2022/23 Season Impact Report

Jeffrey Kringer in Titanic The Musical. Photo by Michael Brosilow.

Dear Friends,

In a year of extraordinary challenges and uncertainties, Milwaukee Repertory Theater has remained dedicated to serving our community. With your generous support and unwavering commitment, we have overcome obstacles and continued our efforts to create meaningful change through theater.

As we conclude our 69th Season, we are continually reminded how lucky we are to be in a community that values live theater. Despite the challenges we faced – increased inflation, supply chain issues, staffing shortages and weekly COVID-19 testing of our 300+ artists – our audiences came back in a big way and we have almost fully recovered from the pandemic.

In March 2023, American Theatre Magazine featured Milwaukee Rep in its article “If You Rebuild It, Will They Return?” as the only theater nationally that had a balanced budget without reducing services or performances. Amongst the performing arts genres, recent studies by TRGArts and SMU DataArts show that theater was the hardest hit and has been the slowest to recover nationwide, making our accomplishment even more remarkable.

This season was a testament to you – our donors, subscribers, and our champions. As other theaters locally and nationally are on the verge of closing their doors for good, we are incredibly grateful to have such a strong community of support. Thank you for your continued commitment to Milwaukee Rep.

Mark Clements Artistic Director

Executive Director

Chad Bauman

Unforgettable: John-Mark McGaha sings Nat King Cole

• Titanic The Musical Wife of a Salesman • The Nativity Variations • A Christmas Carol

Beehive: the 60s Musical • Much Ado About Nothing

Dino! An Evening with Dean Martin • The Heart Sellers • Seven Guitars

The Greatest Love for Whitney

• God of Carnage

Alina Cherone in The Greatest Love for Whitney. All photos by Michael Brosilow.

Narea Kang and Nicole Javier in The Heart Sellers

Vincent Jordan and Dimonte Henning in August Wilson’s Seven Guitars.

Alex Keiper and Nate Burger in Much Ado About Nothing.

Bryce Gangel and Heidi Armbruster in Wife of a Salesman.

We successfully remounted Titanic The Musical during the fall of 2022, following its premature closing in the 2021/22 Season. Nearly 15,000 patrons enjoyed the remounted musical, generating $625,000 in gross revenue.

We employed the largest number of understudies in recent history. Each production had a full second cast, ready to go on at a moment’s notice if there was an outbreak of COVID-19. This helped guarantee continuity of service and, as a result, we did not have to cancel a single performance due to COVID-19.

The National Endowment for the Arts provided $20,000 to support our World Premiere production of The Heart Sellers by Lloyd Suh.

Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare served as the second production in our Classics Initiative designed to bring more works written prior to 1900 to life for Milwaukee audiences. To make this classic work relevant to today’s audiences, the production was set in 1990s Seattle along with original grunge-inspired music composed by Dan Kazemi.

During Much Ado About Nothing, we also hosted our first All Access Sensory Friendly performance. This unique performance featured all access services (ASL interpretation, captioning and audio description), general admission seating, lower sound levels, sensory supports, and designated calm spaces. We are grateful for the generous support of UPAF’s Kasey’s Fund for giving us the opportunity to expand our accessibility and for our partnerships with Pink Umbrella Theater and Stepping Stone Educational Services.

Jenny Hoppes, Daydra Smith and the cast of Much Ado About Nothing.

NEW PLAY DEVELOPMENT

Through the John (Jack) D. Lewis New Play Development Program, we staged two World Premiere productions: The Nativity Variations by Catherine Trieschmann and The Heart Sellers by Lloyd Suh. Additionally, Artistic Director Mark Clements created the new work The Greatest Love for Whitney which premiered in the Stackner Cabaret.

We were proud to launch World Premiere Wisconsin with our production of The Heart Sellers. This collaborative festival ran from March – June 2023 and celebrated new works across the state.

Our 2021/22 Season World Premiere production of Antonio’s Song: I was Dreaming of a Son successfully transferred to the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, IL from April 28 – May 28, 2023. The production was directed by Milwaukee Rep Artistic Director Mark Clements and received rave reviews from critics and audiences alike.

Adam LeFevre in The Nativity Variations. Photo by Michael Brosilow.

EQUITY, DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

We continue to implement Rep Forward, our strategic plan to increase equity, diversity and inclusion throughout our workforce, workplace and the communities we serve.

Chief Diversity Officer Jermaine Murry led a company-wide survey to gauge success in achieving our stated ED&I goals and provided the results of the ED&I survey with each department.

Cultural celebrations included Pride, Hispanic Heritage, Black History, and Women’s History Month. During Hispanic Heritage Month (October), ED&I hosted a panel discussion that focused on personal identity and colorism in the Hispanic community. The panel featured Rep Trustee Andrés Gonzalez and prominent community members. To celebrate Black History month (February), 30 Milwaukee Rep staff visited the Wisconsin Black Historical Society and learned about the Black history of Milwaukee through the centuries and lens of Mr. Clayborn Benson III. Staff also heard from one of the dynamic leaders of spoken word in Milwaukee, Kwabena Antoine Nixon.

As part of our re-envisioned facility project, Managing Director Melissa Vartanian assembled an Accessibility Focus Group to help ensure that our inclusive values are translated into the design of our new spaces. This committee will continue to meet throughout the various design phases to provide their valuable input to our designers and consultants, ensuring our new facility will be accessible to our community today and well into the future.

Milwaukee Rep staff at the Wisconsin Black Historical Society.

EDUCATION

More than 100 students participated in the Next Narrative™ Monologue Competition, highlighting the voices of contemporary Black playwrights. Milwaukee Rep hosted the regional competition in-person on our Quadracci Powerhouse stage and, of the ten finalists, the two winners went on to compete in the national competition in New York City in May 2023.

In-school Reading Residencies served 37 classrooms throughout Milwaukee, teaching nearly 1,300 middle-school students key reading comprehension and social-emotional skills. Students studied the scripts of either Titanic The Musical or Much Ado About Nothing.

“I gained understanding of Shakespeare and how they talk, how William Shakespeare made tons of plays, and how his plays were funny, emotional, and even angered the audience. It taught me that what you see has an effect on your well-being and your feelings.”

– Student

Rep Immersion Days took place during our productions of Titanic The Musical, Much Ado About Nothing, and August Wilson’s Seven Guitars. Approximately 2,000 students witnessed behind-the-scenes technical demonstrations before watching a special matinee performance and enjoying an actor-led talkback.

Students participating in an in-school Reading Residency.

Michael Doherty and Will Mobley lead a demonstration for students during the Rep Immersion Day of Much Ado About Nothing. Photo by Michael Brosilow.

During July 2022, high school participants in the Professional Training Institute performed The Compass as their capstone project in the Stiemke Studio.

We launched Saturday Youth Programs offering free youth theater workshops to students across Milwaukee. Workshops took place at Greenfield School, Center Street Library, COA Youth and Family Centers – Goldin Center, and Fernwood Schools.

“[My son] and my niece have participated in each session and absolutely LOVE it. It’s truly a gift to the community and I wanted to thank you and your team for putting it together.”

– Parent

Registrations almost doubled this season for our Adult Classes, with 160 participants. In addition to our Basic Acting series, we added specialty classes that included Voice & Speech for the Actor, Dialects, Voiceover, and Auditioning.

Terynn Erby-Walker in The Compass.

ENGAGEMENT

A Christmas Carol Families supported the work of the United Community Center through donations by audience members. Additionally, 1,200 complimentary tickets were provided to the community for A Christmas Carol through our ACC Community Tickets program.

We introduced our new Dinner Dialogue Series, giving patrons the opportunity to have conversations about the themes of select productions over a shared meal. A guest speaker started off each dinner with insights around the topic, then trained facilitators led groups through guided discussions reflecting on the production’s relevance to them personally and to the community. Dinner Dialogues took place during Titanic The Musical, The Nativity Variations, The Heart Sellers, August Wilson’s Seven Guitars, and God of Carnage at restaurants in various Milwaukee neighborhoods.

ENGAGEMENT

During The Heart Sellers, our Education & Engagement department recorded oral histories from four different AAPI elder storytellers, giving audiences glimpses into aspects of emigrating from Asia to the United States in the 1960s and 1970s. Each story was written into a monologue that was performed by students involved in Rep Education programming. Additionally, on Thursday evenings and Saturday matinees during the run, Rep-in-Depth was replaced by one of the stories from our audio series and performed live by our students.

We offered several panel discussions that provided great insights into topics explored throughout our season. Our Seven Guitars panel focused on racism and healthcare, The Nativity Variations explored the impact of community theater, and Wife of a Salesman discussed women and communications.

THEATER HAS CHANGED SINCE WE MOVED INTO OUR CURRENT HOME IN 1987 – AND SO HAS OUR COMMUNITY.

While it has served us well for nearly four decades, our aging and inefficient theater complex now limits the types of productions we can stage and the kinds of community experiences we can offer Milwaukee. With millions already spent on an obsolete building and maintenance costs growing exponentially, it may soon jeopardize our ability to sustain our mission.

Through our Powering Milwaukee campaign, we will renovate and reimagine our home for the needs of today and the possibilities for tomorrow. As part of the project, we will:

• Create additional space to accommodate Milwaukee Rep’s growth

• Enhance our performance spaces with state-of-the-art technology and audience amenities

• Create dedicated space for more community programming

• Overhaul or replace major mechanical systems and upgrade accessibility of the facilities

This facility renovation project is part visionary, part necessity. We have grown over the last 40 years, but our building is holding us back from where we could be 40 years from now. This renovation will give us the capabilities we need to generate even greater impact for our community.

As of June 30, 2023, we have raised more than $60 million of the total $75 million goal. We are grateful to former Rep Trustee Tony Petullo and an anonymous donor for providing a $7.5 million challenge match that helped us meet this important fundraising milestone.

The Sandra and William Haack

Grand Lobby

The Lubar Family Donor Lounge

Powerhouse Theater

Second Level Lobby

Ellen & Joe Checota

Powerhouse Theater

Studio Bar and Theater

REVENUES

Ticket Sales: $6,076,993 (43%)

Contributions: $5,755,657 (41%)

Endowment: $942,000 (7%)

Food & Beverage: $840,930 (6%)

Other: $494,657 (3%)

Total: $14,110,237

EXPENSES

Total: $14,032,908

For the 10th year in a row, we received Charity Navigator’s four-star ranking for fiscal sustainability.