FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Phenomenal Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning
play explores will to survive
By Doug Wright Made possible in part by the generous support of
UPAF STIEMKE THEATER
In the midst of the political terror of Nazism and the bleak darkness of Soviet-style Communism that follows, Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, a 65-year-old transvestite living in Berlin, weathers the storm in a pair of high heels and a single strand of pearls. In I AM MY OWN WIFE, Charlotte, openly gay in a hostile society, relies on the three comforts in her life: “Museum. Mobel. Manner. Museum. Furniture. Men.” She collects old furniture, clocks and phonographs from before the war and houses them in her Gründerzeit Museum, a cavernous old mansion that is also her home. Her defense of the Museum throughout the war and from the brutal Communism that follows ultimately becomes a protection of Berlin’s gay community and the underground subculture it inhabits. After the fall of Communism and the reunification of Germany, Charlotte continues to maintain and inhabit the museum. With the changing times, the German people soon identify Charlotte as a relic of the past herself, much like those she keeps in her museum. Though Charlotte’s account of her life is fantastical, she claims that her stories are never made up - Charlotte says she “doesn’t need to.” As the stories of her miraculous survival circulate, Charlotte became a celebrity figure. However, with Charlotte’s newfound celebrity status, questions regarding the veracity of her stories and her possible involvement with the Stasi, the official secret police of East Germany, soon begin to surface. A media frenzy ensues and burning questions are raised as to how an openly gay man could possibly have survived the brutal oppression of both the Nazis and the Stasi. Amid the fascination and controversy surrounding her past and her museum, Charlotte has her first meeting with playwright Doug Wright. Charmed by Charlotte’s perseverance and lilting musical voice, Doug sets out to write her life story - and through her, the history of Germany. As Literary Director Kristin Crouch writes in The Rep’s
publication Prologue, “Wright’s project shifted
into an entirely different direction once he had a look at Charlotte’s
secret police file. Was Charlotte
a gay cultural icon and hero, or had she, in fact, worked as an
agent for the secret police to protect her own safety? What would
Wright do with the unflattering images evoked by Charlotte’s
Stasi file? He couldn’t continue to write the play until
he found a way to approach the contradictory elements of Charlotte’s
story: The result is the captivating story that is I AM MY OWN WIFE. Playwright Doug Wright received his bachelor’s degree from Yale University in 1985 and his M.F.A. from New York University in 1987. He has taught playwriting at both New York University and Princeton. He is a recipient of the William L. Bradley Fellowship at Yale University, the Charles MacArthur Fellowship at the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center and the Alfred Fodder Fellowship at Princeton. According to Wright, “No human appetite is too base, no idea so holy, no institution so revered that it should be spared art’s scrutiny.” This belief is clearly manifested in his work, as three of his best known plays deal with people or subjects that are culturally provocative: QUILLS follows the infamous career of the Marquis de Sade, I AM MY OWN WIFE (2004 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and 2004 Tony Award for Best Play) chronicles the history of German transvestite Charlotte von Mahlsdorf and INTERROGATING THE NUDE reconstructs Marcel Duchamp’s masterpiece “Nude Descending a Staircase.” In 2000, Wright also wrote the screenplay for a film version of Quills starring Geoffrey Rush. For Wright, portraying these subcultures is part of what is necessary to be an artist: “To be an artist is to step outside the dominant culture and examine it with an unflinching eye. It is to risk censure and outrage by insisting that society assess itself critically.” Wright also firmly believes in the ability of art to initiate revolution and help bring about progressive social change. Much of his work is marked by the socially transgressive nature of his subjects and his refusal to be anything less than incendiary. This is Director John Langs’ first show with Milwaukee Rep. For the past ten years Langs has had the privilege of working with great theater artists throughout the country on contemporary, classical and musical theater. Some of these fine institutions include: Lookingglass Theatre Company (Chicago); The Empty Space (Seattle); American Players Theatre (Wisconsin); Circle X Theatre (Los Angeles) and Washington Ensemble Theatre (Seattle). As a dedicated fan of new plays, he has directed workshops at the Ensemble Studio Theatre (NY), The Manhattan Theatre Club (NY), Audrey Skirbal Kenis Foundation (LA) and Seattle Dramatists. He has served as Artistic Director for The Full Contact Shakespeare Company of Sacramento, The Golden Mean Theater Company of Los Angeles, Maui Onstage in the great state of Hawaii and is currently an Associate Artist at the Seattle Shakespeare Company, where he has directed productions of KING LEAR and ROMEO AND JULIET. Langs’ work as a director has been honored with awards from the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle, Backstage West, and The Seattle Times. He returns annually to his alma mater, North Carolina School of the Arts, to contribute to the training of young artists. Langs’ home is with his wife and favorite person, Klea Scott, in Santa Monica, California. The cast of I AM MY OWN WIFE, a one-man play,
is guest actor Michael Gotch, who made his Rep
debut in last season’s Quadracci Powerhouse Theater world
premiere production of ARMADALE. Michael trained at the University
of Delware Professional Theatre Training Program (PTTP). Regional
credits include: Algernon in THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST (South
Coast Repertory); Jeff Nomination and After Dark Award for Chicago
Premiere of SHAKESPEARE’S R&J (Chicago Shakespeare Theater)
and JULIUS CAESAR, MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, TIMON OF ATHENS and
THE MERCHANT OF VENICE with American Players Theatre. Phenomenal Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning
play explores will to survive By Doug Wright FACT SHEET THEATER: Stiemke Theater DATES: September 10, 2008 – October 5, 2008 DESCRIPTION: German transvestite Charlotte von Mahlsdorf’s remarkable feats of bravery allow her to survive despite two of the most brutally oppressive regimes in history: the Nazis of the Third Reich and the Communists that ruled East Germany. One actor portrays more than 30 characters in astonishing tale of perseverance in the face of oppression. PERFORMANCES Tuesday, 9/16/08 -
7:30 p.m. Tuesday, 9/30/08 -
6:30 p.m. - Early Bird PREVIEWS: $20.00 & $30.00 TICKET OFFICE LOCATION: TICKET OFFICE HOURS: ###
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