The First Stage Young Company presents the World Premiere of THE GRACIOUS SISTERS

By Mary Boyle

Milwaukee's First Stage, one of the nation's most acclaimed children's theaters, is no stranger to creating new work, having over 70 world premiere productions under their belt since their founding in 1987.  Back in 2018, Milwaukee-based playwright Alice Austen chose the First Stage Young Company for the world premiere of her inspiring play about the first US Women's Rowing Team called GIRLS IN THE BOAT.  Now a Playwright in Residence, Austen has returned to First Stage Young Company with yet another world premiere play, THE GRACIOUS SISTERS, which is also a part of World Premiere Wisconsin, a brand new statewide festival celebrating new plays and musicals across the state.  

Directed by Matt Daniels, the Director of Young Company, Austen's new production is also steeped in the empowerment of women, but inspired by Alice in Wonderland and an ancient Greek play called The Eumenides by Aeschylus, which is the story of Agamemnon and the murder of Clytemnestra.  In this story, Alice (played by Angel Rivera, who was also in Girls in the Boat) is an archeological intern exploring Greek ruins when she "falls" through a portal that takes her to ancient Greece. There, Alice stumbles upon Pythia (Reiley Fitzsimmons), an Oracle of Apollo, who she mistakes for a historical reenactor until she meets the spirit of Clytemnestra (Elena Marking), the former Queen of Mycenae, whose first husband and child were killed by Agamemnon so he could have her as his wife.  Following the Trojan War, Agamemnon comes home with another wife, Cassandra, which is the last straw for Clytemnestra, who then kills Agamemnon. The God Apollo (Zachary Nowacek) commands Clytemnestra's son, Orestes (John Eash-Scott), to kill his mother to avenge his father, which he does.  Now, the spirit of Clytemnestra commands the Furies (Silver Anderson, Rose Campbell, and Hazel Dye) to avenge her and kill her son.  Hounded by the Furies, Orestes begs help from the goddess Athena (Terynn Erby-Walker), who decides that Orestes must stand trial.

Greek history enthusiasts will recognize characters in this lesser known story within the story of The Iliad, or the story of Troy, in which Clytemnestra's sister, Helen, leaves her husband Menelaus and runs off to Troy with Paris, thus causing the Trojan War.  In this story, what could be a weighty historical production is broken up and often made humorous by Alice and her modern sense of justice, morality, and women's rights, as well as her knowledge of Greek history.  As she confronts the ancient characters, she becomes part oracle, part chorus to an old tale, creating an entirely different story with a new perspective.  The players, particularly Alice and the Furies, make music together as they go, which veers from rap to spirituals, using only their voices for the melodies and bodies for the rhythm, some of which is quite beautiful and haunting.  

The Young Company is a group of high school students who are trained at a college level; I've been watching them for over a decade and have never failed to be impressed by their productions, which offer some of the best value in live theatre in the area, and this production is no exception.  Each season, the YC does two productions at the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center, one of which is always a classic and usually Shakespeare.  This next season, YC will take on Henry IV, Part I and An Enemy of the People.  The newly renovated Goodman Mainstage Hall is an intimate theater-in-the-round and an excellent place to expand your theatre horizons.  Get your tickets while you can.

THE GRACIOUS SISTERS runs through May 21st at the Goodman Mainstage Hall inside the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center, located at 325 W. Walnut Street in downtown Milwaukee. Tickets are $15 and available online at firststage.org or through the First Stage Box Office at (414) 267-2961. Performance runtime is approximately 90 minutes with no intermission. Suggested for families with young people ages 13+. 

Special event for THE GRACIOUS SISTERS  
Pay What You Choose Performance: Friday, May 12 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. To learn more visit: firststage.org/events-tickets/tickets-offers/pay-what-you-choose/ 



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 
 
About Young Company  
First Stage Young Company, the Theater Academy’s award-winning training program for advanced high school actors, is open to students who want to take their work to the next level. Accepted students will complete college and graduate-level training in Acting, Voice, Movement and Shakespeare as well as electives ranging from Auditioning to Stage Combat to Dialects. Traditionally, the Young Company hosts master classes with guest artists from across the nation, produces a season of three plays and facilitates special excursions to the Utah Shakespeare Festival and American Players Theatre. To learn more, please visit: firststage.org/theater-academy/young-company/