drama INK
The donor newsletter of Milwaukee Rep ISSUE 16 • WINTER 2021
SPEAKING
directl y
Normally we would be announcing our new season right around now, revealing our next selection of plays and hearing the oohs and aahs from Subscribers. Instead, we are anxiously awaiting the opportunity to return to live theater. To adhere to Milwaukee safety guidelines, we will delay Ella Fitzgerald: First Lady of Song until the end of April. Antonio’s Song/I Was Dreaming of a Son is postponed until the 2021/22 Season, and we have canceled McGuire and Nina Simone: Four Women. Even though we are not able to gather like normal, we are looking forward to an incredible slate of productions in our 2021/22 Season. In April, we will share more information and dates for our previously announced productions which have been moved to the 2021/22 Season. Our ability to produce theater is only possible because of the tremendous support we received from you during our Rep Rising Emergency Fund campaign this fall. Your contributions are allowing us to employ our incredible artists, and provide weekly content through our digital “At Home” series. We are excited to report Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol reached viewers in approximately 22 different countries and employed 50 artists without any COVID-19 transmission. You can learn more about how we made it happen on the next page. We also have incredible news about our Rep Rising Board of Trustees challenge. Thanks to you, we were able to surpass $500,000 in new and increased gifts! We were also fortunate to receive federal CARES Act dollars through initiatives from the state of Wisconsin and Milwaukee County. Since our last issue of Drama Ink, we have officially launched our Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (ED&I) Staff Workgroup, which is comprised of staff members from every department and charged with developing trainings and activities.
Our objective is to elevate the ED&I priorities focused on workplace inclusion and cultural competence throughout the company. This work will lead to our internal ED&I staff campaign event to mobilize full staff involvement and commitment. During this virtual experience, we will announce first-quarter activities and discuss the ED&I strategic plan being delivered by the Kaleidoscope Group. Change requires buy-in from the entire company, and our staff is all-in towards achieving equity. As we continue preparing to return to our theater, we can’t help but feel a bit of optimism about the coming year. Currently Wisconsin leads the nation in daily COVID-19 vaccinations, and President Biden announced that with 200 million additional dosages recently acquired, every American should have access to the vaccine by summer.
Mark Clements Artistic Director
Chad Bauman
Executive Director
Freelance Artist Relief Fund Thanks to the incredible outpouring of support we received during the Rep Rising Emergency Fund campaign, we were able to not only support our current artists and staff, but also establish the Freelance Artist Relief Fund to provide financial assistance to freelance artists who have been out of work as a result of COVID-19. This effort provided awards of up to $1,000 each for freelance theatrical artists in a variety of disciplines who lost employment from April 1 – December 1, 2020.
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Within the arts sector, freelance artists working as directors, designers, actors, stage managers, teaching artists, production artisans, choreographers, coaches, and musicians have been among the most vulnerable populations. We took this opportunity to assist regional theater artists — especially those who have worked at Milwaukee Rep recently and are critical to our ability to recover. In total, we were able to distribute $60,000 in awards to 80 recipients.
Cover: Lee E. Ernst (right) and Dan Kazemi in Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol. Photo by Michael Brosilow.
SCENES
behind the
Rehearsing in the age of COVID-19 To adapt to a world of social distancing, rehearsals for Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol began early November 2020 over Zoom, with actors, Emerging Professional Residents (EPRs), directors, and designers gathering from the safety of their homes. They started with “table work,” which consists of the actors and directors analyzing the script and communicating the artistic vision before establishing when and where the actor moves on set. For a medium that relies heavily on physicality and movement between artists, the switch to virtual rehearsals felt strange. It was just not the same to experience a rehearsal process from behind a computer screen. Armed with a safety plan created and endorsed by some of Milwaukee’s leading healthcare professionals, Milwaukee Rep was one of the only theaters in the country to produce live theater with Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol in November. However, the need for greater safety protocols to protect our artists led to significant changes in the rehearsal process.
In-Person Rehearsals Approximately two weeks into the rehearsal process and once all members of the Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol team had tested negative twice, all rehearsals moved in-person. Five people were involved: Lee Ernst, who played the Storyteller, Music Director and Foley Artist Dan Kazemi, Director Mark Clements, and Production Associates Kimberly Carolus and Rebecca Lindsey. Before any artists stepped foot in the building, Milwaukee Rep made some adjustments; we installed the Clorox Total 360 system throughout our facility, which sanitizes all our spaces between rehearsals and performances, and updated our HVAC system to improve air flow throughout the building. In-person rehearsals took place in the Stiemke Studio, which allowed us to create a bubble for the production. The team was required to enter the building through the Stiemke Studio,
and once inside, they were not allowed to go anywhere else in the building. Mark was not even allowed to step foot in his own office. Each person was also tested every other day throughout the in-person rehearsal process using the same test used by Major League Baseball. No additional personnel were allowed in the rehearsal space to minimize exposure, so EPRs understudying for Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol joined all rehearsals virtually. Designers and technicians also adapted their processes to minimize the need for close contact. For example, Lee and Dan each wore only one costume to eliminate the need for quick changes, which in turn required fewer crew members backstage. Costume designer Alex Tecoma came to all fittings and tech rehearsals wearing a mask, face shield, gloves, and protective gown. Set designer Arnold Bueso worked remotely, attending all production meetings virtually and watching the process of adding the technical elements of the show and the filming from a closed feed. The creative team operated as a unit for the duration of the process, ensuring everyone was doing their part to protect themselves and others. Every rehearsal began with a questionnaire to assess potential COVID-19 symptoms and a temperature check. Wearing a mask at all times caused some challenges for Lee and Mark, as Mark was never able to see the lower two-thirds of Lee’s facial expressions! All members of the team stayed at least six feet from one another at all times, another strange experience for the team. “Theater artists have a reputation for being affectionate, so a rehearsal room without hugs or even the occasional high five was unusual,” Lee shared. “Creating Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol was like no other process.”
Given current challenges, why did Milwaukee Rep prioritize making live theater? “Connection,” says Artistic Producer Laura Braza. “We’re in a lonely, isolating moment. When we’re separated by screens or dots on a sidewalk placed six feet apart, it’s easy to lose sight of all the million, brilliant, complicated things that make up a whole human. But theater illuminates those things. The stories onstage give us a chance to live in a world different than our own for a few hours, and that is powerful. Ultimately, theater is about fostering connection and empathy. I can’t think of anything more important to our world right now.”
Above: Actor Lee E. Ernst and Director Mark Clements in rehearsal for Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol at Milwaukee Rep. The play was distributed digitally December 10 – 24, 2020. Photo by Michael Imhoff
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SPOTLIGHT
artists’ COURTNEY ARANGO MICHAEL DOHERTY In the Heights West Side Story
DIMONTE HENNING
ALEX KEIPER
JOE KINOSIAN
DAVID LUTKEN
JIM PICKERING
ALEXIS J ROSTON
TAMI WORKENTIN
Ragtime
Our Town
Assassins
Murder for Two
Woody Sez
The Color Purple
A Christmas Carol
Two Pianos, Four Hands
Back Home Again
Member, Milwaukee Rep Acting Company, 1974 - 2012
Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill
Forever Patsy Cline
A Christmas Carol
Guys and Dolls
Ring of Fire
Man of the Mancha
Junk
The Nerd
The Nerd
A Christmas Carol 2015/16 EPR
River of Song
Ella Fitzgerald: First Lady of Song
Good People
Sheer Madness
While we have missed seeing our Rep artists onstage and backstage, we have been proud to continue employing artists through our ‘From Our Home to Your Home’ digital content series. We reached out to learn a little more about some of our favorite Rep artists who have worked on the series.
What projects have you worked on recently? I have been “workshopping” a new project for TV/ digital with West Side Story choreographer Jon Rua. I have also begun to dive into the voice-over world and have had the opportunity to work on some fun projects in that medium. I recently wrapped on the virtual world premiere of my friend Jeremy Gable’s play D-Pad with Theatre Exile in Philadelphia. Also, I started pre-production on an irreverent, partially improvised fantasy musical podcast that will be launching this year! As Artistic Director of Lights! Camera! Soul!, my team and I have produced the podcast Blacker the Berry, a storytelling platform to discuss the experiences of Black artists. I was a part of the first annual Milwaukee Black Theater Festival that took place in August 2020. Most recently, I codirected The Niceties at Forward Theater, which was presented virtually. I signed on to help produce virtual content for the Arden Theatre Company and was really grateful for the shot at doing something I’d never really done. Since then I’ve been making videos for theater companies (like Milwaukee Rep) with my love, fellow artist Michael Doherty, and working hard to make sure people know how/when/where to vote!
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I’ve been developing my new musical, It Came From Outer Space, to open next year at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, as well as beginning work on an exciting new one-man musical that I hope to bring to Milwaukee soon. My wife, Sherry, and I have worked on several virtual projects over the summer and fall including a couple of online performances at Milwaukee Rep, as well as outdoor concerts around the country and a play or two that are in the works. As part of “Season’s Greeting from Milwaukee Chamber Theatre,” I did an audio recording of Dickens’ Christmas Carol novella. I played all the characters. I recently worked on a virtual holiday program for Black Ensemble Theater in Chicago. In addition, I belong to Congo Square Theatre Company in Chicago and we’ve started a web series called Hit ‘Em on the Blackside. It’s rooted in sketch comedy, primarily written by Congo Square ensemble members. Watch them on Facebook, Instagram or our website congosquaretheatre.org. “From Our Home to Your Home” at Milwaukee Rep.
SPOTLIGHT
artists’
What is something you love about Milwaukee? I am a big foodie, so one of the things I love most about Milwaukee is all of the different kinds of food and dining options that are available to you. I also love the sunsets! The sky is full of color and is absolutely stunning as the sun goes down. I love so much about Milwaukee. I love what a foodie town it is. I’m always trying to discover new restaurants and bars every time I go. I love the theatre scene—every production I’ve seen and each local artist I’ve met. And I love the folks who support Milwaukee Rep whom I’ve gotten to connect with over the years. Alex (Keiper) and I love Milwaukee so much in fact that we got married there while performing The Nerd last year. Needless to say, I’m longing for a post-vaccinated world where we find ourselves there again. Something I love about Milwaukee is its diversity in summer festivals. With its array of ethnic festivals, street festivals, and carnivals, there is so much to do in the summertime to provide opportunities for Milwaukee residents to build connections with each other while having a good time. We need more bridge-building in our city. We aren’t called the “City of Festivals” for nothing!
I grew up in Milwaukee and my family is still there, plus some of my high school pals, so getting time with those people is definitely the highlight for me. I also love Beans & Barley—specifically the egg salad sandwich, which they make with tahini because they are brilliant. There are quite a few things that I love about Milwaukee: the people (particularly the staff at Milwaukee Rep), the food, the music scene, the lakefront, the art museum, and brunch at The Comet Cafe. One of my favorite things about Milwaukee is the audience.
What I love about Milwaukee is Milwaukee Repertory Theater. I have always been treated like family there.
The size! Having come from Seattle, the city size is comparable and perfect for me. I love that as an actor I can afford to own a home four blocks from Lake Michigan.
THE FOOD! The culinary adventures you can go on in that city! Unreal. Breakfast at the Plaza, pizza from Ian’s, Monday brunch at The Noble and, my personal favorite, post-show Red Light Ramen!
How have you been keeping busy during quarantine? I have been training in different genres of voiceover, working out, and spending lots of time with the people I love. While I have definitely struggled with not being able to perform, I have loved getting to explore a different type of acting. I have also tried to keep sight of the fact that I never have this kind of time to spend intentionally with those I love. It’s a constant reminder to savor it.
Making digital content for theaters has been a nice way to feel connected to these institutions and learn some new skills during this time of isolation. The extended downtime with Alex has been invaluable. It’s also allowed me to look within and start working on personal projects, focusing on my yoga practice, and going to therapy. Tons and tons of reading!
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SPOTLIGHT
artists’
I’ve been working on my painting quite a bit, which was referenced in our performance at Milwaukee Rep’s Curtain Call Ball! I’ve also been volunteering for the ACLU and playing a LOT of video games. It’s The Sims world and I’m just living in it! Watching tons of movies, reading a ton of books, and taking a ton of walks.
Sherry and I have been working on a wide variety of “quarantine projects” from planting roses and growing vegetables to new plays and musical scripts! Hanging out with my wife, Tami, and my dogs, Joxer and Frankie, reading, and playing golf.
At the start of the pandemic I relished the fact that my husband and I had so much time together. We’ve been married four years but are constantly working, so we barely ever saw each other. In addition I cooked what seemed like lavish gourmet meals A LOT! In September, however, I had a lifethreatening experience happen, sending me through four abdominal surgeries in four weeks. I now spend my days recuperating from that. I thank God I’m still here and am getting stronger and healthier every single day. I worked as a chef for many years and each day I asked my family what restaurant they would go to if they could and what they would order. With that information I would recreate that meal that evening. Let’s just say that my Indian and Chinese cooking is on point now!
2020/21 SEASON EPRS CREATE SHAKESPEAREAN READING RESIDENCY PERFORMANCE The Emerging Professional Resident (EPR) program is a post-collegiate training program, through which early career theater professionals hone their craft at Milwaukee Rep for a full season. This year, however, our cohort of seven EPR artists will collaborate with Milwaukee Rep’s Education department to implement our Reading Residency Program virtually. This program consists of a series of lessons and activities that use theater to teach Milwaukee middleschool students literacy and social-emotional skills. From March 15th through April 23rd (William Shakespeare’s birthday), Reading Residency students will explore the life of William Shakespeare, culminating in an abbreviated production of Julius Caesar performed by our EPR artists. Led by Directing Resident Devin Christor and Producing Resident Josie Trettin, the EPR artists are currently creating a minimalist rendition of Julius Caesar focused on the conspiracy and eventual assassination of the play’s titular role.
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Producing Resident Josie Trettin and Acting Resident Cameron Vargas in rehearsal for the Emerging Professional Residents’ educational Shakespeare project.
Students will be guided through a series of 12 lessons including prerecorded videos, writing prompts, and activities created by our EPR artists and Rep Education staff. These lessons will culminate in the EPR artists’ virtual performance and a final project created by each student. This innovative collaboration between Rep Education staff and emerging artists will allow Milwaukee Rep to continue to provide arts integrated education for Milwaukee middleschool students while also training the next generation of great artists.
MARK
on the
Ask Artistic Director Mark Clements...
Looking back over the centuries, how have plagues played a role in theater and what do you think will be the impact of today’s pandemic? If theater is a reflection of the world we live in, then it is not surprising that theater as an art form was greatly influenced by past outbreaks. The link goes as far back as 425 B.C. with Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex. The epidemic disease that is described in the play is likely a factual reference to the actual plague in Athens in 430 B.C.
Elizabethan and Jacobean stage plays from the 15th and 16th centuries are the most well known of epidemic-ridden plays, because they were written in the years that suffered repeated attacks of the bubonic plague. Shakespeare’s plays in particular have been well documented for drawing upon the plague as inspiration, along with its quarantine and self-isolation restrictions, and actually served as a defining context for all his writing. From Olivia “purg[ing] the air of pestilence” for love-sick Orsino in Twelfth Night to Friar John being unable to deliver the valuable letter in Romeo and Juliet because he is in quarantine, the list of plague-resonant examples from Shakespeare’s works show how closely intertwined Elizabethan dramaturgy was with the epidemics of the period.
cholera spread to the recurrent lethal outbreaks of the influenza pandemic—and even the Spanish Flu of 1918—that ravaged Europe and the rest of the world. The same motifs of contagion and epidemic spread would resurface in the late 20th century during the HIV/AIDS epidemic, which inspired a number of theater writings in response. Theater suddenly had an extraordinary capacity to shift ideologies concerning disease, sexuality, and citizenship in the United States during the formative years of the AIDS crisis. A few examples in a long list of AIDS-responsive theatrical activism include: William M. Hoffman’s As Is, which brought the topic on a mainstream stage in 1985, Larry Kramer’s The Normal Heart (1985), which openly called for public action to prevent further spread, William Finn’s Tony-winning musical Falsettos (1992) and, of course, Angels in America (1991) by Tony Kushner. Theater provided a place to think through the fears and realities of dangerous times and to do that thinking as part of a community. It’s only a matter of time before the first COVID-19 plays emerge, reflecting the loneliness, isolation, and fear that we all felt during the pandemic. But these plays will also reflect the comradery found through experiencing such a traumatic event together, the importance of slowing down, and the resiliency of the human spirit.
Modern drama in the 19th century also showcased a heightened concern with issues of contagion, viral spread, and infection. Anton Chekhov, a trained physician himself with firsthand experience in handling a raging cholera epidemic, has Doctor Astrov in his Uncle Vanya (1897) describe a local typhus outbreak with bodies spread on the ground. Much of this concern came from the fact that this was the time during which germ theory was developed. Louis Pasteur’s discovery in the 1860s that microorganisms cause disease was a source of fascination for the theater world, which often looked to science for inspiration. These are also the years that experienced a number of severe epidemics, ranging from
Do you have a question for Mark? Submit your questions to onthemark@milwaukeerep.com and see his answers in an upcoming issue!
On this page: Left - Milwaukee Repertory Theater presents Romeo and Juliet during the 1978/79 Season. Pictured: Thomas Hulce as Romeo (left) and Henry Strozier as Friar Lawrence (right). Photo by Mark Avery. Right - Phillip Christian (left) and Kraig Swartz (right) in the Milwaukee Repertory Theater’s 1997/98 Powerhouse Theater production of Angels in America, Part I: Millennium Approaches. Photo by Jay Westhauser.
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WE ASKED MILWAUKEE REP ARTISTS: What is your favorite binge-worthy TV show right now? I just finished The Queen’s Gambit. It was SO GOOD and I would highly recommend it to anyone who hasn’t watched it yet. I’ve got to find a new one now. Alex and I are big TV watchers. We just finished an excellent season of Fargo (one of my very favorite shows), and binged the new season of Big Mouth with great haste. Also, I have been enjoying the new season of Great British Baking Show, which is essentially a balm for the soul. We just began our yearly re-watch of Twin Peaks (did I mention I love TV?). Schitt’s Creek. You will be sure to have a laugh or two!
I don’t know where to start! Even before the pandemic Mike and I have devoted ourselves to keeping up with the Golden Age of Television. We don’t do EVERY show, but...close! Drama: Fargo, Lovecraft Country and Downton Abbey; Documentary: I’ll Be Gone in the Dark or Love Fraud (for a laugh); Reality: RuPaul’s Drag Race (any and all iterations) and Survivor; Comedy: Pen15, Insecure and Big Mouth.
FRIENDS OF MILWAUKEE REP SILENT AUCTION
Derry Girls is my favorite and The Great British Baking Show is right behind it. As you can imagine, the fact that the cast of the former appeared on an episode of the latter was a really holiday gift. Also don’t miss Watchmen. My two favorites right now are both British shows: The Repair Shop, and a hilarious eight-episode spoof called Fallet. Chance on Hulu.
My husband and I just finished The Get Down on Netflix. We love hip-hop and it’s set in New York at the inception of that genre. We literally watched from early afternoon Sunday to 7 am Monday non-stop.
Chance on Hulu with Hugh Laurie. It’s about a neuropsychologist who becomes a righteous vigilante in the protection of his clients’ mental health. The twists and turns are like nothing I’ve ever watched.
Milwaukee Repertory Theater Development Department 108 E. Wells Street • Milwaukee, WI 53202 Chuck Rozewicz
Morgen Clarey
Join us for The Friends of Milwaukee Rep Silent Auction, presented by our incredible volunteer organization. This virtual fundraiser will raise much needed funds to support Milwaukee Rep in lieu of the annual Raffle or Repartée event.
Chief Development Officer crozewicz@milwaukeerep.com
Associate Director of Development, Events & Stewardship mclarey@milwaukeerep.com
Head to www.bidpal.net/friendsauction to bid on exciting prizes, such as the Boatload of Booze, one-of-a-kind artwork, a scenic weekend getaway, and more. The Friends of Milwaukee Rep Silent Auction begins Tuesday, February 16, and runs through March 14.
Alli Engelsma-Mosser
Amy Dorman Director of Development adorman@milwaukeerep.com
Major Gifts Officer aengelsma-mosser@milwaukeerep.com
Cassidy Skorija Associate Director of Development, Institutional Giving cskorija@milwaukeerep.com
Stephan Thomas Development Database Manager sthomas@milwaukeerep.com
To make a gift in support of Milwaukee Repertory Theater, please contact the Development Department at
414-290-5376 or visit www.MilwaukeeRep.com