#milwaukee repertory

[lboogie1906]

L. Scott Caldwell (born Laverne Scott; April 17, 1950) is an actress known for her roles in The Fugitive and Lost.

She earned a BA in Theater Arts and Communications.

She planned on a teaching career and taught at Chicago High School of the Performing Arts. She worked for a year for the Chicago Council on Fine Arts as an artist-in-residence. She performed in local theatrical productions at the Body Politic, Court Theater, and Eleventh Street Theater. She went to New York to audition for Uta Hagen’s school HB Studio and The Negro Ensemble Company.

She was accepted by both Hagen and NEC. During her first season at NEC, she performed in several plays. One of those plays, Home, took her to Broadway’s Cort Theatre. The play was critically acclaimed and earned a Tony Award nomination for Charles Brown. After Home closed she worked in several regional theater productions including Boesman and Lena at Milwaukee Repertory Theatre and A Raisin in the Sun at Studio Arena Theatre in Buffalo.

She auditioned for Joe Turner’s Come and Gone. Her performance as Bertha Holly earned her a 1988 Tony Award. She returned to Broadway in 1997 as the lead in Proposals.

She made her Goodman Theatre debut in The Dreams of Sarah Breedlove. She took on the role of Lena Younger in the Ebony Repertory Theatre production of A Raisin in the Sun, for which she won the 2011 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award.

She is an active member of Unite For Strength. She won a seat as an alternate on the National Board of Directors and the Hollywood Division Board of Directors. She served on the Seniors, Legislative, Women, Holiday Host, Honors and Tributes, and EEOC committees. She was elected to a one-year term on the national board of directors. She served as the national chair of the Women’s Committee. She is on the SAG national board of directors’ ballot. She won a three-year term on the national and Hollywood boards. She will serve as national chair of the Women, and Healthcare Safetynet committees.

She was part of the six-part Mercy Street. She co-starred in Our Kind of People as Olivia Sturgess Dupont. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[reveal-the-news]

Downtown venues launch Milwaukee Theater District to ramp up marketing

Downtown venues launch Milwaukee Theater District to ramp up marketing

Downtown Milwaukee theaters, performing arts groups and Visit Milwaukee announced Wednesday the creation of the Milwaukee Theater District, a marketing and branding effort to increase awareness and attendance at these venues. Participants include Bradley Symphony Center, Marcus Performing Arts Center, Wisconsin Center District, Miller High Life Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Pabst Theatre,…

[uwmarchives]

World Theatre Day 2019

Milwaukee Repertory Theater: 1978-1979. Romeo & Juliet

The International Theatre Institute began celebrating World Theatre Day in 1962. To join the celebration, we are sharing this image from the 1978-1979 Milwaukee Repertory Theater’s production of Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, staged at the Pabst Theater featuring Thomas Hulce and Valerie Mahaffey and directed by John Dillon.

The Milwaukee Repertory Theater Photographic History collection allows you to browse photographs of productions by year, playwright, director, actor, and technical designers, among other categories and is available here:

https://uwm.edu/lib-collections/mkerep/

You can also access the theater’s paper collection, which includes correspondence and records with a visit to the UWM Archives at the Golda Meir Library:

http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-mil00095

[aroundmke]

2 Pianos 4 Hands

I’m so glad to be back! As much as I love summer, nothing feels better than when the air starts to cool and I just know in my bones that theater season is on its way. There is such a great season ahead of us, so let’s get right to it.

Two Pianos Four Hands is hosted in the lovely Stackner Cabaret, which has an all-new menu curated for the season. When I arrived, everyone seemed just as excited for the start of the season as I was. The air was buzzing with folks chattering about all the shows they were going to see and what they hoped to still get tickets for. 

Two Pianos Four Hands stars local favorites Joe Kinosian and Ben Moss. You may remember Joe from his show Murder for Two, which he wrote and performed at the Rep in the 64th season. Seeing Joe on stage is like seeing an old friend, he is charming and warm in his delivery. Some may scoff at me calling him a “subtle” actor, but his nuance for character acting is seen best in his little details - the dashes of soul he adds to his performances. Ben is also a joy to watch, his strength is often seen in his more emotional scenes. He is so adept at carrying deep feelings in his voice. It goes without saying that both of these men are exceptional piano players and that they both bring such clear emotions through their playing alone. Each keystroke tells its own story. 

What an incredible start to what I am sure will be a riveting season. I hope you will all find some time to catch this amazing show, maybe even have a little dinner, and tell me what you think of it! Two Pianos Four Hands runs through November 3rd (so you DEFINITELY have time to see it!) and tickets are available here. You still have time to get tickets to all the amazing shows coming this season, including the much anticipated West Side Story in the Quadracci Powerhouse Theater (tickets here). I hope to see you at the theater!

Until the next show,

A.

[blackinperiodfilms]

Zonya Love (Celie) and Stephanie Umoh (Nettie) in The Color Purple.

Milwaukee Repertory Theater’s 2014/15 Quadracci Powerhouse Production 

Photo by Michael Brosilow.

[anthonyvcrivello]

VOTE Anthony Crivello  - BEST STAGE ACTOR!  ShepardExpress.com https://shepherdexpress.com/best-of-milwaukee/2020#/gallery/?group=361163

@SANDY MAXX, @MILWAUKEREP and the below list! Thanks! 📷 The Arts PageDecember 1 at 10:50 AM Have you voted for the Shepherd Express 2020 Best of Milwaukee Awards yet? Deadline is Wed, Dec 03 at 11:59 P.M. There are many wonderful choices, including these nominees that you've seen on The Arts Page: + Sandy Maxx (Best Local TV Personality and Best Local Radio Personality) + Inspiration Studios + Milwaukee Art Museum + Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum + Kids From Wisconsin + Milwaukee Ballet + Discovery World + Jewish Museum Milwaukee + Anthony Crivello (Best Stage Actor) + Milwaukee Repertory Theater + The Whiskeybelles + The Pfister Hotel + Splash Studio + Milwaukee Area Technical College Vote for your favorite in dozens of different categories here: 

https://shepherdexpress.com/best-of-milwaukee/2020#/gallery/?group=361163 You can now tag your friends!  @AnthonyCrivello

[beforethelobotomy]

Green Day: Timeline of Major Events

1987

October 17 - Green Day performs for the first time at Rod's Hickory Pit in Vallejo, California [Unknown Date] - One Planet One People by The Lookouts is released

1989

May [Unknown Date] - Spy Rock Road by The Lookouts is released May 26 - 1,000 Hours (EP) by Green Day is released

1990

April 13 - 39/Smooth by Green Day is released July 4 -  Billie Joe Armstrong meets future wife Adrienne for the first time Summer [Unknown Date] - Slappy (EP)  by Green Day is released August [Unknown Date] - Sweet Children (EP) by Green Day is released

1991

July 1 - 1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours by Green Day is released December 17 - Kerplunk by Green Day is released [Unknown Date] - Tründle and Spring (EP) by Pinhead Gunpowder is released

1992

May 28 - On the Radio by Green Day is released [Unknown Date] - Fahizah (EP) by Pinhead Gunpowder is released

1994

February 1 - Dookie by Green Day is released June 14 - Dookie is certified Gold in the US (500,00 units) July [Unknown Date] - Jump Salty by Pinhead Gunpowder is released July 2 - Billie Joe Armstrong marries Adrienne Nesser  August 14 - Green Day plays at Woodstock ‘94 August 17 - Dookie is certified Platinum in the US (1 million units) September 9 - Green Day performs a free show organized by WFNX and dozens are injured or arrested when it’s shut down early  September 20 - Dookie is certified 2x Multi-Platinum in the US (2 million units) November 16 - Dookie is certified 3x Multi-Platinum in the US (3 million units) December [Unknown Date] - Carry the Banner (EP) by Pinhead Gunpowder is released

1995

January 5 -  Dookie is certified 4x Multi-Platinum in the US (4 million units) January 12 - Tre Cool’s first child, Ramona Isabel Wright, is born  January 20 - Dookie is certified 5x Multi-Platinum in the US (5 million units) February 8 - Dookie is certified 6x Multi-Platinum in the US (6 million units) February 28 - Billie Joe Armstrong’s first child, Joseph Marciano Armstrong, is born March 1 - Green Day wins the Grammy for Best Alternative Music Performance for Dookie May 31 -  Dookie is certified 8x Multi-Platinum in the US (8 million units) June 28 - 1,039/Smoothed Out Slappy Hours is certified Gold in the US (500,00 units);  Kerplunk is certified Gold in the US (500,00 units) October 10 - Insomniac by Green Day is released November 21 - Billie Joe Armstrong is arrested for indecent exposure after a show in Milwaukee  [Unknown Date] - Billie Joe Armstrong comes out as bisexual 

1996

January 8 -  Insomniac is certified Platinum in the US (1 million units) February 27 - Insomniac is certified 2x Multi-Platinum in the US (2 million units) May 3 - Dookie is certified 9x Multi-Platinum in the US (9 million units) July 25 - Bowling Bowling Bowling Parking Parking (EP) by Green Day is released December 20 - Mike Dirnt’s first child, Estelle Desiree, is born

1997

February 25 - Goodbye Ellston Avenue by Pinhead Gunpowder is released April 25 - Foot In Mouth (EP) by Green Day is released October 14 - Nimrod by Green Day is released November 11 - Green Day causes thousands of dollars in damage at Tower Records in New York after spray painting the store walls, spraying beer over CD racks, and destroying equipment  November 16 - Green Day guest star on an episode of King Of The Hill

1998

April 6 - Nimrod is certified Platinum in the US (1 million units) June 20 - Mike Dirnt is hit in the head with a beer bottle, causing a skull fracture, following an onstage altercation with Third Eye Bassist Arion Salazar. It is unknown whether he was hit by Salazar or a fan  September 10 - Green Day wins the MTV VMA for Best Alternative Video for Good Riddance September 12 - Billie Joe Armstrong’s second child, Jakob Danger Armstrong, is born

1999

February 8 -  Dookie is certified Diamond in the US (10 million units) March 30 - Shoot the Moon (EP) by Pinhead Gunpowder is released

2000

March 16 - Nimrod is certified 2x Multi-Platinum in the US (2 million units) May 16 - Dillinger Four / Pinhead Gunpowder (EP) by Pinhead Gunpowder is released June 6 - Pinhead Gunpowder (EP) by Pinhead Gunpowder is released June 27 - 8 Chords, 328 Words (EP) by Pinhead Gunpowder is released October 3 - Warning by Green Day is released December 1 -  Warning is certified Gold in the US (500,00 units)

2001

February 11 - Tre Cool’s second child, Frankito Wright, is born August 28 - Green Day wins the Kerrang! award for Classic Songwriter November 13 - International Superhits! by Green Day  is released

2002

January 8 - International Superhits! is certified Gold in the US (500,000 units)  July 2 - Shenanigans by Green Day is released

2003

August 8 - Kerplunk is certified Platinum in the US (1 million units) September 30 - Money Money 2020 by The Network is released October 21 - Compulsive Disclosure by Pinhead Gunpowder is released

2004

August 25 - Green Day wins the Hall of Fame Kerrang! award  September 21 - American Idiot by Green Day is released November 10 - American Idiot is certified Platinum in the US (1 million units)

2005

January 18 - American Idiot is certified 2x Multi-Platinum in the US (2 million units) February 13 - Green Day wins the Grammy for Best Rock Album for American Idiot and Best Musical Theatre Album for American Idiot Original Broadway Cast Recording February 17 - American Idiot is certified 3x Multi-Platinum in the US (3 million units) April 3 - Green Day wins the Juno award for Best International Album of the Year for American Idiot  August 22 - American Idiot is certified 4x Multi-Platinum in the US (4 million units) August 25 - Green Day wins the Kerrang! awards for Best Band on the Planet and Best Live Band September 8 - International Superhits! is certified Platinum in the US (1 million units) November 15 - Bullet in a Bible by Green Day is released November 22 - Green Day wins the AMAs for Favorite Pop/Rock Album for American Idiot and Favorite Alternative Artist December 7 - Green Day wins the Billboard Music Awards for Rock Song of the Year for Boulevard Of Broken Dreams, Group of the Year, Pop Group of the Year, Hot 100 Group of the Year, Rock Artist of the Year, and Modern Rock Artist of the Year

2006

January 17 - Live Freaky Die Freaky starring Billie Joe Armstrong is released February 8 - Green Day wins the Grammy for Record of the Year for Boulevard of Broken Dreams  February 14 - Green Day wins the BRIT awards for Best International Group and Best International Album for American Idiot July 17 - American Idiot is certified 5x Multi-Platinum in the US (5 million units) October [Unknown Date] - Brandon Flowers of The Killers accuses Green Day of anti-Americanism [Unknown Date] - Noah Gallagher of Oasis accuses Green Day of ripping off Wonderwall 

2007

July 27 - Green Day appears in The Simpsons Movie

2008

April 22 - Stop Drop And Roll!!! by Foxboro Hot Tubs is released August 19 - West Side Highway (EP) by Pinhead Gunpowder is released October 11 - Mike Dirnt’s second child, Brixton Michael, is born

2009

March 14 - Mike Dirnt marries Brittney Cade May 15 - 21st Century Breakdown by Green Day is released June 16 - Kick Over the Traces by Pinhead Gunpowder is released June 25 - 21st Century Breakdown is certified Gold in the US (500,00 units) September 15 - American Idiot (musical) officially opens at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre  November 22 - Green Day wins the AMA for Alternative Rock Artist 

2010

April 20 - American Idiot: The Original Broadway Cast Recording is released; the musical premieres on Broadway  June 8 -  Green Day: Rock Band is released for X-Box, Playstation & Wii  September 28 - Billie Joe Armstrong plays St. Jimmy on Broadway for the first of 76 performances November 29 - Mike Dirnt’s third child, Ryan Ruby Mae, is born

2011

February 17 - 21st Century Breakdown is certified Platinum in the US (1 million units) March 21 - Awesome as Fuck by Green Day is released

2012

August 14 - Oh Love (EP) by Green Day is released September 25  - ¡Uno! by Green Day is released November 13 -  ¡Dos! by Green Day is released December 11 - ¡Tré! by Green Day is released

2013

January 24 - American Idiot is certified 6x Multi-Platinum in the US (6 million units) September 24 - ¡Cuatro! is released November 25 - Foreverly by Billie Joe Armstrong and Norah Jones is released

2014

April 19 - Demolicious by Green Day is released September 27 - Like Sunday, Like Rain costarring Billie Joe Armstrong is released October 11 - Tre Cool marries Sara Rose Lipert 

2015

April 18 - Fall Out Boy inducts Green Day into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame October 8 - Heart Like a Hand Grenade, a documentary about the recording of American Idiot, is released

2016

October 7 - Revolution Radio by Green Day is released October 14 - Ordinary World starring Billie Joe Armstrong is released

2017

May 31 - Turn It Around: The Story of East Bay Punk executive produced by Green Day is released November 17 - Greatest Hits: God's Favorite Band by Green Day is released

2018

April 12 - The Longshot EP by The Longshot is released April 20 - Love Is for Losers by The Longshot is released December 27- Tre Cool’s third child, Mickey Otis Wright, is born 

2019

April 13 - Woodstock 1994 by Green Day is released

[blackkudos]

Harold Nicholas

Harold Lloyd Nicholas (March 17, 1921 – July 3, 2000) was an American dancer specializing in tap. Nicholas was the younger half of the tap-dancing pair the Nicholas Brothers, known as two of the world's greatest dancers. His older brother was Fayard Nicholas. Nicholas starred in the MGM musicals An All-Colored Vaudeville Show (1935), Stormy Weather (1943), The Pirate (1948). and The Five Heartbeats (1991).

Life and career

Early years

Nicholas was born to drummer and orchestra leader Ulysses Domonick and pianist Viola Harden in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. By the age of three, his older brother Fayard enjoyed sitting in the audience of the black vaudeville theater where his parents performed, enraptured by the great performers on stage. Immersed in show business, when the Nicholases added a second son to the family, seven-year-old Fayard insisted that the child be named after his idol, Harold Lloyd, the silent-screen comedian. The two brothers soon began dancing, and they quickly gained acclaim for their elegant acrobatic moves and mastery of tap. When Fayard was 16 and Harold nine, they made their first appearance at the legendary Cotton Club in New York City and were a popular success immediately.

Career

Their reputation grew rapidly, and Harold and Fayard became established superstars at Twentieth Century Fox with their astounding dance numbers in the studio's musicals features. The brothers began appearing in musical films with Eubie Blake. They performed in vaudeville, on Broadway, in nightclubs, on television, and in movie musicals. Harold appeared in more than 50 feature films, including The Big Broadcast (1936), Down Argentine Way (1940), Tin Pan Alley (1940), and Sun Valley Serenade (1941), which features the show-stopping "Chattanooga Choo Choo" tap dance number performed by Harold, Fayard, and Dorothy Dandridge.

Fred Astaire told the brothers that their dazzling footwork, leaps and splits in the Jumpin’ Jive dance in Stormy Weather (1943) produced the greatest movie musical number he had ever seen. In the number, the brothers dance on a piano and leap over performing musicians. The Nicholas Brothers’ Hollywood career began after movie mogul Samuel Goldwyn spotted them in a nightclub and cast them in Kid Millions (1934). The two became big film stars despite racial restrictions at the time prohibiting speaking parts and scenes with white co-stars. Their last film together was 1948’s The Pirate, in which Gene Kelly danced with them, breaking the color barrier. Harold went on to work as a solo artist, moving to France and touring as a singer and dancer. He appeared in the French film L’Empire De La Nuit (1964).

Later life

Nicholas returned to America occasionally to do shows with his brother. Harold also appeared in the films Uptown Saturday Night (1974), Tap (1989), The Five Heartbeats (1991) and Funny Bones (1995). In 1985-86, Nicholas played the role of "Daddy Bates" in the National Tour of the Broadway musical The Tap Dance Kid. In 1993, he starred in the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre's world premiere of If These Shoes Could Talk, which also starred Tony nominee Ted Levy, an original tap dance musical by Lee Summers and Kevin Ramsey. The leading character, a seasoned triple threat/hoofer, "Dr Rhythm," was written for Nicholas and would be his farewell stage performance in a musical. Carnegie Hall sold out for a tribute to him and his brother in 1998, who were both present. By that time he had been living on New York's Upper West Side, where he lived for approximately 20 years with his third wife Rigmor Alfredsson Newman, a producer.

Personal life

Nicholas was married three times and has two children. His first marriage, on September 6, 1942 was to the celebrated actress, singer and dancer Dorothy Dandridge. They met at the Cotton Club in Harlem in 1938. Together they had a daughter, Harolyn Suzanne, who was born on September 2, 1943 (died in 2003) with severe brain damage that prevented her from speaking or even acknowledging her parents. By 1948, their marriage had deteriorated and Nicholas abandoned his family. Their marriage lasted nine years, ending in 1951. Nicholas had been linked romantically to Swedish actress Nita Dova. Nicholas had a son, Melih, with his second wife Elyanne Patronne. At the time of his death, he was married to Rigmor Newman Nicholas.

Death and honors

Nicholas died in New York City on July 3, 2000, at the age of 79, from heart failure. Nicholas was inducted into the National Museum of Dance C.V. Whitney Hall of Fame in 2001, along with his brother Fayard Nicholas.

Filmography

Nicholas appeared in the following films dancing alongside his brother Fayard, with occasional solos:

[razorsadness]

we’ll find a new way of living

p. & i went to the milwaukee repertory theater this afternoon, to see west side story. they always open the season with a musical, & my parents are season ticket holders; they didn’t want to go tonight so they watched the kids and we went to the show.

i looked more feminine than i have in a while, because i felt like dressing up, and most of my ‘dress-up’ clothes are of the girlie variety. not that i had to dress up; half the people there were wearing old jeans & packers sweatshirts. i’m not a snob about it, i don’t think there should be a dress code for the theater or anything, i just...don’t get it. i so rarely get the chance to wear my dressy clothes that when i do, i seize those opportunities with joy.

i knew i would cry during the play, because a. everything makes me cry, & b. i’m a musical theater nerd. but i thought i’d make it to riff & bernardo’s death scene, or at least to “tonight.” uh, nope. i got a lump in my throat & tears in my eyes during the prologue. no one was even singing yet! the story hadn’t started! i started crying thirty seconds in to an instrumental number with a bunch of guys dressed like ‘50s street toughs dancing around! that is some new and unprecedented level of gayness, even for me.

in all seriousness, though... i began crying during the prologue and remained somewhere between ‘mildly teary’ & ‘full-on weeping’ for almost the whole play, with the exception of “gee, officer krupke” cuz that song’s just hilarious. (hey! i got a social disease!) i full-on wept during “somewhere,” no surprise there. it’s a heartbreaking song in & of itself, but now it also always reminds me of november 2003, sitting in my blue bedroom with c., listening to tom waits’ blue valentines, & just as i started telling c. it couldn’t work between us his rendition of “somewhere” came on. that was so fucking painful. though it wasn’t anything like racism or gang violence or family keeping us apart, though it was my choice to end our brief whatever-it-was, i did care deeply about him & it was not comforting to be there trying to break the romantic part of our relationship off and have tom waits in the background crooning: there’s a time for us. someday, a time for us...

the whole production was fantastic. the choreography was stunning. i’ve found that i’ve paid more attention to the choreography in musicals the past few times i’ve seen them than i ever used to. the way they move, and convey so much emotion and story with that movement, fascinates me; maybe because dance is the aspect of performance i have the least experience with.

all the lead & supporting actors were phenomenal; i think the three main supporting actors—who played riff, bernardo, & anita—may have been even stronger than tony & maria. also, the actor who played bernardo is fine as hell. god. when i wasn’t crying, i was swooning.

oh & gosh am i old & boring now. i had two glasses of cabernet during the play & no, i didn’t get drunk or even buzzed, but when we got home after having dinner & picking up the kids i was just tired & did not want to drink anymore. how did i used to drink all day long? now i have two glasses of wine in an afternoon & come home, make a cup of chamomile-lavender tea, & curl up in bed with a book.

[mkkstartrek]

From the archives.  Dukat *always* had the moves.

[williamkurk]

I don’t know what’s more impressive: the fact that we all fit in this pic, or my immaculate on-the-fly photoshop skills to get the theater marquee in the pic 😝! The most lit posse during thee entire run!! They shut it down tonight! Mad love to our new compadres! 💯✊🏽 #mkerep #mke #theater #milwaukee #gang #artists #thespians #culture #wke #wklegacy (at Milwaukee Repertory Theater) https://www.instagram.com/p/CkNClscN9Mw/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[lboogie1906]

L. Scott Caldwell (born Laverne Scott; April 17, 1950) is an actress known for her roles in The Fugitive and Lost. She earned a BA in Theater Arts and Communications. She planned on a teaching career and taught at Chicago High School of the Performing Arts. She worked a year for the Chicago Council on Fine Arts as an artist-in-residence. She performed in local theatrical productions at the Body Politic, Court Theater, and Eleventh Street Theater. She went to New York to audition for Uta Hagen's school HB Studio and The Negro Ensemble Company. She was accepted by both Hagen and NEC. During her first season at NEC, she performed in several plays. One of those plays, Home, took her to Broadway's Cort Theatre. The play was critically acclaimed and earned a Tony Award nomination for Charles Brown. After Home closed she worked in several regional theater productions including Boesman and Lena at Milwaukee Repertory Theatre and A Raisin in the Sun at Studio Arena Theatre in Buffalo. She auditioned for Joe Turner's Come and Gone. Her performance as Bertha Holly earned her a 1988 Tony Award. She returned to Broadway in 1997 as the lead in Proposals. She made her Goodman Theatre debut in The Dreams of Sarah Breedlove. She took on the role of Lena Younger in the Ebony Repertory Theatre production of A Raisin in the Sun, for which she won the 2011 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award. She is an active member of Unite For Strength. She won a seat as an alternate on the national board of directors and the Hollywood division board of directors. She served on the Seniors, Legislative, Women, Holiday Host, Honors and Tributes, and EEOC committees. She was elected to a one-year term on the national board of directors. She served as the national chair of the Women's committee. She is on the SAG national board of directors ballot. She won a three-year term on the national and Hollywood boards. She will serve as national chair of the Women, and Healthcare Safetynet committees. She was part of the six-part Mercy Street. She costars on Our Kind of People as Olivia Sturgess Dupont. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence https://www.instagram.com/p/CcdK0nNrmG3A05Hfdc_aVlvNw6oHSCHkDuVLa00/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[livingroomplaymakers-blog]

Meet Our Playwrights

Moving Stories comprises five short plays all inspired by one basement Edgewater apartment. Each play explores the varying reasons we move, told through the lens of five very different playwrights:

Erin Austin co-founded LRP with a really excellent group of creatives back in 2013.  Since then, she’s written for and/or produced eight of LRP’s site-inspired productions. Outside of LRP, she is an avid collaborative playwright and screenwriter. Recent writing credits include collaborations with Tellin’ Tales Theatre, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Chicago Dramatists, Greenhouse Theater, American Theatre Company, and Hub Theatre. When not writing plays, Erin writes and produces content for educational videos and computer games. She has an MFA in Writing for the Screen + Stage at Northwestern University (2013). Erinlaustin.com

Jonathan Baude is a Chicago-based playwright and humorist. Jonathan's plays have been produced in Chicago, St. Louis, and Norman, Oklahoma. He has received awards of varying impressiveness for his plays about President McKinley’s assassin, star-crossed chess partners, and how cool dragons are. He also collaborated with Brian Golden on the story for the spec pilot Shitty Hall, which was named a Semi-Finalist for the 2017 PAGE International Screenwriting Award for TV Drama Pilot. Jonathan has been a producing playwright with Living Room Playmakers since 2015, and he still hasn’t pitched some of his weirdest ideas.

Minita Gandhi is an actress/playwright/writer who was born in Mumbai, India. Raised primarily in San Francisco, she is proud to have called Chicago her artistic home for over 8 years. MUTHALAND is her first full-length play. It was workshopped at Silk Road Rising for their Solo Festival, selected for the Ignition Festival of new plays at Victory Gardens Theater, and invited to the Raven Theater for a special performance sponsored by the Indo-American Heritage Museum.  It will also appear in Pacific Conservatory Theatre’s 2018/19 season. She can be seen in the recurring role of Dr. Prospere on NBC's Chicago Fire, and has appeared on Fox's hit show Empire, NBC's Crisis, ABC's Betrayal, Fox's The Chicago Code, and was The Onion News Network's anchor, Nina Shankar. Minita has worked at a number of regional theaters across the country including Berkeley Repertory Theater, The Arena Stage, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, and Lookingglass Theater. She has been directed by Tony award winning adaptor and director Mary Zimmermann, and originated the role of Priya, in Silk Road Rising's World Premiere production of Rajiv Joseph's, The Lake Effect.

Jenni Lamb is a Chicago-based playwright and former improviser. Her plays include Mother Lode, Quiver, 12th and Clairmount, Memento Polonia, Period Piece, Thou Proud Dream, Ellen Bond, Union Spy and Sickly Sulphur/Florid Arabesque. Jenni’s plays have had readings or productions with The Goodman Theatre, The Road Theatre (LA), The Gift Theatre, American Theatre Company, Stage Left Theatre, Route 66, Black Box Acting Studio, Wordsmyth Theatre (Houston), and Northwestern University. Her play Quiver received an honorable mention from the Kilroy List and she was a member of the Goodman Playwrights Unit. Jenni is a producing playwright with Living Room Playmakers and a Resident Playwright at Chicago Dramatists. She holds an MFA in Writing for the Screen and Stage from Northwestern University.

Alvaro Saar Rios' plays have been performed in New York City, Hawaii, Milwaukee and all over Texas. Rios has received commissions from various organizations, including The Alley Theatre, Houston Grand Opera, and Honolulu Theatre for Youth. His award-winning play Luchadora! is published by Dramatic Publishing Inc. He is also the co-founder of The Royal Mexican Players, a national touring performance troupe. Mr. Rios holds an MFA in Writing for the Stage and Screen from Northwestern University. Alvaro recently moved to Chicago from Milwaukee and is a Resident Playwright at Chicago Dramatists.

[uwmarchives]

Theater in Milwaukee

Theater Thursday

In honor of Milwaukee’s rich theatrical history the UW-Milwaukee Archives is currently exhibiting materials from several of the theaters and theater companies that have called Milwaukee home throughout history.

Prominently featured are the Pabst Theater, the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre and the Milwaukee Chamber Theatre. The exhibit can be viewed in the case outside of the Archives reading room.

-Samantha Brown, Graduate Intern, UWM Archives

[aroundmke]

Mark Twain’s River of Song

Mark Twain once said, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” He and I share the belief that you can only hate what you haven’t met, and with few exceptions, I think we’re right. Travel has the power to take the stereotypes, the misunderstandings, and the hatred right out of a person. River of Song is a rollicking journey that takes on the early life of Mark Twain through a soulful trip up the Mississippi, from a cajun carnival at New Orleans all the way up to the shack shanties of the great pines in Minnesota.

David Lutken has an incredible, down to earth soul that pushes all the worries and troubles from all the hustle-bustle outside right out of your head. In addition to this, he is a remarkable performer both in the theatrical and musical means. His words are full of promise and his voice is steeped with song. I cannot fathom to see David in a suit or anywhere but a cabin or steamboat; he simply was not made to be in such things. Harvy Blanks and Spiff Wiegand are wonderful companions and storytellers in this ride through the great river.

River of Song runs now through Marth 13th, and tickets can be found here. Also, keep an eye out, as my yearly Top Five of the Next Season comes out this week as well! There is so much in store in the 66th season, and I hope you’ll join me for all of it!

Until the next show,

 A. 

[blackinperiodfilms]

Zuri McGowan (as Nettie) and Chantae Miller (as Celie) in The Color Purple.

Milwaukee Repertory Theater’s 2014/15 Quadracci Powerhouse Production