There I was, on the eve of the Ides of March, sitting in the intimate main stage theater of the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center, as one of William Shakespeare’s most acclaimed tragedies begins to unfold before me and I see and hear Caesar being warned…Beware the Ides of March!!!
My regular readers will know this but I like to remind everyone that the First Stage Young Company is made up of high school age theater students who perform adult plays generally without any adults in the cast. And they perform on the main stage in the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center. This stage is a theater in the round with no more than four rows on either side, so every audience member is close to the action. And they use very minimal stage furnishings and plain and simple costuming so that they can let their actions and the text tell us some very compelling stories. But don’t think for a moment that this is anything but engaging and demanding theater. The Young Company has become my favorite theater group.
(L to R) Ben Nowacek and Abbie Cashman in Young Company’s Julius Caesar. First Stage, 2026. Photo by Paul Ruffolo.
Unlike the bigger musical productions at the Marcus Performing Arts Center, the Young Company does not have two alternating casts, so you will see the actors that I mention here.
Edward Owczarski plays an ideal Caesar. Owczarski is regal without seeming imperious but shows that his Caesar can easily be swayed by flattery and is he too ambitious? He treads that fine line that would suggest you could see that either way. Ben Nowacek is a very true and loyal son of Rome in his depiction of Brutus. Showing a bit of doubt for a moment, once he makes up his mind he is all in! I’d say Nowacek’s Brutus is more ‘imperial’ than Owczarski’s Caesar. But where does Nowacek falter fatally? In his funerary speech just before Marc Antony. And then there is Marc Antony, portrayed by Paxton Haley. Haley never waivers, never falters, and is the epitome of the faithful and determined Antony. Haley understands Antony and her version of Friends, Romans, Countrymen, rings out just as you would expect and will sway you to her cause.
(L to R) Cai Weiss and Natalie Ottman in Young Company’s Julius Caesar. First Stage, 2026. Photo by Paul Ruffolo.
But the one actor that dominated every scene she appeared in was Natalie Ottman as Cassius. Ottman is wired, on edge, determined, and strident all at once and her energy as she strode back and forth across the stage just drew the focus to her Cassius even when Brutus or Marc Antony was present.
Natalie Ottman in Young Company’s Julius Caesar. First Stage, 2026. Photo by Paul Ruffolo.
One always interesting event is part of every First Stage performance. There is a brief talk back where audience members can ask questions of the cast about the performance or the play or the preparations. This time a question asked about the director Ken Miller and how he prepared the Young Company for this very adult and tragic play. And the answer is, during the early table read throughs he encouraged the actors to read their characters in the manner they interpreted for the mood and emotions of their character. And from there he and they refined the action and characters collaboratively. So these young actors are learning more than just how to act…
(L to R) Silver Anderson and Paxton Haley in Young Company’s Julius Caesar. First Stage, 2026. Photo by Paul Ruffolo.
The Young Company recommends Julius Caesar for families with young people ages 14-18 and Shakespeare fans of all ages!
However every young person is different and may or may not be ready for certain elements of each production. The play Julius Caesar contains descriptions and depictions of violence and self-harm.
I haven’t seen nor read Julius Caesar in quite some time. It is amazing how of the time many of the story lines here feel…sadly contemporary.
The play runs about two hours including a 15 minute intermission.
Julius Caesar is playing at the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center from now through March 22nd, 2026. Additional information including full cast listings and tickets can be found HERE!
Certainly since the original appearance of J.M. Barrie’s play, Peter Pan in 1904, and his later novel, Peter And Wendy of 1911, there has been a certain magic felt across the land by the young of heart in every age group. Being a man of a certain age, my first experience with the magic was a televised broadcast of the Broadway presentation starring Mary Martin. Yes, it did make a lasting impression on me and I was excited to see how the artists and young actors of First Stage would bring that magic to life once again.
Working from an adaptation by Doug Rand, First Stage Artistic Director Jeff Frank directs his own theatre for young audiences adaptation. Frank has rediscovered and reveled in all of the magic found in Peter Pan. All of the magic! The whole story is here, from Wendy and Nana and the great window in the nursery, to a flying boy in Peter Pan, to the Lost Boys, to Captain Hook and Smee, and the crocodile and the clock….and Tinker Bell of course (or Tinkerbell? I have found it both ways but for a real fairy I’d have named her Tinkerbelle).
Todd Denning (front left), Marko Van Slyke (front right), and cast in Peter Pan and Wendy. First Stage, 2026. Photo by Paul Ruffolo.
First Stage presentations for young audiences can often be hard to describe because they are anchored by a number of adult actors but feature two rotating casts of young actors. Peter Pan And Wendy is no different, featuring a Shadow Cast and Light Cast of actors. So if you are interested in seeing a particular youngster on stage, make sure you know which cast they are in and select a date and time appropriately.
First Stage presentations at the Todd Wehr Theater in the Marcus Performing Arts Center are often big cast musicals…Peter Pan And Wendy isn’t a musical but it is a BIG cast. But don’t be fooled about not being a musical. Peter Pan And Wendy is still a rowdy boisterous bit of theater that kept all of the young audience completely entranced. So much so that their laughter and gasps and sidebars sometimes interfered with me hearing the dialogue on stage…but that’s one of the highlights of attending plays at First Stage: seeing the reactions of the youngsters in the audience. Rest assured that this play satisfies!
Simon Phillips (top right) and cast in Peter Pan and Wendy. First Stage, 2026. Photo by Paul Ruffolo.
Now, on to the adult actors. Todd Denning is a regular at First Stage but you probably remember seeing him most recently as the Ghost of Christmas Present at the Milwaukee Rep. For Peter Pan And Wendy he handles two roles…first the loving but maybe just a bit ditzy father of Wendy and John and Michael Darling. Denning’s befuddlement around tying his tie in the opening scenes and leading the way to the drawing room while wondering if the Darlings have a drawing room in the finale. But more importantly is his portrayal of…dah dah dum dum…CAPTAIN HOOK! Oh Denning can be as sinister as need be and leads his pirates by dint of force and personality only to instantly cower at the sound of a ticking clock and the possibility of being attacked by THE crocodile. Tori Watson is Mrs. Darling, and is the perfect elegant and doting mother at first but turns equally fretful when describing her first encounter with Peter Pan…and Watson easily takes on the mourning mother when her children go missing and finally the restored mother who eagerly adopts the Lost Boys and instantly works to help a clearly conflicted Peter Pan.
(L to R) David Flores, J.T. Backes, and Sawyer Felkey in Peter Pan and Wendy. First Stage, 2026. Photo by Paul Ruffolo.
And our pirates, Tim Linn, Sherrick Robinson, David Flores, and J.T. Backes are jolly rogers all. A great team dedicated to protecting their captain and swashbuckling to the nines! David Flores as Smee is a bit of comic relief that suits Flores instinctively and suits the pirates presence just as well.
The two most important characters of course are those in the title of the play, Peter Pan and Wendy. Frank’s adaptation perfectly exhibits Peter’s determination to remain young and have fun which of course appeals to Wendy’s sense of adventure. But there is a bit more to their relationship than that. Wendy senses it but Peter, like many young men, doesn’t really know what is happening and doesn’t respond as Wendy expects. From my note above, there are two casts of young actors. I saw the Shadow Cast and Marko Van Slyke as Peter Pan and Niamh Mayne as Wendy were amazing. Overall the blocking and choreography for such a large cast (there are nine lost boys plus Peter, Wendy, and her two brothers) and a moving set was fluid and riveting and you just can’t seem to take it all in at once, but somehow you do.
SPOILER ALERT: We saved Tinker Bell
But there is more magic here than just the story of Peter Pan. There is First Stage magic. As always First Stage lighting designers and set designers put together these amazing designs that seem so simple at first but are so deeply ingrained in the story telling that they are almost a character in their own right. And for Peter Pan And Wendy it was no different…as we had the nursery and its great window and Neverland and the pirate ship and and and. So thank you to Sarah Hunt-Frank, Nicki Kulas, Jason Fassi, Josh Schmidt (sound designer), and Jason Orlenko (costume designer)!
And let’s talk about Nicki Kulas again. First Stage productions often feature mythical creatures or natural creatures that can’t necessarily be portrayed on stage, so they use PUPPETS: magical, phantastical, puppets! In this case, a bit of a shaggy sheepdog, the children’s nursemaid Nana, the ever lurking and very creepy crocodile, and two iterations of Tinker Bell. One little lacy bit of green light that flits around the action and a bit larger version that at times lands on a shoulder or chair back and has the semblance of a fairy rather than just a bit of flashing light. How they all work is in the next paragraph.
Marko Van Slyke in Peter Pan and Wendy. First Stage, 2026. Photo by Paul Ruffolo.
And let’s not overlook that Peter Pan can fly, and Peter teaches Wendy, John, and Michael how to fly. The primary key to being able to participate in all of the other adventures. And fly they do but without wires. Inspired by Japanese theater, Frank has employed the use of koken in Peter Pan And Wendy. Koken are black clad characters who appear on stage unnoticed by the actors. In this adaptation, the koken lift the young actors portraying Peter and Wendy and let them ‘fly’. They also work the puppets representing Tinker Bell, Nana, and the crocodile. And yes you notice them but you don’t…I can’t quite explain the effect, but it quite simply works.
Ooooh. I almost forgot. There is always a brief talk back after the curtain when young theater goers can ask a question of the cast. My favorite this time was some young man who wanted to know where they found the crocodile. After some giggles, a cast member described the puppet and how it was made by the puppet master!
Beyond the main story, all of the subplots are here. The desire for eternal youth, the desire for freedom from authority, the desire for family and structure, and the desire for a sense of purpose all prevail.
Peter Pan And Wendy continues through March 22, 2006 at the Todd Wehr Theater in the Marcus Performing Arts Center. Run time is about 75 minutes plus a 15 minute intermission. Recommended for families with young people ages 6-14 and magical dreamers of all ages.
First Stage has put together one of the cutest productions for the younger set that I have seen over several seasons. And to make it even better it is in the very intimate Goodman Mainstage at the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center. The Goodman is a theater in the round so no one is far from the action. And to add to the fun many of the front row chairs have been replaced with carpet squares so the youngest among us can have a stage side front row seat! This play appeals to the 3 to 8 year olds so this seating arrangement was well met…yes it was!
Lovabye Dragon was adapted from Wisconsin author Barbara Joosse’s Dragon and Girl books by First Stage’s Executive Artistic Director Jeff Frank and Barbara Joosse with original music by The Happy Racers. And Director Marion Frank makes it all sing and come alive on stage!
Christopher Feiereisen (left) and Mac Heinrich (center) and the Magic Cast in Lovabye Dragon. First Stage, 2026. Photo by Paul Ruffolo.
Since I don’t anticipate too many 4 year olds reading this review, I don’t think I need to hold back on any of the story. We meet Girl, a princess, celebrating her birthday with her Mother, the Queen, and Father, the King, in their castle home. After blowing out the candles on her cake which is almost immediately swept away, she opens her birthday present. It is a stuffed dragon. She laments that she asked for a real dragon and even wished for one as she was blowing out the candles on her cake. Mother and Father of course, being protective parents, outline all of the reasons that a dragon is unsafe…and you can never ever really trust a dragon. Father: “My motto is: Play it safe”. And then for safety the girl is sent to her room. She cries in sadness and frustration and her tears magically transport to the cave of a dragon, who too is lonely and in due course the dragon comes to her rescue (and his own as well).
Izze Yanovskiy (left) and Lainey Techtmann (right) in Lovabye Dragon. First Stage, 2026. Photo by Paul Ruffolo.
And Girl suggests that they go outside and play and engage in a round of hide and seek. Girl has never been outside. But Girl hides too well and too far from the castle and night falls before they are reunited. Girl finds a treasure map in a bottle washed up on shore and they are off on a great great adventure…with challenges and new characters…and three little Viking trolls who want her gold. But here is the moral of our story…gold is friendship and our Vikings quickly understand that true friendship is truly gold.
Bree Beelow (front), Mia Raines (middle), and Owen McDonald (back) in Lovabye Dragon. First Stage, 2026. Photo by Paul Ruffolo.
Like many First Stage productions for youngsters, this play is anchored by a number of adult actors. Bree Beelow as Mother, Jesse Weinberg as Father (and part of the dragon…more later). The most involved adult here is Christopher Feiereisen as the Troubadour. Luckily for us and Girl and Dragon, Feiereisen isn’t quite an adult in his own imagination yet. He clearly displays the youthful and playful character of a youngster, all the while framing the story for us in wonderful rhyme and dance and music. If it weren’t for the dragon, Feiereisen would be the star of the show.
(L to R) Amelia Sajdak, Penny Whitmore, and Christopher Feiereisen in Lovabye Dragon. First Stage, 2026. Photo by Paul Ruffolo.
And as usual, the young actors are split into two casts, the Magic Cast and the Wish Cast. The named lead of course is Girl who is played by Lainey Techtmann in the Magic Cast and Amelia Sajdak in the Wish Cast. I saw the Magic Cast, and they were marvelous. Girl has the major speaking role and also performs a number of the key songs that tell the story. But from experience, no one will ever be disappointed by any cast in a First Stage production. But do keep in that if you wish to see a particular young actor, pay careful attention to which cast they are a part of and which days they perform.
Magic Cast of Lovabye Dragon. First Stage, 2026. Photo by Paul Ruffolo.
And now, THERE ARE PUPPETS! What wonderful, what marvelous puppets. And I enjoy puppets a great deal and First Stage always uses them to great effect and has an amazing puppet workshop (see my previous posts on First Stage presentations to see a vast array of their puppetry). The major puppets are of course Dragon, operated by three actors, one working the head, one working the tail, and one serving as the legs and framework of the body. A great colorful walking dragon!
And there are a number of smaller dragons who represent the dragon in travel and the three little Viking trolls who are just as lively and incredible as our dragon. Props to puppet designer Brandon Kirkham and his helpers.
Wish Cast of Lovabye Dragon. First Stage, 2026. Photo by Paul Ruffolo.
One amazing thing I did learn: Dragons wag their tails when they are happy!
And one other feature of every First Stage production. There is always a short talk back at the end where the younger members of the audience get to ask questions of the cast. It is such fun to hear what they see and how they react to each play. This time one young lady was perplexed on what Girl’s name was. She didn’t want to accept that it was Girl. And one young man wanted to know why it took two people to work the dragon puppet. It is pretty large as is apparent in the photos. He was surprised to find out that it was actually three actors…he had missed the actor inside the body allowing the dragon to dance and walk.
First Stage’s Lovabye Dragon is at the Goodman Mainstage at the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center from now until February 15th, 2026. Additional info and tickets here.
Approximately 50 minutes with no intermission. Recommended for families with young people ages 3-8 and brave explorers of all ages.
