Theater company joins retail mix

Dramatic License opens in Chesterfield Mall’s Artropolis

By Mary Shapiro
West County Suburban Journals

Tuesday, January 19, 2010  

Thanks to a stream of visitors interrupting her, Kim Furlow, of Ballwin, can’t seem to finish her job of painting sound barrier boxes on a recent afternoon.

She certainly needed to.

“Steel Magnolias,” the first 2010 production, is set to open Feb. 4 at her Dramatic License Theatre’s new home in Chesterfield Mall.

It’s within the Artropolis that opened last month on both levels of the mall. The “district” features low-cost leased space for various arts organizations, said Stacey Morse, executive director with Chesterfield Arts.

Chesterfield Arts is a partner with mall operator CBL Properties, Inc. and the St. Louis Regional Arts Commission in developing Artropolis, which features, so far, five artists and arts organizations.

 Among Furlow’s visitors is a friend, Linda Kraus, of Manchester, who answered an emergency e-mail asking for help with sewing and other needs.

Another is Susan Blandford, whose St. Louis Teachers Recycle Center will open Jan. 30 in Artropolis. She suggests her group offer a ladies’ hat-making workshop to children of those coming to see “Steel Magnolias.”

Furlow, the theater’s executive producer and a cast member of “Steel Magnolias,” finally returns to painting.

“We’re rehearsing in donated space at Chesterfield Arts’ headquarters, but hope to be able to move in here Jan. 29,” Furlow said.

Her theater started life in August with a production of “Doubt” at the Black Box Theater in the Kranzberg Arts Center in St. Louis’s Grand Center.

She praised her $100 a month Artropolis rental cost, which is all she pays, except for utilities and trash pickup fees. The mall even picked up half the $12,000 needed to provide required fire prevention equipment.

She also likes the mall’s free parking and the convenience of popular restaurants and stores close by, which she sees as a help in attracting theatergoers.

Furlow, 45, and her husband of nearly six years, Andy Knef, 52, are co-owners of the theater and cabaret company, Dramatic License Productions.

“I came up with the name. I love a well-turned phrase, and I thought Dramatic License was clever, honest and cute,” said Andy, manager of creative services for BJC Healthcare.

Even Furlow’s 10-year-old daughter, Hannah Modglin, has helped paint more than 400 ceiling tiles black.

Furlow is usually at the mall from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, when she departs for three-hour rehearsals. The long hours are need to convert a former retail space into a theater.

“This space was used for Glowgolf before us, and you wouldn’t believe the number of golf ball divets in the wall we’ve had to spackle,” she said.

Her company is funded through private and corporate in-kind donations, such as from Bender Inc. Printing and TR,i Architects.

Despite the financial help, Knef and Furlow invested more than $35,000 of their own money on the new theater, which seats 95.

In addition to plays, Dramatic License will provide week-long, fee-based theater arts camps for 8- to 15-year-olds.

Enduring sleepless nights preparing for a final St. Louis County inspection and struggling to finish building stage risers, Furlow admits it will be a race to finish on time.

“What moves me forward is picturing people leaving after a play and saying what a great time they had,” she said.

For information on the theater, visit the website www.DramaticLicenseProductions.com or call (636) 220-7012.