FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Cindy Moran,
Public Relations Director, 414-224-1761
March 8, 2010
MILWAUKEE REPERTORY THEATER
Unveils Mark Clements' Inaugural Season. . .
Incoming Artistic Director Mark Clements announced Milwaukee Repertory Theater’s
2010/11 season at a special Season Announcement Event held in The Rep’s
Quadracci Powerhouse. The season includes two
American Premieres, a classic of American theater, a play featuring triple
threat Australian star Caroline O’Connor and the first
ever full-scale musical to be staged on The Rep’s
Quadracci Powerhouse stage.
In all, Milwaukee Repertory
Theater will present 11 shows on three stages as well as the annual Milwaukee
tradition A CHRISTMAS CAROL in the adjacent Pabst Theater and a new production
titled Rep Lab, featuring The Rep's Artistic Intern Company. Milwaukee Repertory
Theater’s
three stages include the Quadracci Powerhouse, Stiemke Studio and Stackner
Cabaret.
Here are the play titles selected for next season:
Milwaukee Repertory Theater 2010/11 Season
(Please note: All play titles are subject to change pending rights availability.)
CABARET
Book by Joe Masteroff
Based on the book Goodbye To Berlin by Christopher Isherwood
Music by John Kander
Lyrics by Fred Ebb
Director: Mark Clements
September 14 – October 24, 2010
Quadracci Powerhouse
- The first full-scale musical on the Quadracci Powerhouse
stage.
- New Artistic Director Mark Clements makes his directorial debut with a
classic musical that has all of the depth, complexity and character development
of the world’s best dramas.
- Mr. Clements is excited to bring this important genre in the canon of American
Theater to The Rep’s repertoire.
LAUREL AND HARDY
By Tom McGrath
American Premiere
September 24 – November 14, 2010
Stackner Cabaret
- Scottish writer Tom McGrath’s loving homage to the world’s
best-known comedy duo.
- There isn’t a comedian – or comic actor – who hasn’t
been influenced by this iconic team and their impressive 106 movies.
- The play traces the key events that shaped their rise to Hollywood stardom.
MY NAME IS ASHER LEV
Written and directed by Aaron Posner
Adapted from the novel by Chaim Potok
September 29 – November 14, 2010
Stiemke Studio
- The Rep is fortunate to be able to bring acclaimed director Aaron Posner
to Milwaukee for this production.
- Posner also worked closely with Chaim Potok on their award-winning adaptation
of Potok’s first novel, The Chosen.
- Potok’s books are modern classics.
- This adaptation combines the depth of the novel with searing theatricality,
distilling it into a powerful evening of theater.
LIBERACE: The Man, The Music & the Memories
Created by Wayland Pickard and Randy Nolen
November 19, 2010 – January 16, 2011
Stackner Cabaret
- Wayland Pickard, an award-winning pianist, singer, entertainer and humorist,
will appear in this one-man show, a piece he co-created.
- Born in West Allis, Wisconsin, Liberace was the highest paid entertainer
in the world during 1950s –1970s.
- The flamboyant and beloved entertainer comes back to life for one last
concert in his native Milwaukee.
BOMBSHELLS
By Joanna Murray-Smith
Starring Caroline O’Connor
Director: Mark Clements
American premiere
November 23 – December 19, 2010
Quadracci Powerhouse
- Starring Award-winning triple threat Australian Caroline O’Connor
(Nini in Baz Luhrmann’s, Oscar-winning, Moulin Rouge, and
Ethel Merman in De Lovely).
- Critically-acclaimed Australian writer, Joanna Murray-Smith, wrote the
piece specifically to celebrate the extraordinary talents of Caroline O’Connor.
After winning numerous awards in Australia, the play won an Edinburgh Fringe
First and transferred to London’s West End, culminating in an Olivier
Award nomination for Best Actress in a play.
- Ms. O’Connor has graced some of the greatest international stages,
from The Royal Albert Hall to Sydney Opera House.
- Mr. Clements and Ms. O’Connor have been eager to do this project
for years together and are thrilled to bring this one-woman production to
the Quadracci Powerhouse stage.
A CHRISTMAS CAROL
By Charles Dickens; adapted by Joseph Hanreddy and Edward Morgan
Pabst Theater
Directed by Joseph Hanreddy
December 2 – December 26, 2010
- This will be the 35th Anniversary of The Rep’s annual production
of A CHRISTMAS CAROL performed at the historic Pabst Theater.
- Former Rep Artistic Director Joe Hanreddy returns to The Rep to direct
his adaptation of this holiday classic.
- The Rep is delighted to continue its collaboration with Mr. Hanreddy in
his new role at UWM’s Peck School of the Arts launching the new Fellowship
in Directing and Design program.
ALFRED HITCHCOCK’S THE 39 STEPS
Adapted by Patrick Barlow
From the novel by John Buchan, the film of Alfred Hitchcock and the original
concept by Simon Corble and Nobby Dimon
January 11 – February 13, 2011
Quadracci Powerhouse
- A high-octane, comic whodunit. Alfred Hitchcock crashes headlong into Monty
Python!
- A cast of four actors play dozens of characters – as well as animals,
geographical features and various meteorological phenomena.
- Winner of two Tony and Drama Desk Awards and the 2007 Olivier Award for
Best New Comedy.
NOBODY LONESOME FOR ME
By Lanie Robertson
Director: Sandy Ernst
January 21 – March 13, 2011
Stackner Cabaret
- In his short 29 years, Hank Williams created one of the largest legacies
in music history, influencing artists from Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash to Louis
Armstrong, Patsy Cline, Ray Charles and even Beck.
- From the author of LADY DAY AT EMERSON’S BAR AND GRILL which played
to raves at Milwaukee Repertory Theater in 1992 and 2007.
SPEAKING IN TONGUES
By Andrew Bovell
Director: Laura Gordon
January 26 – March 13, 2011
Stiemke Studio
- Australian playwright Andrew Bovell also wrote the award-winning movie
screenplay for Strictly Ballroom.
- Bovell adapted his play into the award-winning movie Lantana starring
Anthony Lapaglia, Geoffrey Rush and Barbara Hershey.
- Resident Acting Company Member Laura Gordon directs this production on
the heels of her recent hit ALMOST, MAINE.
MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM
By August Wilson
March 1 – 27, 2011
Quadracci Powerhouse
- The first hit in August Wilson’s ten-play cycle that chronicles the
20th century African-American experience.
- Ma Rainey is an exciting co-production between Milwaukee Repertory Theater
and Actors Theatre of Louisville, home to the premiere new play festival
in the country.
- Full of humor and drama, the play explores the historic exploitation
of black recording artists in 1920s Chicago.
THE BOMB-ITTY OF ERRORS
An ad-rap-tation of William Shakespeare’s THE COMEDY OF ERRORS.
by Jordan Allen-Dutton, Jason Catalano, Gregory J. Qaiyum and Erik Weiner
March 18 – May 8, 2011
Stackner Cabaret
- Shakespeare and Hip Hop come to the Stackner Cabaret in a double first!
- Four actors play all the characters – the twins of note, as well
as wives, sisters, jewellers, nuns, prostitutes, policeman and more.
- Engages audiences of all ages in a celebration of poetic modern language.
THE REP LAB • A Special Event
Featuring The Rep’s nationally-renowned Artistic Intern Ensemble
April 1 – 4, 2011
Stiemke Studio
The Rep will launch a new annual production some 40 years in the making: The
Rep Lab. The Rep’s talented acting and directing interns, under the guidance
and mentorship of members of the Artistic Staff and Resident Acting Company,
will mount an evening of performance pieces from a variety of genres and sources
showcasing these emerging artists and their culmination of a year of training
at The Rep. Short plays from classic and contemporary playwrights, solo performances,
music, spoken word, dance and even a premiere piece devised by the ensemble – the
stage is wide open, the menu is up for grabs and anything can happen as the
interns take over the Stiemke Studio.
DEATH OF A SALESMAN
By Arthur Miller
Director: Mark Clements
April 12 – May 8, 2011
Quadracci Powerhouse
- Miller’s masterpiece is an unflinching examination of the American
Dream.
- Mr. Clements feels passionately that this play is essential viewing with
today’s social and economic turbulence. It’s a play worth seeing
again.
- DEATH OF A SALESMAN won the Pulitzer Prize in 1945. It is considered to
be Miller’s greatest work and one of the most important and influential
plays of the 20th Century, still offering a startling relevancy over 60 years
after its premiere.
- This production will feature Rep Resident Actors Lee E. Ernst and Laura
Gordon in the roles of Willy and Linda Loman.
Subscription packages will be offered for an 11-play package, a 7-play package
and a 5-play package across The Rep’s three performance spaces. Subscription
prices range from $45 – $497. Flexible packages will also be available
including FlexPasses and the Build Your Own season package. For additional
information on subscription offerings, please contact The Rep’s Ticket
Office at 414-224-9490 or visit milwaukeerep.com. Subscribers
will be receiving their renewal materials soon.
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Milwaukee Repertory Theater is a nationally recognized
theater company that presents a critically-acclaimed selection
of compelling dramas, powerful classics, award-winning contemporary
works and lively Cabaret shows on three stages from September through
May. The Rep also produces an annual production of A CHRISTMAS
CAROL. The Rep's home, the Patty and Jay Baker Theater Complex,
accommodates the Quadracci Powerhouse Theater, the Stiemke Theater
and the Stackner Cabaret. The Rep is also home to a Resident Acting
Company of 10 actors who perform with The Rep throughout the season.
The
Rep is proud to be a member of the United
Performing Arts Fund (UPAF), which provides major annual
financial support. Through
community support of the United Performing Arts Fund, UPAF
Member and Affiliate Groups are able to provide education
and outreach to over 400,000 children, provide over 2,000
live performances and reach over 1,000,000 people every year.
When everyone supports the arts through UPAF, they help our
local economy, improving education and strengthening outreach
programs to the disabled and elderly – all while adding
culture to their own life. Support of UPAF is critical to
UPAF Member Groups’ ability
to continue to offer exceptional live performances, award-winning
education and outreach programming and substantial economic
impact to our region. To learn more about UPAF or to donate,
go to www.upaf.org.
The Rep is supported in part by a grant
from the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the state of
Wisconsin. The Rep is a member of the League
of Resident Theatres (LORT), a management association
of some of the nation's largest non-profit professional
theaters that collectively bargains with the unions that
represent the actors, directors and designers that work
at The Rep; a constituent of Theatre
Communications Group (TCG), the national organization
for the nonprofit professional theater; and a member of Theatre
Wisconsin, the statewide association of non-profit
professional theaters. This theater operates under an
agreement between the League of Resident Theatres and Actors'
Equity Association, the union of professional actors
and stage managers in the United States. The set, costume
and lighting designers are members of United
Scenic Artists,
a national labor union. This theater is an equal opportunity employer.
Except in plays where race itself is an issue, casting
is decided based on ability, not race.
Milwaukee
Repertory Theater
Patty & Jay Baker Theatre Complex
108 E Wells St Milwaukee, WI 53202
Ticket Office: 414-224-9490 Ticket Office Fax: 225-5490
Administrative: 414-224-1761 Fax: 414-224-9097
milwaukeerep.com |
