Milwaukee Repertory Theater

Last updated
Milwaukee Repertory Theater
Patty & Jay Baker Theater Complex
Milwaukee Repertory Theater.jpg
Milwaukee Repertory Theater
Address108 E Wells Street
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
United States
Coordinates 43°02′27″N87°54′41″W / 43.0408808°N 87.9113174°W / 43.0408808; -87.9113174
Public transitAiga bus trans.svg MCTS
TypeRegional Theater
Capacity Quadracci Powerhouse Theater: 720
Stiemke Theater: 205
Stackner Cabaret: 186
Construction
Opened1954
Reopened1987 (current location)
Website
www.milwaukeerep.com

Milwaukee Repertory Theater ("Milwaukee Rep") is a theater company in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded as the Fred Miller Theatre Company, the group is housed in the Associated Bank Theater Center, which includes the Quadracci Powerhouse Theater, the Stiemke Studio, and the Stackner Cabaret. Milwaukee Rep produces an annual production of A Christmas Carol at the Pabst Theater. It serves an annual audience of over 200,000 patrons, including over 15,000 subscribers.[ citation needed ]

Contents

History

After being established as the Fred Miller Theatre Company, the name was changed to Milwaukee Repertory Theater in the late 1950s, to reflect its growing catalogue of classic and contemporary plays, and a commitment to develop the resident acting community. In 1968, it moved from its original space—the Fred Miller Theatre, on Oakland Ave.—to the Todd Wehr Theater at the Performing Art Center in downtown Milwaukee. [1] In 1974, a small warehouse was converted into the experimental Court Street Theater, which served as a laboratory for creative exploration and a testing ground for new playwrights. Milwaukee Repertory Theater moved to its current location in 1987 and closed its Court Street operations. The theater is now located on the east bank of the Milwaukee River in Associated Bank Theater Center at 108 E Wells St, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. [2]

Milwaukee Repertory Theater is dedicated to presenting new playwrights, reliving classics, and commissioning translations of classic and contemporary foreign playwrights. Each year, Milwaukee Rep welcomes up to 275,000 people at nearly 700 performances of 15 productions ranging from compelling dramas, powerful classics, new plays and full-scale musicals in its three unique performance venues. Since 1958, Milwaukee Repertory Theater has premiered nearly 150 plays and musicals. [3] Historically the theater has put on annual holiday productions of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol at the historic Pabst Theater since 1976. In 2012, Milwaukee Rep recorded a deficit of nearly $400,000, despite an increase in total ticket revenue of 60% from the previous season. [4] Coming out of the recession, Milwaukee Rep refined its budget, increased ticket sales, and received a single donation of half a million dollars helping to pay down the accumulated deficit from past seasons. [5]

Theater spaces

World premieres

Notable artists

Community involvement

Milwaukee Rep's community programs include student matinées, facility tours, residencies, and in-school workshops. It contributes complimentary tickets to Milwaukee area non-profit fund-raisers. Milwaukee Rep also sponsors adult acting classes, public lectures and discussions, pre-show "The Rep-In-Depth" presentations in the Quadracci Powerhouse and Stiemke Studio, and audience talk-backs. Additional patron features include "pay-what-you-can" performances, audio described performances, American Sign Language-interpreted performances, captioned performances and numerous special events including Opening Night and Closing Night parties. The Friends of Milwaukee Repertory Theater is its official volunteer organization.

Milwaukee Rep is also home to one of the oldest internship programs in regional theater.[ citation needed ] Each season acting, directing, and production interns join the company full-time to gain experience in professional theater. [11] Mark Clements is the current artistic director and Chad Bauman is the current executive director.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larry Shue</span> American dramatist

Larry Howard Shue was an American playwright and actor, best known for writing two oft-performed farces, The Nerd and The Foreigner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Repertory Theater</span> Professional not-for-profit theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

The American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) is a professional not-for-profit theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1979 by Robert Brustein, the A.R.T. is known for its commitment to new American plays and music–theater explorations; to neglected works of the past; and to established classical texts reinterpreted in refreshing new ways. Over the past forty years it has garnered many of the nation's most distinguished awards, including a Pulitzer Prize (1982), a Tony Award (1986), and a Jujamcyn Award (1985). In 2002, the A.R.T. was the recipient of the National Theatre Conference's Outstanding Achievement Award, and it was named one of the top three theaters in the country by Time magazine in 2003. The A.R.T. is housed in the Loeb Drama Center at Harvard University, a building it shares with the Harvard-Radcliffe Dramatic Club. The A.R.T. operates the Institute for Advanced Theater Training.

Work Song: Three Views of Frank Lloyd Wright is a play in three acts by Jeffrey Hatcher and Eric Simonson. It premiered at the Milwaukee Repertory Theater in 2000. The play was commissioned by the Steppenwolf Theatre Company of Chicago.

The Circle Repertory Company, originally named the Circle Theater Company, was a theatre company in New York City that ran from 1969 to 1996. It was founded on July 14, 1969, in Manhattan, in a second floor loft at Broadway and 83rd Street by director Marshall W. Mason, playwright Lanford Wilson, director Rob Thirkield, and actress Tanya Berezin, all of whom were veterans of the Caffe Cino. The plan was to establish a pool of artists — actors, directors, playwrights and designers — who would work together in the creation of plays. In 1974, The New York Times critic Mel Gussow acclaimed Circle Rep as the "chief provider of new American plays."

Dael Orlandersmith is an American actress, poet and playwright. She is known for her Obie Award-winning Beauty's Daughter and the 2002 Pulitzer Prize Finalist in Drama, Yellowman.

Seattle Rep is a major regional theater located in Seattle, Washington, at the Seattle Center. It is a member of Theatre Puget Sound and Theatre Communications Group. Founded in 1963, it is led by Artistic Director Dámaso Rodríguez and Managing Director Jeffrey Herrmann. It received the 1990 Regional Theatre Tony Award.

Love, Janis is a musical stage show about the life and music of rock and roll singer Janis Joplin. It was conceived, adapted and directed by Randal Myler. It debuted Off-Broadway in 2001 at the Village Theater with musical direction by former Big Brother And The Holding Company band member Sam Andrew. The show had a long and healthy run, garnering over 700 performances.

The Nerd is a two-act comedy written by American actor/playwright Larry Shue. Actors who have taken on the title role include British comedian Rowan Atkinson. It was the top grossing American play in London's West End in 1986.

The American Place Theatre was founded in 1963 by Wynn Handman, Sidney Lanier, and Michael Tolan at St. Clement's Church, 423 West 46th Street in Hell's Kitchen, New York City, and was incorporated as a not-for-profit theatre in that year. Tennessee Williams and Myrna Loy were two of the original board members.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arkansas Repertory Theatre</span>

Arkansas Repertory Theatre(The Rep) is the longest-running nonprofit resident theater in Arkansas. It is affiliated with Actors' Equity Association and offers a year-round season. The Rep is housed in a 377-seat facility in Little Rock, Arkansas. It was founded in 1976 by Cliff Fannin Baker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kansas City Repertory Theatre</span>

Kansas City Repertory Theatre is a professional resident theater company serving the Kansas City metropolitan area, and is the professional theater in residence at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC).

The St. Louis Repertory Theater is a repertory theater, based in Webster Groves, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. It is often referred to locally simply as "The Rep". Hana S. Sharif is the Artistic Director and Danny Williams is the Managing Director.

Sharon Langston Ott is a director, producer and educator who worked in regional theaters and opera throughout the United States. Two plays she directed, A Fierce Longing and Amlin Gray's How I Got That Story, each won an Obie award after their New York runs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Artists Repertory Theatre</span> Theatrical troupe in the United States

Artists Repertory Theatre is a professional non-profit theatre located in Portland, Oregon, United States. The longest-running professional theatre company in Portland, since 1982 the company has focused on presenting the works of contemporary playwrights, including world premieres.

The New Repertory Theatre is a Boston-area regional theater company founded in 1984, it has produced more than 70 East Coast, US, or World premieres. Since 2005 New Rep has been the resident company at the Mosesian Center for the Arts in Watertown, MA. It creates productions for the 340-seat Main Stage Theater, the 90-seat Black Box Theater, and its outreach program, New Rep Classic Repertory Company, performs for over 14,000 students, many from underserved communities, each year. In 2019, Michael J. Bobbitt was appointed as executive artistic director. In April 2021, New Rep named M. Bevin O’Gara its interim executive artistic director, as Bobbitt moved to the position of executive director for the Massachusetts Cultural Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Capital Repertory Theatre</span> Regional theatre in Albany, New York, US

Capital Repertory Theatre is a 309-seat professional regional theatre in Albany, New York. Capital Rep is the only theatre in the Capital District that is a member of the League of Resident Theatres (LORT). As a member, it operates under collective bargaining agreements with Actors' Equity Association and other theatre worker unions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Associated Bank River Center</span> Commercial office in Wisconsin, United States

The Associated Bank River Center is a 28-story, 426-foot-tall (130 m) postmodern high-rise building in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The building, originally named the Milwaukee Center, was completed in 1988, during a small building boom in Milwaukee that also included 100 East Wisconsin. Until 100 East was completed, the Milwaukee Center was the second tallest building in Milwaukee. The peaked tower, red brick, and the use of green near the top pay homage to the style of the Milwaukee City Hall. The building is primarily used for offices, but has parking as well.

The Hypocrites is a Chicago storefront theater company founded in 1997 by Sean Graney, Brandon Kruse and Christopher Cintron. The company is currently run by Sean Graney and Kelli Strickland. One of Chicago’s premier off-Loop theater companies, The Hypocrites specializes in mounting bold productions that challenge preconceptions and redefining the role of the audience through unusual staging and direct engagement. The company has a reputation in Chicago for creating exciting, surprising, and deeply engaging theater as it re-interprets well-known works for contemporary audiences, reveling in the absurd while revealing the core of what makes classics classic.

“The Hypocrites, who with each new production, continue to rise not just to the rank of one of our city’s best storefronts but one of Chicago’s best theaters period.” – Newcity Stage

Julian Theater Company is an American theatre company based in Julian, California, a mountain community, historic district and mining town in San Diego County, California. The company stages live productions to promote arts and entertainment for the community. It was co-founded in 1980 by husband and wife Scott and Debra Kinney and originally known as the Pine Hills Lodge Dinner Theater.

References

  1. Banham, Martin, ed. (1995). The Cambridge guide to theatre. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 749. ISBN   0-521-43437-8 . Retrieved April 13, 2023.
  2. "Milwaukee Repertory Theater – History and Mission". Milwaukee Rep. Archived from the original on January 28, 2015. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
  3. "New Play Development". milwaukeerep.com. Retrieved 2020-01-23.
  4. Schuyler, David (January 6, 2014). "Milwaukee Repertory Theater posts fiscal 2013 deficit despite attendance growth". Milwaukee Business Journal . Retrieved July 28, 2017.
  5. "Theater Management Knowledge Base » Case Study: Milwaukee Repertory Theater (2014)". yaletmknowledgebase.org. Retrieved 2017-07-27.
  6. "Milwaukee Repertory Theater Production History 1954-1980" . Retrieved February 14, 2019.
  7. Hernandez, Ernio (December 18, 2005). "The Pipes Are Calling: Bach at Leipzig Ends Off-Broadway Run Dec. 18". Playbill . Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  8. 1 2 3 Oleksinski, Johnny (February 26, 2014). "Milwaukee Repertory Theater announces 2014-15 season". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved February 10, 2015.
  9. "A Christmas Carol (2016)". Milwaukee Rep.
  10. Milwaukee, Urban. "Milwaukee Repertory Theater Receives $1 Million Gift to Name the John D. (Jack) Lewis New Play Development Program". Urban Milwaukee. Retrieved 2017-07-26.
  11. "Joseph Hanreddy Joins UWM's Peck School of the Arts to Launch New Fellowship in Directing and Design" (Media Release). Milwaukee Repertory Theater. February 22, 2010. Archived from the original on February 10, 2015. Retrieved February 10, 2015.