Arts & Culture

This week, Kristen O’Neal, a senior in English in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, will present a staged reading of “Kairos,” her first full-length play, as part of the university’s annual A.E. Hotchner New Play Festival. O’Neal discusses “Kairos,” the playwriting process, and what it is like to finally hear the words out loud.

Painter Michael Ray Charles will launch the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts’ Public Lecture Series Sept. 15. Charles is known for his aggressive appropriation — and scathing critiques — of racist imagery drawn from vintage illustration.

The Black Rep, one of the nation’s largest and most critically acclaimed African-American theater companies founded by Ron Himes in 1976 while a student at Washington University in St. Louis, will launch its 38th season with the Tony Award-winning musical “Purlie” in Edison Theatre Sept. 10-21. Himes is now the Henry E. Hampton Jr. Artist-in-Residence in Arts & Sciences.

Soprano Jane Jennings and pianist Gail Hintz will perform Washington University in St. Louis’ annual Liederabend concert at 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 14, in the 560 Music Center. Literally translated as “evening of song,” Liederabend is a German term referring to a recital given by a singer and pianist, particularly of works by 19th-century Austrian or German composers.

In the 1970s and ’80s, the St. Louis band Tracer was one of the area’s premiere exponents of fusion-style jazz. On Thursday, Sept. 11, the re-formed Tracer will launch Jazz at Holmes Series. The annual fall series also will include tributes to John Coltrane, Charles Mingus and Gaslight Square.

It can be plain or embroidered, a single hue or richly patterned, a bold statement or a humble custom. In “Unveiled,” Chicago-based playwright Rohina Malik explores the significance of the traditional Muslim hijab through the lives of five contemporary women who choose to wear it for the Edison Ovations Series at Washington University Saturday, Sept. 27.

Since the shooting of Michael Brown, the eyes of the world have turned to St. Louis. Over the last several weeks, associate professor Bob Hansman — one of the area’s most prominent community activists — has quietly ushered hundreds of students through the neighborhoods of north St. Louis, chronicling the racial, social and urban histories that have shaped conditions on the ground.

Look. Listen. Inhale. Exhale. In “December,” David Marchant explores the fragmentary nature of memory and the rhythms of human breathing. On Sept. 4, 5 and 6, Marchant will present “December” as part of “Dance Close Up.” The intimate concert will showcase 10 new and original works by dance faculty in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis.

Today, for the first time in history, the majority of the world’s population lives in cities and urban areas. This fall, the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum will present “Encountering the City: The Urban Experience in Contemporary Art.” The exhibition, which encompasses a wide range of media, explores how artists respond to, and grapple with, our rapidly changing urban landscape.

As chair of the Architectural Association in London, Alvin Boyarsky was among the most influential figures in 20th-century design education. This fall, the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum will present “Drawing Ambience: Alvin Boyarsky and the Architectural Association,” the first public museum exhibition of drawings from Boyarsky’s private collection.