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The Resident Acting Company is an essential component of the artistry
and uniqueness of Milwaukee Repertory Theater. The ensemble enhances
the work of the company through its ability to develop complex and
ambitious productions over time; plan seasons to utilize the unique
strengths of an ensemble of actors; and undertake large cast productions
on a regular basis and consistently achieve inspired performances
in both large and small roles.
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| Jim Baker |
Resident Acting Company Member. Jim has performed in over 40 productions with The Rep, having first appeared in 1971 through 1974, then returning in 1995 to play Old Mahon in Joe Hanreddy’s production of THE PLAYBOY OF THE WESTERN WORLD. He has been a member of the resident acting companies at San Francisco’s American Conservatory Theater (ACT), Actors Theater of Louisville, Denver Center Theater Company and the Guthrie in Minneapolis. He has performed as guest artist with the Oregon Shakespearean Festival, PCPA Theaterfest in Santa Maria, CA, Seattle Rep, the McCarter Theatre of Princeton and Los Angeles Actors Theater. He was most recently seen in BORN YESTERDAY as Senator Hedges. Last season he was seen in A MONTH IN THE COUNTRY as Bolshintsov. In past seasons Jim has played Grandpa in YOU CAN’T TAKE IT WITH YOU, Giles Corey in THE CRUCIBLE, Phillie the ‘lost soul’ manager of SUBURBAN MOTEL, Willie Clark in THE SUNSHINE BOYS, Joe Keller in ALL MY SONS, Candy in OF MICE AND MEN, Dodge in BURIED CHILD, Jack in THE WEIR and Big Daddy in CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF.
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| Mark Corkins |
Resident Acting Company Member. Mark is excited for the opportunity to work on his first Edward Albee play. Most recently Rep audiences saw Mark as the officer in TARTUFFE at the close of the last Quadracci Powerhouse season. Some of Mark’s favorite roles for The Rep have been here in the Stiemke Theater: Lee in TRUE WEST, Don Lope in LOVERS & EXECUTIONERS, Bradley in BURIED CHILD and the title role in DRACULA. Later this season Mark will take on two new roles in A CHRISTMAS CAROL: Mr. Fezziwig and the Ghost of Christmas Present. Later this season, he’ll return to the Stiemke for Samuel Beckett’s ENDGAME. Mark makes his home in Milwaukee with his partner, Annie Melchior, and their daughter, Molly.
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| Jonathan Gillard Daly |
Resident Acting Company Member. Jon is pleased to begin his tenth consecutive season at Milwaukee Rep, and his ninth as a member of the Resident Acting Company. He spent the summer with the Great River Shakespeare Festival, appearing there for his fourth season in a row, playing Jaques in AS YOU LIKE IT and the Porter in MACBETH. Some of his favorite roles in his years at The Rep include: Manus (TRANSLATIONS); Donald (HALF LIFE); Arkady (A MONTH IN THE COUNTRY); Reverend Parris (THE CRUCIBLE); Jimmy (THE WEIR) and Scrooge (A CHRISTMAS CAROL). Special love, as always, to Gale, Emily and Sam.
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| Lee E. Ernst |
Resident Acting Company Member. Lee is beginning his 15th season as a Resident Acting Company Member at The Rep where last year he played the Fool in KING LEAR, Scrooge in A CHRISTMAS CAROL, Ralph in FROZEN and the title character in TARTUFFE. Other roles at The Rep include Richard III, Sherlock Holmes, Barrymore, George in OF MICE AND MEN, Frank Lloyd Wright in WORK SONG and Truffaldino in SERVANT OF TWO MASTERS. Mr. Ernst was an inaugural member of American Players Theatre, where he played over 70 roles, and has appeared in theaters throughout the U.S. and Japan. Honored by The Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters in 2006 as “Minerva Laureate,” Lee is also a fight choreographer, who studied with the late, great Paddy Crean, and an accomplished make-up artist and instructor. He received his MFA from the University of Delaware’s Professional Theatre Training Program, under Sandy Robbins. Lee is delighted to be sharing the stage with a more recent graduate of that program – his son, Benjamin Reigel.
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| Laura Gordon |
| Resident Acting Company Member. Laura Gordon has been a member of Milwaukee Repertory Theater’s Resident Acting Company since 1993, performing in over 50 productions, including FROZEN, THE CRUCIBLE, THE BEAUTY QUEEN OF LEENANE, MARY STUART, COPENHAGEN, TWELFTH NIGHT, A DOLL’S HOUSE, ESCAPE FROM HAPPINESS, THE SEAGULL, THE MEMORY OF WATER and MOLLY SWEENEY. Directing projects include THE BOYS NEXT DOOR for Stephen F. Austin State University, SKIN TIGHT, FULL GALLOP and MEMORY HOUSE for Renaissance Theaterworks and I HAVE BEFORE ME A REMARKABLE DOCUMENT GIVEN TO ME BY A YOUNG LADY FROM RWANDA and HALF LIFE here at The Rep. Laura received her MFA in Acting from the University of Iowa and is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Ten Chimneys Foundation. She is married to actor/director Jonathan Smoots. |
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| Torrey Hanson |
Resident Acting Company Member. Torrey was most recently seen as Axel Hammond in THE NERD, Peacey in THE VOYSEY INHERITANCE, Owen in TRANSLATIONS, Bob Cratchit in A CHRISTMAS CAROL at the Pabst Theater and Reverend Hill in The Rep’s Stiemke Theater production of HALF LIFE. Previously he appeared as: Dr. Watson (SHERLOCK HOLMES: THE FINAL ADVENTURE); Clarín (SUEÑO); Bob Cratchit (A CHRISTMAS CAROL) and Victor Emmanuel Chandebise/Poche (A FLEA IN HER EAR). Favorite roles at The Rep include BACH AT LEIPZIG (Johann Friedrich Fasch); YES. NO. (MAYBE SO . . .) (Lamberto Laudisi); THE CRUCIBLE (John Hale); A DOLL’S HOUSE (Nils Krogstad); the title role in INVENTING VAN GOGH; COPENHAGEN (Werner Heisenberg); ‘ART’ (Yvan); PICASSO AT THE LAPIN AGILE (Einstein); GHOSTS (Oswald); NIXON’S NIXON (Kissinger); TWELFTH NIGHT (Sir Andrew); HYSTERIA (Salvador Dali) and THE BALTIMORE WALTZ (The Third Man). Torrey has also worked at Seattle Repertory Theatre, Intiman Theatre, A Contemporary Theatre, Empty Space Theatre, The Cleveland Play House, Oregon Shakespeare Festival (five seasons), Utah Shakespearean Festival, Madison Repertory Theatre, Subaru Theater Company in Tokyo and has appeared on Cheers and Wings on NBC. He is a graduate of the Professional Theater Training Program currently located at the University of Delaware.
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| Gerard Neugent |
Resident Acting Company Member. This is Gerard’s fifth season with Milwaukee Rep and his first season as a member of the Resident Acting Company. Most recently for The Rep he was “playeen” Rick Steadman in Larry Shue’s THE NERD. Big Thanks to Pick! Also last season, Gerard was Hugh Voysey in THE VOYSEY INHERITANCE and Edgar in KING LEAR. Past Rep roles include: Ellard (THE FOREIGNER); Young Scrooge (A CHRISTMAS CAROL); Steindorf (BACH AT LEIPZIG) and the verbally-challenged Camille (A FLEA IN HER EAR). Other favorites include: the Cat in the Hat in SEUSSICAL THE MUSICAL (First Stage Children’s Theater); Jeff in LOBBY HERO (Madison Rep Theatre and Chamber Theatre); Charlie in STONES IN HIS POCKETS (Next Act Theatre); Valentine in TWO GENTLEMEN OF VERONA and Dazzle in LONDON ASSURANCE (American Players Theatre) and Larry in BURN THIS (Renaissance Theaterworks). Gerard is a Marquette grad who lives in Milwaukee with his wife, Kate, and their two sons!
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| James Pickering |
Resident Acting Company Member.
The 2007/08 season is Jim's 34th season as a leading member of The Rep’s Resident Acting Company. Noteworthy Rep portrayals within the last year or so include Hugh Mor O'Donnell in Translations, Mr Voysey in The Voysey Inheritance, Patrick in Half Life, Charlie in Seascape, and Dave Moss in Glengarry Glen Ross. This past Yuletide he returned to the role of Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol at the historic Pabst Theatre after a seven season hiatus, and is glad to report that he will be haunting that space once again December, ’08. Among other representative roles are Niels Bohr in Copenhagen, Professor Moriarty in Sherlock Holmes: the Final Adventure, Danforth in The Crucible, and Dr. Rank in A Doll's House.
He has performed for many other Milwaukee theatre companies, most recently last season at Next Act Theatre as George Holmburg in Jeffrey Hatcher's Mercy of a Storm. He played Sir Tristram Northmoor in the world premiere of Amlin Gray's The Fantod at Theatre X, and the title role in Shaw's The Philanderer for Milwaukee Chamber Theatre.
Last spring Jim directed Larry Shue's The Nerd, a production which set new Rep records for length of run and revenue. He will be seen in the dual roles of Major Milroy and Dr. Downward in Jeffrey Hatcher's Armadale, the Rep's final Quadracci Powerhouse production of the season.
In addition to his theatre work, Jim is a voice-over talent (his demo reel can be accessed at http://JimPickering.voicezam.com). He narrated The Making of Milwaukee, written by John Gurda, and produced by WMVS-TV. Last November it won the Chicago/Midwest Emmy Award for Best Documentary.
He was educated at Phillips Academy, Wesleyan University (B.A.) and Penn State (M.F.A.). It was at graduate school that he met and married Rep Resident Actress Rose Pickering, who joined the company in 1973. They have been honored by the Milwaukee Arts Board (Outstanding Artists--1999) and the Penn State College of Arts and Architecture (Alumni Achievement Awards--2000). Jim captured the coveted Shepherd Express Milwaukee's Favorite Actor award in consecutive years ('99&'00). He is an avid golfer and former Trustee of the Ten Chimneys Foundation.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
It was late March. Rose and I were sitting in our tiny apartment in Providence, RI, watching the NBA finals – Jabbar and the Bucks were giving the Celtics all they could handle – when we got a phone call from Nagle Jackson offering us both positions in the resident acting company here at Milwaukee Rep. It took us about .04 seconds to say yes.
Five months later I was wrestling with the steering wheel of a 22-foot Ryder truck (we had asked for a van, but, none being available, we strapped our grad-school furniture and clothes into one corner of the vehicle – the thing had an echo) headed west on I-80. I was following a white ’65 Plymouth Valiant carrying Rose and our Scottie, Angus (he loved to sit on the back window-shelf, and could look at me looking at him), wondering just how long it would be before the dangling muffler on the car started to bounce off the pavement and shoot sparks. We made it to Milwaukee without incident.
I had my first good look at Milwaukee as I emerged from the tunnel under the courthouse onto Kilbourn Avenue, crossed the bridge next to the Wepco Power Plant, and chugged up the hill toward the Plaza. Flowers blazing away on the center island, the lake came into view and I thought “Wow. What a tidy city.” We moved some stuff into our room, and switched on the Channel 4 news just in time to watch John McCollough introduce John Chancellor at the national NBC headquarters for a special report. He described the scene at the White House as Richard Nixon boarded a helicopter which would wing away from Washington. Gerald Ford was sworn in as president. It was 1974. At the time, we figured we’d stay here for a few years, and then, like most actors, move on.
We learned acting in an M.F.A. program at Penn State. We had three terrific teachers, Archie Smith, Manuel Duque and Richard Edelman. They taught techniques handed down from the Moscow Art Theatre (which I had the pleasure of visiting along with other Rep actors in ’95) to The Group Theatre, then to the Neighborhood Playhouse. The value of the idea of working in a company of artists who stayed together over a long period of time was instilled in us during our years there. By synchronicity, we had gravitated toward the program at an exciting time. Many of our fellow students had come to State College after considerable professional experience. Some were Viet Nam vets. Some had already begun to raise families. There was a maturity in performance of school productions, and a seriousness of purpose in classroom work that set a high standard for those of us just out of college. The atmosphere was no-nonsense. Our classmates knew what they wanted to learn, and got down to learning it. By the same token, the faculty knew what it wanted to teach, and were excited to have willing and demanding students. Many of our buddies who went through the three years there are active professionals in theaters across the country today.
I was luckier than I realized during my first years at The Rep. I had joined just the sort of ensemble my training had prepared me for. I thought, at the ripe old age of 26, that I could teach it a thing or two. Sure. I was going to teach Jeffrey Tambor, G. Wood, Rob Lanchester, Penny Reed and Jim Baker about acting. After a few weeks I had the sense to begin simply watching and learning.
I am indebted to two actors in particular for taking a mentor-ly interest in my work during my early years here. I recall during rehearsals of THE SCHOOL FOR WIVES in ’76 Jeffrey Tambor, who was a wonderfully comic Arnolphe, pulled me aside after watching my scene and said, “You know those three bits you’re doing with the broom? They’re funny. Now, pick one.”
Several years later, I learned a second important lesson from an actor who joined the resident company when John Dillon took over the reins in ’77, my good friend Henry Strozier. As I watched him create roles over the course of several seasons I was struck by the combination of confidence and conviction in the work. I truly think I became a grown-up actor (at last) as a result of watching and working with Henry.
I have been mentored from outside the business as well. Two of them live on a farm in the lake country west of here. One is a twenty-year-old redhead I fell in love with back in ’90. She has a beautiful face, a graceful way of going and four great big hooves. Her name is Tenner, and she lives on a farm with my other mentor. Her name is Donna (though I have occasionally addressed her as “Chief Kicking-Ass,” as we are friends). She stands about five feet nothing in her riding boots, has the forearms of a blacksmith, and has just acquired a brand new pair of knees. She imparts the art of dressage from horseback, is quick to smile, and employs a saddle bagful of maxims. Among my favorites are: “When the student is ready the teacher will appear;” “The horse has a right to make a mistake – you have the right to correct it;” and “What the #*!&% do you call that?”
Tenner bore me patiently (off and on, so to speak) for 12 years. What I learned from both horse and teacher has served me well in my work. First, when on horseback, it is essential to remember that one is always training, and that the rider must take care about the message he sends – the horse will sense everything. Fear is infectious, as is anger. Second, since the horse (like an audience at a play) lives only in the present, the rider (and the actor) must fully inhabit each moment. In other words, when you snooze, you confuse. Only through relaxed concentration and a pliant self-control that leaves one open to response can the performer achieve the goal of creating the greatest effect with the least apparent effort – both in riding and in acting. Furthermore, as another wise woman – in this case a former captain of the British Olympic Equestrian Team – once pointed out: “A human being has but one justification for climbing onto the back of a horse, and that is to make the horse better for the experience.” I believe that to be true about a group of people undertaking to produce a play. If you can’t do it well, you won’t do it any good.
(It occurs to me that I have transformed Rep patrons into a herd of horses. It’s just a metaphor, folks. It won’t hurt.)
In conclusion, I must express my gratitude to all my fellow actors for the ongoing learning process that has been my Rep experience. I think there would be no point in my having continued to live and work here for so long (I am now playing fathers of characters I played in earlier Rep seasons) if I didn’t work with colleagues who constantly exhibit such a high degree of commitment, trust and courage. We inspire each other. I think this is one of the reasons why guest artists long to return to our company. That has been a source of great pride for many seasons now. It’s an essential part of what we set out to do when we came here. The guy who said, “Be careful what you wish for. . . ” didn’t know what he was talking about.
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| Rose Pickering |
Resident Acting Company Member. This is Rose’s 35th consecutive season as a member of The Rep’s Resident Acting Company. She opened The Rep’s new Powerhouse Theater space in 1987 playing the title role in THE MATCHMAKER, and was in the opening performance of all three new Rep spaces that season including THE PUPPETMASTER OF LODZ in the Stiemke Theater and SHUE BIZ, a revue she helped compile from dear friend Larry Shue’s memoirs, in the Stackner Cabaret. Some of her favorite performances have been Kate Keller in ALL MY SONS, Mag in THE BEAUTY QUEEN OF LEENANE, Amanda in THE GLASS MENAGERIE, Lady Bracknell in THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST, Elizabeth Proctor in THE CRUCIBLE, Arkadina in THE SEAGULL, Masha in THE THREE SISTERS, Kate in DANCING AT LUGHNASA and the titles roles of JUNO AND THE PAYCOCK, MISS LULU BETT and MOTHER COURAGE. Jim and Rose are the recipients of the Milwaukee Art Board’s Outstanding Artist Award and Penn State’s Alumni Achievement Award.
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| Peter Silbert |
| Resident Acting Company Member. Peter is pleased to mark his 50th show at The Rep with this production of CYRANO. Last season he appeared as the Earl of Gloucester in KING LEAR, Rutherford Selig in GEM OF THE OCEAN, Jimmy Jack Cassie in TRANSLATIONS and Orgon in TARTUFFE. Some favorites from previous seasons include THE LAST NIGHT OF BALLYHOO, INSPECTING CAROL, THE FRONT PAGE, PROOF, THE MAGIC FIRE and SILENCE. Other theaters he has worked with include: The Empty Space, Seattle Rep, ACT Theatre, Intiman Theatre, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, Missouri Repertory Theatre, Goodman Theatre, Actor’s Theatre of Louisville, La Jolla Playhouse, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Huntington Theatre, Arizona Theatre Company and Next Act Theatre. Dedicated to the memory of Jim Verdery. |
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| Brian Vaughn |
Resident Acting Company Member. Brian Vaughn has performed in over 25 productions at The Rep including THE NERD, THE VOYSEY INHERITANCE, A MONTH IN THE COUNTRY, LAUGHING STOCK, BACH AT LEIPZIG, ARSENIC AND OLD LACE, PROOF, WIT, BURIED CHILD, THE LEENANE TRIOLOGY, INVENTING VAN GOGH, THE GLASS MENEGERIE, THE TAVERN, THE SHAUGHRAUN, AMADEUS and more. Other Milwaukee credits include JOE EGG with Milwaukee Chamber Theatre and BURN THIS with Renaissance Theaterworks. In over 14 seasons with the Utah Shakespearean Festival, he has played a wide variety of roles including Hamlet, Prince Hal, Hotspur, Benedick, Posthumus/Cloten, King Arthur and The Pirate King, as well as directing A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM for the National Endowment for the Arts Shakespeare in American Communities program. Regional credits include Arizona Theatre Company, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, The Kennedy Center, Nebraska Shakespeare Festival, PCPA Theatrefest, Phoenix Theatre and Red Bull Theatre.
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