By Mary Boyle Today is World Theatre Day, so I decided it was a good time to write about my experience with live theatre. I have been a theatre critic since 2014 – nearly a decade ago. One of the first shows I reviewed was Milwaukee’s First Stage Young Company doing a production of Romeo and Juliet. First Stage is one of the country’s leading theatre programs for young performers and families and their Young Company, founded by John Maclay, is really special: a group of high school kids who receive college-level actor training and put on two public performances each year, including at least one by Shakespeare. I didn’t realize it at the time, but this was the the Young Company’s first fully produced production. I brought my two children, who were 11 and 8 years old, because I was homeschooling them and it was a perfect educational opportunity. I had no idea that it would end up being a defining moment in our lives. You see, I had always been a fan of Shakespeare, despite the fact that my introduction to it was as horrible as most students in this country (though now I consider myself lucky that I had any introduction at all). My Freshman English teacher made our class take turns reading Romeo and Juliet with no real context given, because I don’t think she had any understanding of it, herself. To say it was brutal is an understatement. Nonetheless, I chose Early English Lit. in my Junior year and my teacher, Mr. Trost, lit a fire in me for Shakespeare that never went out; but, aside from the old movies they showed us in class and an enduring love for the version of Hamlet with Mel Gibson, my relationship with the Bard was a literary one – I had never seen it performed live until Young Company. I shared that passion for literature with my children and my oldest, Molly, also caught the Shakespeare bug. Seeing those high school kids on that stage that day inspired her, to say the least (and, to be fair, they were breathtaking – Mary Elsa Henrichs as Juliet and Joseph Schwalb, who is still the best young performer I’ve ever seen, as Mercutio became YC legends). Molly wanted to be one of those kids on that stage. Remember that Molly was only 11 at the time of the play and you must be in high school to audition for Young Company, so she started with a two-week stint in the First Stage Summer Theater Academy that very summer. She walked in a shy, anxious, and cautious kid and walked out a confident and daring young lady who boldly proclaimed that two weeks was not enough. She did four weeks in the summer of 2015 and another in 2016, along with some additional school year intensives and a production of Twelfth Night with Milwaukee Youth Theatre, which was great fun. In 2017, she was finally old enough to take the YC Summer Academy course where they did a production of The Tempest directed by none other than Matt Daniels, one of Milwaukee's finest actors and directors who went on to become the Director of Young Company after John Maclay. That fall, Molly entered the ranks of the famous Young Company, becoming one of the kids she had idolized and admired for so long. Not only that, she auditioned and earned three parts in their spring production of Henry V. To say we spent a lot of time at the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center, the home of First Stage, would be an understatement; we joked that my car knew the way there by itself. Molly was only 15, so I drove her to every rehearsal and, since MYAC was about 30-40 minutes from our house, I stayed and worked while she did, getting to know the rest of the cast and some of the other parents. Henry V was unique in that it had a particularly long rehearsal and run time compared to other YC shows, and Matt Daniels does some amazing things to sync up a cast, so these kids had an unusually long time to work on this show together and were bonded in a way I had never seen before. When the show opened, I reviewed it, of course, but I also volunteered as a parent helper, being an usher, collecting tickets, or guarding the stage, so I was also able to stay and watch the show, which I was thrilled to do. I’d had the experience of seeing the opening and closing of a show, but never the progression of one, and I was fascinated. Because I worked from home and homeschooled, I was even able to help with the weekday school performances. In short, I was there for nearly all of it, which I suspect is a bit of an anomaly. As the kids worked their way through the performances, I was right there with them, watching up close and taking it all in. I had seen the show 17 times by the time we reached the final performance. I recall talking with some of the more veteran YC parents shortly before the final show and one of them noting that the last performance was coming up and how it was going to be so hard. I nodded my head in agreement. I had seen the final performances for Molly’s other two shows and they were quite bittersweet. For some of the cast, this would be their last performance with the Young Company because they were Seniors and would be going on to college. Although it was Molly’s first year in Young Company, I had been watching some of these kids perform for years, both in Young Company and in the First Stage main stage shows. My youngest, Eamon, had also started in the Summer Academy by then, and we had been a First Stage family long enough to understand that it would be a difficult chapter to close. I thought I understood what was about to happen; I thought I was prepared. People, I was not prepared. The structure of the play was unusual in that all of the actors warmed up and stayed on the stage the entire time, sitting on benches on the sidelines like athletes when it wasn’t their time to be up (being all in, all the time only added to the closeness of the cast, I'm sure). I was in my usual place, standing guard at the tape boundary at the edge of the stage to keep audience members from walking through it (there was no actual raised stage to define it and we didn’t want people tripping over cords and lights). I was just feet away from the cast, who were standing in a circle doing their usual pre-show warm-ups. I remember Mary Jensik, who normally led the warm ups, saying something like, 'Alright, everyone, it’s our last show – get what you want out of it,' like a coach at a sports game. Then, Elliott Brotherhood, one of the Seniors who played Henry, spoke up. He wanted to thank all of them and tell them what an honor it was to work with them. There was a catch in his voice. In my head I was screaming, “Shut up, Elliott! Don’t do this now!” but it was too late. I was like a deer in the headlights. Suddenly, I understood all too well the emotional trauma we were about to subject ourselves to, but there was no running away. The only way out was through. I took my seat next to my sister and my niece, who were seeing the performance for the first time, and tried to brace myself for what was about to come. Because I had seen nearly every performance, I recognized when they were coming unglued in the more emotional scenes and the little changes they made to their final performance; in fact, I felt that I was one of the only ones who really saw what was happening. My heart began to break when Henry started to come apart a little as he begged Lord Scroop to explain how he could have been among those who had betrayed him: "Why so didst thou?" I knew what it meant when Montjoy gave Henry his "ransom" coin back instead of keeping it; when Henry shook everyone's hands and barely held himself together through his band of brothers speech; when, instead of walking off the stage at their last meeting, Henry gave Montjoy one coin and kept one for himself. But we were in public. There was no time to feel the feels because I had to get back down to guard the stage at the close, to send the cupcakes with them to the after-party, to take my sister and niece out to dinner and try, fruitlessly, to explain to them what they truly just witnessed, but of course they couldn't possibly understand. There was only time for brief hugs and knowing nods because to do anything more would have been enough force to break the composure everyone was struggling valiantly to maintain. I know that because early the next morning, when I finally had time alone to reflect on what happened, I fell apart. In life, and especially as a parent, there are very few times when we are aware when we are facing the last time: the last time we will read the bedtime story we’ve read every night for a thousand nights; the last time we will brush their hair for them; the last time we will get to hold their hand as we cross the street. Were we to know they were the last times in advance, we would have a hard time getting through life because the poignancy, the fleetingness of it all would become too real and too difficult to bear. The final performance of Henry V, for me, was like a sped-up version of parenting in that every action was the last time, but I was well aware of it: the last time Captain Jamy would confound his fellow soldiers, the last time Pistol would eat a leek, the last time Henry would kiss Kate. Milestones that bring them to the next chapter in their lives but, with each step forward, they leave their old selves behind – a death you have no real time to mourn, because the play must go on and reach its end. That, in a nutshell, is parenting. But it was even more than that. I had witnessed magic happen and I knew that I might never see the likes of it again. The thought of it nearly destroyed me. I was shaking by the end of the play, but I had to pull it together and keep on going. By the time I got Molly from the afterparty and got us home to bed, I only was able to sleep for a couple of hours before I had to drop my youngest off at a rehearsal. I pulled into an empty parking lot and, finally, was able to sit and think about what had happened. I put on the song that played at the close of the Henry V – “An Acre of Land” by PJ Harvey – and I just sobbed to the sound of my heart shattering until there was nothing left in me. This, I imagined, is why people become actors. They experience this magic at some point – this “swing” (to quote Girls in the Boat, a YC play Molly was in later) in which the sum of the parts are greater than the whole – and they keep working so that they might experience it again. To think, some of these kids were able to reach this level at such a young age…how would they go on? I could hardly bear it. The day was March 24, 2018 when theatre broke my heart. For weeks and months, afterwards, I could feel every crack of my brokenness. I couldn’t talk about Henry V or listen to any of the music from it without crying. Five years have passed and I still can’t listen to “An Acre of Land” without falling apart – I know, because I keep on trying around March 24th each year. Molly had basically the same experience, and I suspect several of the other cast members did, as well, though we never really spoke about it. We share a common PTSD that very few people would understand, though if you’ve seen the film of Hamilton and wondered why Lin Manuel Miranda can barely keep himself together throughout the show, it’s because they filmed his final performances; his last times. Watching actors lose it at their final performances triggers my PTSD, but I also want to see it because I recognize it and identify with it, though I have never stepped foot on the stage. In his song, “Anthem,” Leonard Cohen sings, “There is a crack, a crack in everything; that’s how the light gets in,” and I believe in those words like I believe in the power of live theatre and its ability to transform people because, gradually, the cracks made by Henry V filled with light. When I imagine my heart, I think it must be like the Japanese art of Kintsugi, in which broken pottery is put back together with gold, making the piece even more beautiful and unique than when it was whole. After nearly a decade of watching live theatre, I recognize those actors who are full of cracks; who understand that art is made to break us apart and bring us back together, better than we were before. First Stage teaches "life skills through stage skills." Most of the kids, including mine, don't go on to become actors, but they walk away more grounded in themselves, more confident in their abilities, and more accepting of others, which are excellent life skills. Molly and I are still Shakespeare fans, but these days we will always choose to see it being performed before reading it; in fact, we recently saw Born With Teeth at the Guthrie, near where she goes to school in the Twin Cities, which is an imagined relationship between Christopher Marlowe and William Shakespeare that was absolutely brilliant – go see it if you're able to. Though it was therapeutic to write about this experience, I don’t think I will ever really heal from it, but I’m okay with that; in fact, I dare say I cherish those scars, as well as all the others that live theatre has given me since. I had intended to release this on the 5th anniversary, but what better day to publish it than on World Theatre Day? You may think my experience with this production is overly, pardon the pun, dramatic, but if there is one thing you take away from it, let it be that theatre is important. The First Stage motto is “transforming lives through theatre” and I can assure you that theatre can change your life for the better if you let it, so please don’t read Shakespeare, see it performed. See any play, then see another and watch how you grow as a person because of it, even if you didn’t like the play. Support your local theatre companies – they are the lifeblood of our culture – and make sure to support theatre programs in schools. Allow theatre to change your heart and we will change the world into a better and more empathetic place. I’m not being dramatic; it’s simply the truth.
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By Mary Boyle When looking for humor, it’s hard to beat a good old fashioned farce. From stage to screen, it’s a format we all know well (even if we don’t know the technical term) for a comedy that involves multiple doors, physical stunts, and a play on words. Though a farce can seem exaggerated or silly, getting it right is exceedingly difficult because the actors must remain serious in the face of extreme ridiculousness; furthermore, the timing must be impeccable. English playwright Michael Frayn made an important discovery while watching a performance of a farce he had written from backstage: the play was even funnier from behind. This discovery led to Frayn’s biggest hit – a standard British farce with a brilliant play-within-a-play twist that is seen from both sides of the stage. This season, Milwaukee’s Skylight Music Theatre takes this production to a whole new level by adding live music and an incredibly talented cast and crew for the much anticipated NOISES OFF. “Noises Off” is a stage direction in theatre that means no sound should be coming from offstage, but this group of actors are definitely struggling to keep it down. We meet our cast in the midst of their final dress rehearsal, but Director Lloyd Dallas (Matt Daniels) is at his wit’s end trying to get to the play’s end because his actors and crew are a mess. Dotty Otley (Linda Mugleston) can’t remember her lines or when and where to put her plate of sardines, Gary Lejeune (Max Christian Pink) is besotted by Dotty and couldn’t finish a sentence clearly to save his life, Brooke Ashton (Becky Cofta) is besotted with the Director and doesn’t seem to have room in her head for much else, Frederick Fellowes (Jake Horstmeier) decides it’s a good time to question the motives of his character, Belinda Blair (Jenna K. Vik) is busy keeping tabs on all of the inside drama, and Seldson Mowbray (Joel Kopischke) can’t stay sober long enough to catch his cue. Meanwhile, the all-around stagehand, Tim Allgood (Alexander Johnson), hasn’t slept in over 48 hours and the stage manager, Poppy Norton-Taylor (Emma Knott), seems to be having a nervous breakdown. The outlook isn’t good for this production that is scheduled to make a tour of Great Britain, and that’s just what’s happening on the stage. Traditionally, Skylight has only performed musicals; in fact, this is their very first play. Director Michael Unger, who considers NOISES OFF to be the “funniest play ever written,” figured out a loophole to bring this hilarious production to the beautiful Cabot Theatre by adding music to it. The music is all by Combustible Edison, an early 90’s neo-lounge music band inspired by the likes of Henry Mancini. Music Director Kurt Cowling leads the brilliant house band, The Sardines, with beautiful vocals by Leah Gawel both in the beginning of the production and between acts, giving a fun cabaret feel to the show. The music is not essential to the play but makes for great entertainment during intermission. Nominated for several Tony Awards and winner of Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards, NOISES OFF was made into a film in 1992 starring Carol Burnett and Michael Caine. Skylight’s production brings together some of Milwaukee’s finest actors with a big name from Broadway: Linda Mugleston, who is fresh from a tour of Music Man starring Hugh Jackman; however, the talent doesn’t stop there. The ingenious set design by Tony and Olivier Award-winning scenic designer Todd Rosenthal, which allows the audience to truly see what’s happening backstage, takes the production next level. The entire cast, with the exception of Mugleston and Alexander Johnson, who has regularly been seen at Door Shakespeare but who is new to Skylight, has worked with Skylight before. Matt Daniels and Max Christian Pink, both recently seen together in Titanic The Musical with The Rep, are normally cast in quite serious roles, so it was fun to see them in a comedy. Pink, in particular, bears the brunt of most of the physical comedy of the play, which includes a spectacular fall down a staircase, and though he has been seen for many years on Milwaukee stages as a young performer, his talent is undeniable as an adult actor. The overall talent level of this cast was just astounding. I have seen one other farce on the Cabot stage, which was Milwaukee Chamber Theatre’s production of Unnecessary Farce in 2019, and I thought that was the funniest show I had ever seen, but Michael Unger may just be right about this one. One thing is for certain: if you’re in need of a good laugh, NOISES OFF is just the ticket. NOISES OFF runs through April 2nd at the Cabot Theatre in the Broadway Theatre Center, located at 158 N. Broadway in Milwaukee’s historic Third Ward. Tickets may be purchased at https://www.skylightmusictheatre.org/ or by calling the Box Office at (414) 291-7800. This show is recommended for ages 10 and up. Special Events Skylight Insights. In-depth discussions about the background of each production with Artistic Director, Michael Unger, and special guests take place one hour before all Wednesday and Sunday performances. ASL Performance. Noises Off will be interpreted in American Sign Language (ASL) on Thursday, March 30 at 7:30p.m. To purchase tickets for this performance, email tickets@skylightmusictheatre.org or call Skylight Music Theatre's Box Office at (414) 291-7800. Mention ASL performance for seating in the appropriate section. Supported by UPAF Connect. About Skylight Music Theatre Founded in 1959, Skylight is Milwaukee’s professional Equity music theatre company and the largest employer of Wisconsin actors in the state. We are Milwaukee’s Home for Music Theatre--the only professional Milwaukee arts company devoted solely to music theatre. Skylight produces the full breadth of music theatre, ranging from blockbuster Broadway musicals to reimagined operas, and from exciting world premieres to contemporary off-Broadway hits. Skylight’s mainstage home is the Cabot Theatre in the Broadway Theatre Center, which was built by Skylight in Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward in 1992. Considered to be one of Milwaukee’s most beautiful theatres, the Cabot Theatre is based on the design of an 18th-century French opera house. With just 350 seats, it offers audiences great views of the action onstage. Skylight Music Theatre marks its 63rd season in 2022-2023. Skylight Music Theatre is a proud Cornerstone Member of the United Performing Arts Fund. By Mary Boyle Of all the shows thus far in their 2022/2023 Season of Broadway at the Marcus Center, SIX THE MUSICAL has had the most energy and the highest opening night attendance. Perhaps this is because the production is so new, only making its official debut on Broadway in 2021 and already beginning a North American Tour just this past year. Perhaps it’s because it won the Tony Award for Best Original Score. Then again, it could be because it raises the voices of women everywhere by telling the stories of the women who have only been known throughout history by their common role as one of the wives of Henry VIII. Whatever the reason, it is clear that SIX is a cultural phenomenon, so you don’t want to miss your chance to see it in Milwaukee through the Broadway at the Marcus Center Series through March 12th. Written by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, SIX was originally unveiled at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2017, where it was performed by students from Cambridge University. The show tells the story of the six wives of Henry VIII by the wives, themselves, who come together in a concert to see who suffered the most in their time with the King. Each of the wives is inspired by various pop divas: Catherine of Aragon (Gerianne Perez) is a mix Beyonce and Shakira, Anne Boleyn (Zan Berube) is Lily Allen and Avril Lavigne, Jane Seymour (Amina Faye) is Adele and Sia, Anna of Cleves (Terica Marie) is Nicki Minaj and Rihanna, Katherine Howard (Aline May Agoitia) is Ariana Grande and Britney Spears, and Catherine Parr (Sydney Parra) is Alicia Keys and Emeli Sande. They are accompanied by “The Ladies In Waiting” band: Lena Gabrielle, Sterlyn Termine, Liz Faure, and Caroline Moore. You’re probably familiar with the rhyme: “Divorced, beheaded, died; divorced, beheaded, survived.” This little lyric forms the backbone of the show, but the rest is the most entertaining history lesson you will ever experience. The energy is more like a concert than a typical Broadway show, and these are some truly talented women. With no intermission, this production is fast-paced and high energy, with a deep message whose time has come, at last. Tickets will go fast for this one, so get them while you can. SIX THE MUSICAL runs through March 12, 2023, at the Marcus Center’s Uihlein Hall, located at 929 N. Water Street in downtown Milwaukee. Tickets may be purchased at www.MarcusCenter.org, by calling 414-273-7206, or visit the Marcus Center Box Office. Single ticket prices start at $40 and are subject to change. Groups of 10 or more can secure their seats by calling 414-273-7207. About Marcus Performing Arts Center The Marcus Performing Arts Center (MPAC) serves as a performing arts community gathering space in Southeastern Wisconsin, bringing high-quality arts and cultural programming to the region for over 50 years. As a mission-based non-profit organization located in downtown Milwaukee, MPAC strives to act as an energizing force that connects the community to the world through collaboration, innovation, social engagement, and the transformative power of performing arts. Through multiple performance series and community events, MPAC brings a diverse range of performing arts to the region. Presented series include Johnson Financial Group Broadway at the Marcus Center, MPAC Presents, Dance, Jazz, National Geographic Live, Rainbow Summer, and additional special performances from internationally renowned artists. MPAC's education, community engagement, and inclusion initiatives provide free experiences that annually engage students and life-long learners in Milwaukee. MPAC is proud to be a dedicated War Memorial facility, honoring those who bravely served our country. For more information, visit www.marcuscenter.org. Johnson Financial Group, with offices in Wisconsin and Minnesota, is a privately owned financial services company offering banking, wealth and insurance solutions through its subsidiaries, Johnson Bank, Johnson Wealth, and Johnson Insurance Services. For more information visit johnsonfinancialgroup.com. Broadway Across America (BAA) is part of the John Gore Organization family of companies, which includes Broadway.com, The Broadway Channel, BroadwayBox.com, Group Sales Box Office and Broadway Brands. Led by 18-time Tony-winning theater producer John Gore (Owner & CEO), BAA is the foremost presenter of first-class touring productions in North America, operating in 48 markets with over 400,000 subscribers. Presentations include Disney’s The Lion King, Wicked, The Book of Mormon and Hamilton. Current and past productions include Ain’t Too Proud, Beautiful, Cats, Chicago, Dear Evan Hansen, Mean Girls, Moulin Rouge! and To Kill A Mockingbird. By Mary Boyle I have a secret to admit: I have never seen an entire episode of Nickelodeon’s long-running and popular animated series SpongeBob SquarePants by Stephen Hillenberg, which first aired in 1999. Nonetheless, I was well aware, thanks to the catchy theme song, that the character lives in a pineapple under the sea, works as a fry cook at the Krusty Krab restaurant, and has a pet snail named Gary and a best friend who is a starfish named Patrick. The truth is, you really don’t even need to know that much to enjoy seeing this cartoon brought to life on the stage, which First Stage has done brilliantly with THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES. SpongeBob (Gracie Halverson/Thatcher Jacobs) is an incurably optimistic resident of Bikini Bottom who thinks every day is “the best day ever.” When his town is suddenly threatened by the eruption of an underwater volcano called Mount Humongous, the residents look to the Mayor of Bikini Bottom (Lachrisa Grandberry) to solve their problems, but Plankton (Jesse Bhamrah) and Karen the Computer (Bree Beelow) have a plan to use the chaos to get people to their restaurant, The Chum Bucket, in their never-ending feud with their competitor, Mr. Krabs (Zach Thomas Woods), owner of the Krusty Krab. While SpongeBob’s coworker, Squidward (Doug Clemons), plans a fundraising show to help get the community out of Bikini Bottom, SpongeBob and his best friend, Patrick (Gavin Miller/Zach Church), along with their friend Sandy the Squirrel (Natalie Ortega/Naima Gaines), work on another plan to save Bikini Bottom before it’s too late. Directed by Tommy Novak, who was recently seen as Sam the Snowman in Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer The Musical, SpongeBob The Musical features original songs written by well-known artists such as Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Sara Bareilles, The Flaming Lips, Cydi Lauper, John Legend, Panic! At The Disco, They Might Be Giants, David Bowie, and more, all directed by Paul Helm. The costumes by Theresa Ham to the scenic design by Kristin Ellert help to make the world of SpongeBob come to life, but it’s the actors who make it so real. Doug Clemons really steals the show as Squidward and Zach Thomas Woods is spot on as Mr. Krabs, but the young performers (who are double cast) are also strong. I saw Gracie Halverson as SpongeBob and Zach Church as Patrick and they were both impressive. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Lainey Techtmann as Perch Perkins, the news anchor, who was absolutely a delight. While “young audiences” even makes its way into the title of the show, this musical will appeal to all ages, whether you are a rabid fan of SpongeBob or not. Witty, yet heartfelt, with surprising relevance to current events, this production offers a plentiful amount of feel-good-fun for the whole family – don’t miss it! THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES runs through April 2, 2023, at the Marcus Center’s Todd Wehr Theater, located at 929 N. Water Street in downtown Milwaukee. Tickets start at $32 and can be purchased in person at the Marcus Center Box Office at 929 N. Water Street, by phone at (414) 273-7206, or online at firststage.org. Performance runtime is approximately 75 minutes plus intermission. Suggested for families with young people ages 6+. Special events for THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES Pay What You Choose Performance: Friday, March 10, 2023 at 7:00 p.m. Pay What You Choose tickets are available on a first come, first served basis with a minimum suggested donation of $5 per person. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. on the day of the performance. Patrons are encouraged to arrive early. Tickets may also be reserved in advance by phone at (414) 267-2961, weekdays 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. For more information, please visit: firststage.org/events-tickets/tickets-offers/pay-what-you-choose/ Sensory Friendly Performance: Saturday, March 18, 2023 at 3:30 p.m. A Sensory Friendly Performance with accommodations for families with children on the autism spectrum will take place on Saturday, March 18, 2023 at 3:30 p.m. Sensory accommodations include a quiet area staffed by an experienced educator, lower sound, house lights up and more. Tickets for Sensory Friendly Performances are $10. Order online or by phone at (414) 267-2961, weekdays 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. to reserve tickets. To learn more visit: firststage.org/plan-your-visit/sensory-friendly-performances/. ASL Interpreted Performance: Sunday, April 2, 2023 at 3:30 p.m. This performance will be sign language interpreted for patrons who are deaf or hard of hearing. Assistive listening devices are also available at the Todd Wehr Theater. To learn more, please visit: firststage.org/plan-your-visit/accessibility/sign-language-interpreted-performances/ About First Stage Founded in 1987, First Stage is one of the nation’s leading theaters for young people and families, and a driving force behind the creation of the best and most innovative plays for family audiences, theater training programs for young people and education initiatives for its schools and community. First Stage ensures that all programming is not only accessible to its community but that it is reflective of the community it serves. First Stage produces plays that honor the young person’s point of view, include diverse and traditionally underrepresented voices and inspire meaningful conversations. First Stage has presented more than 70 world premiere productions that address important subject matters relevant to today’s youth. The Theater Academy is one of the nation’s largest high-impact theater training programs for young people (3-18 years old). Through a challenging curriculum taught by professional teaching artists, the Academy nurtures life skills through stage skills and includes the Next Steps Program that tailors Theater Academy classes to the needs of young people on the autism spectrum and with other developmental disabilities. As Wisconsin’s leader in arts-integrated education in schools, First Stage’s dynamic Theater in Education Programs cleverly blend theater activities with standard curriculum – allowing more than 10,000 students annually to learn traditional academic subjects through creativity and self-expression. First Stage is a member of TYA/USA, the American Alliance for Theatre and Education, the Wisconsin Alliance for Arts Education, Milwaukee Arts Partners and is a cornerstone member of the United Performing Arts Fund (UPAF). firststage.org |
Mary BoyleReviewing live theatre in Wisconsin since 2014. Proud member of the American Theatre Critics Association. #OzTheatre
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