Vero Voce changes name to STC Theater to reflect new mission

Vero Voce has changed its name and mission.

In June, Tara Frost took over the operation of Vero Voce Theater and School of Performing Arts in St. Charles from owners Dennis Brown and his wife, Dawn Harkins, who was a voice and musical theater instructor at Vero Voce.

The couple moved to West Virginia earlier this year.

Frost has decided to change the name to STC Theater to reflect its primary focus on theater as opposed to voice lessons. She also has been sharing the space with other theater groups.

“In December, we have WT Productions doing ‘Seasonal Bags,’ she said. “Renting space can be very expensive. First of all, it can be hard to come by. So we’re trying to be more affordable and more friendly towards smaller groups that are just starting out and that sort of thing.”

Her theatrical background is primarily in stage management and doing community theater shows.

“I decided it might be good to have my own space, so that’s sort of how I find my way over to Vero Voce,” Frost said.

STC Theater also plans to stage its own productions. It will present “The Humans” from Nov. 10-19.

“And then we’re hoping to do ‘The Great North Pole Bake-Off,’ which is a show for kids, in December,” she said. “That depends on if we can get enough kids. I’ve already had to cancel a couple of things because we just didn’t get enough people signing up.”

While Vero Voce produced mainly productions that featured kids, STC Theater plans to do productions that appeal to all ages.

“We want to do some kid productions, but we want to do a lot more shows for grownups,” Frost said.

The St. Charles City Council recently approved a liquor license for STC Theater. The venue plans to sell alcohol during its production of “The Humans” in November.

By next summer, STC Theater might move to a bigger space that would accommodate a bigger stage and more seats.

“The current space that I’m renting can’t be reconfigured, so that’s not really a possibility,” Frost said.

More information about STC Theater is available at its website, stctheater.com.