A Conversation with The Rep's New Managing Director

Dawn Helsing Wolters, our new Managing Director, comes to The Rep from the Court Theatre in Chicago. She recently answered a few questions from The Rep’s PR Director, Cindy Moran.

Cindy Moran: You are relocating from Chicago – what are your first impressions of Milwaukee?

Dawn Helsing Wolters: What a gorgeous city! There are so many great neighborhoods and, in every one, someone out walking their dog will insist that their neighborhood is absolutely THE BEST place to live – the sign of a great hometown. I’m looking forward to getting lost a lot – it’s a great way to discover a new city, and kind of inevitable with a sense of direction as faulty as mine!

CM: Do you have any first projects that you are itching to start?

DH: Getting to know everyone is the first priority, and I’ve just begun to scratch the surface. There’s nothing more energizing and fun for an extrovert like me. There are so many amazing people that make The Rep work: staff, theater artists, board members, supporters and volunteers. I’m looking forward to getting to know them all.

CM: What excites you about theater as an art form? Is theater still relevant?

DH: Theater gives me goose bumps. No other form of art or entertainment does that for me. From the beginning of time, people have created and told stories to help grapple with the big issues that make us human: love, power, war, religion, family, loss. . . .
The same subjects that inspired the ancient Greeks and Shakespeare still preoccupy us today. Even with the myriad ways we have of expressing ourselves, none is as powerful as being together in the same room to experience a story unfolding live – right there in front of you. That’s what gives me the goose bumps and keeps me coming back for more!

CM: You were recently married; is your new husband excited about making the move to Milwaukee?

DH: Tony is thrilled! Actually, he knew more about the city than I did when I was first contacted about the position. His band had played at Summerfest several years ago (he plays jazz trombone). He’s looking forward to Brewers games, finding new favorite Thai restaurants, taking the ferry to see his family in Michigan, not having to fight Chicago traffic and having a lawn to mow.

CM: Anything else?

DH: Now that I’ve discovered frozen custard, I think I need to join a good gym . . . any recommendations?