Milwaukee’s premiere children’s theater celebrates their 37th year by opening the 2023/24 with a world premiere, Dream Quickie! Dream…a personal and rewarding play for young people based on events in the life of Green Bay Packers star, Donald ‘Quickie’ Driver! The play is written by Gloria Bond Clunie and directed by Dimonte Henning!
This is a fast paced story featuring a very tired Packer’s version of Donald Driver as the father of a new born, and the youthful and hopeful middle school aged Quickie driver. Their interactions are sometimes ethereal, sometimes in dreams, sometimes stories told by father to infant, and sometimes in apparent real time. If you blink you will miss it or worse, miss the transition from one reality to the next. And you don’t want to miss a thing because this is a very meaningful story around dreams. And working hard to fulfill those dreams. But also the importance of friendship, family, love, teamwork, and owning your responsibilities. All told with text but in the best First Stage tradition, music and dance, both solo and ensemble!
As always there are two casts that alternate. And the majority of the cast is enthusiastic talented young people with just a few adults who guide the way. So depending on when you attend you may see the Lambeau cast like I did or the Lombardi cast! See the playbill below for individual cast members.
You got to what? WORK IT!!
But the story provides us insight into the struggles that Donald Driver overcame to reach his dream. From a tough neighborhood in Houston through adults not believing he was big enough to play football despite his obvious desire, how he put in the effort to achieve his dream, how he worked at his school work as well as his football, and how at times, like any youngster, he lost sight of his responsibilities. And we also celebrate his friendship with Billy, another star on the middle school football team and how they both respond to disappointment when Billy’s family moves away before the big game. There is a lot to learn here…a lot to appreciate. Epic!
And I’d like mention another of First Stage’s real strengths: as always the set and back drops are just eye catchingly beautiful and enhance the story line from the moment the lights come up! This one elicited two of the three questions from the audience during the post play talk back.
And one more important thing because I missed the memo: Wear your Packer gear!!!
And yes, Donald Driver has been involved and supportive of Dream Quickie! Dream!
Dream Quickie! Dream is being performed at the Marcus Center’s Todd Wehr Theater, a large enough and cozy enough venue for the audience to feel close to the action. The play runs 75 minutes plus a 15 minute intermission. It is a story for ages 7 and up but there is a warning that there is some implied violence and flashing lights are used a number of instances.
Ticket and additional information here!
Extra credit reading: Playbill