Drama Ink - Winter 2018

The donor newsletter of Milwaukee Repertory Theater

Actors across the country know Milwaukee Rep. It’s a destination we respect and aspire to work at. As visiting actors, we know we will be welcomed by The Rep community with amazing warmth and hospitality. The professionalism of the staff, the talent of the artists, and the charm of Milwaukee make The Rep one of the best regional theaters in the country!

— Brian Abraham, The Who & The What

Issue 7 • Winter 2018

DIRECTLY SPEAKING

Mark Clements

Chad Bauman

Dear Friends, While we are battling the depths of winter, everything is really heating up here at The Rep!

artistic innovation. A final total will be announced at a campaign celebration event on March 2.

So far this season, our musical Guys and Dolls was received with wide-spread acclaim and surpassed all our ticket sales goals. Likewise, the third installment of our partnership with Ayad Akhtar, The Who and The What, was one of the most anticipated productions in our season and played to sold-out audiences night after night. We also wrapped up the second production of our new adaptation of A Christmas Carol. With some adjustments to the script this season and a stellar cast led by Jonathan Wainwright, this production exceeded all our expectations! We also had the privilege to partner with the United Community Center and raised $55,000 to support their tremendous work on Milwaukee’s south side.

Speaking of campaigns, we are embarking on a $1.75 million renovation of our beloved Stackner Cabaret. In our last issue, we shared the first phase of the renovation, which removed four large columns and added eight additional seats, bringing the total capacity to 132. To date, we have raised $1.35 million and will begin the renovations at the end of the current season. The renovations will be completed by the 2018/19 Season, which also happens to be our 65th anniversary season.

We are now eagerly awaiting our upcoming spring productions, including the three involved in our Neighbor Series. We’re thrilled to announce that our production of Our Town, the third in The Neighbor Series, has been awarded funding from the National Endowment for the Arts. This will help support both the production and the accompanying Community Dinners. Read more about the groundbreaking Neighbor Series on the next page.

The end of 2017 also brought the close of our Created in Milwaukee capital campaign, a full 18 months ahead of schedule. This campaign raised a mix of current use and endowed funds that will help us fortify our John (Jack) D. Lewis New Play Development Program and all of our Mpact programming. By investing in these mission-critical programs, we will be able to deepen our impact throughout Milwaukee and further promote our great city as a hub for creativity, engagement, and

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The many changes include a new bar and seating area located outside of the Stackner, and the addition of 60 seats. For those who have let us know the chairs in the Stackner are not your favorite, never fear. We heard you, which is why all chairs and bar stools will be upgraded as well. This is the first major renovation in the Stackner’s 30-year history and we couldn’t be more excited!

Even though we are more than halfway through the season, it feels in some ways like we are just getting started. And none of this – from our next four productions to a much-needed Stackner renovation – would be possible without your generous and enduring support.

Cheers,

Mark Clements Artistic Director

Chad Bauman Managing Director

THE NEIGHBOR SERIES

This spring, The Rep is producing three plays focused on community: One House Over by Catherine Trieschmann, Until the Flood by Dael Orlandersmith, and Our Town by Thornton Wilder.

We are calling these plays The Neighbor Series as all three plays invite discussion about what it means to be a neighbor. We plan to engage Milwaukee audiences in the conversation by hosting more than 80 free community events between March – May 2018.

All three productions will also incorporate pre-show Rep-In-Depth lectures, TalkBacks, Workshops, and Panel Discussions. To learn more about The Neighbor Series and keep up to date on all of The Rep’s engagement programming, visit www.MilwaukeeRep.com.

ONE HOUSE OVER FEBRUARY 27 – MARCH 25, 2018

FIRST-EVER NATIONAL INTERSECTIONS SUMMIT: ART & SOCIAL JUSTICE IN MILWAUKEE

UNTIL THE FLOOD MARCH 13 – APRIL 22, 2018

COMMUNITY RESPONDERS POP-UP PERFORMANCES • ACT II DIALOGUES

OUR TOWN

APRIL 10 – MAY 13, 2018 LOBBY EXHIBIT: ZIP MKE • COMMUNITY DINNERS

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A VIEW THROUGH THE PLAYWRIGHT’S WINDOW Producing a new play is a risk. Will the audience like it? How do we market a play no one has ever seen?

While there are many unknowns, developing new plays is a challenge The Rep is eager to accept. Especially when you have a playwright like Catherine Trieschmann at the helm, the author of our upcoming production of One House Over. The Rep has been working with Trieschmann on this play for almost two years to prepare it for the world premiere this February. We recently caught up with Trieschmann to reflect on the process of bringing this play to life.

Catherine Trieschmann

On her inspiration for the play …

On working with The Rep …

The genesis for One House Over came from two immigration stories: my Grandfather who fled Czechoslovakia in 1939 after Hitler’s invasion, and my neighbor who crossed the Mexican border in the back of a semi-truck as a teenager. I wanted to write about different waves of immigration and knew that situating various generational representatives in close proximity would create good drama.

It’s an honor. Milwaukee Rep has a long tradition of excellence, and it’s incredibly exciting to see such a fantastic theater supporting, commissioning, and producing new work…I sent this play to The Rep because I have a strong relationship with Mark Clements and Brent Hazelton, Associate Artistic Director. I trust their judgement and taste, so I’m not nervous about sending them early drafts. They can see the potential in my work, even when I’m still figuring it out. They’ve also done an excellent job of articulating The Rep’s mission in the past few years, and it’s one I’m happy to support with the fullness of my talent and experiences.

On workshops …

On what she wants people to take away from this play …

Intense is the best word for it; often more intense for the writer than going into production. I’ve revised entire acts in 48 hours during workshops. I’ve thrown out characters, added new ones, discarded half the play. If I were this adventurous during the first week of rehearsal, the production team would have a heart attack. Workshops allow the writer to take big risks, which often have big rewards, and when they don’t, there’s no consequence. You just go home and give the script another go!

It’s incredibly freeing creatively to workshop a play, and by far the most productive part of my revision process.

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I hope audiences fall in love with each character. I hope they have their hearts broken by them as well. I hope they leave the theater dying to talk about immigrant experiences, elder care, and how we might all do a little better job of taking care of one another.

Footnote: In June 2017, One House Over was workshopped at the Door Kinetic Arts Festival in Door County. One House Over had two workshop readings directed by Clements with Hazelton as the dramaturg, which were the first time Trieschmann was able to hear the play out loud.

“One House Over” is developed as part of the John (Jack) D. Lewis New Play Development Program and is sponsored by Executive Producer Judy Hansen, and Associate Producers Catherine and Buddy Robinson, and the Four-Four Foundation, Inc.

PROVOKING CONVERSATIONS ON TRUTH, JUSTICE, AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN “Theater is a place where stories are told. There’s not a right or wrong, good or bad, or black and white, just different perspectives,” says Dael Orlandersmith, the playwright of Until the Flood.

In 2015, Orlandersmith was approached by Seth Gordon, the Associate Artistic Director of the Repertory Theater of St. Louis, to write a play in response to the unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, after the shooting of Michael Brown. She makes her approach clear. “First and foremost,” she says, “I am a playwright. I am a storyteller, not a spokesperson. It is my responsibility to write a story that speaks to the events that happened, not for any one person or group of people.”

Her search for truth began with Michael Brown, Sr. and approximately 13 other community members. These collective perspectives became the impetus for the story she needed to tell. That story became Until the Flood – a series of monologues describing the perspective of eight different characters, all performed by Orlandersmith. She believes, “If I were to approach this from one perspective, that would mean this story was finite. It’s not finite. It’s layered.

Dael Orlandersmith in Until the Flood at the Repertory Theatre of St. Louis. Photo by Peter Wochniak

“Nothing is black and white,” she emphasizes. “[Officer] Darren Wilson and Michael Brown were flip sides of the same coin. Born in 1986 and 1996 respectively to teenage mothers, they grew up in tougher households, where parental figures were lacking and money wasn’t readily available. Darren Wilson’s mother was a criminal, and he went the opposite way and turned to the law.

“People will look for justice at the expense of someone else’s truth,” Orlandersmith says. “We’re dealing with two hurt men and adding in the issue of race. We don’t know what happened in their last few moments, but it is not as simple as Michael Brown being guilty. Sure, he had a record for petty crime, but that does not justify his killing.

While these two are at the center of the story, we cannot separate their existence from the overall.”

People will look for justice at the expense of someone else’s truth.

Asked what she hopes audiences will take away from the production, Orlandersmith replies, “I want people to be open. They can be angry with me. I don’t care. When one discusses race, gender, any kind of bias, people shut down. I hope it gives people a reason to be open and invokes and provokes conversation.” n “Until the Flood” is sponsored by Executive Producers Jackie Herd-Barber and Michael Barber, and John and Connie Kordsmeier.

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LAURA GORDON BRINGS OUR TOWN HOME Laura Gordon is looking forward to playing the iconic role of Stage Manager when the beloved classic Our Town opens in April.

She says she never anticipated playing this role.

In fact, she has never worked on a production of Our Town before, but it’s a play she has always wanted to do. She explains, “Traditionally, the Stage Manager is played by a man, so I’ve never thought about what it would mean to play that part until now. I get to forge a real relationship with the audience, which I’m excited about.”

Role of the Stage Manager Written by Wisconsin native Thornton Wilder, Our Town tells the story of the fictional town of Grover’s Corners through the lives of its everyday citizens. The play famously explores the universal themes of birth, love, and death, uniting audiences from all walks of life through the universality of the human experience.

The Stage Manager begins and concludes the play and coordinates it throughout all three acts.

The character is both part of the world of Grover’s Corners and outside of it.

The Stage Manager is the main device through which Thornton Wilder breaks the fourth wall in the play, as the actor often speaks directly to the audience.

As Gordon says, “The Stage Manager is a conduit for the telling of this story. She is able to guide and focus the story and provide perspective on the events that unfold. There’s a generosity of spirit that I find very moving.”

Gordon has naturally given much thought as to how she will approach the role. “When a play is well written, as Our Town is, everything you need is there on the page. My plan is to be very present in the room during rehearsal. My job is to observe the story, and to help set the scene for the audience in a really personal way.

“I’m a member of this community and have been for nearly 30 years. My home is here. The Rep has been and continues to be an artistic home for me,” she adds. “I’m thrilled to be part of an ensemble that has such a connection to Milwaukee and The Rep. It’s going to be an Our Town for our town. That excites me. That moves me. I think it’s going to feel personal and meaningful to our audience.”

After the cast has taken its final bow, Gordon hopes that, “The audience will walk away, thinking about the beauty of the everyday and the preciousness of time. It makes me think about my past, and inspires me to live my life fully, with an awareness that it could end at any moment.”

She adds, “There’s a reason why this play, written in 1938, has become an American classic. The themes are simple, yet profoundly universal.”n “Our Town” is sponsored by Associated Bank.

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Laura Gordon

Traditionally, the Stage Manager is played by a man, so I’ve never thought about what it would mean to play that part until now.

DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION FOR MARK? Submit your questions to onthemark@milwaukeerep.com and see his answers in an upcoming issue!

With The Rep’s focus on new works, why continue to produce familiar classics like The Glass Menagerie and Our Town?

There are a number of reasons to continue producing classic works alongside our newer productions. Chief among them is that not everyone has seen these classics. Yes, we have our extremely faithful theater fans who have seen six different versions of Our Town, but there are also newcomers to the theater world who have never experienced that important story.

We are mindful of programming classics for Milwaukee youth and exposing a new generation to these timeless works. Because they are timeless stories, their themes are still as relevant today as they were when they were written. The importance of imagination from Man of La Mancha, or navigating family

relations in The Glass Menagerie, and the idea of living life to its fullest in Our Town – these concepts are universally human, and for that reason they will always be relevant.

We also produce classics because they take on different meanings throughout one’s lifetime.

I’ve directed Of Mice and Men three times in my career – in my 20s, 30s, and now 40s. Each time I reread this work, I find new interpretations based on my life experience to that point. Now that I am a father, that experience colored how I directed our most recent version and gave me a new perspective. I hope to pass on this same experience to our patrons, so they can experience these classic stories in new ways. n

THANK YOU to all who took the time to fill out our survey back in

October! We had an overwhelming response and received some great feedback on improving Drama Ink. We are combing through the feedback and rest assured – we are ready to listen!

In future issues, continue to look for changes that will enhance your reading experience – more visuals, a new electronic format, exclusive behind-the-scenes content, and more. You demonstrated your commitment to The Rep by taking the time to share your thoughts, and we are excited to return the favor by making this donor newsletter even better.

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Cover photos, clockwise from top left: Murder For Two in the Stackner Cabaret.

Left to Right: Joe Kinosian and Matt Edmonds.

Photo by Michael Brosilow.

Guys and Dolls in the Quadracci Powerhouse.

Front row Adrian Aguilar, Richard R. Henry, Michael J. Farina and cast. Photo by Michael Brosilow.

The Who & The What in the Stiemke Studio featuring Brian Abraham and Nikita Tewani.

Photo by Tony Duvall.

Souvenir in the Stacker Cabaret with Jack Forbes Wilson and Marguerite Willbanks.

Photo by Michael Brosilow.

Cover Page Header A Christmas Carol in the Historic Pabst Theater.

Left to Right: Jonathan Wainwright, Jesse Bhamrah, Annelyse Ahmad with the ensemble of A Christmas Carol.

Photo by Michael Brosilow.

UPCOMING EVENTS February 12, 2018 2018/19 Season Launch February 15 – 19, 2018 Rep Lab March 2, 2018 One House Over Opening Night March 2, 2018 Created in Milwaukee Campaign Finale (Campaign Donors $10,000+) March 16, 2018 Until the Flood Opening Night March 25, 2018 Always…Patsy Cline Opening Night April 13, 2018 Our Town Opening Night May 12, 2018 2018 Curtain Call Ball

For a full list of events, please visit www.MilwaukeeRep.com

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Issue 7 • Winter 2018

Milwaukee Repertory Theater • Development Department 108 E. Wells Street • Milwaukee, WI 53202 • 414-290-0717 Chuck Rozewicz Chief Development Officer crozewicz@milwaukeerep.com

Amy Dorman Director of Development adorman@milwaukeerep.com

Meghan Roesner Associate Director of Development, Institutional Giving mroesner@milwaukeerep.com

Shannon Theiss Associate Director of Development, Events & Stewardship stheiss@milwaukeerep.com

Katie Krueger Development Database Manager kkrueger@milwaukeerep.com