ST. LOUIS - TelAve -- The St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum, in partnership with the St. Louis Shakespeare Festival, will present a special collaborative program, The Extraordinary Story Behind Tom Stoppard, on Monday, March 16, 2026, from 6:30–7:30 PM at the Museum's auditorium.

This unique event will explore the remarkable personal history of one of the world's most influential playwrights, Tom Stoppard. Historian Amy Lutz, Director of Marketing & Communications for the St. Louis Shakespeare Festival, will share the story of Stoppard's family's escape from Nazi-occupied Europe during the Anschluss and his later discovery of his Jewish identity—an experience that would ultimately inspire his powerful play Leopoldstadt.

Following this presentation, Tom Ridgely, Artistic Director of the St. Louis Shakespeare Festival, will examine how Stoppard's personal history informs his theatrical voice, with particular focus on his landmark play Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead.

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"The Museum is thrilled to partner with the Shakespeare Festival on this program that explores how heritage and Holocaust history influenced one of the world's great playwrights," said Myron Freedman, Executive Director of the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum.

"Stoppard is one of the few writers since Shakespeare who could use language to such dizzying and exhilarating effect," said Festival Artistic Director Tom Ridgely. "We're honored and excited to pull back the curtain on Stoppard's life to share the somewhat unknown story of his origins, and how his family history impacted the deeply personal nature of his later work. This is especially timely as the Festival has chosen to produce Stoppard's masterpiece, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead, this spring."

Tickets can be reserved at: https://stlholocaustmuseum.org/programs/upcoming-events/.

Free and accessible parking is available on site. Accessible seating, assistive listening devices, and wheelchairs are available upon request.