilson – wasdiagnosed with an aggressive form of liver cancer. The play rounded out Wilson’s “century cycle,” which depicted Black life in 1900sAmerica. Like “Radio Golf,” most of the plays were set in his hometown ofPittsburgh. It took place in 1997, the last decade before the new millennium. Asfate would have it, “Radio Golf” would also be his last.
A night to remember

1 month ago | stlamerican.com | Kenya Vaughn

Grammy-nominated veteran R&B crooner Will Downing has adopted the recent tradition of closing out his shows with a thoughtfully curated roster of old school jams and grooves as he introduces audiences to his band and background vocalist.
F3 tornado leaves five dead, $1.6B in damage

1 month ago | stlamerican.com | Kenya Vaughn |Ashley Winters |Alvin Reid

Like the statue of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in Fountain Park, St. Louis was knocked asunder by a May 16, 2025, tornado that ripped through parts of St. Louis county, city and Metro East. North St. Louis felt the worst brunt of the historic storm, yet like the Dr. King statue, the only one in Missouri, it will rise from the destruction. The deadly tornado claimed five lives, according to Police Chief Robert Tracy.
‘Our legacy is rooted in action’

1 month ago | stlamerican.com | Kenya Vaughn

Sunday’s weather was perfect for a parade. The sunny day with mild temperatures added to the irony. After Annie Malone Children’s and Family Service Center rallied to secure funding so that the legacy would continue for 2025, a terrifying force of nature put a stop to the 115th Annual May Day Parade.
‘Pray for our city’

1 month ago | stlamerican.com | Kenya Vaughn

At the corner of Union and Minerva, a tree was upended from the root and intertwined with metal of a concrete streetlight pole so tightly it resembled a rope of licorice. The stunning byproduct of tornadoes that passed through parts of North St. Louis and other parts of the city and county. The wood, metal and concrete pole that rested beneath resembled a giant sculpture. Its final resting place was in front of – and partially on top of – a stately, aged home.
A mother’s gift

1 month ago | stlamerican.com | Kenya Vaughn

After the successful adaptation of her award-winning play “Intimate Apparel,” Lynn Nottage was eager to collaborate with composer Ricky Ian Gordon on bringing another story to the opera stage. The Two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner and recent Washington University International Humanities Prize recipient has no shortage of plays that would seamlessly transform into opera. Nor does she lack the creative gifts to craft a new one.
Repeating the cycle

1 month ago | stlamerican.com | Kenya Vaughn

Next week, The Black Rep will further extend its margin as a leading producer of Black theater. Very few theater companies in the nation – or the world – can boast that they have produced all 10 of the plays from the iconic cycle of plays by Pulitzer Prize-winner August Wilson. The plays reflect Black life in each decade of the 20th century. When “Radio Golf” opens next week at The Edison Theatre, the Black Rep will have twice completed the feat.