Ed Heinzelman – Page 137 – an intuitive perspective

June 2, 2022June 2, 2022

PSA: Enrollment For First Stage’s Summer Theater Academy Is Open NOW!

and classes start on Monday June 13, 2022!! Details that I received from First Stage follow below:

First Stage Theater Academy, the nation’s leading high-impact theater training program for young people, is offering its Summer Academy programs in-person this summer with classes beginning Monday, June 13, 2022. One of Milwaukee’s longest-running summer theater training programs, First Stage’s Summer Academy will celebrate its 30^th year of offering theater classes to Milwaukee area youth. Classes will run June 13 – August 5, 2022 at the newly-renovated Milwaukee Youth Art Center and will follow First Stage’s curriculum in Acting, Musical Theater, Improvisation and more, fostering life skills through stage skills. The classes will be led by First Stage Academy staff as well as by professional theater artists including Milwaukee dancer and choreographer Christopher Gilbert (Director of Step Kids), actor Brandite Reed (Co-Director of THE WATSONS GO TO BIRMINGHAM) and Chris Flieller (UW-Oshkosh Theatre Department/former Artistic Director for In Tandem Theatre), among many others.
Classes are available for students entering grades K4 – 12 this fall. One week or multi-week sessions are available at Milwaukee Youth Arts Center. Classes for students entering grades K4 – 5 will also be held at Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts in Brookfield July 5 – 15, 2022.
New this summer, from July 25 – August 5, 2022 classes will be held at UW – Parkside in Kenosha, offering weeklong classes for students entering grades 5 – 12, spending each day rotating through classes in Musical Theater, Acting, Clowning and Shakespeare, building a foundation of theatrical performance skills through a variety of lessons led by theater professionals.
Summer Academy classes for young people on the autism spectrum – part of First Stage’s Next Steps program – will be held August 8 – 12, 2022 at the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center.
Locations: Milwaukee Youth Arts Center, 325 West Walnut Street, Milwaukee, WI  53212; Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts, 3270 Mitchell Park Drive, Brookfield, WI  53045 (July 5 – 15, 2022 only) and UW – Parkside, 900 Wood Road, Kenosha, WI 53144 (July 25 – August 5, 2022 only)
Cost: $150 – $635 depending upon the length of classes. Payment plans are available. Families that enroll in multiple classes for one student or enroll siblings will receive $10 off per class. Financial assistance is also available. Many classes are already full, so advance registration is recommended.

That gives you the background and some of the details on the program and what to expect and where it will be held. Here is information on enrolling and the course catalog:

Website: To view the list of summer classes and to register, please visit: firststage.org/theater-academy/summer-academy/

Course Catalog: To view the full Theater Academy Course Catalog, please visit: firststage.org/theater-academy/register-for-classes/

And although many activities are returning to more normal levels of participation, COVID is still something that we all need to be aware of:

COVID Protocols: In accordance with the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center guidelines and the CDC recommended guidelines, masks are now optional within all Academy classes. As First Stage Summer Academy moves ahead, it will be equally supportive and respectful of those who are ready to remove masks, and those who prefer to continue to wear them. First Stage Theater Academy will continue to follow the CDC recommendations and adjust when necessary. First Stage COVID safety protocols and updates can be viewed here: firststage.org/plan-your-visit/safety-security/ – performances

And for those of you unfamiliar with First Stage or the First Stage Theater Academy:

First Stage Theater Academy is the nation’s largest high-impact theater training program for young people. The region’s finest professional theater artists share their expertise, skills and passion for their art with over 2,000 young people this summer. Students will develop skills in musical theater, scene study, Shakespeare, improvisation and much more, while simultaneously building life skills, such as confidence, focus and teamwork. Young people are encouraged to take risks and conquer their fears, and First Stage is proud to be building the next generation of artists and leaders.

And finally, my two cents worth: Everyone from First Stage that I have interacted with this past season have been excited about and dedicated to these youth programs. And the plays that I attended were exciting and professional and broad in scope. AND the kids on stage and in the audience all had a great time. If your child is interested in theater in any way, this would be a great summer learning and ‘play’ opportunity!

May 30, 2022April 30, 2022

Monday Music: Traveling Wilburys: End Of The Line

RIP: Roy, Tom, and George:

May 24, 2022May 24, 2022

A Place For A Muse: The Paine Art Center, Oshkosh WI.

The Paine Mansion: copy of postcard purchased at Paine Art Center

The Paine Art Center And Gardens has been a museum that my wife and I have talked about visiting on any number of occasions. But it never quite fit our schedule. So recently as we headed for an opening of a membership show of the Wisconsin Pastel Artists at the Richeson School of Art and Gallery in Kimberly WI, we put a stop in Oshkosh on our itinerary.

The art center is housed in the beautiful English Tudor mansion shown in the photo that opens this post. Originally planned as an estate by Nathan Paine (Paine Lumber Company) and his wife, Jessie Kimberly Paine (Kimberly-Clarke Paper), construction was started in 1927 and the exterior was completed in 1930. But due to the depression, construction was halted for a time and by the post-WWII era, the Paines decided the mansion would house an art center/museum…the lovely space that we enjoy today.

exterior of the Paine Mansion © 2022 by Ed Heinzelman

The interior of the mansion consists of a number of grand staged rooms filled with period furnishings…much of it of French influence. And a great number of late 19th Century paintings by French and American artists and a solid representation of the Barbizon school. Behind the mansion is a group of formal, informal, and event gardens heavily influenced by English gardens. I took the following photos during our visit to the Paine…and my skills here…don’t do justice to the amazing art center.

And here we have the entry hall. As you will see, wood has a prominent place in design, construction, and decoration throughout the building.

Now here we have the Great Hall or ‘living room’. The influence here is Tudor and Elizabethan and the wood accents and carvings were completed by Paine Lumber Company artisans. Now, visitors aren’t allowed to enter the central areas of these rooms and are limited to small roped off areas just inside the doorways or the doorways themselves. This is fine for studying the rooms and furnishings but does limit one’s appreciation of some of the carving and the paintings displayed around each room.

And you also need a place to dine and eat breakfast…so these open and naturally lit spaces are just absolutely inviting!

Now I mentioned paintings. Every room has a selection of delightful paintings as do any number of hallways, passageways, and meeting areas. Prominent artists in the permanent collection at the Paine include George Innis, Jean-Francois Millet, Charles Francois Daubigny, Thomas Moran, Wilson Henry Irvine, Leroy Ireland, J Francis Murphy (a new name for me and an exciting painter), Theodore Rosseau, Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, John Edward Costigan, Lillian M. Genth, and others. One highly recognizable painting is a portrait of George Washington attributed to Gilbert Stuart.

And one more photo of some worked wood in a banister and landing:

And a few photos of the gardens (the tulips were in full bloom) and the rear of the mansion from the gardens!

There is a nominal entry fee at the Paine Art Center and Gardens, currently $9.00 per adult and grants admission to both the mansion and gardens. And besides the permanent collection, there is an exhibition space on the first floor that features seasonal or traveling shows. On our visit it was an incredible show of contemporary bead work by South African women artists based on traditional beading. Here is a photo of part of the central piece.

The Paine also features The Studio on the lower level where a variety of art activities and classes take place…so it is actively and directly involved with the community.

Thinking of a visit? You won’t be disappointed…here is the link to their website with all of the information needed to plan a visit!

And just a few random shots of the paintings in the collection: