2014/15 SEASON I M PA C T R E P O R T
PROPELLING MILWAUKEE FORWARD
665 VOLUNTEERS in the Friends of The Rep
VOLUNTEERED
19,248 HOURS of community service
198,646 patrons served,
including
14,836 subscribers
136
WORLD PREMIERES SINCE
1972 $15.1 MILLION OF ECONOMIC ACTIVITY I N C LU D I N G A L M O S T $ 5 M I L L I O N IN EVENT-RELATED SPENDING AND $ 1 . 5 M I L L I O N I N TA X R E V E N U E
$
$
465 ARTISTS & STAFF EMPLOYED DURING
$
$
$
$
$
$
22,500 PEOPLE PARTICIPATED in Rep-in-Depth, our free pre-show discussions featuring actors
630 PERFORMANCES representing 1/3 of all the performances offered from the
15 UPA F Me mb e r Gro u p s
2014 19,760 HOURS OF TRAINING PROVIDED LAST YEAR TO OUR
ARTISTIC INTERNS 2
Milwaukee Repertory Theater
Milwaukee Repertory Theater has much to celebrate. Our 2014/15 Season was a tremendous success with broken box office records, three world premiere plays, an exquisite collaboration with the Jewish Museum Milwaukee that was featured in The New York Times, and the addition of Milwaukee’s own Pulitzer-Prize winning playwright Ayad Akhtar to our group of Associate Artists. It doesn’t get much better than that! One of the best kept secrets in the country, Milwaukee is a city on the move, and the cultural scene in our region is second to none. We know that a world-class city deserves a world-class theater, and we aim to play a leading role in our community by: • Producing Meaningful Art. We bring communities together through shared live experiences, passed from actor to audience, that examine diverse viewpoints, celebrate our commonalities, and help us envision a better tomorrow. • Growing Milwaukee’s Creative Economy. We serve more people in the five county region than any other producing performing arts company playing to more than 1 million people from 3,400 zip codes in the last 5 years. • Improving Education. More than 20,000 students in 250 schools participate each year in our programs that improve literacy and develop creative thinking. • Nurturing A Local Artistic Community. As a collective of more than 200 theater professionals that live and work locally, we’re deeply invested in Milwaukee and are committed to giving to a community that gives so much to us. • Serving as an Ambassador for the City. We have produced 136 World Premieres that have toured the world from London to São Paulo and all over the country reinforcing Milwaukee’s position as a world-class incubator of creativity. To honor your investment in us, we are committed to delivering transformative impact in a financially responsible manner. For our efforts, we’re the only non-profit performing arts organization in the state to receive Charity Navigator’s coveted 4-star rating for managerial excellence, and for a second consecutive year, received UPAF’s “Good Steward” Award as well. To you, our closest friends and strongest supporters, we thank you. Your faith in our work inspires us. Your unwavering support sustains us. And together, we are making a profound difference in our region.
Mark Clements Artistic Director
2014/15 Season Impact Report
Chad Bauman
Managing Director
3
2014/15 SEASON The Doyle & Debbie Show | The Color Purple | after all the terrible things I do | Liberace! Harvey | A Christmas Carol | The Beautiful Music All Around Us | Good People | The Amish Project Five Presidents | Rep Lab | Low Down Dirty Blues | Peter and the Starcatcher
From Zonya Love’s showstopping performance as Celie in The Color Purple to Jon Daly’s brilliant portrayl of Elwood P. Dowd in Harvey and Laura Gordon’s memorable Margie in Good People, the 2014/15 Season was full of extraordinary performances leading to a five year spike in subscriber attendance and sold-out houses. Of particular note was our focus on new plays, with three world premiere productions thrilling local audiences and transferring to theaters all over the country:
The Doyle & Debbie Show: The bag for “Daddy’s Hair” was the most technically complicated prop ever used in the Stackner
The Amish Project: Members of the Oak Creek police and the Sikh Temple participated in panel discussions
after all the terrible things I do A. Rey Pamatmat’s beautiful new play received its world premiere on October 3, 2014 in the Stiemke Studio achieving critical acclaim on its way to becoming a finalist for the Steinberg Award for New Plays. After a successful run in Milwaukee, it moved to Boston’s Huntington Theatre Company in the spring of 2015.
Good People: Utilized new scenic automation equipment to move the large set pieces without a crew
Low Down Dirty Blues: Sugar Ray Rayford was nominated for a BB King Blues Entertainer Award
Five Presidents Commissioned by The Rep in 2011, Rick Cleveland’s remarkable new play about the five living Presidents at Richard Nixon’s funeral has played sold-out engagements in Arizona, Wisconsin and New York. After receiving its premiere at The Rep in March, it transferred to the Bay Street Theater in New York, where it received positive reviews, including from The New York Times and was extended twice.
Liberace! Due to popular demand, Brent Hazelton’s wildly popular world premiere was remounted in the Stackner Cabaret in our ongoing effort to tell local stories with a national resonance. It set the record for best-selling show in the Cabaret and then moved to Philadelphia’s Walnut Street Theatre. 4
Milwaukee Repertory Theater
“Milwaukee Rep helps shape our sense of who we are as Milwaukeeans. At its best, theater creates a sense of shared experience in a way that no other art form can. New stories change our ideas of who we are and offer us new ideas about who we can be.” – Ayad Akhtar, Pulitizer Prize Winner and Milwaukee Repertory Theater Associate Artist
2014/15 Season Impact Report
5
ARTS EDUCATION In-School Residencies The Rep’s Reading Residency program worked with 540 middle school students to develop reading comprehension, interpersonal, and creative thinking skills using a unique theater-based curriculum to engage students. Our Scriptworks program guided 300 high school students through detailed script analysis of our plays. Independent assessment specialists from UW-Milwaukee have confirmed these programs demonstrate significant impact on improving literacy.
“This residency allowed students to consider the character through multiple lenses and to construct what elements make a character. They are more keen to realize how the plot (experience) shapes life.” -Teacher
After-School Programs The Rep hosted after-school programs at 11 sites in Milwaukee, where students used themes from our plays to explore real world situations. Our production of Good People served as a catalyst to explore career readiness. Students completed skill assessments to understand their strengths and to develop a roadmap for future success. Field trips included trips to see plays, a showcase of student work in the Stackner Cabaret, and a campus tour of UW-Milwaukee.
“I think The Color Purple was important because it showed that people loved each other, and it showed that at the end of the day people can come together and not have hate.”-Student
Rep Immersion Day Rep Immersion Days offer students the opportunity to participate in interactive, behind-the-scenes demonstrations featuring our professional artists before they attend one of our plays. They are provided lunch, participate in a post-show talkback and interact with the actors. Last year, more than 2,300 students experienced a Rep Immersion Day during The Color Purple and Peter and the Starcatcher.
Artistic Intern Program Celebrating its 50th Anniversary, The Rep’s Artistic Intern Program is one of the most prestigious training programs in the country, bringing the best emerging artists to The Rep to work with our professional artists full-time for an entire season. The program provides a rare opportunity to bridge academic training and professional practice in a supportive learning environment. This season, 11 acting and 2 directing interns served as understudies and performed in ensemble and principal roles throughout the season. 6
2014/15 Artistic Interns Andrew Carlyle Illinois State University Katherine Duffy Indiana University Hannah Greene Northwestern University (Director) India Gurley University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theater Actor Training Program Taurean Hogan Wayne State University Jennifer Latimore University of Georgia Kristina Loy University of Illinois Philip Muehe University of North Dakota (Director) Nick Narcisi University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Josiah Laubenstein University of South Carolina Chris O’Reilly Marquette University Leeanna Rubin University of South Carolina Vallea E Woodbury Northwestern University Milwaukee Repertory Theater
2014/15 Season Impact Report
7
COMMUNITY OUTREACH Through onstage programming and work within the Milwaukee community, we strive to model a world we all want to live in by creating programs that enrich and enlighten in an environment that is welcoming and inspirational to all.
Diversity & Inclusion
Rep-in-Depth, Panel Discussions and TalkBacks
We are committed to celebrating the rich diversity of our region through our programming. Last season, 51% of our actors and 40% of Artistic Interns were persons of color, and more than half of our guest directors were women. In addition, a Community Committee was created by our board to help connect our work to the communities we serve. More than 20 community leaders represented a wide range of organizations and formed partnerships with 54 organizations last year.
Your voice is powerful, and we want to hear it! Last year, 22,500 patrons attended Rep-in-Depth, our artist-lead conversations before every performance in the Quadracci Powerhouse and Stiemke Studio. In addition, panel discussions curated by community leaders focused on thematic issues found in our plays from violence prevention to human trafficking and creating strong communities. These conversations carried over to our social media platforms where we interacted with more than 20,000 people last year.
Featured Collaboration Jewish Museum Milwaukee We collaborated with the Jewish Museum Milwaukee on the exhibit “Stitching History from the Holocaust,� and crafted original dresses based on the designs of Hedvink Strnad, who died during the Holocaust. In addition to the exhibit last fall, this collaboration was featured on a national PBS broadcast, in The New York Times and will tour nationwide.
A Holiday to Remember Each year, we provide thousands of free tickets to A Christmas Carol to underserved children and families who would not be able to attend otherwise. In 2014, 2,255 tickets were given to 25 community partners to distribute on our behalf. In addition, we select one community organization to support through our holiday drive. Last year, $46,000 was raised by A Christmas Carol audiences to support the work of COA Youth and Family Centers. 8
Milwaukee Repertory Theater
2014/15 Season Impact Report
9
FINANCIALS (Unaudited) REVENUES:
EXPENSES:
Total Revenue: $10,031,658
Total Expense: $9,855,531
4%
3%
6%
7% 12% 37%
5% 54%
16%
53%
Artistic & Education Programs
Contributions & Grants
Marketing & Development
Box Office Revenue
Food & Beverage
Food & Beverage
Administrative/General Occupancy
Other
Reserves
SOURCES OF CONTRIBUTIONS:
1%
2%
3% 10%
Government UPAF
36%
Foundations Corporations
29%
Individuals Restricted Gifts
16%
Events Friends of The Rep
5% “GOOD STEWARD” AWARD WINNER 2013, 2014 PHOTOS: Page 4 (left-right, top-bottom) - Erin Parker and Michael Accardo in The Doyle & Debbie Show; Deborah Staples in The Amish Project; Laura Gordon in Good People; Caron “Sugaray” Rayford in Low Down Dirty Blues; Jack Forbes Wilson as Liberace! (Photos by Michael Brosilow). Page 5 - Brit Whittle and Steve Sheridan in Five Presidents (Photo by Tim Fuller). Page 7 - “Stiching History” photo by the Jewish Museum Milwaukee. All other photos by Milwaukee Repertory Theater Staff.
10
Milwaukee Repertory Theater
2014/15 BOARD OF TRUSTEES OFFICERS President
Secretary
James E. Braza
Gregory C. Oberland
Davis & Kuelthau Partner
Northwestern Mutual President
Immediate Past President
Edward Seaberg
Judy Hansen Broadway Producer
Rockwell Automation Vice President
Vice President, Trustees
Matt Bartel
Treasurer
At Large Digital Measures CEO
Joseph A. Rock KPMG Managing Partner
At Large
Robert H. Manegold
Vice President, Development
Community Volunteer
At Large
Stacy P. Williams
Catherine Robinson
Robert W. Baird & Co. Sr. Investment Consultant
Community Volunteer
TRUSTEES Patsy Aster
Stephen A. Gigot
Dwight L. Morgan
Community Volunteer
Michael Best & Friedrich LLP Managing Partner, Milwaukee
Community Volunteer
Cecilia Gilbert
Community Volunteer
Eliza Audley Community Volunteer
Mark Benskin
Department of Public Works City of Milwaukee
Kathleen A. Gray
US Bank Managing Director
Wendy W. Blumenthal Blumenthal & Associates
Warren Buliox Gonzalez, Saggio & Harlan, LLP Partner
Jane Chernof Community Volunteer
Mark J. Diliberti Foley & Lardner LLP Partner
Quarles & Brady Partner
John Greene Johnson Controls VP, Workforce Diversity
Pete Hotz Briggs & Stratton VP, Engineering Design
Northland Securities Senior Vice President,
J. Patrick Keyes
Quarles & Brady Partner
Wisconsin Energy Executive Vice President & CFO
Norman Dyer
Kristine Lueders
MVP Sales President
Foley & Lardner Estates & Trusts Specialist
Patrick Gallagher Siegel-Gallagher Inc. CEO
Dr. Mark Niedfeldt Mark Niedfeldt, M.D., LLC ModernMed
Shelley Paxton Harley-Davidson Motor Company VP Global Marketing & Brand
Harry Richard Quadracci Ewens Quadracci, Vieux & Sons Coffee President
John Hunzinger, P.E. Hunzinger Construction Company President
Stephen Isaacson
Robert H. Duffy
Abigail J. Nash
Micky Sadoff Community Volunteer
Patrick Smith Community Volunteer
Stephen VanderBloemen VanderBloemen Group CEO
Nicholas P. Wahl Godfrey Kahn President and Managing Partner
Randall McKennie
Howard Williams
Aurora Healthcare Vice President
Wells Fargo Regional Managing Director
PRESIDENTS’ COUNCIL T. Michael Bolger • Joyce Broan • Lloyd A. Gerlach • Judy Hansen • Jacqueline Herd-Barber Larry Jost • John L. Kordsmeier • Frank Krejci • Susan A. Lueger • Robert H. Manegold Vincent L. Martin • Patricia McKeithan • Donna Meyer • W. Kent Velde 2014/15 Season Impact Report
11
Milwaukee Repertory Theater 108 E. Wells St Milwaukee, WI 53202