Starting in June, the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis will have its first new Artistic Director in more than 30 years.

Her name is Hana Sharif, and her new position will make her one of just a handful of women of color in the country, and the first in St. Louis, to run a large professional theater company.

In this edition of Schankman’s St. Louis, she sits down with Paul to discuss her hopes and dreams for the Rep. Paul also talks with the current Artistic Director, Steven Woolf about why he thinks Sharif is the right person to lead the Rep into the future.