PlayGuide - "The Nativity Variations"

DIRECTED BY SHELLEY BUTLER

By

by

Butler

About About the the PlAy PlAy

In a small Midwestern city, the local avant-garde theater has been tasked with presenting the annual nativity play sponsored by St. Ignatius Episcopal Church. The Prairie Community Players do both traditional community theater fare such as Neil Simon and Steel Magnolias, but their real bread and butter is avant-garde and experimental theater. Director Jules is happy to take the church’s promise of a full house and a majority share of the ticket sales, but is wary of putting on the traditional story of the birth of Jesus. So, they don’t plan to. As the Prairie Players work through rehearsals and Jules’ adaptations of the Nativity story, they try an experimental piece full of blood and high metaphor, a Shakespeareanstyle drama, and an Avenue Q inspired puppet piece, but none of those seem to satisfy Father Juan. Jules gets more and more frustrated as her priestly producer gives kind, but firm notes on her

attempts to make the annual Christmas pageant something new.

In the meantime, the drama isn’t just limited to the craziness onstage. Will Prairie Players regulars Mateo and Vanessa rekindle their previous showmance? Can Jules come to terms with her father’s failing health? Will newcomers Peggy and Hank be able to dig themselves out of retirement debt? Will leading man Karl get the appreciation from Jules he so richly deserves? Can a puppet change a man’s entire being?

As the onstage and offstage drama concludes, opening night approaches. The Prairie Players scramble to create a show that combines Jules’ vision with the church’s requests. The play concludes with a dress rehearsal and a heartfelt, stripped down version of the Nativity story: ready for opening night.

Nativity play from the film Love Actually. Photo credit: The Washington Post.

Ch CArACters h ArACters

Vanessa (Sadieh Rifai)

College admissions assistant and single mom by day, the queen of the boards by night. Vanessa is strong-willed and talented.

Peggy (Ann Arvia)

An optimistic retired elementary music teacher who thinks doing a show is “just the thing” to get her out of her postcareer slump. Has forced her husband, Hank, to be part of her new retiree hobby.

Karl (Chiké Johnson)

A tour-de-force performer and the real brains behind the operation. Karl is a children’s librarian and puppeteer whose passion shines through his performances and his personality.

Mateo (Ryan Alvarado)

A PE teacher by day, community theater regular by night. Had a previous showmance with Vanessa that he would happily reignite.

Hank (Adam LeFevre)

Currently unemployed and going along with his wife’s crazy idea that they should be in a play. Hank is unsure of his place and his talents, but finds his niche as the weeks of rehearsal go on.

Jules (Sami Ma)

Visionary director who, oddly enough, brings avant-garde theater to a small, Midwestern town. She has too many ideas, too much control, and just enough ego to think her vision is the only one that matters.

Devon (Eva Nimmer)

The go-to person for pretty much everything that needs doing. Stage manager/lighting designer/assistant director/director whisperer . . . you name it, Devon does it all.

Father Juan (Ryan Alvarado)

A patient and caring man of faith. He hopes that the opportunity given to Jules and the Prairie Players works out for his parishioners and the players alike, even if it requires multiple rounds of his notes along the way.

the NAtivity story

While Jules’ adaptations of the Nativity story may be innovative interpretations, the story that has been passed down for millennia is much more straightforward.

In the Bible, the accounts of the story vary based on which book you are reading, The Gospels of either Matthew or Luke, but the basics of the story are similar.

Young Mary is engaged to Joseph. An angel appears to Mary and tells her that she will bear God’s child, the savior. In Matthew, Joseph is upset by Mary’s pregnancy out of wedlock (he doesn’t know it’s God’s child), so he’s going to quietly end the betrothal. In Matthew’s account, an angel appears to Joseph and reveals God’s plan and that Joseph is an important part of it.

In Luke’s version, Joseph and Mary travel from their home in Nazareth to Bethlehem to be counted for the census. Mary is pregnant as they travel, and when they arrive in Bethlehem she is about to give birth. There is no room at an inn, so they go to the stable.

Mary gives birth amongst the animals in the stable and places the baby Jesus in a manger.

In most accounts, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph are visited by several guests after the birth. A group of shepherds arrives after being visited by a holy angel heralding Jesus’ birth. In most versions, the holy family is also visited by three wise men from afar bearing gifts for the child.

The Adoration of the Magi by Giovanni di Paolo di Grazia. Photo credit: Metropolitan Museum of Art.

AllusioNs AllusioNs

Trieschmann’s play is full of theatrical and pop culture allusions.

A primer to help you with some you might not know:

Long Day’s Journey Into Night: Widely considered to be Eugene O’Neill’s most brilliant play, the autobiographical Long Day’s Journey Into Night follows the Tyrone family as they struggle with their own faults and those of their other family members.

Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction: In the 1980s thriller

Fatal Attraction, Glenn Close plays a woman spurned by a man with whom she has an affair. His disregard of her eventually leads her to spiral into violence and seek revenge on her former lover.

Steel Magnolias: This play by Robert Harling follows a group of strong Southern women as they live through loss, laughter, and unwavering friendships with each other.

Rumors: A farce by Neil Simon, Rumors is a comedy that takes place during a 10th anniversary party where everything that can go wrong does.

Marat/Sade: This avant-garde play by Peter Weiss takes place in the Charenton Asylum, where a play-within-aplay directed by Marquis de Sade is being staged. The play explores the idea of revolution through changing society or changing oneself.

Daniel Day Lewis: Actor Daniel Day Lewis is known for his intensive research and immersion into his acting roles. His preparations have included putting himself into solitary confinement, living in the woods for a month, almost dying of pneumonia from his refusal to wear modern clothing, and acting as his characters outside of set.

Avenue Q: This Tony Award winner for Best Musical is an adult spoof of famed children’s television show, Sesame Street. Following the format and structure of the longrunning children’s show, the musical incorporates puppets into the staging and has songs about sex, racism, lost dreams, and other adult topics.

4.48 Psychosis: This final play by Sarah Kane is said to be a subjective interpretation of experiencing depression. It has no explicit staging or characters, so productions vary greatly based on the director’s vision.

Antonin Artaud: Artaud is one of the most prominent figures in the European avant-garde theater movement of the early 20th century; he was also a poet, writer, visual artist, and philosopher. Artaud is most influential in theater for his “Theater of Cruelty,” a break from a more traditional Western theater in which the communion between audience and performers is paramount and visceral.

Gene Wilder in Young Frankenstein: In the classic Mel Brooks comedy, Young Frankenstein, Gene Wilder plays Dr. Frederick Frankenstein with outlandish and over-the-top antics.

Lauren Bacall in To Have and Have Not: Bacall is known for her smolder and craft as an actress and her first role as Marie “Slim” in To Have and Have Not is considered one of her seminal performances.

“Once more to the breach!”: This is a paraphrase of a line uttered by King Henry in Shakespeare’s Henry V as he rallies his compatriots to go back into battle.

The Passion of the Christ: This 2004 film depicts the final days of Jesus. It was a controversial film because of its violent and graphic nature, as well as antisemitic content.

Nietzsche: Friedrich Nietzsche was a German philosopher, philologist, and cultural critic who had great influence on modern thinkers. Nietzsche’s work spanned a myriad of topics and his writings have been discussed and debated for over over a century.

Waiting for Godot: Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot is considered one of the finest plays of the 20th century. The play is existential in nature and illuminates discussions about life, morality, and larger questions.

Beckett: Samuel Beckett was a playwright who was a key figure in the Theater of the Absurd. Beckett’s plays are bleak and at the same time darkly comic, and ask the audience to explore the larger questions of life.

Molière: A French playwright, poet, and actor, Molière lived and wrote in the 17th century. He is one of the most well-known and loved French dramatists, lauded for his masterful comedic writing.

Wedekind: Benjamin Wedekind was a German playwright in the late 1800s/early 1900s whose work questioned bourgeois attitudes and was a precursor to expressionism and influential in the development of epic theater.

Ibsen: Henrik Ibsen was a Norwegian playwright in the 19th century and early 20th century. He was one of the founders of modernism in theater and is considered “the father of realism.” His work continues to be influential in Western theater to this day.

Hamlet with Ethan Hawke: In this 2000 film adaptation of Hamlet, Shakespeare’s tragedy is moved to contemporary times and incorporates modern technology and sensibilities while keeping Shakespeare’s language.

Ingmar Bergman: Bergman was a Swedish film director, screenwriter, and playwright who is considered one of the most influential and innovative directors of all time. His films are praised for their cinematic interpretations of the human condition and the profound questions of life.

Kum-and-Go: Kum-and-Go is a convenience store chain which originated in Iowa and is found primarily in the Midwest.

RuPaul’s Drag Race: RuPaul’s Drag Race is a long-running reality competition show where drag queens compete in challenges to test their performance and making skills.

Romeo and Juliet: Luhrmann vs. Zeffirelli: Vanessa and Mateo discuss two well-known film adaptations of Romeo and Juliet. Franco Zeffirelli’s classic film (1968) portrays a more traditional period interpretation of the story, while Baz Luhrmann’s film (1996) takes inspiration from MTV and 1990s popular culture.

Jesus Christ Superstar: The Andrew Lloyd Weber/Tim Rice rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar premiered in 1970 and has enjoyed many productions since. The opera follows the last days of Jesus Christ with a rousing rockinspired libretto.

Godspell: In Godspell (1971), various biblical parables are played out by Jesus and other biblical and nonbiblical characters. The musical uses traditional hymns as inspiration for some of the songs and music in the show, but uses the contemporary musical influences of the late 60s and early 70s to bring the music into the modern era.

Promotional image for RuPaul’s Drag Race.

breAkiNg bouNdAries ANd PushiNg the eNveloPe: AvANt-gArde ANd exPerimeNtAl theAter

Jules and the rest of the Prairie Players are unaccustomed to doing plays such as the traditional Nativity story with which they have been tasked. While they do more mainstream theatrical fare, their real passion is for experimental and avant-garde theatrical productions.

Throughout history, the definition of “theater” has evolved and changed. Some of the most rapid evolution in the world of the theater has happened since near the turn of the 20th century. From expressionism to performance art to absurdist drama, the world of theater is wide-reaching and malleable, with limits only as far as a playwright’s imagination.

Gesamtkunstwerk: A German term that is often translated as “a total work of art” or “synthesis of the arts,” this term reflects much of the theatrical work of the avantgarde movement. It is a combination of many art forms in the creation of a piece.

Ubu Roi: Many attribute the beginning of the avant-garde in theater to French playwright Alfred Jarry and his play Ubu Roi, which is a parody of several of Shakespeare’s dramas through a bizarre and comical construct that overturned theatrical conventions and offended audiences at its single public performance in 1896.

Production

Expressionism: A movement that started primarily in Germany in the early 20th century before it expanded to the rest of Western theater, expressionist theater used exaggerated and distorted scenery and theatrical elements to heighten audience experience.

Guerrilla Theater: Most often performed in public spaces for unsuspecting spectators, guerrilla theater seeks to make sociopolitical change through performance.

Theater of Cruelty: A concept coined by Antonin Artaud, this theatrical idea includes violent imagery, surreal storytelling, and hypnotic sounds to shake the audience to their core and help them be in the moment.

Absurdist Theater : A post-WWII theatrical genre, Theater of the Absurd was the purview of mostly European playwrights. The plays were existential in nature and did not follow traditional narrative structure. One of the most famous examples of this style of theater is Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot

Physical theater: Physical theater highlights the actor’s body and movement as a primary tool for storytelling in a performance. Some physical theater performances merge traditional storytelling techniques with movementbased techniques, and some focus solely on movement. Milwaukee Rep’s 2019 production of Things I Know to Be True is an excellent example of the use of physical theater techniques.

Theater of the Oppressed: A theatrical style coined by practitioner Augusto Boal, Theater of the Oppressed looks to use theater as a tool for social and political change. The audience becomes an active part of the performance and takes on the role of “spect-actors,” working through real life situations through theatrical techniques.

Performance Art: Performance art is a style of performance that is difficult to define and can mean many things. It blurs the line between visual art and performance and often asks patrons to question larger questions of life and art through their interaction with the artist.

“Breaking the fourth wall”: One of the most prolific conventions of experimental theater is the breaking of “the fourth wall,” or the boundary between audience member and performer. If you have seen A Christmas Carol recently or saw Every Brilliant Thing here at Milwaukee Rep, you have experienced this theatrical convention.

Devised theater: Devised theater is when the performers collectively create the piece as they work together. Devising can take many forms, but the collaboration between the creators/performers is central to the process.

Epic Theater: Most associated with Bertolt Brecht, Epic Theater asks spectators to examine their world through a theatrical lens. A variety of techniques are used from “breaking the fourth wall” to fragmentation of the story to clearly visible technical elements or set changes. These and other techniques are used to ground the audience in the play and do the opposite of “suspending disbelief,” asking the audience instead to think bigger and more deeply about the larger questions of the drama.

Sir Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian McKellan in Waiting for Godot at The Cort Theatre, 2013. Photo credit: New York Times.

Participants in a Theater of the Oppressed workshop with Augusto Boal, 2008. Photo credit: Wikipedia.

The cast of Things I Know to Be True at Milwaukee Rep, 2019. Photo credit: Michael Brosilow.

Parkway Players

A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Shakespeare)

In perhaps the most famous representation of what we would now call “community theater,” Shakespeare presents a play-withina-play in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. A group of tradespeople, known to us as “the mechanicals,”

and put on a production of The Most Lamentable Tragedy of Pyramus and Thisbe. As is often the case with

of

itself are a

and the

of errors and

Dead Poets Society (1989)

In this film, a community theater production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream gives hope to a

boy who longs for more than his rigid

bring him. As

Puck, he finds himself, but his

father,

as the

to

dreams are

The Mechanicals rehearse in the Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey production of

Midsummer Night’s Dream

Photo Credit: Andrew Murad, The New York Times.

Robert Sean Leonard as Neal/Puck in Dead Poets Society. Photo Credit:

CtheAter

Community theater has a special place in the theatrical world. For many communities, like the one in The Nativity Variations, it is a centerpiece of the community’s arts scene and allows those who have passion and love for theater to experience it close to home. For many people in the United States, seeing a Broadway or regional theater play is not easily accessible, but a community theater show is. In gymatoriums, cafetoriums, old movie houses, and opera houses, theater magic is happening all around the country and “the theater bug” is biting new generations of performers, technicians, and patrons all the time.

Community theaters allow those who not only want to see theater but also be involved in the theatrical process take part. In community theaters across the country, people are able to explore many aspects of their own creativity through community theater productions. Not everyone who loves to act or direct or design costumes does so for a living, but in these small theaters, they can explore that part of themselves while still focusing on their other career and aspects of their lives. Community

theaters also challenge these creators to be extra creative due to often limited budgets, resources, or time. How do you outfit fifty people ages 10-75 for a production of Grease with a $500 budget? Community theater costumers can tell you . . .

theaters. Community theatermakers often talk about their cohorts as “family” or “dear friends” and the relationships formed can be unlike those in their outside lives. Dan Chesnicka, Producing Director of Theater Winter Haven in Florida, had the following to say in a TedX talk: “Theater, especially community theater, is the one place in the world where people who are weird, people who are strange, people who are a little bit bizarre, are seen as an asset as opposed to it being a reason to be ridiculed or bullied.” That sense of belonging, that sense of reclaimed self that comes from involvement in a community theater show, is quite magical.

If you’d like to find that magic for yourself, here are a few community theaters in the Milwaukee area for you to explore:

Community theaters also can give space for new works or works relevant to a community that larger theaters may not be able to. Devised works, works based on local events, or new works by local playwrights can be some of the real gems of community theater work. One of the oldest continuously running experimental community theaters is right here in Wisconsin, just a couple hours away in Madison: Broom Street Theater. Theaters like BST bring new works to life that are engaging, innovative, and catered to local audiences. Sometimes small budget theaters have a freedom to experiment that allows them to challenge audience perceptions of what theater should be.

Perhaps one of the most important roles of community theater is providing a special space for those who participate in and support the

Acacia Theatre Company (Milwaukee)

Falls Patio Players (Menomonee Falls)

Greendale Community Theatre (Greendale)

Lake Country Playhouse (Hartland)

Sunset Playhouse (Elm Grove)

Village Playhouse (West Allis)

Waukesha Civic Theatre (Waukesha)

“The stage is not merely the meeting place of all the arts, but is also the return of art to life.” —Oscar Wilde

Cast of Mary Poppins, Greendale Community Theatre. Photo credit: Anne Kenney Photography.

Lacey Smithmeir and HJ Farr in The 800th Annual Salvation Swing-Off by Malissa Petterson at Broom Street Theater/NYC Fringe Festival, 2016. Photo credit: Broom Street Theater.

World Premieres

At milWAukee reP

Milwaukee Rep has long been a supporter of new art and new plays, with over 150 new works premiering on our stages since 1958. With the John (Jack) D. Lewis New Play Development Program, Milwaukee Rep has formally committed to the work of bringing new stories to our stages and supporting the artists who create them throughout the process. Just a few of the amazing World Premieres that have graced Milwaukee Rep stages...

Anthony Crivello in McGuire. All photos by Michael Brosilow unless noted.

Jack Forbes Wilson in Liberace!

Antonio Edwards Suarez in Antonio’s Song/ I Was Dreaming of a Son.

James DeVita in American Song.

Mark Jacoby, Martin L’Herault, Brit Whittle, Steve Sheridan, and Jeff Steitzer in Five Presidents. Photo by Tim Fuller.

Mark Junek and Sophia Skiles in after all the terrible things I do

Zoë Sophia Garcia, Mark Jacoby, Elaine Rivkin in One House Over.

VISITING MILWAUKEE

Milwaukee Repertory Theater’s Patty and Jay Baker Theater Complex is located in the Associated Bank River Center downtown at the corner of Wells and Water Streets. The building was formerly the home of the Electric Railway and Light Company.

Milwaukee

The Ticket Office is visible on the left upon entering the Wells Street doors. The Quadracci Powerhouse is located on the Mezzanine and can be accessed via escalator or elevator.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT

ENABLES MILWAUKEE REP TO:

Financial support enables The Rep to:

Advance the art of theater with productions that inspire individuals and create community dialogue.

✯ Advance the art of theater with productions that inspire individuals and create community dialogue;

✯ Provide a richer theater experience by hosting Rep-in-Depth, TalkBacks, and creating PlayGuides to better inform

Educate over

through

Maintain our

Provide a richer theater experience by hosting Rep-in-Depth, TalkBacks and creating PlayGuides to better inform our audiences about our productions.

Educate the

Educate over 20,000 students at 200+ schools in the greater Milwaukee area with Rep Immersion Day experiences, student matinees, workshops, tours and by making connections with their school curriculum through classroom programs such as Reading Residencies.

area with

with

Immersion Day

Maintain our commitment to audiences with special needs through our Access Services that include American Sign Language interpreted productions, captioned theater, infrared listening systems and script synopses to ensure that theater at Milwaukee Rep is accessible to all.

school

Educate the next generation of theater professionals with our EPR Program which gives newly degreed artists a chance to hone their skills at Milwaukee Rep as they begin to pursue their theatrical careers. We value our supporters and partnerships and hope that you will help us to expand the ways Milwaukee Rep has a positive impact on theater and on our Milwaukee community.

THE REP RECEIVES SUPPORT FROM:

MILWAUKEE REP RECEIVES SUPPORT FROM:

The Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation

The

and

Foundation

The Richard & Ethel Herzfeld Foundation

The Richard & Ethel

The Shubert Foundation

that include