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A CHRISTMAS CAROL - Milwaukee Repertory Theater

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The Rep’s Insider Newsletter<br />

2010/11 Season Winter 2010 • Issue 2<br />

A Letter from the<br />

Artistic Director - pg 2<br />

Caroline O’Connor: International<br />

Musical <strong>Theater</strong> sensation takes<br />

the stage at <strong>Milwaukee</strong> Rep! - pg 3<br />

A <strong>CHRISTMAS</strong> <strong>CAROL</strong><br />

Why it matters - pg 10<br />

The Rep’s Christmas<br />

Family Tradition - pg 13<br />

Playwright/Director Brent Hazelton<br />

brings LIBERACE! to Rep’s<br />

Stackner Cabaret - pg 6<br />

Mr. Showmanship - Walter Liberace<br />

<strong>Milwaukee</strong>’s Native Son - pg 8<br />

Fun Facts from production –<br />

SECRETS REVEALED - pg 15<br />

And much, much more!<br />

Artistic Director: Mark Clements | Managing Director: Dawn Helsing Wolters<br />

Editor: Cindy E. Moran | Graphic Design: Megan Gadient<br />

Editorial Staff: Lindsay Adams, Sandy Ernst, Brent Hazelton, Patrick Schley, Jean Spivey<br />

Cast of The Rep’s 2009/10 production of A <strong>CHRISTMAS</strong> <strong>CAROL</strong>. Photo by Jay Westhauser.<br />

PROLOGUE IS AVAILABLE ONLINE QUARTERLY FROM MILWAUKEE REPERTORY THEATER.<br />

MILWAUKEE REPERTORY THEATER | Patty & Jay Baker <strong>Theater</strong> Complex | 108 E. Wells Street | <strong>Milwaukee</strong>, WI 53202<br />

Administrative Office: 414-224-1761 | Fax: 414-224-9097 | Ticket Office: 414-224-9490 | Fax: 414-225-5490 | milwaukeerep.com


MILWAUKEE REPERTORY THEATER • Winter 2010 • 2<br />

A LETTER FROM THE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR<br />

Mark Clements. Photo by Robert Allen.<br />

“A new energy abounds at<br />

The Rep and the city of<br />

<strong>Milwaukee</strong> continues to tell us<br />

that they like what they see!<br />

Thank you, <strong>Milwaukee</strong>! ”<br />

-Mark Clements<br />

CABARET has upended some traditional notions of Rep productions and<br />

exceeded our box office expectations. MY NAME IS ASHER LEV has blown<br />

the walls out of the Stiemke Studio (almost literally), and brought the<br />

pain and triumphs of a young artist’s struggle through elegant, stark<br />

and ultimately simple, powerful storytelling. LAUREL & HARDY in the<br />

Stackner Cabaret had its audience reveling in the timeless routines of two<br />

cherished stars of early American cinema. Rep Platforms has rewarded<br />

those subscribers and newcomers who have braved the late Thursday<br />

nights in the Stackner Cabaret with musical theater treats, local virtuoso<br />

musicians and storytellers of all shapes and sizes – all for the financial<br />

benefit of The Rep’s Education programs! The Patty & Jay Baker <strong>Theater</strong><br />

Complex is alive and kicking with the power of art and our audiences are<br />

responding to this new era with overwhelming zeal and support.<br />

With our first round of productions closing, new artists have arrived to<br />

keep The Rep at the center of <strong>Milwaukee</strong>’s entertainment scene. The<br />

fabulous, international theater star, Caroline O’Connor, has joined us<br />

for the U.S. Premiere of BOMBSHELLS – a spectacular, fun and moving<br />

journey through the lives of six extremely different women facing very<br />

different “bombshell” moments in their lives. The Rep is also proud to<br />

present the world premiere of LIBERACE!, a play about <strong>Milwaukee</strong>’s own<br />

Wladziu Valentino Liberace written and directed by The Rep’s Artistic<br />

Associate, Brent Hazelton, and featuring charismatic <strong>Milwaukee</strong> actor and<br />

musician Jack Forbes Wilson.<br />

And finally, what better way to follow all of this ‘newness’ than with a<br />

dose of a <strong>Milwaukee</strong> classic? I am delighted to welcome back former Rep<br />

Artistic Director Joseph Hanreddy to direct his own adaptation of Charles<br />

Dickens’ A <strong>CHRISTMAS</strong> <strong>CAROL</strong>, featuring six members of our Resident<br />

Acting Company at the beautiful Pabst <strong>Theater</strong>. This year’s production<br />

marks the 35 th consecutive year of The Rep’s heartwarming and festive<br />

spectacle. The journey of old Ebenezer will be portrayed by Rep veteran<br />

Jim Pickering, as he marks his 13 th year playing Scrooge and 24 th year in<br />

the production.<br />

As the warmth of summer and fall gives way to winter’s chilly breath,<br />

The Rep will continue to provide audience members old and new with a<br />

place to escape the cold and soak in the beauty of the human experience.<br />

Our mission to become a VITAL epicenter of cultural events in <strong>Milwaukee</strong><br />

continues and your support is equally vital to our success. Please join us!<br />

Wishing you and yours the best for the festive season.<br />

Mark Clements, Artistic Director<br />

CABARET set. Scenic design by Todd Edward Ivins.<br />

Photo by Michael Brosilow.


MILWAUKEE REPERTORY THEATER • Winter 2010 • 3<br />

<strong>CAROL</strong>INE O’CONNOR: INTERNATIONAL MUSICAL<br />

THEATER SENSATION TAKES THE STAGE AT MILWAUKEE REP<br />

A regular on the prominent stages of Broadway, the West End, Edinburgh and Australia, Caroline<br />

O’Connor has received international acclaim and 28 prestigious awards for her outstanding musical<br />

theater performances.<br />

O’Connor began her entertainment career as an<br />

Irish dancer, and as a teenager she took third<br />

in the World Irish Dancing Championship. She<br />

went on to train at the esteemed Royal Ballet<br />

School in London but was told by Australian<br />

musical theater luminary Anthony Warlow that<br />

“she had far too much personality for her ballet<br />

slippers,” and should consider musical theater.<br />

O’Connor took his advice and her career has<br />

since been filled with iconic roles, television<br />

and motion picture deals. O’Connor is one of the<br />

only actresses to star as both Velma and Roxie in<br />

productions of CHICAGO, and her role as Roxie in<br />

Sydney, Australia, earned her two major awards:<br />

the Mo Award and the Green Room Award, both Caroline O’Connor.<br />

for Best Female Musical Theatre Performer. She made her Broadway debut as Velma at Broadway’s<br />

Shubert <strong>Theater</strong> in 2002, and the show was extended to 2003 due to its overwhelming success.<br />

She has also starred in classic musicals such as FUNNY GIRL, WEST SIDE STORY, MACK & MABEL and<br />

MAN OF LA MANCHA.<br />

Her movie credits include Baz Luhrmann’s international mega-hit Moulin Rouge in which she<br />

played Nini Legs In The Air, a character most remembered from the powerful Tango de Roxanne<br />

number. She later played iconic entertainer Ethel Merman in De-Lovely, the 2004 musical portrait<br />

of American composer Cole Porter. In the movie, she performs the title song of Porter’s hit musical<br />

ANYTHING GOES in a re-creation of the show’s 1934 opening night performance. Her rendition of<br />

the song is also on the film’s soundtrack.<br />

Now she comes to <strong>Milwaukee</strong> to perform in her international hit, BOMBSHELLS, from November 22<br />

– December 19, on The Rep’s Quadracci Powerhouse stage. O’Connor’s one-woman show has sold<br />

out in four countries, was filmed for television in Australia and has earned her multiple awards which<br />

include London Theatregoers’ Choice Award for Best Solo Performance, Edinburgh Fringe Festival’s<br />

coveted Fringe First Award and the Green Room Award for Best Female Actor in a Play. She also<br />

received her second Laurence Olivier Award nomination, the highest British Theatre honor, for her<br />

run of BOMBSHELLS in London’s West End at the Arts Theatre.<br />

(Continued on next page)


(<strong>CAROL</strong>INE O’CONNOR . . . continued)<br />

“It’s all about the bombshells that happen in women’s lives, such as getting married, becoming a<br />

mother or being a teenage prodigy,” stated O’Connor when describing BOMBSHELLS. She’s the first<br />

to admit that many people have reservations about seeing her show thinking, “here we go again<br />

– widows, mothers, abandoned wives . . .” , but the audience response makes it clear that this is<br />

no run-of-the mill production. “One moment they’re really laughing, slapping their thighs and<br />

exclaiming, ‘That’s me. How does she know?’ , and the next, they’re in tears,” explained O’Connor.<br />

Throughout the production, O’Connor seamlessly shifts between six very complex characters,<br />

which she confesses is “sometimes terrifying and overwhelming.” The difficulty of delivering this<br />

solo production has often resulted in the six roles being split between two or three actors, but<br />

O’Connor has mastered each woman’s monologue. “When you look at the script of BOMBSHELLS<br />

I think you sometimes wonder ‘Would anybody really want to take that on?’ Because it’s really,<br />

really hard. Full on. But I love it,” explained O’Connor. BOMBSHELLS Playwright Joanna Murray-<br />

Smith stated in her author’s notes that she specifically wrote a complex production for O’Connor, “I<br />

was inspired by Caroline . . . I wrote six characters to give full expression to Caroline’s astonishing<br />

versatility as a performer.”<br />

<strong>Milwaukee</strong> <strong>Repertory</strong> <strong>Theater</strong> Artistic Director Mark Clements is excited for BOMBSHELLS to make<br />

its American Premiere at The Rep. “It has long been my ambition to direct Caroline O’Connor since I<br />

first saw this amazing triple-threat actor in action,” stated Clements. “She is a national treasure of<br />

Australia. <strong>Milwaukee</strong> audiences are in for a real treat.”<br />

Lindsay Adams, Public Relations Coordinator<br />

PROLOGUE • Winter 2010 • 4<br />

For more information on Caroline O’Connor, including video clips and song clips, visit her website at<br />

carolineoconnor.com.<br />

PERFORMANCE INFORMATION<br />

BOMBSHELLS<br />

by Joanna Murray-Smith<br />

American Premiere<br />

PERFORMANCE DATES & TICKETS<br />

Preview: November 22 – 24<br />

November 26 –December 19, 2010<br />

Tickets: $10.00 – $65.00<br />

CAST LIST<br />

Caroline O’Connor*<br />

ENSEMBLE<br />

Rukhamani K. Desai, Stephanie<br />

Lambourn, Georgina McKee<br />

*Member of Actors’ Equity Association,<br />

the Union of Professional Actors and<br />

Stage Managers in the United States.<br />

THE REP IN DEPTH<br />

Our lively informative half-hour<br />

talk starts 45 minutes before<br />

every performance in the<br />

Quadracci Powerhouse. This<br />

Rep in Depth will be led by<br />

Artistic Intern Ensemble<br />

Members Stephanie Lambourn<br />

and Rukhmani K. Desai.<br />

BOMBSHELLS is generously sponsored in part by:


Caroline O’Connor.<br />

A DREAM COME TRUE<br />

MILWAUKEE REPERTORY THEATER • Winter 2010 • 5<br />

Caroline O’Connor. Photo by John Nienhuis.<br />

In 2001, I went to see the Melbourne Theatre Company’s production of a new one-woman play<br />

written specifically for Caroline O’Connor by fellow Australian Joanna Murray-Smith. It was called<br />

BOMBSHELLS, and what I remember about the show was how fantastically brilliant it was, and<br />

also - to my amazement - how Caroline O’Connor had managed to remember so much dialogue.<br />

When I was accepted into the acting internship program here at <strong>Milwaukee</strong> Rep, one of the first<br />

things I did was research what would be in production during<br />

the nine months of my internship. Incredibly, I discovered that<br />

one of the shows on the Quadracci Powerhouse stage, making<br />

its American debut, would be BOMBSHELLS, directed by Mark<br />

Clements and performed by none other than Caroline O’Connor.<br />

I daydreamed that perhaps I would be lucky enough to meet<br />

her during a lunch break or bump into her having a drink in the<br />

Stackner Cabaret. About a month ago, I learned that not only<br />

would I be part of the ensemble for BOMBSHELLS, but, I would also<br />

be understudying my fellow Australian in the show I had loved and Caroline O’Connor in BOMBSHELLS.<br />

laughed through nine years before.<br />

On our first day of rehearsal, I found myself enthusiastically nodding when Mark Clements, The<br />

Rep’s Artistic Director, described Ms. O’Connor as “an Australian national treasure.” Born in Northern<br />

England to Irish parents, O’Connor grew up in Australia and now lives and works in the United<br />

Kingdom, United States and Australia. But we from down under claim her as ours and she is one of<br />

Australia’s leading ladies of theater.<br />

BOMBSHELLS is a play about six very different women all dealing with the challenges of everyday<br />

life and Caroline O’Connor plays all of these characters. These women come from Australia, the<br />

United Kingdom and America. This is rather fitting, as these are the places where, as of November<br />

22 nd when the production opens in the Quadracci<br />

Powerhouse, Caroline O’Connor will have performed<br />

this play. We have just finished our first week of<br />

rehearsals for BOMBSHELLS and, apart from pinching<br />

myself because I’m sitting next to someone I so<br />

greatly admire, I am still immensely touched by this<br />

play and the characters in it and I am definitely still<br />

laughing even nine years later.<br />

Stephanie Lambourn,<br />

Artistic Intern Ensemble Member<br />

New chums, Caroline and Stephanie take a break during<br />

rehearsal for BOMBSHELLS.


Brent Hazelton, The Rep’s Artistic Associate, has been a member of The Rep’s Artistic<br />

Staff for ten seasons and has been running The Rep’s Artistic Internship Program for<br />

the past eight. He first came to The Rep as an Acting Intern and has directed staged<br />

readings for The Rep and Ten Chimneys and UW-Parkside, as well as collaborated<br />

Brent Hazelton.<br />

with playwrights to generate scripts for the past three Rep Education Department<br />

Touring Shows. Additionally, he has directed full productions for Chamber Theatre’s<br />

Young Playwright’s Festival, Spiral Theatre, Windfall Ensemble and Elgin Symphony Orchestra. LIBERACE! is a world<br />

premiere production and is Brent’s first play produced at The Rep. He sat down with Cindy Moran, The Rep’s PR Director, to<br />

talk about his exciting new play about one of <strong>Milwaukee</strong>’s most famous native sons.<br />

Cindy Moran: Why write a play about Liberace?<br />

Brent Hazelton: When Mark Clements started to plan this season, one of the first things he asked about was whether<br />

we had ever done a play about Liberace. He knew Liberace was from <strong>Milwaukee</strong>. Mark feels local connections are<br />

important and believes that what’s on stage should reflect some part of the community. He also wanted a local<br />

perspective on Liberace’s life and in the writing. So he asked me to write it. I’m originally from Whitewater, but have<br />

lived in <strong>Milwaukee</strong> for quite awhile now, so it feels like home. My dad is from West Allis – he grew up about 20 blocks<br />

from Liberace’s house. The local connection is also one of the main reasons why we wanted Jack Forbes Wilson to play<br />

Liberace – not only because he’s a phenomenal performer and really right for the role – but because he’s also a local<br />

guy and has lived here for many years.<br />

CM: How much did you know about Liberace before you started on this project?<br />

PROLOGUE • Winter 2010 • 6<br />

PLAYWRIGHT/DIRECTOR BRENT<br />

HAZELTON BRINGS LIBERACE!<br />

TO REP’S STACKNER CABARET<br />

BH: Not much. I was ten years old when Liberace died. I knew there was some controversy around his death. I think<br />

that was my first window into concepts like AIDS and homosexuality. When you’re confronted with ideas like that when<br />

you’re that young the context in which you remember them tends to stick. I certainly knew that he was from <strong>Milwaukee</strong>.<br />

The only tangible memory I had of him was an episode from The Muppet Show – it was this strange, interpretative<br />

modern dance thing with some high art dancers in kind of frightening bird costumes – for whatever reason that stuck<br />

in my head.<br />

CM: Did you know that Jack Forbes Wilson would be playing Liberace when you started writing the play?<br />

BH: Yes. It’s a wonderful thing when you’re creating a one-person play to be able<br />

to write to fit that person, their skills and abilities as a performer. Since Jack lives in<br />

<strong>Milwaukee</strong>, we’ve had the opportunity to work a little bit over the summer, discuss<br />

drafts together to talk about the music in the show and how that reflects the story<br />

we’re telling. So we’re not starting from scratch when we go into that rehearsal hall<br />

with a brand-new play that we have to put together in three weeks – which is great!<br />

Jack has the musical chops for this role – he’s a great piano player and actor. He’s one<br />

of those people who was born to be on stage telling stories much in the same way that<br />

Liberace was. Jack is also the Musical Director for this production. What I know about<br />

classical music could fit into a thimble – so I ask him, “What do you think is a good<br />

piece of music to go with this moment?” A lot of Liberace’s favorite music – from Chopin to Chopsticks and everything<br />

in between – will be in the show.<br />

(Continued on next page)<br />

Jack Forbes Wilson. Photo by Joe Hang.


MILWAUKEE REPERTORY THEATER • Winter 2010 • 7<br />

(BRENT HAZELTON . . . continued)<br />

CM: What did you learn in your research of Liberace’s life?<br />

BH: The most fascinating thing for me was discovering how he began his career. Most of our recent cultural memory<br />

of him is the very overblown “Mr. Showmanship” role with the massive costumes and the hugely spectacular<br />

performances. The first thing I did to learn about Liberace was watch YouTube clips. Many of the clips were from his<br />

TV show in the 1950s. He was much more of a traditional pianist than he would become later in life. There was a very<br />

simple set with a piano and he would come out in a classy tuxedo and play some music while he spoke directly into<br />

the camera. That connection he had with the audience later on was there right from the beginning.<br />

The biggest hook for me about Liberace was looking at that guy from the 1950s and then looking at the performer<br />

who I remember from the ’80s and wondering, “How did that guy become that guy? What is that process?” Anytime<br />

you have someone, whether it’s a public figure or an average joe, go through a personal evolution, there is<br />

something emotional that triggers that. So what caused that change in Liberace? Why did he choose to become<br />

what he became? Who was the private man behind all of the glitz and glamour? These are some of the questions<br />

we’ll be exploring in the play in what I hope to be a clever, interesting and fun production. We’ve got Jack in there<br />

– so one thing for sure is, it’ll be fun with some really great music.<br />

CM: In the field of entertainment, how important was Liberace?<br />

BH: He opened the door creating what we recognize today as modern pop music presentation through his lavish<br />

performances and over-the-top costumes, revolutionized early television entertainment and played a leading<br />

role in putting Las Vegas on the map. Everybody else followed him through that door – Elvis, Elton John, David<br />

Bowie, Kiss, Boy George, Cyndi Lauper, Prince, Madonna – Liberace is definitely Lady Gaga’s spiritual greatgrandfather!<br />

Liberace was already well established in Vegas when Elvis started. He took Elvis under his wing. That<br />

gold lame jacket we always attribute to early Elvis, was literally one of Liberace’s – he gave it to Elvis!<br />

What amazes me the most about Liberace is largely how forgotten he is. To come from the Vegas generation in<br />

the ’60s with Elvis, the Rat Pack and all of those other performers, he was really the leader of that group. So to<br />

have all of those other people live on as iconic figures and to have Liberace marginalized and not taken seriously<br />

as a performer is a little amazing to me. Why have we forgotten him? It is certainly easy to lose sense of him as an<br />

artist inside all of those over-the-top performances, but at the end of the day, he could play the hell out of a piano.<br />

My hope in writing this play is to remind everyone how great he was as a piano player and showman, and to give<br />

people a little insight into his deeply complex personal life – to reclaim a bit of his legacy in his hometown. We<br />

can be proud of the fact that he came right here from <strong>Milwaukee</strong>.<br />

CM: What designers are you working with to help tell Liberace’s story?<br />

Jack Forbes Wilson. Photo by Michael Brosilow.<br />

BH: Alex Tecoma is designing the costumes and is having a ball with it. Rick Graham, from UWM, has designed a<br />

wonderful set for us. It’s loosely based on the set from his 1950s TV show with all sorts of tricks and flourishes in<br />

it. Lee Fiskness, from Chicago, who last worked with us on SOULTIME AT THE APOLLO, will design our lights – lots<br />

of bright color, moving swirling lights and, of course, chandeliers and the odd candlelabra. It’s going to be great.


Wladziu Valentino Liberace.<br />

MILWAUKEE REPERTORY THEATER • Winter 2010 • 8<br />

MR. SHOWMANSHIP – WALTER LIBERACE:<br />

MILWAUKEE’S NATIVE SON<br />

I’ll be seeing you<br />

in all the old<br />

familiar places<br />

that this heart of<br />

mine embraces<br />

all day through.<br />

Liberace is an icon. The colorful musician and performer sold out<br />

shows across the United States and beyond. From the 1950s through<br />

the 1970s, he was the highest paid performer in the world (and<br />

was so named in the 1978 Guinness Book of World Records). The<br />

notorious fashion of Liberace shocked his critics, who often deemed<br />

him hideously flamboyant, but in the same turn lauded his act as<br />

thoroughly entertaining. Through it all though, Mr. Showmanship<br />

could be heard laughing all the way to the bank. He was a brilliant man who lived to perform and<br />

share his gifts with the audience he loved and they loved him in return. Many are the stages of his<br />

storied career, but they all share the same beginning; it’s here in <strong>Milwaukee</strong>, Wisconsin, where the<br />

man and the musician were born.<br />

To see Liberace perform was like nothing else. With equal amounts of free-form grace and precision<br />

of craft, he was able to transform the classics into something new, exciting and completely his own.<br />

He was the original single-moniker superstar and there will never be another like him. Such a man<br />

is not born in a day. He was born Wladziu (Walter) Valentino Liberace to an Italian father and Polish<br />

mother in the city of West Allis. His father was an accomplished musician himself, playing French<br />

horn with the <strong>Milwaukee</strong> Symphony Orchestra and other notable organizations around <strong>Milwaukee</strong>.<br />

It was under him that young Walter began his tutelage. They attended shows at the Pabst <strong>Theater</strong>,<br />

where Walter could study the techniques of great musicians first-hand. Through some family ties,<br />

Walter was introduced to renowned Polish pianist, Ignaz Paderewski, at a young age. The boy<br />

who would become Liberace made such an impression on Paderewski that he recommended the<br />

prodigy for a scholarship with the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music.<br />

In his teens, Walter followed in his father’s footsteps, playing with the MSO and other local<br />

symphonies, performing often at the Pabst <strong>Theater</strong> he attended as a child. However, much to his<br />

father’s chagrin, he would also eschew the classics and play gigs at <strong>Milwaukee</strong> honky-tonks. He<br />

created dual personalities to better match his diverse venues, but even his classical performances<br />

were starting to stand out for their hints of flair and showmanship. On a night in 1939, in the city of<br />

LaCrosse, Walter’s two paths would converge during the encore of one of his classical performances.<br />

A mocking request came from the audience for the then-popular song Three Little Fishes, and the<br />

entertainer was quick to oblige. He played the tune in the style of several classical composers, all<br />

(Continued on next page)


(MR. SHOWMANSHIP . . . continued)<br />

PROLOGUE • Winter 2010 • 9<br />

the while shooting what would become his trademark winks and flourishes at<br />

the audience: Liberace was born.<br />

From this point on, Liberace’s career was in an up-turn, carrying him to venues in New York,<br />

Las Vegas and around the world, but he never forgot his roots. He loved Usinger’s Famous<br />

Sausage and reportedly held wild, all-night parties at Mader’s German Restaurant. In 1982,<br />

he graced <strong>Milwaukee</strong>’s beloved Summerfest, performing to a crowd of 9,000 fans. Two<br />

years later, he played to capacity crowds at the Marcus Center’s Uihlein Hall and in 1986,<br />

between commitments at Caesar’s Palace, he made his final hometown appearance, selling<br />

out the Riverside <strong>Theater</strong>.<br />

This past month, the famed Liberace Museum in Las Vegas closed its doors. The performer<br />

had wanted it to be built close to home in Wauwatosa, but it was not to be. However,<br />

there will soon be a chance to revisit the spectacle of Liberace in the city of his youth.<br />

<strong>Milwaukee</strong>’s native son returns for one final performance, so that he might once again revel<br />

in the love of the audience he so deeply appreciated. Relive the flamboyant legacy of Mr.<br />

Showmanship and honor the memory of the genius musician, Walter Valentino Liberace.<br />

LIBERACE! runs from November 19th through January 16th in The Rep’s Stackner Cabaret.<br />

Jacob Crawford, Guest Contributor/UWM Film Studies graduate<br />

PERFORMANCE INFORMATION<br />

LIBERACE!<br />

Written and Directed by Artistic<br />

Associate Brent Hazelton<br />

World Premiere<br />

In co-operation with the Liberace<br />

Foundation<br />

LIBERACE! is generously sponsored in part by:<br />

PERFORMANCE DATES & TICKETS<br />

Previews: November 19 and 20, 2010<br />

November 21, 2010 – January 16, 2010<br />

Tickets: $35.00 & $45.00<br />

CAST LIST<br />

Jack Forbes Wilson*<br />

*Member of the Actors’ Equity<br />

Association, the Union of<br />

Professional Actors and Stage<br />

Managers in the United States.<br />

Wladziu Valentino Liberace.


PROLOGUE • Winter 2010 • 10<br />

A Christmas Carol – WHY IT MATTERS<br />

A Christmas Carol opens with perhaps the most famous obituary in English literature:<br />

“Marley was dead: to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that. The<br />

register of his burial was signed by the clergyman, the clerk, the undertaker and the<br />

chief mourner. Old Marley was as dead as a doornail.”<br />

A death notice is a decidedly un-cheery beginning for a story that has been read as a family<br />

holiday tradition for more than 150 years, as well as enjoyed in literally hundreds of film and<br />

television versions, cast with actors ranging from a sublime Alastair Sim, to sweetly touching<br />

Mr. Magoo, to a seriously scary Jim Carrey in 3-D. Our “good old city” has held a warm spot in its<br />

heart for A <strong>CHRISTMAS</strong> <strong>CAROL</strong>, supporting a 35-year run at The Pabst <strong>Theater</strong> that has given Jim<br />

Pickering, Lee Ernst, Jon Daly, Richard Halverson and Daniel Mooney a turn or two or three as<br />

the “squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching old sinner.”<br />

If you’re new to the story, let me assure you that after that chilly beginning,<br />

things become considerably more buoyant as Marley’s surviving business<br />

partner is escorted throughout the reaches of London and the world to see<br />

and hear Christmas celebrated in the warm and fuzzy traditions of family<br />

dinners, gift-giving and heart-warming Christmas carols – traditions that<br />

historians maintain Dickens resurrected from the middle ages, and describe<br />

a Christmas considerably less as it was for the Victorians, and more as<br />

Dickens thought it should be. Today, when we yearn to recapture the “real”<br />

Christmas, more often than not we turn to Dickens, likely not realizing that<br />

his traditions were almost as imagined as the triad of spirits that magically<br />

transport Ebenezer Scrooge across the boundaries of time and space.<br />

(Continued on next page)<br />

James Pickering and Jenny Wanasek. Photo by John Nienhuis. Headshots: Rep Resident Acting Company<br />

Members James Pickering and Lee E. Ernst. Both to return to A <strong>CHRISTMAS</strong> <strong>CAROL</strong>.


(A <strong>CHRISTMAS</strong> <strong>CAROL</strong> . . . continued)<br />

Because so many of us come to the story via a<br />

“treatment” rather than the novella itself, it’s a<br />

surprise how many who love the story don’t really<br />

know it. In the stage adaptation that I initially<br />

crafted with Ed Morgan in 1998, our goal was to<br />

create a version that was as theatrical, visually<br />

spectacular, musically joyous and ultimately<br />

uplifting as we could possibly make it – without<br />

shortchanging the depth of Dickens’ insight into<br />

the lonely, bitter soul who lives at the story’s center.<br />

Those opening lines, of course, are key to the whole<br />

thing. Dickens drives away at the fact of Marley’s<br />

death as if somehow there were doubts – as if<br />

at any moment the old reprobate’s corpse might<br />

suddenly resurrect. (Spoiler alert – it does.) A<br />

<strong>CHRISTMAS</strong> <strong>CAROL</strong> is a story of the spiritual rebirth<br />

of one whose soul has died, so, poetically, it must<br />

MILWAUKEE REPERTORY THEATER • Winter 2010 • 11<br />

Other Rep Resident Acting Company Members in this year’s<br />

production of A <strong>CHRISTMAS</strong> <strong>CAROL</strong> include Deborah Staples,<br />

Jonathan Gillard Daly, Laura Gordon and Peter Silbert.<br />

begin with the finality of death. Ultimately the trigger that allows Scrooge to find joy in life and<br />

become “as good a friend and as good a man as the city of London knew” is when a gothic reaper<br />

in the shape of the Ghost of Christmas Future forces him to glimpse under the blanket that covers<br />

his own corpse and recognize the waste of spending so many of his precious years in his “money<br />

changing hole.”<br />

As much as A <strong>CHRISTMAS</strong> <strong>CAROL</strong> is about spiritual renewal and reconnecting with family, it’s also<br />

about money and poverty. “If they would rather die,” Scrooge rants, speaking of the starving poor,<br />

“they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population.” The words sting as sharply today as<br />

they did in 1843. If Dickens left us an image of all of the goodness that Christmas can engender, he<br />

also left us with a nightmare vision of inner-city poverty that lives in our own city as inhumanely as<br />

it did his. And yet, our appreciation of Dickens and the endurance of A <strong>CHRISTMAS</strong> <strong>CAROL</strong> come more<br />

from a novelist’s ability to penetrate an individual human soul, than from his ability to articulate<br />

a political manifesto. George Orwell, a passionate socialist who was to write his own apocalyptic<br />

vision of the future in 1984, pointed out in an essay on Dickens that “He has no plan to change<br />

society; his target is ‘human nature,’” and that Dickens’ only real lesson is “that capitalists ought to<br />

be kind, not that workers ought to be rebellious.” Orwell dubs Dickens’ outrage “a generous anger.”<br />

Ultimately in this simple story, Dickens asks a profoundly simple thing: that at this “festive time of<br />

the year,” those of us who have been blessed with privileges and good fortune should take the time<br />

to be truly grateful – and to act in ways, both big and small, in which we can be kind and generous<br />

to our “fellow-passengers to the grave.” That, he posits, is what it truly means to “know how to keep<br />

Christmas well.”<br />

Joseph Hanreddy, Director<br />

Former Rep Artistic Director 1993 - 2010/Director of Fellowship in Directing and Design at UWM’s<br />

Peck School of the Arts


PERFORMANCE INFORMATION<br />

PROLOGUE • Winter 2010 • 12<br />

MillerCoors proudly presents<br />

<strong>Milwaukee</strong> <strong>Repertory</strong> <strong>Theater</strong>’s<br />

production of A <strong>CHRISTMAS</strong> <strong>CAROL</strong><br />

by Charles Dickens,<br />

adapted by Joseph Hanreddy and<br />

Edward Morgan<br />

PERFORMANCE DATES & TICKETS<br />

December 3 – December 26, 2010<br />

Tickets: $25.00 – $65.00<br />

CAST LIST<br />

Drew Brhel*, Jonathan Gillard Daly*♦, Lee E.<br />

Ernst*♦, Kelley Faulkner*, Nell Geisslinger*,<br />

Grant Goodman*, Laura Gordon*♦, James<br />

Pickering*♦, Peter Silbert*♦, Jonathan<br />

Smoots*, Deborah Staples*♦, John Tufts*,<br />

Jenny Wanasek*<br />

ENSEMBLE<br />

Jonathan Butler-Duplessis, LaToya Codner,<br />

Georgia Mallory Guy, David Hathway,<br />

Sydney Kirkegaard, Ryan Krause, Michael Lindsey,<br />

Alexander Pawlowski IV, Giuseppe Ribaudo,<br />

Kaitlyn Serketich, Greta Wohlrabe, Charlie Wright<br />

*Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional<br />

Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.<br />

♦ Member of 2010/11 Rep Resident Acting Company.<br />

Cast of The Rep’s 2009/10 production of A <strong>CHRISTMAS</strong> <strong>CAROL</strong>. Photo by Jay Westhauser.<br />

Generously sponsored by:<br />

About Sponsor MillerCoors<br />

MillerCoors brews great beer and recognizes that it also has<br />

a great responsibility – to its people, the environment and<br />

its communities. MillerCoors is proud to sponsor <strong>Milwaukee</strong><br />

<strong>Repertory</strong> <strong>Theater</strong>’s A <strong>CHRISTMAS</strong> <strong>CAROL</strong>, now in its 35 th<br />

year as a beloved part of our community’s holiday tradition.<br />

MillerCoors believes in supporting <strong>Milwaukee</strong>’s dedication<br />

to the arts to help keep it a vibrant place where residents<br />

enjoy living, working and playing. The company has been<br />

a committed community partner throughout its history of<br />

more than 155 years and this annual sponsorship for The Rep<br />

is just one example of how MillerCoors continues to work in<br />

<strong>Milwaukee</strong> to preserve community and cultural pride.<br />

A WARM FUZZY<br />

Iriene Wells – she goes by Riene – has<br />

been attending The Rep’s production of<br />

A <strong>CHRISTMAS</strong> <strong>CAROL</strong> for 33 years with<br />

her family. She first attended the show<br />

as a single mom with her two kids and<br />

a friend. Now remarried, her blended<br />

family has grown to 20. This photo was<br />

taken December 6, 2009 when her group<br />

of 21 came to see the production. They<br />

are planning to come again this year. We would like to thank Reine and her family for making A<br />

<strong>CHRISTMAS</strong> <strong>CAROL</strong> a part of their family holiday tradition. Has your family also been making A<br />

<strong>CHRISTMAS</strong> <strong>CAROL</strong> part of your holiday tradition for 25 or more years? We would like to know!<br />

Please e-mail Cindy Moran, Public Relations Director, at cmoran@milwaukeerep.com.


MILWAUKEE REPERTORY THEATER • Winter 2010 • 13<br />

THE REP’S <strong>CHRISTMAS</strong> FAMILY TRADITION<br />

This holiday season marks the 35th year that <strong>Milwaukee</strong> <strong>Repertory</strong> <strong>Theater</strong> has staged a<br />

performance of A <strong>CHRISTMAS</strong> <strong>CAROL</strong> at the Pabst <strong>Theater</strong>. For the past 16 years, this holiday classic<br />

has included a post-performance tradition that has touched the lives of hundreds of local families<br />

who may never have visited the Pabst, nor seen a show at The Rep.<br />

For six seasons (1991 – 1996), the role of the Ghost<br />

of Christmas Present was played by an actor named<br />

Michael Nash. Michael was born to play this role – he’s<br />

a big guy with a big heart. Back in those days we were<br />

doing Amlin Gray’s adaptation of A <strong>CHRISTMAS</strong> <strong>CAROL</strong>,<br />

and the costume for the Ghost of Christmas Present<br />

was very “Christmas-y:” green velvet with white trim<br />

and Michael’s beard was dyed red. He sort of looked like<br />

Santa’s brother. His appearance in Scrooge’s bedroom<br />

was a bit of theater magic, and as Scrooge cowered in<br />

disbelief at the apparition before him, Michael would<br />

begin laughing, a booming, hearty laugh, for no reason<br />

at all. And soon the entire Pabst audience would be Michael Nash and James Pickering. Photo by Jay Westhauser.<br />

laughing as well – it would start in the front rows and ripple back to the upper gallery, 1,300<br />

people sharing joyous laughter just because Michael was laughing. Magic, indeed.<br />

In 1994 Michael decided that he wanted to share this joy in a more tangible manner. One of the<br />

servers in the Stackner Cabaret also worked for Rosalie Manor, a <strong>Milwaukee</strong> social service agency,<br />

and a conversation she and Michael had one night led to the start of a wonderful idea. She selected<br />

a few families in need, and Michael began going to the lobby of the Pabst after each show to<br />

ask for donations. He’d then come up to my office in the Cabaret and count the collection. It was<br />

mostly loose change as I recall; he’d have stacks of pennies and nickels on my desk. We didn’t have<br />

computers in our offices back then, and I have lost the ledger book that Michael and I used to<br />

record the nightly collections, but I’d guess it was about $2,000 that first year.<br />

For the next couple of years, Michael enlisted a couple of the acting interns to assist him in the<br />

lobby after the shows, and the amount collected each season grew to perhaps $5,000. Michael<br />

would use this money to buy gifts for the families and would take deliveries to their homes<br />

in his Christmas Present costume. The Cabaret server went with him to her clients’ homes and<br />

remembers, “I do recall the look of wonder on both the faces of the kids as well as their mothers<br />

when Michael showed up in full costume! The regal nature of his costume and the energy of his<br />

charismatic personality was such a stark contrast to the humble homes of our clients.”<br />

In 1997, we had a different Ghost of Christmas Present – and a decision to make. In three short<br />

years Michael had created an important tradition here at The Rep, and so the entire cast of A<br />

<strong>CHRISTMAS</strong> <strong>CAROL</strong> stepped in to fill his shoes. So now the actors and stage managers create a<br />

sign-up chart each year, and the cast takes turns going to the lobby of the Pabst after the show<br />

(Continued on next page)


(<strong>CHRISTMAS</strong> FAMILY TRADITION . . . continued)<br />

PROLOGUE • Winter 2010 • 14<br />

to collect donations from our audience. Returning actors guide those new to our production,<br />

and two interns volunteer to sort and count the nightly collection. That money is then brought<br />

to the Stackner Cabaret, where I recount it and deposit it with our Accounting Department. Our<br />

Development Department selects a different local agency each year, focusing on those that help<br />

children and families in need – present-day Cratchits, you might say. Then there is a Rep shopping<br />

day, when dozens of Rep staff go to Kohl’s Department Store early on a Saturday morning, with lists<br />

of ages and sizes for the families that the chosen agency has selected to receive assistance. In mid-<br />

December one of our rehearsal halls is literally filled with gifts, sorted by family, and all Rep staff<br />

assist with the wrapping project. And then, shortly before Christmas, other Rep staff volunteer to<br />

deliver the gifts to the families’ homes.<br />

“You wish to remain anonymous?” the three Businessmen ask Scrooge early in Act I, mistaking<br />

his stinginess for something else entirely. “I wish to be left alone!” is his stern reply. But Scrooge’s<br />

sentiment has been shared by none of the many people who have contributed to The Rep’s effort.<br />

I have had the great good fortune to assist in this collection tradition every night of the past 16<br />

holiday seasons, and never cease to be touched by the generosity of our audiences, as well as by<br />

the enthusiasm and support the entire Rep staff provides to this undertaking. While that ledger<br />

book that Michael and I used in the early days seems to be lost forever, I do have records going back<br />

to 1999. From 1999 through 2009 we have collected a staggering sum of $233,056.36. With the<br />

2010 collection the total donations from audiences of A <strong>CHRISTMAS</strong> <strong>CAROL</strong> will surpass a quarter of<br />

a million dollars, an amount that leaves me speechless with gratitude. And this is all because one<br />

actor, long ago and on his own, decided to help a few families. We have lost track of Michael Nash,<br />

but as I count the hundreds of dollars each night, I remember him counting the stacks of pennies<br />

and nickels here in my office. I have no doubt if he were here with us now – well, we would be<br />

laughing together.<br />

With joy and appreciation,<br />

Kristen Olsen, Stackner Cabaret General Manager<br />

SHARE THE HOLIDAY SPIRIT WITH THE CAST OF A <strong>CHRISTMAS</strong> <strong>CAROL</strong><br />

Following all A <strong>CHRISTMAS</strong> <strong>CAROL</strong> performances, costumed actors will be in<br />

the Pabst <strong>Theater</strong> lobby collecting donations for the Sojourner Family Peace<br />

Center. Sojourner Family Peace Center’s mission is to create peaceful<br />

communities in which domestic respect and a life free from violence is the right<br />

of every woman, man and child. Sojourner Family Peace Center provides<br />

education, advocacy and resources to keep people safe. They operate a 42-bed<br />

shelter that provides safety and support services to thousands of women and children.<br />

Additional programs include a 24-Hour Domestic Violence Hotline, Family Advocacy and<br />

Support Services, Children’s Advocacy, Ending Violence through Education and a batterer’s<br />

intervention program. Sojourner Family Peace Center is committed to creating communities<br />

where people live peacefully. Please remember to give generously!<br />

James Pickering.


FUN FACTS FROM PRODUCTION –<br />

SECRETS REVEALED<br />

Having powered through the first three openings of our new season,<br />

we take time to reflect on some of the details of our experience.<br />

For instance:<br />

During the combined runs of CABARET, MY NAME IS ASHER LEV and<br />

Jim Guy.<br />

LAUREL AND HARDY, our stalwart Wardrobe Department did 389 loads<br />

of laundry. Surprisingly, the three-character LAUREL AND HARDY in the tiny Stackner Cabaret was<br />

the Laundry Leader with 225 wallpaper paste-laden loads over a long run. CABARET came in a<br />

distant second with 108 loads because, as Costume Director Holly Payne explains, “They’re just not<br />

wearing that much.”<br />

You could light up a small town with the power that it takes to run a performance of CABARET,<br />

according to Lighting Director Craig Gottschalk. The light bulb inventory alone is something more<br />

than impressive. There are 1606 practical lamps (those displayed on stage as part of the scenery,<br />

such as table lamps, the lights in the Kit Kat Klub sign and the swagged festoon strings) and 795<br />

conventional lamps in the show’s inventory of theatrical lighting instruments. The grand total is<br />

2,401 Things That Light Up.<br />

The performers in the number Money Makes the World Go Around tossed more than 4,000 “Kit Kat<br />

Bucks” into the audience, designed by Props Graphic Artisan Jill Lyons. All were printed and handcut<br />

in the Prop Department.<br />

The Master of Ceremonies in CABARET handed<br />

out 200 hot pink carnations to audience<br />

members.<br />

Laurel and Hardy slathered more than 80<br />

gallons of wheat paste wallpaper adhesive on<br />

each other in the course of their run.<br />

What did Sally and Cliff actually drink when it<br />

appeared that they were downing raw eggs<br />

and Worcestershire sauce in their “Prairie<br />

Oysters?” Real pasteurized-in-the-shell Grade A<br />

large eggs and Lea and Perrins Worcestershire.<br />

Troopers, indeed.<br />

The wallpaper used in LAUREL AND HARDY’s<br />

wallpaper scene was hand-printed and handpainted<br />

on canvas in the Prop Department by<br />

Soft Props Artisan Margaret Hasek-Guy.<br />

(Continued on next page)<br />

PROLOGUE • Winter 2010 • 15<br />

Kelley Faulkner and Geoffrey Hemingway in The Rep’s 2010/11<br />

production of CABARET. Photo by Michael Brosilow.


(FUN FACTS . . . continued)<br />

The cast of MY NAME IS ASHER LEV attended a life drawing class at MIAD as part of their preparation<br />

for the play.<br />

Button, button . . . the 531 buttons on the 1,300 square feet of tufted walls in CABARET were<br />

covered by the Costume Department and installed over a period of several days by the Paint and<br />

Properties Departments. Soft Props Artisan Margaret Hasek-Guy hand-tied each of the 87 buttons<br />

on the tufted chesterfield coach in CABARET.<br />

The movie contract that appears several times in LAUREL AND HARDY is a genuine copy of Stan<br />

Laurel’s contract with Hal Roach Studios, and features Mr. Laurel’s actual signature.<br />

Each and every hair on Sally Bowles head was individually handtied<br />

into her wig by our Wig Mistress Lara Dalby.<br />

The beautiful “antique” Telefunken cathedral radio and the<br />

chandelier upon which the Master of Ceremonies descended in<br />

the opening number of CABARET were built by Prop Carpenter<br />

Erik Lindquist. The chandelier was crafted from 1½” square steel<br />

box tube, expanded steel mesh, wrought iron detail and assorted<br />

lamp parts. We have no idea how much it weighs, so don’t ask.<br />

The Giant Movie Contract unrolled across the stage in LAUREL<br />

AND HARDY is 132” long and features language from Charles<br />

Laughton’s 1932 MGM contract.<br />

Though the two upstage table lamps in the Kit Kat Klub were<br />

hard-wired directly into the Quadracci Powerhouse lighting<br />

system, the two downstage lamps were battery-powered and<br />

radio controlled so that they could be picked up and carried<br />

offstage without being unplugged, but would still dim up and<br />

down with the appropriate light cues when in place.<br />

All 25 Japanese paper lanterns in the Engagement Party scene in CABARET were actually made<br />

of nylon for durability, and were hand-dyed and hand-painted by Prop Crafts Artisan Sarah Heck.<br />

No liquid was killed to make these cocktails. In order to avoid breakage, spillage and subsequent<br />

slippage on the dance floor in the Kit Kat Klub, the glasses of champagne and martinis (2 olives,<br />

please) in CABARET were made by Props Artisan Anna Warren of poured resins in acrylic glassware.<br />

Each glass had a metal disc on its base that corresponded to a magnet under the surface of the<br />

serving trays, so that the servers could move quickly and gracefully without fear of toppling drinks.<br />

We called them “magnetinis.”<br />

These are just a few of the fun facts from the wonderful world of The Rep’s Production departments.<br />

Jim Guy, Properties Director/Fun Fact Expert<br />

MILWAUKEE REPERTORY THEATER • Winter 2010 • 16<br />

Radio in CABARET. Gerard Nuegent and<br />

William Theisen in The Rep’s 2010/11<br />

production of LAUREL AND HARDY. Photos<br />

by Michael Brosilow.


A SEASON OF FIRSTS<br />

As we began thinking about the 2010/11 season, we set out to challenge ourselves.<br />

PROLOGUE • Winter 2010 • 17<br />

SET UP: Audiences already come to The Rep with high expectations: the highest quality productions of classics,<br />

new works and world premieres showcasing the talents of the Resident Acting Company along with a wide array<br />

of educational programming.<br />

CHALLENGE: Maintaining The Rep’s strong foundation, but embracing this opportunity to shake things up a bit.<br />

Make an impact on the audience from the very beginning, signifying our entrance into a new era with a new<br />

Artistic Director, Mark Clements, at the helm.<br />

RESULT: A SEASON OF FIRSTS . . . We opened the season to rave reviews with CABARET, our first full-scale<br />

musical in the Quadracci Powerhouse. Musical fans and skeptics alike have sent in notes of appreciation for the<br />

production and there were standing ovations at every performance.<br />

• Building on popular programs like Rep In Depth and Director’s Dialogue, we have launched an array of<br />

events called Rep Platforms with musicians, visual artists, cast members and spoken word artists. These<br />

performances can be tied to what is appears on our stages, but throw new voices and perspectives into the<br />

mix. Over 250 people attended the first three, which included an evening of Kander and Ebb favorites and a<br />

performance by Lil’ Rev.<br />

• We have invited hundreds of MPS students not to simply attend a traditional student matinee, but to explore<br />

the world behind the production at Rep Immersion Days. Students spent the entire day at The Rep, beginning<br />

with workshops, production demonstrations and a tour of our building, followed by an intimate lunch with<br />

artists from the production and ending with a performance. Over 400 students attended the debut of this<br />

program in October!<br />

Attendee Katie Koza of Verona Area High School wrote, “From the experience, I learned more about all the<br />

intricate details that go into a theater production. I was amazed by all the different backstage factors that<br />

have to move in synchrony in order to engender a seamless production, from the set changes to the lighting<br />

to the props. I learned more about the tensions that built before World War II from the perspective of the<br />

everyday people and the show people of Berlin. Also, I gained a new appreciation for theater and all of the<br />

people who make theater larger than life.”<br />

And we’ve only just begun! We want to do more of this exciting work for you in the months and years to come.<br />

Your support is vital. Please consider a donation in support of these exciting new programs.<br />

Anne Cauley, Individual Giving Manager<br />

MAKE AN INVESTMENT IN THE REP!<br />

> Mail: <strong>Milwaukee</strong> <strong>Repertory</strong> <strong>Theater</strong><br />

108 East Wells Street <strong>Milwaukee</strong>, WI 53202<br />

> Phone: 414-290-5376<br />

> Web: milwaukeerep.com/tickets/support<br />

Stiemke Studio, fresh with new, purple seats! MY NAME IS ASHER LEV set design by Kevin Depinet. Photo by Michael Brosilow.


NEW TEEN COUNCIL AT THE REP<br />

MILWAUKEE REPERTORY THEATER • Winter 2010 • 18<br />

On October 17 th , more than 50 teenagers from all over Southeastern Wisconsin came to The Rep for a wildly<br />

successful CABARET Teen Night. This was the inaugural event of our newly formed Teen Council, which was<br />

launched this season and was inspired by teen involvement at other theaters across the nation.<br />

<strong>Milwaukee</strong> <strong>Repertory</strong> <strong>Theater</strong>’s Teen Council is currently in its beginning stages. The Teen Council is run by<br />

five teen officers who were among the first to enroll with the guidance of our Education Department. The<br />

officers meet twice a month to discuss what the council hopes to achieve and plan upcoming events. Soon,<br />

the officers will expand to a full board of 20 members, all whom are current metro <strong>Milwaukee</strong> students .<br />

The Teen Council is an organization by teens for teens. They promote a love and appreciation of theater to a<br />

younger generation, bringing together peers from all over the region. Students fully plan their own events,<br />

including marketing, fundraising strategies and budgeting. They are learning important business skills and<br />

creating fun things to do for a younger generation, as well as celebrating their love for theater!<br />

The first event was fantastic. Students arrived at The Rep at 5:00 pm for a meet-and-greet with the Council<br />

members. Beginning at 5:30 pm, the teens ate dinner, prepared by Teen Council officers and Rep staff, and<br />

then met and spoke with Resident Acting Company Member Lee E. Ernst, the Emcee in CABARET. After<br />

talking with Lee about the production and the world of professional theater, the students attended the<br />

evening performance. Teens even came from as far as Lake Geneva for this event.<br />

For their next event, the Council is planning an event during A <strong>CHRISTMAS</strong> <strong>CAROL</strong> that may also include<br />

ice-skating, hot cocoa and cookies!<br />

If you are interested in being on the Teen Council or participating in events, please contact The Rep’s<br />

Education Department at 414-290-5370 or jkostreva@milwaukeerep.com.<br />

Jenny Kostreva, Education Director<br />

Students meet and greet during a taco dinner,<br />

then took their seats in the Quadracci Powerhouse.<br />

Photos by Jenny Kostreva.


GET INVOLVED<br />

REP EVENTS AND NEWS<br />

MILWAUKEE REPERTORY THEATER • Winter 2010 • 19<br />

REP TALKBACKS<br />

Talkbacks (post-show discussions), will take place after BOMBSHELLS on Thursday, December 2, 9 and 16.<br />

THE REP IN DEPTH<br />

Join us for The Rep In Depth, a lively, informative half-hour talk which starts 45 minutes before every<br />

performance in the Quadracci Powerhouse. It’s free and you can drop in any time during the course of<br />

the talk. This popular series is sure to enhance your theatergoing experience with background information<br />

about the play you are about to see. Come and join all of the other audience members who enjoy this free<br />

educational event!<br />

JOIN THE FRIENDS OF THE REP<br />

Join the Friends and join the fun! Members of the Friends of The Rep collectively donate thousands of hours<br />

of volunteer time and effort to assure that The Rep has the resources to maintain its artistic standards and<br />

meet its financial objectives. The Friends’ volunteer efforts provide extra “people” resources to help The Rep<br />

sustain its leadership as one of the finest regional theaters in the country. Membership fees range from $15 –<br />

$40 for one year. For more information, go to our website at: milwaukeerep.com/support/volunteer.htm.<br />

SAMPLE DOWNTOWN’S HOLIDAY SPIRIT DURING THE<br />

MILWAUKEE HOLIDAY LIGHTS FESTIVAL<br />

November 18, 2010 – January 2, 2011<br />

Thousands of lights, dozens of animated displays, sparkling rooflines,<br />

brilliant wreaths and a stretch of Moravian stars. For 12 seasons,<br />

the six-week <strong>Milwaukee</strong> Holiday Lights Festival has electrified<br />

downtown with brilliant light displays and exhilarating events.<br />

The best way to see downtown’s lights and sights is aboard the<br />

convenient Columbia St. Mary’s Jingle Bus. At just $1 per person, it<br />

offers a whole lot of bang for your buck!<br />

Catch the tour from the Official Warming House at the Plankinton<br />

Arcade in The Shops of Grand Avenue, Thursday through Sunday,<br />

from 6 to 9 p.m. until January 2. Tours fill fast so arrive early to<br />

secure your spot! While riders await their Columbia St. Mary’s Jingle Bus tour, free hot cocoa, coffee and<br />

cookies are served compliments of The Chocolate Factory. Plus, kids receive a free coloring book.<br />

Once on board, Public Service Ambassadors will acquaint riders with downtown’s street décor, window<br />

displays and decorated parks, including “Community Spirit Park” at Cathedral Square Park, “Having a Snow<br />

Ball” at Pere Marquette Park and “Magical Moments” at Zeidler Union Square.<br />

And best of all, Columbia St. Mary’s Jingle Bus riders receive a special $3 parking rate at The Shops of Grand<br />

Avenue. Enter the structure from Plankinton Ave. between Wisconsin Avenue and Michigan Street, and<br />

remember to pick up your parking voucher at the Columbia St. Mary’s Jingle Bus ticket sales table.<br />

For more information about the Holiday Lights Festival or Jingle Bus, please call <strong>Milwaukee</strong> Downtown at<br />

414-220-4700 or visit their website at: <strong>Milwaukee</strong>HolidayLights.com.<br />

(Continued on next page)


(GET INVOLVED . . . continued)<br />

PROLOGUE • Winter 2010 • 20<br />

REPARTEE: AN INTIMATE EVENING OF LITERATURE<br />

Please plan on joining The Friends of <strong>Milwaukee</strong> <strong>Repertory</strong> <strong>Theater</strong> for an evening of poetry,<br />

short stories and songs all personally selected and presented by the Resident Acting Company.<br />

This year we are also happy to present special guest Poet Laureate of Wisconsin, Marilyn Taylor.<br />

From funny to poignant, the presentations are captivating and totally entertaining. Tickets<br />

for the evening are available at $50, $75 and $100 levels. Seating is limited. Please RSVP by<br />

Monday, November 29, 2010 to Becca at 414-290-5347 or development@milwaukeerep.com.<br />

Monday December 6, 2010 in The Rep’s Stackner Cabaret<br />

• 6:30 pm Wine & Hors D’oeuvres • 7:30 pm Literary Presentations • 8:30 pm Coffee and Desserts<br />

PRE-PERFORMANCE MATINEE LUNCHEON at INTERCONTINENTAL<br />

Come join the InterContinental for a special pre-show matinee<br />

luncheon before The Rep’s performance of BOMBSHELLS on<br />

Wednesday, December 15. The inclusive lunch buffet is from<br />

11:45 am to 1:15 pm and costs $15 (includes tax and gratuity).<br />

To attend, please call 414-905-1200 or e-mail rebeccarosado@<br />

marcuscorp.com. Our guest speaker will be Associate Artistic<br />

Director Sandy Ernst.<br />

DIRECTOR’S DIALOGUE<br />

We are excited to again be offering our Director’s Dialogue Series for the 2010/11 season. The Director’s<br />

Dialogue Series is your chance to get behind-the-scenes information and meet the directors of our<br />

productions. Hear what they have to say about their process, learn more about the play and get a chance to<br />

ask them any questions you may have about a professional production. The series will feature BOMBSHELLS<br />

on Tuesday, November 23 at 6 p.m. and will be led by Mark Clements. Tickets are only $20. Please check<br />

out our website at milwaukeerep.com/support/events.htm for the most current information or contact our<br />

Development Events Manager, Becca Kitelinger at 414-290-5347 or development@milwaukeerep.com.<br />

HOLIDAY ARTISAN FAIR<br />

The Rep is holding a Holiday Artisan Fair on Saturday,<br />

December 4 th from 12 to 8 pm in the InterContinental’s<br />

Gallerie M. The fair will feature 15 Rep artists who will be selling<br />

handmade art and crafts including jewelry, ornaments, bags,<br />

blank books, greeting cards, hats, monsters and more. Cash or<br />

check only. Come early to find unique one-of-a-kind gifts!<br />

LOOKING FOR THE PERFECT STOCKING STUFFER?<br />

Rep Gift Certificates make perfect stocking stuffers for all of the theater lovers in your life! They’re also a<br />

convenient way to introduce The Rep to family, friends or co-workers. Gift Certificates can be purchased at<br />

The Rep’s Ticket Office, by calling 414-224-9490 or by going online at: milwaukeerep.com. Share the gift of<br />

theater with a Rep Gift Certificate!<br />

>Like us, follow us and check us out on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube!


BASIC INFORMATION<br />

TICKET OFFICE: 414-224-9490<br />

TICKET OFFICE FAX: 414-225-5490<br />

ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE: 414-224-1761<br />

ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE FAX: 414-224-9097<br />

WEBSITE: milwaukeerep.com<br />

SINGLE TICKET PRICES<br />

Quadracci Powerhouse: $10 – $65<br />

Stackner Cabaret: $35 & $45<br />

Pabst <strong>Theater</strong>: $25 – $65<br />

MILWAUKEE REPERTORY THEATER • Winter 2010 • 21<br />

ACCESS SERVICES<br />

Please contact The Rep Ticket Office to request Access<br />

Services, 414-224-9490.<br />

DEAF OR HARD OF HEARING SERVICES:<br />

A SIGN LANGUAGE INTERPRETED PERFORMANCE<br />

is scheduled for: BOMBSHELLS on December 16<br />

at 7:30 pm .<br />

A CAPTIONED THEATER PERFORMANCE is<br />

scheduled for BOMBSHELLS on Sunday,<br />

December 19 at 2:00 pm.<br />

REP TICKET OFFICE HOURS<br />

Monday – Sunday: Noon – 6 pm<br />

Window service is available until curtain time.<br />

DISCOUNTS FOR STUDENTS & SENIOR CITIZENS<br />

Receive $5 off any seat bought in advance or purchase<br />

half-price “rush tickets” 60 minutes prior to curtain.<br />

Offer valid for Quadracci Powerhouse and Stiemke<br />

Studio performances only. Proper ID is required.<br />

This offer cannot be used in conjunction with other<br />

discounts or Economy seating.<br />

GROUP DISCOUNTS<br />

Group Discounts are available for groups of 10 or<br />

more. For more information, please contact The Rep’s<br />

Ticket Office at 414-224-9490.<br />

THE REP’S UNDER 40 DISCOUNT<br />

For patrons under the age of 40, select Quadracci<br />

Powerhouse tickets are available for $20. To order<br />

tickets visit: milwaukeerep.com/entourage.<br />

Under 40 tickets are based on availability.<br />

A NOTE ON RUNNING TIMES<br />

For exact running time for a performance, please<br />

call the administrative office at 414-224-1761 on<br />

or after the first date of performance. Running times<br />

are also posted at: milwaukeerep.com.<br />

PARKING<br />

Located within the <strong>Milwaukee</strong> Center complex is<br />

an underground parking structure operated by<br />

InterParking. Enter on East Kilbourn Avenue or<br />

North Water Street. Patron Parking Passes are<br />

available in the Quadracci Powerhouse and Stiemke<br />

Studio lobbies for $7.00. See the House Manager for<br />

details or to buy a pass.<br />

A SCRIPT SYNOPSIS is available for those patrons<br />

who are deaf or hard of hearing and would like to<br />

read the script prior to attending a performance. If<br />

you would like to receive the synopsis, please call<br />

414-224-1761.<br />

The Quadracci Powerhouse and the Stiemke Studio<br />

are equipped with an INFRARED LISTENING<br />

SYSTEM, which ensures clarity of sound from any<br />

seat in the house. If you would like a listening<br />

device, please stop at the House Manager’s desk<br />

to check out a headset prior to watching your<br />

performance.<br />

BLIND OR LOW VISION SERVICES:<br />

AUDIO-DESCRIBED PERFORMANCES are scheduled<br />

for BOMBSHELLS on Tuesday, November 30 at<br />

6:30 pm.<br />

AUDIO DESCRIPTION is the art of talking pictorially<br />

to make the arts accessible to people who are<br />

blind or have low vision. A cassette describing the<br />

visual elements and plot line of the productions<br />

are available at no cost to our patrons. Please call<br />

Erin Burgess-Ellingen at 414-290-5346 to make<br />

reservations for either of these audio-described<br />

performances or to receive the tapes.<br />

LARGE PRINT PROGRAMS are available in the<br />

Quadracci Powerhouse or Stiemke Studio by asking<br />

any usher.<br />

All Rep theaters are WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE.


CALENDAR LISTING<br />

NOVEMBER THROUGH JANUARY<br />

PROLOGUE • Winter 2010 • 22<br />

MON<br />

22<br />

7:30 BOM<br />

TUE<br />

16<br />

23<br />

30<br />

7<br />

14<br />

21<br />

28<br />

7:30 BOM<br />

7:30 LIB<br />

6:30 BOM<br />

7:30 LIB<br />

TUE<br />

6:30 LIB<br />

7:00 ACC<br />

7:30 LIB<br />

7:00 ACC<br />

7:30 LIB<br />

WED THU FRI SAT SUN<br />

17 18 19 20 21<br />

24 25 26 27 28<br />

1<br />

7:30 BOM<br />

7:30 LIB<br />

WED<br />

7:30 BOM<br />

7:30 LIB<br />

THU<br />

FRI SAT<br />

3 4 5<br />

8 9 10 11 12<br />

1:30/7:30 BOM<br />

7:00 ACC<br />

7:30 LIB<br />

15 16 17 18 19<br />

1:30/7:30 BOM<br />

7:00 ACC<br />

7:30 LIB<br />

2<br />

22 23 24 25 26<br />

7:00 ACC<br />

7:30 LIB<br />

29 30<br />

7:30 BOM<br />

7:00 ACC<br />

7:30 LIB<br />

7:30 BOM<br />

7:00 ACC<br />

7:30 LIB<br />

7:30 BOM<br />

7:00 ACC<br />

7:30 LIB<br />

2:00/7:00 ACC<br />

7:30 LIB<br />

31<br />

8:00 LIB 8:00 LIB 7:00 LIB<br />

8:00 BOM 4:00/8:00 BOM 2:00/7:00 BOM<br />

8:00 LIB<br />

8:00 BOM<br />

7:30 ACC<br />

8:00 LIB<br />

8:00 BOM<br />

7:30 ACC<br />

8:00 LIB<br />

8:00 BOM<br />

7:30 ACC<br />

8:00 LIB<br />

4:00/8:00 LIB<br />

4:00/8:00 BOM<br />

2:00/7:30 ACC<br />

4:00/8:00 LIB<br />

4:00/8:00 BOM<br />

2:00/7:30 ACC<br />

4:00/8:00 LIB<br />

4:00/8:00 BOM<br />

2:00/7:30 ACC<br />

4:00/8:00 LIB<br />

2/ 7:00 LIB<br />

SUN<br />

2:00/7 BOM<br />

12:00/4:30 ACC<br />

2:00/7:00 LIB<br />

2:00/7:00 BOM<br />

12:00/4:30 ACC<br />

2:00/7:00 LIB<br />

2:00/7 BOM<br />

12:00/4:30 ACC<br />

2:00/7:00 LIB<br />

2:00 ACC 12:00/4:30 ACC<br />

2:00/7:00 LIB<br />

SHOW KEY:<br />

LIB - LIBERACE!<br />

BOM - BOMBSHELLS<br />

ACC - A <strong>CHRISTMAS</strong><br />

<strong>CAROL</strong> - PRIME<br />

ACC - A <strong>CHRISTMAS</strong><br />

<strong>CAROL</strong> - VALUE<br />

STEP - THE 39 STEPS<br />

LONE - NOBODY<br />

LONESOME FOR ME<br />

TON - SPEAKING<br />

IN TONGUES<br />

ACCESS SERVICES<br />

Preview<br />

Pay What You Can<br />

Opening<br />

Talkback<br />

Interpreted in ASL<br />

Audio Description<br />

Captioned <strong>Theater</strong><br />

Smoke-free<br />

7:30 LIB<br />

7:30 LIB 7:30 LIB<br />

4:00/9:00 LIB<br />

TUE<br />

WED<br />

THU<br />

FRI<br />

SAT<br />

1 2<br />

SUN<br />

4<br />

5 6 7<br />

8 9<br />

2:00/7:00 LIB<br />

11<br />

18<br />

25<br />

7:30 LIB 7:30 LIB 7:30 LIB 8:00 LIB 4:00/8:00 LIB 2:00/7:00 LIB<br />

7:30 STEP<br />

7:30 LIB<br />

12 13 14 15 16<br />

7:30 STEP<br />

7:30 LIB<br />

19 20 21 22 23<br />

26 27<br />

7:30 STEP<br />

7:30 LIB<br />

6:30 STEP 7:30 STEP 7:30 STEP<br />

6:30 LONE<br />

1:30/7:30 STEP<br />

7:30 TON<br />

7:30 LONE<br />

7:30 STEP<br />

7:30 TON<br />

7:30 LONE<br />

8:00 STEP 4:00/8:00 STEP 2:00/7:00 STEP<br />

8:00 LIB<br />

4:00/8:00 LIB 2:00/7:00 LIB<br />

8:00 STEP 4:00/8:00 STEP<br />

8:00 LONE<br />

8:00 LONE<br />

28 29 30<br />

8:00 STEP<br />

8:00 TON<br />

8:00 LONE<br />

2:00/7 STEP<br />

7:00 LONE<br />

4:00/8:00 STEP 2:00/7:00 STEP<br />

4:00/8:00 TON 2:00/7:00 TON<br />

4:00/8:00 LONE 2 / 7:00 LONE

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