Prologue Online Theater News Magazine Issue 3 January/February 2009
TROUBLE IN MIND
In this issue . . . • Four Engaging, Entertaining Plays Kick Off the New Year
pg. 2
• An Invitation to Trouble
pg. 3
• DOGPARK: The Big Idea
pg. 5
• A Sizzling Battle of the Sexes
pg. 7
• Jane Austen’s Elegant Love Story comes to the Quadracci Powerhouse Theater this Spring
pg. 9
• PRIDE AND PREJUDICE Tea Series
pg. 11
• Behind the Scenes of A CHRISTMAS CAROL 2008
pg. 12
• GUYS ON ICE Tour Schedule
pg. 14
• Rep Events and News
pg. 15
Available online quarterly by Milwaukee Repertory Theater milwaukeerep.com Milwaukee Repertory Theater I Patty and Jay Baker Theater Complex I 108 East Wells Street I Milwaukee, WI 53202 milwaukeerep.com I Administrative Office: 414-224-1761 I Fax: 414-224-9097 Ticket Office: 414-224-9490 I Fax: 414-225-5490
Artistic Director: Joseph Hanreddy Interim Managing Director: William Prenevost Editor: Cindy E. Moran Photography: Jay Westhauser
Editorial Staff: David Anderson, Kristin Crouch, Megan Gadient, Sandy Ernst, Brent Hazelton, Kristy Studinski
Four Engaging, Entertaining Plays Kick Off the New Year Throughout the remaining winter months, the Quadracci Powerhouse and Stiemke Theaters, as well as the Stacker Cabaret, will be filled with four entertaining, engaging and compelling plays: one offering is a rare production of a fiercely funny and powerful, yet neglected, American play from the 1950s; we’ve got two classic battles of the sexes – one filled with English wit Joseph Hanreddy and the other with Italian ‘passione’; and the premiere of a brand new musical about the romantic trials and tribulations of dogs (it’s a comedy). Alice Childress’s backstage comedy/drama TROUBLE IN MIND was an Off-Broadway hit in 1955 and opens in January on our Quadracci Powerhouse stage. Wiletta Mayer is a gifted African-American actress with a quick, ironic wit honed over the course of a frustrating career playing stereotypical and demeaning roles consisting of mammies, maids and menials. TROUBLE charts the course of rehearsals for a Broadway-bound play set amid the racial tensions of the Old South. Lee Ernst will play Al Manners, the director who needs to solve the thorny dynamics of the rehearsal hall and unite his mixed-race cast into a functioning ensemble. In a “life imitates art” twist, following the initial Off-Broadway success of TROUBLE, Childress was offered a Broadway production – provided that she make changes in the script that she felt compromised the play. Childress refused, the deal fell through and lacking the exposure a Broadway production would have provided, the play has rarely been produced. TROUBLE was startlingly ahead of its time and is long overdue to be seen and appreciated. Timothy Douglas, the director of our recent productions of THE NIGHT IS A CHILD and GEM OF THE OCEAN, will direct. Key roles will be played by Stephanie Berry and Ernest Perry, Jr., last seen in GEM OF THE OCEAN, Wayne Carr, the “Lord of the Underworld” in EURYDICE, Resident Acting Company Member Jim Pickering, fresh off a successful run as Ebenezer Scrooge in our production of A CHRISTMAS CAROL at the Pabst Theater, and Rep veteran Richard Halverson. Jane Austen’s comic and heartrending masterpiece PRIDE AND PREJUDICE will follow TROUBLE IN MIND in the Quadracci Powerhouse. It contains some of the most memorable characters and perfect sentences in the English language as it chronicles Mrs. Bennet’s quest to find rich husbands for her five dowerless daughters. The turbulent courtship between feisty Elizabeth Bennet and taciturn Mr.
Darcy is one of the great romances in literature. Director J.R. Sullivan and I are working to create a stage adaptation that is fleet and theatrical while including the brillance of Ms. Austen’s wit as well as the deliciousness of the many provocations, misunderstandings and setbacks that make the novel such a delight. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE will be The Rep’s largest and most visually resplendent production of the season. Lee Stark and Grant Goodman will be making their Rep debuts in the leading roles with additional roles being played by Resident Acting Company Members Laura Gordon, Jon Daly, Brian Vaughn, Gerry Neugent, Peter Silbert and Rose Pickering, as well as Rep favorite Elizabeth Ledo. February is the perfect time of the year for stories of love and courtship and great timing for MIRANDOLINA, a classic, riotous battle of the sexes by Carlo Goldoni. Our last Goldoni escapade was the joyful romp SERVANT OF TWO MASTERS (1998/99). In this more intimate and character-driven play, sharp-witted Mirandolina is a gracious hostess and a successful, independent businesswoman who is lusted after by every guest in her inn but one – a confirmed misogynist. Mirandolina vows to teach him a lesson by making him fall in love with her. European master director László Marton, who directed our previous productions of A DOLL’S HOUSE and A FLEA IN HER EAR, will return to The Rep from his home in Budapest, Hungary, to direct a cast led by Rep Resident Acting Company Members Deborah Staples and Brian Vaughn. DOGPARK: The Musical promises to be a fun night out in our Stackner Cabaret. DOGPARK is a story of man’s best friends having their day as they romp though the perils and pleasures of love and dating from a canine perspective. This delightful show comes from the unique imaginations, quick wit and songwriting genius of Jahnna Beecham, Malcolm Hillgartner and Michael Hume who created CHAPS! and THEY CAME FROM WAY OUT THERE. Malcolm is writing the “hot jazz” flavored songs, while Jahnna is directing Stackner veterans Lenny Banovez, Chip Duford and Katherine Strohmaier, as well as Jonathan Spivey, who makes his Rep debut. You don’t necessarily have to be a dog lover to love DOGPARK, but it probably doesn’t hurt. This unique and exciting quartet of plays should go a long way toward taking the chill off of the upcoming months. Hope we’ll see you often. All the best for a peaceable and fulfilling 2009. Joseph Hanreddy, Artistic Director
2
TROUBLE IN MIND
Quadracci Powerhouse Theater
An Invitation to Trouble “I’ve always wanted to do somethin’ real grand . . . in the theater . . . to stand forth at my best . . . to stand up here and do anything I want.” –Wiletta, TROUBLE IN MIND As rehearsals begin for Chaos, it becomes readily apparent that the play they’re stepping into contains well-worn caricatures for the black actors to portray. As they read their lines, the cast becomes increasingly uncomfortable with each other. To make matters worse, the white director and producers of the show believe they are offering the public a play that’s progressive and speaks to the times! Do the actors risk their careers by voicing their objections? Or do they become ‘yes’-men and play along?
On January 20 th, we celebrate a historic change in our political landscape as we inaugurate our country’s first African-American president. This monumental event coincides with our first preview performance of Alice Childress’ play, TROUBLE IN MIND (1955), which runs through February 15 th in our Quadracci Powerhouse Theater. In this groundbreaking play, Ms. Childress mines her experience as a young theater artist growing up in Harlem where she learned, first hand, the challenges and compromises that came with being a black writer trying to get her work seen and heard. TROUBLE IN MIND is a backstage comedy-drama about a cast of black and white actors who are mounting a production of an anti-lynching play called Chaos in Belleview. The lead actress, Wiletta Mayer, (played by Stephanie Berry), is talented but struggling. After years in second-rate productions, Wiletta has grown weary of portraying stereotypical black roles like the dutiful maid and the long-skirted mammie. In Chaos, she has finally been given a starring role in a Broadway play, but at what price? Wiletta shares her wisdom and humor as she advises the young black newcomer, John, how to get by in the harsh realities of show business run by white men: “Sometimes they laugh, you’re supposed to look serious, other times they serious, you supposed to laugh.” When John objects, saying that she “sounds kind of Uncle Tommish,” Wiletta agrees. “It is,” she says, “but they do it more than we do. They call it being a ‘yes’-man. You either do it and stay or don’t do it and get out.” 3
Wiletta plays along as best she can until her director, Manners, tells her that her technique is old-fashioned. Not only does she have to learn her lines, she has to learn a new way of acting. Wiletta can’t contain her frustrations. She remembers what the young actor, John, told her: “I wouldn’t, couldn’t play anything I didn’t believe in . . . I couldn’t.” Wiletta is faced with a dilemma that Alice Childress faced time and again as she embarked on her career: does she forfeit her opportunity to work or forfeit her integrity? TROUBLE IN MIND broke many barriers. It was the first Off-Broadway play honored with an Obie Award for an African-American woman. It was also a new kind of play. A story for the stage that was bold in its realistic portrayal of black and white artists struggling with their identity. TROUBLE IN MIND was offered a full Broadway run if Ms. Childress would re-write the ending of the play to make it more commercially sunny and upbeat. As a woman of her convictions, Ms. Childress refused to sell out, thereby giving us the exciting and poignant play that we bring to the Quadracci Powerhouse Theater. Today, there are still racial issues that confront our society both socially and artistically. AfricanAmericans and other minorities are often faced with the temptation to compromise their integrity and ambitions in order to gain work, education or support for their art and cultural contributions. As we embrace a new president who ran his campaign on the urgency of change, we invite you to see TROUBLE IN MIND, a play that holds a light up to who we are and who we might be, if we have the courage to stand by our own distinct and diverse voices. Laura Lynn MacDonald, Literary Office Support
TROUBLE IN MIND
Quadracci Powerhouse Theater
TROUBLE IN MIND continued TROUBLE IN MIND By Alice Childress
Playwright Alice Childress
PERFORMANCE INFORMATION Previews: January 20 – 22 January 23 – February 15, 2009 Tickets: $10.00 – $60.00 CAST LIST Stephanie Berry Kelsey Brennan Wayne T. Carr Lee E. Ernst• Richard Halverson Jonathan Hicks Rachel Leslie Ernest Perry, Jr. James Pickering• •Member of The Rep’s 2008/09 Resident Acting Company. THE REP IN DEPTH Join us for The Rep In Depth, our lively informative half-hour talk which starts 45 minutes before every performance in the Quadracci Powerhouse Theater. Rep Resident Acting Company Member Lee Ernst will be leading this Rep In Depth. Made possible in part by the generous support of:
Timothy Douglas
Milwaukee Repertory Theater has introduced a new behindthe-scenes experience this season. The Director’s Dialogue Series is a chance to meet some of the country’s most dynamic directors while they are visiting The Rep. The series continues on Thursday, January 22nd with TROUBLE IN MIND Director Timothy Douglas, at 6:00 pm at The Rep. The evening will feature wine and hors d’oeuvres by Balzac Food and Wine.
Director Timothy Douglas returns to The Rep after having directed last season’s production of THE NIGHT IS A CHILD. He most recently directed the critically acclaimed West Coast premiere of Sarah Treem’s A FEMININE ENDING in a co-production for South Coast Repertory and Portland Center Stage, and he directed the world premiere of August Wilson’s RADIO GOLF (the final installment of the August Wilson cycle), for Yale Repertory Theatre. For Oslo Elsewhere he directed the premiere production of a new translation/adaptation of Ibsen’s ROSMERSHOLM Off-Broadway, as well as the workshop at Norway’s National Theatre (Oslo). He served as the Associate Artistic Director for Actors Theatre of Louisville (2001 – 2004) where, in addition to facilitating the Humana Festival of New American Plays in partnership with artistic director, Marc Masterson, he staged A.M. SUNDAY, ALL MY SONS, ‘ART’, BLUE/ ORANGE, BLUES FOR AN ALABAMA SKY, CRIMES OF THE HEART, FENCES, JITNEY, THE LIVELY LAD and THE PIANO LESSON. The conclusion of the series on Thursday, April 16 th, will feature Ben Barnes, director of THE CHERRY ORCHARD. Don’t miss this chance to meet these talented directors and get a behind-the-scenes experience unlike anything else. All evenings will begin at 6:00 pm at The Rep and will feature wine and hors d’oeuvres by Balzac Food and Wine. Tickets to each event are $25 and do not include a ticket to the show. For more information or to attend these exciting events, please contact Becca Kitelinger at 414-290-5347 or rkitelinger@milwaukeerep.com.
Stephanie Berry and Shane Taylor in The Rep’s 2006/07 Quadracci Powerhouse production of GEM OF THE OCEAN. Photo by Jay Westhauser.
4
DOGPARK: THE MUSICAL
Stackner Cabaret
DOGPARK: The Big Idea too pushy and Huckleberry, the hound, howls, “Fight! Fight! We’ve got a fight over here!” For research, we had to visit parks alone. Malcolm and I would sit slumped in the car like voyeurs watching big and little dogs go in and out of the parks’ gates. We watched Mayzie, the Scottie, who loves to go to the dog park, but won’t go inside – she likes to walk around the outside of the fence. Rocky, the pit/lab, comes by himself and has earned the nickname “The Mad Humper.” Olive, the Boston Terrier, is always in costume. And then there’s the homeless guy who makes camp under the corner weeping willow. Chip DuFord and Katherine Strohmaier in The Rep’s 2008/09 production of DOGPARK: The Musical. Photo by Jay Westhauser.
We have to start this article with the declaration that we are in Hog Heaven, or I guess I should say Dog Heaven. Imagine getting to write a show for Katherine Strohmaier, Lenny Banovez, Chip DuFord – all Rep audience favorites – and Jonathan Spivey – soon to be a favorite. Their faces, voices, jokes and dance moves were in our heads every step of the way in this writing process. But maybe I should start back at the beginning. One day Sandy Ernst e-mailed us and said, “We’d like to have another Beecham, Hillgartner and Hume musical. Give us five ideas.” We instantly made a list of four, then decided to sleep on it and think of the fifth the next day. Our partner, Michael J. Hume, who happens to be our neighbor, returned the next morning clutching a cup of coffee. When I opened the door, all he said was, “DOGPARK: The Musical.” We cheered. We sent the list to Sandy and Joe Hanreddy and they cheered for DOGPARK, too. The very next day I opened the newspaper and under the list of weekend events was a “Singles with Friends” meeting at 10 am at our local dog park. We wondered what it would be like for dogs being forced into the single scene. We started to imagine the dog park as a bar with unsuspecting pups trying to navigate events like “Yappy Hour” and “Lovers With Leashes,” which (by the way), are real activities at dog parks around the country. We live two blocks from our dog park in Ashland, Oregon, but we don’t go there . . . anymore. Huckleberry and Glory, our fuzzy-faced friends, were voted off the Dog Park Island. Glory, the lab, bites dogs that get 5
Our poor dogs have been totally confused since this project began. The opening line is a whistle and the words, “Itchy! Walkies!” Every time we say that line, they bolt expectantly for the front door. Once the dream team – which includes stage management, designers and crew – brings our show to life, we plan to give the dog park another try. With our newfound knowledge – watching Cesar the Dog Whisperer and reading Oh Behave, Be the Pack Leader and Paws and Effect – we just may be able to get our act together and score an invite to the Tailwaggers Club. Jahnna Beecham, Director/Co-Creator
Costume illustration for DOGPARK: The Musical by Rep Costume Shop Director and DOGPARK Costume Designer Holly Payne.
DOGPARK: THE MUSICAL
Stackner Cabaret
DOGPARK: The Musical continued DOGPARK: The Musical by Jahnna Beecham, Malcolm Hillgartner and Michael J. Hume Directed by Jahnna Beecham
PERFORMANCE INFORMATION Now – March 1, 2009 Tickets: $28.00 – $41.00 CAST LIST Lenny Banovez Chip DuFord Jonathan Spivey Katherine Strohmaier Generously sponsored by:
Made possible in part by the generous support of:
MUSIC | FOOD | FUN
Katherine Strohmaier and Jonathan Spivey in The Rep’s 2008/09 production of DOGPARK: The Musical. Photo by Jay Westhauser.
The Rep’s Stackner Cabaret
414-224-9490 for dinner reservations Michael Herold, Jill Mari Anderson, Lenny Banovez, Chip DuFord and Katherine Strohmaier in The Rep’s 2007/08 production of THEY CAME FROM WAY OUT THERE. Photo by Jay Westhauser.
6
MIRANDOLINA
Stiemke Theater
A Sizzling Battle of the Sexes What happens when a beautiful, clever woman and a sworn woman-hater meet in close quarters? The sparks will fly in MIRANDOLINA, a hilarious battle of wit, stratagem and seduction. In this delightful 18th-century comedy by Carlo Goldoni, Mirandolina, Deborah Staples an independent-thinking businesswoman, is singlehandedly running her father’s inn. Her beauty, intelligence and spirited nature have all the men swarming around her. Two buffoonish noblemen renting rooms at the inn argue about which one of them is more in love with the landlady, and make a desperate attempt to woo her with whatever they have to offer: money, protection or the privilege of title. Even her own serving man is after her hand. Only the churlish Knight of Ripafratta is impervious to her charms. As the Count and Marquis argue over their adoration of the mistress of the Inn, the Knight interrupts: Was there ever anything less worth arguing about? A woman upsets you? Angers you? A woman? What am I hearing? A woman? Well, one thing’s for sure: I’ll never argue over one – I’ve never liked them – never had any use for them. They’re an insufferable nuisance. He is so bold in his rebuff of the female sex that Mirandolina decides to have a little fun at his expense and teach him a lesson; she aims to see if she can be the one to “cure” the confirmed woman-hater and turn him into a creature vulnerable to the temptations of love. Will she succeed in humbling the Knight? The results are not what you would expect!
improvisation for realism and the common language and manners of everyday life. As a new middle-class emerged in Italy, expanding “privileges” for women in education and in the businesses of their fathers and husbands, Goldoni takes the role of women a step further: Mirandolina is a single woman in sole charge of an inn. Against the backdrop of a maledominated society in which women were often viewed as commodities, Goldoni offers audiences a picture of a woman who retains her freedom to be true to herself. Though nearly every man she meets becomes smitten with her, she has learned how to deflect their advances without insulting them and driving their business elsewhere. Mirandolina’s tactics, however, reveal the power of love as a force greater than any one person who might try to control it. For the working class, the middle-class and the aristocracy alike, no one is immune to the mysterious and volatile nature of romance. Love can be manipulated, but it can also spin out of control! Love, no matter how well you might try to manipulate and control it, just might explode and there’s no telling who will get hit in the process. From deep within the Age of Reason, Goldoni gives serious consideration to the problems of the heart – who to love, how to return love, why to love and how to show love – all in a spirit of fun and romance! Join us in the Stiemke Theater for a night of sizzle and seduction as László Marton returns to direct MIRANDOLINA. Kristin Crouch, Literary Director
Playwright Carlo Goldoni was no stranger to writing about the relationships between men and women. Unlike the old stock characters and gender stereotypes often employed by his peers, Goldoni championed new ways of looking at the social conventions that shape the ways that class and gender intersect. MIRANDOLINA (1753), Italian for “the Little Miracle,” is an exceptional example of classic comedy. As the father of reform in Italy’s comic theater, Goldoni, who penned over 150 plays, eschewed the use of the traditional masks and MIRANDOLINA Director László Marton
7
MIRANDOLINA
Stiemke Theater
MIRANDOLINA By Carlo Goldoni PERFORMANCE INFORMATION Previews: January 28 – January 29, 2009 January 30 – February 22, 2009 Tickets: $20.00 – $45.00 CAST LIST Carey Cannon Torrey Hanson• Jordan Laroya Gerard Neugent• Cristina Panfilio Steve Pickering Deborah Staples• Brian Vaughn•
Rep Resident Acting Company Members Peter Silbert, Deborah Staples and Brian Vaughn in The Rep’s 1998/99 production of SERVANT OF TWO MASTERS by Carlo Goldoni. Photo by Jay Westhauser.
•Member of The Rep’s 2008/09 Resident Acting Company. THE REP IN DEPTH Join us for The Rep In Depth, our lively informative half-hour talk which starts 45 minutes before every performance in the Stiemke Theater. Actor Steve Pickering will be leading this Rep In Depth.
Playwright Carlo Goldini.
Costume illustration for MIRANDOLINA by Costume Designer Mathew J. LeFebvre.
8
PRIDE AND PREJUDICE
Quadracci Powerhouse Theater
Jane Austen’s Elegant Love Story comes to the Quadracci Powerhouse Theater this Spring
Milwaukee Rep Literary Director Kristin Crouch grabbed a few moments with Director J.R. Sullivan to talk about the process of adapting Jane Austen’s classic novel to the stage. Kristin Crouch: The works of Jane Austen have been read and adapted for almost two hundred years. Recent film and TV adaptations of Pride and Prejudice have been hugely popular, including the BBC’s 1995 television miniseries starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle, as well as the 2005 film starring Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen. Also, a number of other films, such as Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001) and Bride and Prejudice (2004), were directly inspired by Austen’s novel. What draws you towards the world of Jane Austen, and what do you think audiences will find particularly appealing in this story? J.R. Sullivan: Well, there is hardly a better love story written than this elegant, funny, sharply-observed and richly-rendered novel by Jane Austen. What draws us to the story, I think, is the very thing that matters most: as readers, or as playgoers and filmgoers, we find truth in the characters, humor in their all-too-recognizable behavior in situations – dilemmas sometimes of their own making and sometimes not – and appreciation of their observations of themselves, especially heroine Elizabeth Bennet. And there is joy, true happiness in 9
fulfillment, in this story’s conclusion. I have to say, and I don’t think this is from an unrepentant romantic, that I never tire of such a story as Pride and Prejudice, a story of the trials, missteps and misunderstandings on a path to love. It is a triumph over circumstances that would scuttle joy, a fulfillment of the happy end most of us hold close as ‘always possible.’ KC: It’s not possible or even practical to retain everything we enjoy from the book when creating an adaptation for the stage or screen. Each of the film/TV versions has highlighted different aspects of the story. Which particular themes, characters or situations does this adaptation highlight?
Marybeth Gorman and Joshua Willis.
Spring brings to the Quadracci Powerhouse stage one of Jane Austen’s most delightful romantic tales. Wit and fervor abound in Joe Hanreddy and J.R. Sullivan’s new adaptation of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, a glorious period romance that will have your heart racing. Published during Director/Co-Adapter J.R. Sullivan the Regency period of England in 1813, Austen’s tale is awash with the intrigues of love, passion and the perils of courtship. The five Bennet sisters have been raised to have one purpose in life: to find a husband. After a wealthy bachelor takes up residence in a nearby estate, the girls prepare for parties and dancing, while Mrs. Bennet dreams of suitors for her daughters. When the passionate and witty Elizabeth Bennet meets the new neighbor’s best friend, the taciturn Mr. Darcy, misunderstandings and miscommunications flourish and the sparks fly!
JS: The novel is extremely well-suited to film to be sure. The 1995 BBC version – as a five-part miniseries – was able to present much of the book as plotted, while the equally excellent Keira Knightley version succeeded in cinematically compressing great sections of the book with breathtaking visual story-telling and a really remarkable use of the camera by its director. Our version focuses on Elizabeth and Darcy’s story, which starts in misunderstandings born of first impressions. We tell the tale over the passage of a year, just as the novel does, and we try to highlight in staging the effect of that year in the Hertfordshire countryside as Elizabeth and Darcy find their way back to one another. It takes a year to learn about yourself, and to realize the extent of your own mistakes. We also attempt to put as much light on the Bennet family as we can, and the pressure on the daughters to marry well . . . that is, into economic circumstances that will protect and support them in the future. (continued on next page . . .)
PRIDE AND PREJUDICE (Jane Austen’s Elegant Love Story . . . continued)
KC: Austen pays strict attention to the rules of social decorum and etiquette among members of high society. How do you think these features of life in Regency England still resonate with modern American audiences today?
Quadracci Powerhouse Theater
energy of Kitty and Lydia, and of course, Elizabeth Bennet. She is one of a kind, ingeniously created, witty, unusually self-aware and discovers a deeper self in the mystery and glory of the kind of love one dreams of – lasting and true.
JS: There’s a form to every social encounter, I think. In Pride and Prejudice, the initial social contacts occur at balls and dances, or family parties, arranged so young men and women might encounter one another and begin the social dance that may conclude in marriage. But I think there is always a “dance” in courtship, always a give and then take, a set of rules more or less mutually understood in the dance of flirtation. We have all used them, and used them to find a little safety in the interaction, a social construct to help our vulnerable hearts along, so to speak, in the great chance of love.
PRIDE AND PREJUDICE
KC: The experience of reading a novel is very different from watching a piece of living theater. Jane Austen’s novels tend to be full of narration and lots of letters. A character might ponder their inner thoughts and not say a word to anyone else for pages – how did you go about transforming the literary and descriptive features of the novel into more immediate and dramatic situations for the stage?
CAST LIST Eva Balistrieri Jason Bradley Carey Cannon Jonathan Gillard Daly• Grant Goodman Laura Gordon• Jordan Laroya Elizabeth Ledo Richelle Meiss Gerard Neugent• Rose Pickering• Brian Rooney James S. Rudy Peter Silbert• Lee Stark Jacque Troy Brian Vaughn• Emily Vitrano Heidi Wermuth
JS: Yes, there are many letters, a form that was becoming very popular to the novel in Austen’s day. There are some who believe that the novel – which had an earlier version on Jane’s writing desk called “First Impressions” – was entirely epistolary in form. Joe Hanreddy and I agreed from the beginning of our collaboration on this that we would not use narrator’s voices in a presentational manner – as is often done with novels adapted to the stage – and that we would limit the letters as best we could, turning those communications into dialogue exchanges with dramatic stakes and intensifying circumstances. Time will tell if we succeed in that or not. KC: Can you give us a sneak peek about any parts of the story that you are particularly looking forward to rehearsing? JS: Well, I have to say that I absolutely love the family that Jane Austen gave us in the Bennets. All of them, from Mr. Bennet’s detachment to Mrs. Bennet’s comic – and heroic – efforts to get her girls well matched, and the fantastic distinction among the five girls: Jane’s modesty, Mary’s pedagogical inclinations, the wild
By Jane Austen; adapted by Joseph Hanreddy and J.R. Sullivan PERFORMANCE INFORMATION Previews: March 3 – 5, 2009 March 6 – March 29, 2009 Tickets: $10.00 – $60.00
Jane Austen
•Member of The Rep’s 2008/09 Resident Acting Company THE REP IN DEPTH Join us for The Rep In Depth, our lively informative half-hour talk which starts 45 minutes before every performance in the Quadracci Powerhouse Theater. Rep Resident Acting Company Member Laura Gordon will be leading this Rep in Depth. Made possible in part by the generous support of:
10
From the Development Department
This season, Milwaukee Repertory Theater is presenting a world premiere adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. To celebrate, The Rep is working with the Jane Austen Society of North America to produce two tea parties that celebrate the life and work of Jane Austen. The first event will be held on Sunday, February 15 th, at 10:00 am in the Anaba Tea Room in Shorewood. Anaba Tea Room gets its name from the Japanese word “Anaba” which means “little-known, but pleasing spot.” We believe this is the ideal description for this wonderful location! The atmosphere is quiet, warm and intimate, complete with water fountains, lighted candles and green plants. It is the perfect place to kick off this intimate series of tea parties. The second will be held on Sunday, March 1 st, at 11:00 am at Watt’s Tea Shop in downtown Milwaukee. Watt’s Tea Shop is Milwaukee’s most historic tea room and is perched atop a prestigious china and crystal store. An elegant and optimistic room, Watt’s is the perfect atmosphere for a Pride and Prejudice Tea.
and her writing with approximately 4,000 members and over 60 regional groups in the United States and Canada. Its members, who are of all ages and from diverse walks of life, share an enjoyment of Austen’s fiction and the company of like-minded readers. The Rep is proud to be working with them on this wonderful series. This is a great opportunity to get your book club together for an in depth look at one of the most celebrated authors of all time. Our tea party guests will be able to order tickets at a special rate for performances of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE in the Quadracci Powerhouse Theater which runs March 3 – 29, 2009. Tickets to each tea are $50. Please contact Becca Kitelinger at rkitelinger@milwaukeerep.com or 414290-5347 to reserve your place.
Each get-together will feature tea and light snacks as well as a different presentation about Jane Austen and/or Pride and Prejudice. Rep Artistic Director Joseph Hanreddy will attend to provide guests with insights on The Rep’s production. Pride and Prejudice is one of the most delightful and popular romantic comedies of all time. Jane Austen’s classic tale takes us to Regency England circa 1813 and the drawing room of Mr. and Mrs. Bennet as they seek suitable husbands for their five marriageable daughters. When a wealthy young man and his friend arrive at a nearby mansion, the lives of Elizabeth Bennet and her sisters are abuzz with excitement and passion. The Jane Austen Society of North America is dedicated to the enjoyment and appreciation of Jane Austen 11
Keira Knightley from the 2005 movie Pride and Prejudice.
SAVE THE DATE! Please make sure to save the date for The Bayou Ball: The Rep’s 2009 Gala on Saturday, May 16, 2009. Let the good times roll!
A CHRISTMAS CAROL
Backstage at The Rep
Behind the Scenes of A CHRISTMAS CAROL 2008 A CHRISTMAS CAROL just wouldn’t be the same without all the children who are a part of the cast of The Rep’s production. This year’s production featured 17 children. Here, Resident Actor Torrey Hanson captures some behind-the-scenes shots of the children of A CHRISTMAS CAROL.
Riley Luettgen smiles for the camera. Sam Skogstad and Emily Zaffiro catch up on some homework.
Keegan Cimler gets rosy cheeks.
A.J. Magoon and Conner Mills have fun during a break.
Rep Resident Acting Company Member Torrey Hanson as Bob Cratchit.
(Continued on next page . . . )
12
A CHRISTMAS CAROL
Backstage at The Rep
(Behind the Scenes . . . continued)
A.J. Magoon, Keegan Cimler, Conner Mills and Denzell Armon enjoy some downtime together.
Maia Thompson gets her hair done.
Kaitlyn Serketich has her make-up applied just right.
A.J. Magoon smiles backstage.
S.J. Burggraf applies a wig to Olivia Gonzalez.
Photos by Rep Resident Acting Company Member Torrey Hanson. Photo credits by Stage Manager Laura Wendt.
13
Tour Information
GUYS ON ICE Wisconsin Tour 2009 Viterbo University Fine Arts Center La Crosse, WI www.viterbo.edu/fac Saturday, Jan. 31 @ 7:30pm Ticket Office: 608-796-3100 Jefferson PAC Jefferson, WI www.councilfortheperformingarts.org Saturday, Feb 7 @ 7:00pm Sunday, Feb 8 @ 3:00pm Tickets Office: 920-674-2179
GUYS ON ICE
Steve M. Koehler and Doug Mancheski
Book and Lyrics by Fred Alley; Music by James Kaplan From their shanty, ice-fishing buddies Marvin and Lloyd sing about life, love and the one that got away. Don’t miss your chance to catch the “big one,” and have the chance to be the winner in Ernie the Moocher’s Halftime Show! Meyer Theatre Green Bay, WI www.meyertheatre.org Thursday, Jan. 22 @ 7:30pm Ticket Office: 920-405-1141 Lakeland College Sheboygan, WI www.lakeland.edu/ Friday, Jan. 23 @ 7:30pm Ticket Office: 920-565-1536 CAL Center Presents, Inc. Reedsburg, WI www.calcenter.org/ Saturday, Jan. 24 @ 7:00pm Ticket Office: 608-524-4327 x780 Beaver Dam Area Community Theatre Beaver Dam, WI www.bdact.org/ Thursday, Jan. 29 @ 7:00pm Friday Jan. 30 @ 7:00pm Ticket Office: 920-885-6891
Performing Arts Center of Wisconsin Rapids Wisconsin Rapids, WI www.savorthearts.org Thursday, Feb. 12 @ 7:30pm Ticket Office: 715-421-4552 Headwaters Council for the Performing Arts Eagle River, WI www.hcpapresents.com/ Friday, Feb. 13 @ 7:30pm Ticket Office: 715-479-5055 Ironwood Theatre Ironwood, MI www.ironwoodtheatre.net/ Saturday, Feb. 14 @ 7:00pm Ticket Office: 906-932-0618 Oshkosh Opera House Oshkosh, WI www.grandoperahouse.org Thursday, Feb. 26 @ 7:30pm Friday Feb. 27 @ 7:30pm Ticket Office: 1-866-96GRAND Oconto Falls Friends of the Arts Oconto Falls, WI www.fota.ocontofalls.k12.wi.us/ Saturday, Feb. 28 @ 7:00pm Ticket Office: 920-848-7469 Chilton AFS Chilton, WI http://www.englercenter.com Saturday, Feb. 21 @ 3:00pm & 7:00pm Ticket Office: (920) 849-2912 14
Rep News and Information
Get Involved – Rep Events and News TALKBACKS
TROUBLE IN MIND Wednesday, January 28, February 4 and 11
The Stackner Cabaret bar and restaurant is smokefree and is open to the public before and after all evening Rep performances and is located just up the escalator in the Milwaukee Center. For dinner reservations, call 414-224-9490. To view the menu and other information, visit milwaukeerep.com.
MIRANDOLINA Tuesday, February 10 and 17
ANNUAL FRIENDS REP RAFFLE
Talkbacks (post-show discussions) will take place after the following performances:
PRIDE AND PREJUDICE Thursday, March 12, 19 and 26
THE REP IN DEPTH Join us for The Rep In Depth, a lively, informative half-hour talk which starts 45 minutes before every performance in the Quadracci Powerhouse Theater and Stiemke Theater. It’s free and you can drop in any time during the course of the talk. This popular series is sure to enhance your theatergoing experience with background information about the play you are about to see. Come and join all the other audience members who enjoy this free educational event!
JOIN THE FRIENDS OF THE REP Join the Friends and join the fun! Members of the Friends of The Rep collectively donate thousands of hours of volunteer time and effort to assure that The Rep has the resources to maintain its artistic standards and meet its financial objectives. The Friends’ volunteer efforts provide extra “people” resources to help The Rep sustain its leadership as one of the finest regional theaters in the country. Membership fees range from $15 – $40 for one year. For more information, go to our website at: milwaukeerep.com/ support/volunteer.htm.
Stackner Cabaret One of Milwaukee’s best kept secrets is The Rep’s Stackner Cabaret. Not only does the Cabaret have some of the best cabaret musical entertainment in the state, it’s a great location to meet friends before or after any of The Rep’s shows. With a delightful menu in a unique theater surrounding, it’s the perfect place to meet before you see a show in the Cabaret, Quadracci Powerhouse Theater, Stiemke Theater or Pabst Theater. Stop up after the show and enjoy desserts and drinks – you never know who you’ll see! 15
The annual Friends Rep Raffle will be held during the run of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. Some of this year’s exciting prizes include: an evening with John McGivern during the run of SHEER MADNESS; a basket filled with liquid refreshments found in an English pub; tickets for two to see the 2009/2010 season on all three Rep stages; two Midwest Airline tickets, golf with Rep Resident Acting Company Members Jim Pickering and Lee Ernst; a week’s stay in Scottsdale, Arizona, a week’s stay in a cabin in Plum Lake, WI and a magnificent one-of-a-kind quilt created by The Rep Costume Shop’s First Hand Rey Dobeck. Look for the costumed actors before and during the intermission of PRIDE AND PREJUDICE. Tickets can be purchased for $5.00, 6 for $20.00 or 20 for $50.00. Buy Rep Raffle tickets and help support The Rep!
PLAY READINGS AT TEN CHIMNEYS ESTATE Ten Chimneys Foundation and Milwaukee Repertory Theater continue a fifth season of their highlyacclaimed collaboration “The Plays of Lunt and Fontanne: Play Readings at Ten Chimneys”. Featuring The Rep’s Artistic Intern Company, the series gives audiences an opportunity to enjoy some of the 20th century’s most successful plays – at the estate of the actors who made them famous. This fall’s Ten Chimney’s Play Reading schedule is as follows: Noel Coward’s BLITHE SPIRIT Monday, March 23 Robert E. Sherwood’s IDIOT’S DELIGHT Monday, May 4 The readings begin at 7 pm. Play readings are just $15 in advance or $20 at the door. Call 262-9684161, extension 500, to reserve seats and for further information. You may also visit tenchimneys.org and go to the section called public programs to learn more about the Ten Chimney play readings.
Performance Calendar Performance Calender
OCTOBER
January TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
6
7
8
9
13
14
15
16
SATURDAY 10
8:00 DOGPARK
7:30 DOGPARK
20
7:30 TROUBLE
7:30 TROUBLE
22
28
7:30 DOGPARK 1:30/ 7:30 TROUBLE
29
7:30 DOGPARK
27
7:30 TROUBLE
7:30
8:00 DOGPARK
23
8:00 TROUBLE
DOGPARK
7:30 TROUBLE
7:30 MIRANDOLINA
7:30 MIRANDOLINA
7:30 DOGPARK
7:30 DOGPARK
8:00
DOGPARK
17
7:30 DOGPARK
21
8:00 DOGPARK
30
8:00 TROUBLE
7:00
DOGPARK
2:00/ 7:00
DOGPARK
18 4:00/8:00 DOGPARK
24
SUNDAY 11
4:00/8:00 TROUBLE
25
4:00/8:00 DOGPARK
31
2:00/7:00 TROUBLE
2:00/7:00 DOGPARK
4:00/8:00 TROUBLE
8:00 MIRANDOLINA 4:00/8:00 MIRANDOLINA 8:00 DOGPARK
4:00/8:00 DOGPARK
February OCTOBER TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY 1
(FS) 2:00/
7:00 TROUBLE
2:00/7:00 MIRANDOLINA 2:00/7:00 DOGPARK 1:30/
TROUBLE 5 1:30/7:30 MIRANDOLINA
3
4
7:30 TROUBLE
(TB) 7:30
(A) 6:30
(TB) 7:30
TROUBLE 11
(TB)7:30
7:30 DOGPARK
TROUBLE 12
7:30 MIRANDOLINA
MIRANDOLINA
(I)7:30
(A)7:30
7:30 DOGPARK
17 (TB)
18 6:30 MIRANDOLINA 6:30 DOGPARK
24
7:30
DOGPARK
7:30
DOGPARK
8
4:00/8:00 DOGPARK
14
8:00 DOGPARK
4:00/8:00 TROUBLE
2:00/7:00 TROUBLE
2:00/7:00 DOGPARK
15
2:00/7:00 TROUBLE
8:00 DOGPARK
27
22 (NS) 2:00/
7:00 MIRANDOLINA
4:00/8:00 DOGPARK
2:00/7:00 DOGPARK
28 8:00 DOGPARK
DOGPARK
2:00/7:00 DOGPARK
4:00/8:00 DOGPARK
21 8:00 MIRANDOLINA 4:00/8:00 MIRANDOLINA
MIRANDOLINA 7:30 DOGPARK
7:30
4:00/8:00 TROUBLE
8:00 MIRANDOLINA 4:00/8:00 MIRANDOLINA 2:00/7:00 MIRANDOLINA
MIRANDOLINA 7:30 DOGPARK
26
25
8:00 TROUBLE
20
(I) 7:30
7
8:00 DOGPARK
TROUBLE 13
19 7:30 MIRANDOLINA
8:00 TROUBLE
8:00 MIRANDOLINA 4:00/8:00 MIRANDOLINA 2:00/7:00 MIRANDOLINA
7:30 MIRANDOLINA
7:30 DOGPARK
10
6
4:00/8:00 DOGPARK
March OCTOBER TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
SATURDAY
SUNDAY 1 2:00/7:00 DOGPARK
3
7:30 PRIDE
4
7:30 PRIDE
5
(P) (A) 7:30
PRIDE
6
(O) 8:00
PRIDE 7
(P) 8:00
10
11
17
18
1:30/7:30 PRIDE
25
7:30 PRIDE
(B) 1:30/7:30
PRIDE 12
(TT) (TB) 7:30
7:30 FIRE
7:30 FIRE
19
(TB)
7:30 PRIDE
26
(I) (TB)
7:30 PRIDE
7:30 FIRE
24
(A)
6:30 PRIDE 6:30 FIRE
7:30 FIRE
Quadracci Powerhouse Theater TROUBLE = TROUBLE IN MIND PRIDE = PRIDE & PREJUDICE
Stiemke Theater MIRANDOLINA = MIRANDOLINA
Stackner Cabaret DOGPARK = DOGPARK: THE MUSICAL FIRE = FIRE ON THE BAYOU: A MARDI GRAS EXTRAVAGANZA
PRIDE 13
FIRE
(O) 8:00
8:00 PRIDE 14
8:00 FIRE
20
8:00 PRIDE
27
8:00 PRIDE
7:30 FIRE
8:00 FIRE
8
2:00/7:00 PRIDE
FIRE
7:00
4:00/8:00 PRIDE 15
4:00/8:00 FIRE
21
4:00/8:00 PRIDE
28
4:00/8:00 PRIDE
8:00 FIRE
7:30 FIRE
4:00/8:00 PRIDE
FIRE
2:00/7:00 PRIDE
2:00/ 7:00 FIRE
22
2:00/7:00 PRIDE
2:00/7:00 FIRE
4:00/8:00 FIRE
4:00/8:00 FIRE
(FS)
29
(C) 2:00/7:00
PRIDE
2:00/7:00 FIRE
(P) = Preview (O) = Opening (TT) = Theater Thursday (TB) = Talkback (FS) Family Sunday Matinee & Smoke-Free (SF) = Smoke-Free (A) = Audio Description (I) = Interpreted in ASL (C) = Captioned Theater
16
General Information
Basic Information Ticket Office: 414-224-9490 Ticket Office Fax: 414-225-5490 Administrative Office: 414-224-1761 Fax: 414-224-9097 Website: milwaukeerep.com
Single Ticket Prices Quadracci Powerhouse Theater: $10.00 – $60.00 Stiemke Theater: $20.00 – $45.00 Stackner Cabaret: $28.00 – $41.00
Rep Ticket Office Hours Monday – Friday: Noon – 6 pm Saturday – Sunday: Noon – 6 pm Window service is available until curtain time.
Discounts for Students and Senior Citizens Receive $5 off any seat bought in advance or purchase half-price “rush tickets” 60 minutes prior to curtain. Offer valid for QUADRACCI POWERHOUSE and STIEMKE THEATER performances only. Proper identification is required. This offer cannot be used in conjunction with other discounts or Economy seating. Discount is not available online.
Group Discounts Group Discounts are available for groups of ten or more. For more information on The Rep’s Group Discounts, please contact The Rep’s Ticket Office at 414-224-9490.
New This Year – The Rep’s Under 40 Discount For patrons under the age of 40, $10 tickets are available for all Quadracci Powerhouse Theater and Stiemke Theater performances. For more information or to order tickets visit: therep-entourage.com.
Parking Located within the Milwaukee Center complex is an underground parking structure operated by InterParking. Enter off East Kilbourn Avenue or North Water Street, park, and then take the elevator to M or 2 for seating in the Quadracci Powerhouse Theater or Stackner Cabaret, and to G for the Stiemke Theater or Rep Ticket Office. Patron Parking Passes for the Milwaukee Center Parking Garage are available in the Quadracci Powerhouse and Stiemke Theater lobbies for $6.50. See the House Manager for details or to buy a pass.
17
Access Services Please contact The Rep Ticket Office to request Access Services, 414-224-9490.
Deaf or Hard of Hearing Services A sign language interpreted performance is scheduled for TROUBLE IN MIND on Thursday, February 12 at 7:30 pm, for MIRANDOLINA on Thursday, February 19 at 7:30 pm and for PRIDE AND PREJUDICE on Thursday, March 26 at 7:30 pm. A Captioned Theater performance is scheduled for TROUBLE IN MIND on Sunday, February 15 at 2:00 pm and for PRIDE AND PREJUDICE on Sunday, March 29 at 2:00 pm. A script synopsis is available for those patrons who are deaf or hard of hearing and would like to read it prior to attending a performance. If you would like to receive the synopsis, please call 414-224-1761. The Quadracci Powerhouse Theater and the Stiemke Theater are equipped with an infrared listening system, which ensures clarity of sound from any seat in the house. If you would like one of the listening devices, please stop at the House Manager’s desk to check out a headset prior to watching your performance.
Blind or Low Vision Services Audio-described performances are scheduled for DOGPARK: The Musical for Sunday, January 18 at 7:00 pm, TROUBLE IN MIND on Thursday, January 22 at 7:30 pm and Tuesday, February 10 at 6:30 pm, for MIRANDOLINA on Thursday, February 12 at 7:30 pm and PRIDE AND PREJUDICE on Thursday, March 5 at 7:30 pm and Tuesday, March 24 at 6:30 pm. Audio description is the art of talking pictorially to make the arts accessible to people who are blind or have low vision. A cassette describing the visual elements and plot line of the productions are available at no cost to our patrons. Please call William Newcomb at 414-290-5717 to make reservations for either of these audio-described performances or to receive the tapes. Large print programs are available in the Quadracci Powerhouse Theater or Stiemke Theater by asking any usher. All Rep theaters are wheelchair accessible.