FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Cindy Moran, Public Relations Director, 414-224-1761
cmoran@milwaukeerep.com

MILWAUKEE REPERTORY THEATER ONE OF 76
ORGANIZATIONS NATIONWIDE TO RECEIVE
A BIG READ GRANT

Milwaukee to read and celebrate To Kill a Mockingbird
during Big Read project

July 11, 2011—[Milwaukee] – Milwaukee Repertory Theater is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a grant to host The Big Read in Milwaukee. The Big Read is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) designed to restore reading to the center of American culture. The NEA presents The Big Read in cooperation with Arts Midwest. Milwaukee Repertory Theater is one of 76 not-for-profits to be recommended for a grant to host a Big Read project between September 2011 and March 2012. The Big Read in Milwaukee will focus on Harper Lee’s American classic To Kill a Mockingbird.

Artistic Director Mark Clements chose To Kill a Mockingbird as part of The Rep’s 2011/12 season: “because it’s a book that contains an important and powerful message about the effects of prejudice. I believe that theater provides a platform for dialogue that we need to have in our community to counteract this sort of prejudice. It is an iconic American classic and I’m thrilled to be producing it and delighted that our production will be part of The Big Read initiative.”

Milwaukee Repertory Theater’s production of To Kill a Mockingbird will run January 31 through March 4, 2012 in The Rep’s Quadracci Powerhouse. The play is adapted by Christopher Sergel from the novel by Harper Lee. Aaron Posner will return to The Rep to direct this production. Posner wrote and directed last season’s production of My Name is Asher Lev, a beautiful and lyrical adaptation of the Chaim Potok novel. The Rep’s production of To Kill a Mockingbird will have five student matinees and thousands of Milwaukee students will have the opportunity to see the book come alive on The Rep’s Quadracci Powerhouse stage.

NEA Chairman Rocco Landesman said, “Since 2006, nearly three million Americans have attended a Big Read event, more than 39,000 volunteers have participated locally, and nearly 27,000 community partner organizations have been involved. The Big Read’s success depends on these commitments of time, energy and enthusiasm and I look forward to seeing these 76 communities come together in celebration of a great work of literature.”

The selected organizations receive Big Read grant funding to promote and carry out community-based reading programs featuring activities such as read-a-thons, book discussions, lectures, movie screenings and performing arts events. Participating groups also receive high-quality, free-of-charge educational materials to supplement each title, including Reader’s, Teacher’s and Audio Guides.

For more information about The Big Read, please visit neabigread.org.

Milwaukee Repertory Theater plans to have a variety of special programs and activities throughout the community to be held in conjunction with The Big Read including workshops, guest speaker appearances, classes, film nights and special presentations. Additionally, book readings and discussions will be held throughout the Milwaukee community. The Rep will collaborate with over 15 community partners, including the Milwaukee Public Library, Milwaukee Public Schools, several literacy and social service agencies, area colleges and bookstores.

The Rep will hold a Big Read Kick-Off event on Monday, September 26, 2011 in the Quadracci Powerhouse. The Kick-Off event will include dramatic readings and members of The Rep’s artistic team will reveal how the novel will come to life on The Rep’s stage. There will also be a taste of Southern cooking as a component of the event. Paperbacks of To Kill a Mockingbird will be distributed as well as brochures detailing the schedule of Big Read events.

In addition to receiving the NEA Big Read grant, this major, community-wide literacy project is also being funded in part by the Greater Milwaukee Foundation and a grant from the City of Milwaukee Arts Board and the Wisconsin Arts Board. The Rep is continuing to seek additional grants and sponsors for this effort. For those organizations interested in exploring funding opportunites, please contact Tamara Hauck, Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations, at thauck@milwaukeerep.com or 414-290-5348. For those community organizations interested in participating in The Big Read, please contact Jenny Kostreva, Education Director, at jkostreva@milwaukeerep.com or call 414-290-5370.

The National Endowment for the Arts was established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. To date, the NEA has awarded more than $4 billion to support artistic excellence, creativity and innovation for the benefit of individuals and communities. The NEA extends its work through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies and the philanthropic sector. To join the discussion on how art works, visit the NEA at arts.gov.

Arts Midwest promotes creativity, nurtures cultural leadership and engages people in meaningful arts experiences, bringing vitality to Midwest communities and enriching people’s lives. Based in Minneapolis, Arts Midwest connects the arts to audiences throughout the nine-state region of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin. One of six non-profit regional arts organizations in the United States, Arts Midwest’s history spans more than 25 years. For more information, please visit artsmidwest.org.

The Greater Milwaukee Foundation is a family of more than 1,000 individual charitable funds, each created by donors to serve the charitable causes of their choice. Grants from these funds serve people throughout Milwaukee, Waukesha, Ozaukee and Washington counties and beyond. Started in 1915, the Foundation is one of the oldest and largest community foundations in the world.

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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, the Stiemke Studio and the Stackner Cabaret. The Rep is also home to a Resident Acting Company of 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

www.MilwaukeeRep.com