MARK on the

Artistic Director Mark Clements...

How does Milwaukee Rep plan a season?

regional theaters on what we call “co-productions” to share the costs for larger shows by essentially sharing the production – the set, the actors and everything else. In our upcoming 2023/24 Season, our production of Little Women will be a coproduction with Seattle Repertory Theater.

For our commissioned new works, we will sometimes do staged readings before committing to doing a full-scale production, so that we can ensure our audiences will enjoy the show and we are headed in the right direction. These readings give us a better idea of how many tickets might sell for a production, which greatly assists us in the season planning process. We held several of these workshops for our upcoming production of Run Bambi Run, which will premiere on the Quadracci Powerhouse stage this autumn after nearly a decade of development and will kick off our 70th Anniversary Season as Milwaukee Rep’s first ever commissioned full-scale musical.

Planning a season of shows for any theater is a complex and multi-step process that can take years. At Milwaukee Rep, we are always guided by our Mission and Core Values to define our programming. We want to ensure that our stories are both reflective of our diverse community so that audiences can see themselves reflected on our stages as well as containing themes and stories that are relevant to Milwaukee audiences.

Every production you see at Milwaukee Rep has been carefully selected based on a number of factors. First, we consider the types of shows that work in each of our three unique performance spaces, which vary greatly in terms of the size and capabilities of the stage and audience capacity. We also consider what productions will help us balance our season, with a mixture of popular musicals or well-known classics and new works commissioned by Milwaukee Rep. An important part of our identity is the John (Jack) D. Lewis New Play Development program, and we are committed to producing new works across our performance spaces each season. Additionally, we balance our seasons with works from a diverse range of playwrights in terms of gender, race and more. We are dedicated to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion both on and off our stages, and this is reflected in the works we choose to feature on our stages.

Another consideration is, of course, budget and logistical concerns. Especially when we are thinking of producing big budget productions, we must consider the full cost of mounting the production; this includes building the sets, creating the costumes, and purchasing the necessary equipment for video projection, lighting and sound. Occasionally we work with other

For more information on our upcoming 70th Anniversary Season, visit www.MilwaukeeRep.com.