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PSA: Next Act Theatre Announces Its 2025 – 2026 Season: “AGAINST THE ODDS”

Includes Three Wisconsin Premieres, One U.S. Premiere, All Written in Last Seven Years

Milwaukee, WI – With the overall season tagline “AGAINST THE ODDS,” this is the third Next Act Theatre season chosen and overseen by new Artistic Director Cody Estle and Managing Director Libby Amato. The upcoming season boasts four plays never before seen on Wisconsin stages – three of the plays are Wisconsin premieres and one is a United States premiere. All four plays are also comparatively new, having all been written in the last seven years. New season tickets alongside renewals of existing season tickets are on sale now. Single tickets will go on sale July 14, 2025. All tickets may be purchased by calling the Next Act Ticket Office at 414-278-0765 or through the Next Act website at www.nextact.org.

“From the serene beauty of fictional Cardiff Township in Wisconsin’s Driftless region, to the buzzing streets of Chicago, Newark, and all the way to Scotland and London, we’ve got a lineup that’s as diverse as it is thrilling,” said Estle. “As we follow these unforgettable characters, we’ll not only see pieces of ourselves, but we’ll also gain a greater understanding of one another.”

The 2025-26 season opens with the Wisconsin professional premiere of SANCTUARY CITY by Martyna Majok (September 10 – October 5, 2025). In post-9/11 Newark, NJ, two teenagers brought to America as children now face an impossible question: what are they willing to risk for a future in the only country they’ve ever known? These two DREAMers and lifelong friends will fight like hell to establish a place for themselves and each other in America. But as time hurtles on and complications mount, each must reckon with the sacrifices it will take in order to find a place to call home. Jake Penner will make his Next Act directorial debut – he has also directed at Madison’s Forward Theater Company and Spring Green’s American Players Theatre, where he was previously an Artistic Associate. King Hang, Joe Lino and Ashley Oviedo will make their Next Act debuts in the roles of “B,” “Henry” and “G,” respectively. Playwright Majok received the Pulitzer Prize for her play COST OF LIVING, which was presented by Renaissance Theaterworks at Next Act Theatre in 2023.

Next Act will bring a locally-developed play home for its Wisconsin professional premiere when it produces BOSWELL by Marie Kohler (November 19 – December 14, 2025). Kohler, a Wisconsin-based playwright, director and co-founder of Renaissance Theaterworks, workshopped the play at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside before premiering it at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2019. It played Off-Broadway at 59E59 in 2022. Next Act’s production will be the first professional production of Kohler’s play in its home state. An earlier version of the play, called BOSWELL’S DREAMS, was presented by Renaissance Theaterworks in 2005.

When ambitious 20th-century academic Joan goes looking for unpublished writings by literary giant Samuel Johnson, she finds her work interrupted by James Boswell. Chatty, bawdy, flawed and deeply honest, Boswell’s 18th-century journals of his grand journey through Scotland with Johnson take Joan back in time, showing her the power of authenticity and the need to make her own place in the world. Heart and mind spar wittily in this epic adventure of friendship, travel and the written word. Laura Gordon (directed SCARECROW, THE REVOLUTIONISTS, MOTHERHOOD OUT LOUD at Next Act), who directed the Off-Broadway and Edinburgh Fringe productions, will direct. Josh Krause (appeared in THE MOUSETRAP, EQUIVOCATION at Next Act) and Brian Mani (appeared in THE CHILDREN, THE VOICE OF THE PRAIRIE, ROUGH CROSSING at Next Act) will reprise their Off-Broadway roles of “James Boswell” and “Samuel Johnson/Father/Doctor,” respectively; Heidi Armbruster (appeared in and wrote SCARECROW at Next Act) will return to Next Act as “David Garrick/Mrs. Thrale/The Lady” and former Producing Artistic Director David Cecsarini will return as “Oliver Goldsmith/Professor/David Hume/Taxi Driver.” Madeline Calais-King and Sarah Zapiain will make their Next Act debuts as “Joan” and “Joshua Reynolds/Louisa/Serving Woman/Gardyloo Woman/Margaret Boswell/Hebrides Tavern Woman,” respectively.

After the new year, Next Act will stage the Wisconsin premiere of SWING STATE by Rebecca Gilman (February 11 – March 8, 2026). It’s hard to know who your friends are in a world that’s more divided than ever. Recently widowed, Peg tends to the native plants in her 40-acre rural Wisconsin prairie backyard. Her solitary days are interrupted only by visits from Ryan, a family friend with a checkered past. When a mysterious theft alerts the authorities, a string of events unfold that forever changes their lives and their community. Pulitzer Prize finalist Rebecca Gilman questions how we help each other when it feels like our way of life is in danger of disappearing. Gilman’s play won a Joseph Jefferson Award for New Work and was nominated for three other Joseph Jefferson Awards and a 2024 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play. The Chicago Tribune called SWING STATE “perhaps the first of the great American post-COVID plays.” Artistic Director Cody Estle (directed CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION, THE TREASURER at Next Act) will direct. The cast will feature Tami Workentin (appeared in CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION, PIPELINE, THE SECRET MASK at Next Act) as “Peg,” Elyse Edelman (appeared in CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION at Next Act) as “Dani” and, making their Next Act debuts, Jack Lancaster as “Ryan” and Kelli Strickland as “Kris.”

To close out the season, Next Act will produce the United States premiere of DINNER WITH THE DUCHESS by Nick Green (April 22 – May 17, 2026). At the end of a storied career, violin virtuoso Margaret gives her final interview to a young reporter. As the evening wears on, Margaret must confront secrets and ghosts of the past to face an impossible question: how will she be remembered? Boundaries are drawn, lines are crossed and tensions reach a crescendo as a simple dinner becomes a battleground in the fight for the truth. Nick Green’s tense, personal drama explores whether the artist or her art defines a legacy. Samantha Martinson willmake her Next Act directorial debut – she has directed and assistant directed at Madison’s Forward Theater Company and Spring Green’s American Players Theatre. Laura Gordon will appear as “Margaret,” her first acting role at Next Act since 2009. More casting for DINNER WITH THE DUCHESS will be announced at a later date.

More information on the 2025-26 season can be found at nextact.org or by calling (414) 278-0765.

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Lake Country Playhouse Presents David Auburn’s Proof, A Play!

I know that I have previously mentioned here at AIP, that David Auburn’s Proof is my favorite play of the 21st Century. It is passionate, involved, and complete storytelling with a sometimes fragile nature. Having seen two amazing productions of it in the past (Milwaukee Rep and American Players Theatre) and having read it a number of times, it still completely draws me in. And I was very pleased that director Naomi Tiefel was once again able to fully engage me with her cast and the actions on that little back porch in Chicago.

And I have also previously mentioned that I thought Lake Country Playhouse would be an ideal stage for this intimate play. I was happily right.

left to right: Michael Chobanoff, Anna Gumberg, and Keenan Ellis. Photo by James G Baker. Photo courtesy of the Lake Country Playhouse & Academy

There are four characters here and Auburn has drawn them in such a way that we feel empathy for all four of them despite getting angry with them at times. Robert is an esteemed mathematician and professor at the University of Chicago. He is famous for a number of mathematical proofs from his early career. And he is well respected by his students until his career is cut short by mental illness. He has two daughters, Catherine and Claire. The younger daughter, Catherine, has inherited Robert’s math skills and she fears she will also inherit his mental health issues. Catherine is estranged from her older sister, Claire, a currency trader who lives in New York. Claire is in Chicago for Roberts funeral. And Hal, a former student of Roberts and now a professor at UC, is concerned about Robert’s legacy it would seems, jumps in and adds to the turmoil of this sad weekend.

So yes, this is a play about mathematicians and mathematics and academia…there are a few very funny math and math nerd jokes here. But the real story lies in the dynamics between Robert and Catherine, between Catherine and Claire, and Catherine and Hal. So there are some very human emotions and moments around family, mental health, expectations and aspirations, and love. I am just amazed at how Auburn ties it all together.

Michael Chobanoff and Anna Gumberg. Photo by James G Baker. Photo courtesy of the Lake Country Playhouse & Academy

From the above, you can see that Catherine is the main focus in the story. And Anna Gumberg is a phenomenal, fully believable Catherine. Gumberg clearly embodies a loving and devoted daughter despite setting aside her own goals in order to be Robert’s caregiver. Gumberg shows us the strength that that requires and (spoiler alert) when her father relapses her facial expressions tell us a story in itself, as they move from joy to despair to resignation as she realizes what is happening. Catherine is a difficult role but Gumberg feels it and we feel it. Other scenes with Hal show us her range. Gumberg has to move from untrusting to flirty to disgusted with Hal in a relatively short period. And there is always the underlying concern that not only has she inherited her father’s genius but his mental illness as well. Gumberg feels that sadness too.

Michael Chobanoff is a convincing Robert. From the gentle and loving father in our opening scene with Catherine to the flashback with Catherine and Hal as the energetic professor and math whiz, Chobanoff is Robert. And a very human and humorous Robert it is. But his best scenes are during his relapse as Chobanoff gives us the frenetic Robert insistently writing in his notebook as the machinery whirls until his conversation with Catherine makes it apparent that he’s slipped off the rails again. The conflict and drama Chobanoff brings to this scene is very compelling.

Anna Gumberg and Ariel Korducki. Photo by James G Baker. Photo courtesy of the Lake Country Playhouse & Academy

Claire has returned to Chicago for Robert’s funeral. And Ariel Korducki gives us a Claire in charge, and clearly a woman who expects to be in charge. Besides the funeral she has also swooped in to save Catherine! But Korducki can show us Claire’s human side too as she is interested in Catherine’s well-being and does indulge a bit too much with the math students following the funeral. But Korducki also brings us Claire’s too sure focus that initially ignores Catherine’s feelings and then ultimately betrays her. Not a sibling dynamic to celebrate.

Keenan Ellis and Anna Gumberg. Photo by James G Baker. Photo courtesy of the Lake Country Playhouse & Academy

Hal has his own focus, looking for important math ideas in the 103 notebooks that Robert has left behind in his study. Keenan Ellis shows us two reasons why he is interested in doing this…partly to preserve Robert’s legacy but also because the work could be published and the mathematician who discovers it will be famous too. Aside from that Ellis is also the nerd who doesn’t quite have what we might consider normal social skills although he does know how to woo Catherine. And although in the end he redeems himself, he too betrays Catherine. You’ll have to see the play to understand that but it is a telling condemnation of gender expectations.

Anna Gumberg, Keenan Ellis, and Ariel Korducki. Photo by James G Baker. Photo courtesy of the Lake Country Playhouse & Academy

Proof continues at the Lake Country Playhouse and Academy at 221 E Capitol Drive in Hartland, WI, through May 23, 2025. The runtime is 120 minutes plus a 15 minute intermission.

RATING: PG-13+
Audience advisory: Play covers heavy emotional topics dealing with mental illness, grief, and the pressure of academic achievement.

Additional information here and ticket information here.

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Kith & Kin Theatre Collective: A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder! Lyric Storytelling In A Grand Style!

A Gentleman’s Guide To Love And Murder! could also be called the Land of a Thousand costumes. This boisterous comedic musical runs across Turn of The 20th Century England landscape and cultural environs. And with four named characters who appear in any number of situations and an ensemble who play multiple roles and at times act as a Greek Chorus, costumes abound. And that doesn’t even include the D’Ysquith Family! More on them later. But my sincerest thanks to Costume Designer: Cas Mayhall for pulling this off.

This is a highly effective send up of rom-coms, murder mysteries, musicals, English operettas, colonialism, and the British aristocracy. Not even the Earl of Highhurst can maintain his stiff upper lip. And for those of you of a certain age you might detect a tip of the hat or two to Monty Python gags.

The chorus. Photo by Adam Laberge. Photo courtesy of Kith & Kin Theatre Collective

But first we meet our Greek Chorus, warning us of the mayhem and the gore that is to follow and the squeamish may want to leave now…and then a warning is sent to the first two rows…that they may be splattered with blood and such and that they may want to move back. Ignore them! This is a small intimate theater with general admission seating. Get there early to secure the front rows! I promise you, you won’t be disappointed.

left to right: Emily Mertens, Jonathan Riker, and Shannon Messplay. Photo by Adam Laberge. Photo courtesy of Kith & Kin Theatre Collective

And now to the real story. We find Monty Navarro sitting in a jail cell waiting for the jury to decide if he is innocent or guilty of murder. Concerned that no one will understand how he came here, he is writing his ‘true’ memoir. That is the major conceit of the musical, Monty narrates a bit and then the cast plays out the story for our ears and eyes. Jonathan Riker gives us a determined but unconcerned Monty. Telling his story seems more important than his potential fate. But once we get the story underway, Riker is the main boisterous voice and is the center of attention from here on out…but Riker still plays it cool as he learns he is eighth in line to be Earl of Highhurst…a discovery brought to him by his mother’s best friend after her funeral. She had married for love and was disowned and cast out from the family. His disbelief turns to acceptance and he begins the journey of ‘joining’ the family while improving his chances to be Earl…with a bit of cleverness and steadiness that Riker playfully brings to the stage.

Jonathan Riker and Emily Mertens. Photo by Adam Laberge. Photo courtesy of Kith & Kin Theatre Collective

Oh and the guide to love? Monty is in love with Sibella Hallward, a charming young lady who also happens to be in love with Monty. Emily Mertens is very effective as the sexy and flirtatious Sibella and she seems quite attached to Monty. But his low class position doesn’t suit her ambitions and she marries another gentleman with a motor car. But that doesn’t mean she and Monty are through…not by a long shot.

Shannon Messplay and Jonathan Riker. Photo by Adam Laberge. Photo courtesy of Kith & Kin Theatre Collective

Shannon Messplay is the shy, coy, and cool as a cucumber Phoebe D’Ysquith. She is completely taken with Monty’s mother’s story…able to marry for love! And is equally attracted to Monty himself. And not being in line ahead of Monty for the Earldom, he too is taken with her and wholeheartedly accepts her proposal to wed. Messplay is a delight as Phoebe.

Ezra Quinn. Photo by Adam Laberge. Photo courtesy of Kith & Kin Theatre Collective

And then there is The D’Ysquith Family! Every single one of them played in joyous over the top performances by Ezra Quinn! From the pastor, sister, cousin, son, father, janitor, and Earl, Quinn leaves nothing behind…having far too much fun I would hope! And Quinn is one of the reasons you want to be down in front…Quinn gets to act out one grisly death scene after another and produces some of the best laughs in the play. You don’t want to miss a single overwrought death throe!

Ezra Quinn. Photo by Adam Laberge. Photo courtesy of Kith & Kin Theatre Collective

And my congratulations to Director Kimberly Laberge for convincing this gang of talented people to play this treasure trove of misfit characters and making it all work so smoothly and without any missed bits or false steps.

A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder was written by Robert L. Freedman, Book and Lyrics, and Steven Lutvak, Music and Lyrics, and based on a novel by Roy Herniman. (still feeling a bit silly after attending yesterday’s matinee, I wanted to write: based on a novel by a man named Lear so so bad…if you don’t know…you can Google it)

left to right, Shannon Messplay, Jonathan Riker, and Emily Mertens. Photo by Adam Laberge. Photo courtesy of Kith & Kin Theatre Collective

Kith & Kin Theatre Collective will continue to present A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder at Inspiration Studios (1500 S. 73rd St, West Allis) through May 18, 2025.

More information here and ticket information here.

And Extra Credit Reading: The Playbill