The Muny facts for kids
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The Muny
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 St. Louis Municipal Opera Theatre
Location in Forest Park (St. Louis)
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| Former names | Municipal Theater of St. Louis (1917-19) |
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| Address | 1 Theatre Dr St. Louis, MO 63112-1019 |
| Location | Forest Park |
| Coordinates | 38°38′26″N 90°16′50″W / 38.640560°N 90.280484°W |
| Public transit |  MetroBus |
| Owner | Municipal Theatre Association of St. Louis |
| Capacity | 11,000 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | June 5, 1917 |
| Renovated | 1923, 1930, 1935, 1997, 2004, 2014–15, 2018-19 |
| Construction cost | $10,000 ($269 thousand in 2022 dollars ) |
The St. Louis Municipal Opera Theatre, often called The Muny, is a large outdoor theater in St. Louis, Missouri. It's like a huge open-air stage where people can watch shows under the stars! The theater can hold 11,000 people. About 1,500 of these seats are free and are given out first-come, first-served in the last nine rows.
The Muny's performance season runs every year from mid-June to mid-August. A nonprofit organization manages the theater. This means it's run to benefit the community, not to make money. Kwofe Coleman is the current president and chief executive. Mike Isaacson is the artistic director and executive producer.
Contents
The Muny's Story: How It Began
The idea for The Muny started in 1914. A person named Luther Ely Smith began putting on big outdoor plays called pageants in Forest Park. In 1916, a special spot in the park was chosen for a play called As You Like It. This play had a huge cast of 1,000 local dancers and singers! The audience sat on portable chairs on a gravel floor.
Soon after, in 1917, leaders in St. Louis wanted to create a special show for a big convention. Mayor Henry Kiel and others worked super fast. In just 49 days, they built the first outdoor theater owned by a city in the United States! On June 5, 1917, the first show, an opera called Aida, was performed on what would become The Muny stage.
In 1919, the new theater got its official name: St. Louis Municipal Opera Theatre, or "The Muny" for short. The very first show under this new name was Robin Hood. It opened on June 16, 1919. Even Mayor Kiel acted in it as King Richard!
Making The Muny Better
Over the years, The Muny kept getting improvements. By 1921, it had a new, strong stage made of concrete. This helped protect the equipment from floods. In 1922, they added a new covered walkway, 750 permanent seats, and even 500 parking spots for cars. They also added "comfort stations," which are restrooms.
More improvements came in 1923. They added 1,800 more permanent seats. An extra stage was built for rehearsals, and a sound amplifier was installed. This helped people in the back hear the show just as well as those in the front!
In 1923, The Muny also started a free school. It was for people who wanted to sing in the chorus for the summer shows. Many people applied, and classes met twice a week.
In 1930, a special turning stage was added. This turntable made it easier to change scenes during performances. It was rebuilt in 1997 and replaced again in 2018-2019.
Muny Kids and Muny Teens
In 1994, The Muny started a group called Muny Kids. This was a special group of performers aged 7 to 13. They would travel around St. Louis to perform and even give preview shows before the main productions in the summer. In 1998, the Muny Teens group was created for performers aged 14 to 18, doing similar things.
How The Muny Shows Are Made
The Muny creates all its own musicals, usually seven each season. They only perform in the summer. But during the winter, a team of 35 full-time staff members works hard to get ready for the next summer season. When summer arrives, the staff grows to over 500 people!
All the shows are rehearsed very quickly, in just 11 days. Then, there are two technical rehearsals before the show opens. Each show runs for 7 days. There's a short break of two or three days between shows. This time is used to change the sets and prepare for the next production.
Muny Magic Concerts
Since 2015, The Muny has also put on special concerts called Muny Magic at The Sheldon. These concerts happen twice a year at the Sheldon Concert Hall. They feature artists who have performed on The Muny stage. It's a great way to enjoy Muny performers even when it's not summer!
See also
- List of The Muny repertory
- List of contemporary amphitheatres
