ST. LOUIS — A newly expanded musical sharing the life story of Servant of God Thea Bowman will premiere this week in Missouri, telling of the storied African-American Catholic nun who is now on the path to sainthood.
The play, titled “I Will Live Until I Die,” stars ValLimar Jansen, a veteran singer and actress who has staged one-woman shows depicting both Biblical characters and a variety of Black Catholics—including Ethel Waters and all six African Americans up for canonization.
The new show, which follows Jansen’s years of research on Bowman’s upbringing and 37-year ministry, began as a solo work with performances in 2023 and 2024. It has since been rewritten and developed into a full-fledged musical in partnership with G. K. Chesterton Entertainment.
“The central dramatic question that this show is answering is: What does it mean to be Black and Catholic?” Jansen told St. Louis Review this month, referring to a quote from Bowman during her landmark 1989 address to the U.S. Catholic bishops.
“I Will Live Until I Die," a musical on the life of Servant of God Thea Bowman, will be performed in March at COCA in University City on March 5-8. For performance times and to purchase tickets, visit https://t.co/MzmPfrpxPA.
— St. Louis Review (@StLouisReview) February 21, 2026
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The larger speech has become central to Bowman’s popular legacy since her death from cancer the following year, and the event featured her signature musical odes interspersed with reflections on the situation of African Americans, including Catholics from the community, in the modern age.
Bowman herself was a nearly lifelong religious sister, having become the first Black member of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration in 1953 at the age of 15. She later became an educator and scholar, while also helping to lead the Black Catholic Movement as an internationally known speaker, evangelist, musician, and theologian.
The cause for her canonization was opened by the Diocese of Jackson in 2018, a first for a Black American born in the 20th century; the diocesan phase concluded in January. Over the years, Bowman has been the subject of several theatrical productions, including a one-woman show starring Sherrie Tolliver in 2018 and an eponymous play by Nathan Yungerberg the next year.
The new, fuller version of Jansen’s play features a 45-member cast, including Tiffany Tenille as a young Bowman; Betsey Beckman as Sr. Dorothy Kundinger, FSPA; and local young actors Kiarse Fields, Sarah and Jaron Bentley, Raylee Jones, and Rian A. Page.
The show will be backed by an instrumental ensemble and a choir with members from the local community in St. Louis. The earlier iteration of the play included renditions of several ancient Latin hymns as well as the Negro spirituals Bowman often performed—and even recorded—in her adult life. It has since been expanded in Jansen’s partnership with Chesterton Entertainment.
“When she turned around and was able to create something so different and elevated in such a short period of time, it was like, ‘Wow, this is incredible,’” Maria Vargo, president and artistic director of GKCE, told St. Louis Magazine.
“I Will Live Until I Die” will open Thursday, March 5, at the Center of Creative Arts, with additional performances throughout the weekend. Tickets are available for purchase online, and group discounts are available.
Nate Tinner-Williams is co-founder and editor of Black Catholic Messenger.
