Handcrafted St. Louis theatre.
Built by artists.
Made for our community.
St. Louis–based theatre creating bold, imaginative productions that are accessible to everyone.
Now Playing
The Importance of Being Earnest
A trivial comedy for serious people.
Oscar Wilde’s sharpest comedy comes to life with Brickworks’ playful, handcrafted staging. Expect wit, chaos, and a delightful amount of theatrical mischief.
Theatre built from the ground up.
Brickworks Theatre Company is a St. Louis-based collective of artists dedicated to
creating imaginative theatre with heart, humor, and collaboration.
We believe great theatre in St. Louis doesn’t require enormous budgets,
just creativity, collaboration, and a commitment to the audience.
Our productions are often built from handmade elements,
repurposed materials, and the talents of local artists.
What’s coming up at Brickworks
Performances
Auditions
Community events
Support accessible theatre
Our productions operate on a pay-what-you-wish model because we believe theatre should be accessible to everyone. Your support helps us continue creating productions, supporting local artists, and keeping theatre open to our community.
Join our email list
We’re a community-driven theatre company creating accessible, high-quality work in St. Louis. But we can't keep it up without you!
Join our list to stay connected to what’s happening next.
About Brickworks
Brickworks Theatre Company is an independent theatre company based in St. Louis.
We are dedicated to creating theatrical experiences that are
Imaginative.
Community-driven.
& Accessible.We want St. Louis audiences who may not always have access to traditional theatre spaces to have that chance, barrier free.
This view is rooted in our pay-what-you-wish performances as well as educational nights and all things in-community.
Our work is rooted in collaboration.Actors, designers, builders, directors, and community members
come together to create productions that celebrate storytelling, craftsmanship, and creativity.
Many of our productions are built using handmade or repurposed materials.We have open auditions and calls for
work from local artists, reflecting our belief that real connections and artistry matter more than theatrical elitism.Come run with us!
“Unique, creative, professional — I love working with Brickworks Theatre Company. Over the past few years, they have helped us create interactive aspects for our fundraising events that engage and entertain, taking the ordinary and making it extraordinary.”
-Liz Reeves
Director, St. Louis Public Library Foundation
Our Values
Accessibility
Many of our productions operate on a pay-what-you-wish model to help remove
financial barriers for families, young adults, and community members.
Our Values
Community
Brickworks is built by local artists for the St. Louis community. We collaborate with local performers,
businesses, and organizations and strive to create theatre that feels rooted in the community around us.
Our Values
Scrappy Creativity
We make a lot with a little. From handmade puppets to repurposed costume pieces,
our productions celebrate creativity, craftsmanship, and imagination.
Our Values
Playfulness
Even when themes are serious, we never lose our sense of fun.
Theatre should surprise, delight, and invite audiences into worlds of creativity.
Matt Bender
Artistic Director
Learn more
Matt is a Midwest-based theatre maker, artist, and educator who cut his teeth in Chicago’s storefront theatre scene. He holds an M.F.A. from Western Illinois University and holds stage combat certifications in various disciplines through both the Society of American Fight Directors and Dueling Arts International. In addition to this ongoing artistic training, Matt has worked as a director, movement director, fight choreographer, actor, and educator for over a dozen years.
Alison Hibbeler
Board Secretary
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Alison is a Colorado based theatrical designer and actor. She is originally from Colorado but moved to Chicago to get her BA in Theatre from Concordia University Chicago. She moved to St. Louis in August 2021 and went on to meet her husband. She has worked with multiple theatre groups in the Chicago-land, Colorado, and St. Louis area. Her favorite shows she has worked on are In the Soundless Awe with Saltbox Theatre Collective, Pirates of Penzance with Saltbox Theatre Collective, Women of Lockerbie with Concordia University Chicago, and A Christmas Carol with Brickworks Theatre
Geordie Denholm
Production Manager
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Geordie is a theatre maker from youth and is now based in STL. He graduated from Concordia University Chicago with a Bachelor's in theatre and received both a Master's of Divinity and of Sacred Theology from Concordia Seminary. Geordie has been involved in dozens of productions, but favorite credits include: A Christmas Carol with Brickworks Theatre, The Last Days of Judas Iscariot with Cat's Cradle, Burning Bluebeard by The Ruffians, and Romeo & Juliet with Artists of Concordia Theatre.
MK Perling
Board Treasurer
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MK is a St. Louis transplant with a B.S. in Acting from Illinois State University. She first joined Brickworks as a company member in A Christmas Carol, and is honored to now serve on the board. She worked with Kara, Geordie, and Alison on Cat’s Cradle Theatre’s production of The Last Days of Judas Iscariot in 2021, and trained with Matt at the 2018 Central Illinois Stage Combat Workshop. She lives in St Louis with her wife and 2 cats.
Kara Grimm-Denholm
Board President
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Kara is a St. Louis based theatrical designer. She holds a BA in theatre with an emphasis in design from Concordia University Chicago. She relocated from Chicago to St. Louis after completing an internship at Steppenwolf Theatre. Since then, she has worked with COCA, Stray Dog Theatre, and other local theatre makers. She currently serves as a board member for Intersect Arts St. Louis. She lives in Benton Park West with her husband, two overexcited dogs, and approximately 500 house plants.
Marleena Garris
Digital Marketing
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Marleena is a Boston-born, St. Louis transplant with a BFA in Acting from Lindenwood University, paired with a digital marketing minor. As an actor and freelance content strategist, her love of storytelling goes beyond the stage and into (phone) screens. After seeing the gap between effective theatrical communications outside of the stage, she now has her talents set on Brickworks Theatre Company, joining the board after supporting the work for a little over 2 years, Marleena uses analytical data and creative collaboration to connect BTC to the audiences they want to reach while elevating their pay-what-you-wish model, which she ferociously believes in.
Leadership
Brickworks is guided by a working board of artists and collaborators who help shape the company’s creative direction.
CURRENT PRODUCTION
The Importance of Being Earnest
Oscar Wilde’s classic comedy of manners returns with Brickworks’ playful, handcrafted staging.
Follow the tangled identities, outrageous social expectations, and delightfully absurd logic of Victorian high society.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Our upcoming season will include new productions, community performances, and special events.
Stay tuned for announcements
Explore Our Calendar
Programs & Community
Brickworks knows that the work goes beyond the stage.
We also look for ways to show up in classrooms, community spaces, festivals, and creative partnerships across St. Louis.
Some of this work is already part of what we do.
Some of it is what we’re actively building toward.
Educational Opportunities
We create opportunities for students and young audiences to experience theatre in ways that feel accessible, engaging, and alive.
This includes student nights, workshops, and community-centered programming that connects people to storytelling beyond the stage.
Offsite Performances & Partnerships
We are actively looking to collaborate with local organizations, festivals, and spaces to bring theatrical experiences outside of traditional venues.
Brickworks means always looking for ways to meet audiences where they are.
Fundraising & Support
Brickworks welcomes the weird, odd and unconventional. We love the chance to produe one-off events and creative projects that support both our work and the broader community.
We love all projects and are game for the playful, experimental and welcome to new connections.
Interested in collaborating with us?
We’d love to hear from you.
Media
Archive
A Christmas Carol
December 2025
For the last 3 years, Brickworks Theatre Company shares with audiences a classic tale of warm proportions by Charles Dickens.
We also paired with STLCC to provide mutual aid bags to those who were interested or in need with every performance.
Our pay-what-you-wish production of A Christmas Carol photos are below, photo credits to Nate Rolland
A Night of Luv!
Februrary 2026
Our "Night Of...!" shows are part game show, part hilarious comedy gambit.
Check out our photos below, with special thanks to Greenfinch Theatre & Dive for sharing their space with us.
Get Involved
Brickworks is built through collaboration.
We’re always interested in working with actors, designers, technicians, directors, teaching artists, and creative collaborators of all kinds.
If you’re interested in being part of what we’re building, we’d love to hear from you, no matter where you land on and off the stage.
It takes a village.
Join our email list
We’re a community-driven theatre company creating accessible, high-quality work in St. Louis. But we can't keep it up without you!
Join our list to stay connected to what’s happening next.
Audition with us
Audition notices will be posted here when available.
Work with us
(onstage or behind the scenes)
Audition notices will be posted here when available.
