Category: The Constructivists

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PSA: The Constructivists Announce Their 2026/27 Season

THE CONSTRUCTIVISTS ANNOUNCE SEASON NINE

Milwaukee’s visceral contemporary theatre company will return next season with three productions, including a Milwaukee Premiere, a World Premiere, and their beloved annual holiday tradition. Along with the next chapter of their celebrated play development series.

MILWAUKEE, WI — May 26, 2026 — The Constructivists are excited to announce their next season of programming. Season Nine spans two venues, featuring an immersive cult comedy co-presented with Cap n’ Glasses Studios, the fourth installment of their signature holiday event, a world premiere dark comedy created through the company’s own play development process, and the continued growth of their Under Construction Play Development Series.

“Season Nine is one built by this community,” said Artistic Director Jaimelyn Gray. “These are stories told by Milwaukee artists, developed with Milwaukee artists, and made for Milwaukee audiences. We’re proud of and amped for every single one of them.”

The Season includes the Milwaukee Premiere, and 15th Anniversary Production of 5 LESBIANS EATING A QUICHE, by Evan Linder and Andrew Hobgood, a co-production with Cap n’ Glasses Studios, A VERY DEADLY CONSTRUCTIVISTS HOLIDAY (WITH MUSIC!) 2026, and the World Premiere of THE GREAT CLEANSE, by Amber Regan. All tickets are $20 plus fees, with discounts available for artists, students, seniors, and military. The Under Construction reading is always FREE. No one is turned away for lack of funds — patrons in need of assistance are encouraged to contact boxoffice@theconstructivists.org.

5 LESBIANS EATING A QUICHE
By Evan Linder and Andrew Hobgood
With contributions by Sarah Gitenstein, Mary Hollis Inboden, Meg Johns, Thea Lux, Beth Stelling, and Maari Suorsa
Directed by Joe Lino
Featuring Kellie Wambold, Emily Harris, Anya Palmer, Aly Rader, and Bree Kazinski
October 8-24, 2026  |  Pink’s Accessible Theater Home (PATH), 1104 Historic W. Mitchell St., Milwaukee
Thursdays–Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 4pm
 
It’s 1956, and the Susan B. Anthony Society for the Sisters of Gertrude Stein is gathered for their annual quiche breakfast. Then the atomic sirens sound. Winner of the 2012 NYC International Fringe Festival for Best Overall Production, 5 LESBIANS EATING A QUICHE is an immersive, audience-participatory comedy about identity, community, and what it means to finally stop pretending — set against the backdrop of Cold War paranoia and a very good egg dish.

Co-presented with Cap n’ Glasses Studios, the production will be helmed by close company friend Joe Lino in his directing debut.

A VERY DEADLY CONSTRUCTIVISTS HOLIDAY (WITH MUSIC!) — FOURTH ANNUAL
By Patrick Schmitz with Various Artists
Directed by Jaimelyn Gray
December 2026  |  Studio Theater, Broadway Theatre Center, 158 N. Broadway, Milwaukee
Thursdays–Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 4pm

Your alternative holiday programming tradition, now in its fourth year! Four years. Somehow still going. A VERY DEADLY CONSTRUCTIVISTS HOLIDAY (WITH MUSIC!) returns this December with freshly ruined holiday songs, theatrical mayhem, and a body count that just keeps climbing. It’s a variety show! It’s a murder mystery! It’s a cry for help wrapped in tinsel! Whatever it is – it’s coming back. Arrive dressed for the holidays. Leave changed forever. Directed yet again by Artistic Director Jaimelyn Gray.

THE GREAT CLEANSE
A World Premiere by Amber Regan
Developed with Liz Ehrler, Kellie Wambold, Nicole McCarty, Emily Harris, Libby LaDue, and Kendra Krouth
Directed by Rebekah Farr
Spring 2027  |  Studio Theater, Broadway Theatre Center, 158 N. Broadway, Milwaukee
Thursdays–Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 4pm

Six women. Sixty elementary schoolers. One cave field trip that was supposed to be perfectly manageable. When the world outside undergoes a sudden and total transformation, the group finds themselves with nowhere to go, no distractions left, and only each other — and sixty very energetic children — to reckon with. The Great Cleanse is a dark comedy about reinvention, identity, and what remains when women are finally forced to focus on themselves.

THE GREAT CLEANSE was developed through the Constructivists’ UNDER CONSTRUCTION PLAY DEVELOPMENT SERIES, which premiered a reading of the script earlier this year. Directed by Company Member Rebekah Farr.

UNDER CONSTRUCTION PLAY DEVELOPMENT SERIES — ONGOING

Now in its eighth year, the Constructivists’ Under Construction Play Development Series pairs playwrights with directors and actors for a development process culminating in a live audience reading. Past participants include works that have gone on to full production — including THE GREAT CLEANSE, which makes its World Premiere as part of Season Nine. Playwrights interested in submitting are encouraged to send 20 pages to Literary Manager Nate Press at submissions@theconstructivists.org.

About The Constructivists
The Constructivists are a 501(c)3 nonprofit theatre company based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Now entering their ninth season, the company is committed to visceral, contemporary theatre that challenges its audiences and reflects the full complexity of human experience. Passionate theatre is the necessary catalyst for change.
 
theconstructivists.org  |  (414) 858-6874  |  info@theconstructivists.org
Facebook: facebook.com/theconstructiviststhtr  |  Instagram: @theconstructivists
 

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The Contructivists: BUG. Plumbing The Breadth Of Contagion

The Constructivists pride themselves on presenting dark cutting edge theater. And they have certainly accomplished that with their season ending presentation, Tracy Letts’, BUG. In her program notes, director Maya Danks describes loneliness as the driving force in this play. But that is only part of the story…how far is one willing to suspend disbelief in real life in order to assuage that loneliness. In BUG, Letts suggest that there is no limit.

Jaimelyn Gray. Photo courtesy of The Contructivists.

Constructivists founder and artistic director Jaimelyn Gray plays our lead protagonist, Agnes. At first Gray’s Agnes seems to be on the verge of getting her shit together, strictly on her own terms. But that bit of bravado seems to be buoyed by a fair amount of drug and alcohol use. She’s a waitress sequestered in a sketchy long stay motel somewhere in Oklahoma. And Gray moves to a subtle loss of composure as her ex-husband, out of prison on an unexpected early parole, still haunts her emotionally and then physically when he arrives on the scene. It is unsettling for us to watch as Agnes acquiesces to the violence and control of her husband once again and as she seeks shelter in the machinations of her new found friend, Peter.

So who is Peter? Well, Agnes’ friend, R.C., shows up at Agnes’ room in the middle of an evening of partying with Peter in tow. R.C. wants to have Agnes join her in her endeavors to continue partying through the evening but it’s not happening. Tess Cinpinski is a direct and forceful presence as R.C.. Also something of a wild and crazy woman who just moves on after being turned down by Agnes. Later on, acting as an advocate for Agnes, she has a showdown with Peter that is a pivotal point sending us in a new direction and the climax of the play. Cinpinski’s strong dramatic presence tends to draw much of the attention to herself in her moments on stage.

Jaimelyn Gray and Tess Cinpinksi. Photo courtesy of The Contructivists.

Peter is played by Joe Lino. He is brought to Agnes’ room by R.C. but doesn’t leave with her. They are essentially strangers who met at a party. Lino’s Peter seems to live at the periphery of the action initially. Lino very effectively tiptoes around the edges of the other cast members on stage and convincingly exhibits a number of tics and twitches describing his nervous nature. As we learn Peter’s backstory of hospitalization and military service, Lino increases the intensity of the character and brings Agnes under the sway of his issues and under his control.

Matt Specht. Photo courtesy of The Contructivists.

Goss is Agnes’ ex-husband. Matt Specht brings a forceful destructive male presence to the stage as Goss. Completely self-absorbed he ignores a restraining order and a possible parole violation by visiting Agnes and trying to take up where he left off. And he gets physical with Agnes and helps himself to her purse. Specht depicts a troubled misogynist who doesn’t realize he is troubled. This is just the normal course of events for him.

Late in the play, Goss brings Dr. Sweet to the motel. Dr. Sweet has been asking around town for Peter and claims he would like to help him by returning him to the hospital. Robert W.C. Kennedy brings a calmly somewhat detached doctor to the stage. He might be a little naive about Peter’s condition but he makes a great effort in trying to coax Peter to agree with him. Instead, this is the final breaking point. I will leave it there.

Joe Lino and Jaimelyn Gray. Photo courtesy of The Contructivists.

Maya Danks has assembled a great cast and tells a great story, despite it’s deeply troubling aspects. I can’t imagine how she moved these actors to plumb the breadth and depth of contagion and mental illness without affecting their sleep at night. But the content is on Letts’ head, Danks has made it into a great season closing presentation.

And I don’t envy the stage crew. There are literally hundreds of small props to handle, add, remove, or replace as the play progresses. And in the talk back afterword, we were told that it takes an hour to reset the stage before the next presentation can begin. And Martilia Marechal did a marvelous job with sound effects and music throughout.

And this disclosure from The Contructivists about BUG: This production contains adult subject matter. Viewer discretion strongly advised. We believe in the power of dark art catharsis. As such, every Constructivists production contains provoking words, ideas, and actions. We respect everyone’s boundaries, but also respect those who wish to know as little as possible about this production. General warnings are violence, language, and heavy drug and alcohol use. [I am going to add: spousal abuse and suicide as possible triggering activities. Ed]

BUG is being presented at the Studio Theater, Broadway Theatre Center, 158 N. Broadway, Milwaukee WI from now until May 9, 2026.

Ticket info is available here. More info about the play is here.

Joe Lino, Jaimelyn Gray, and Tess Cinpinski. Photo courtesy of The Contructivists.

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A VERY DEADLY CONSTRUCTIVISTS HOLIDAY

From the Contructivists website describing A Very Deadly Constructivists Holiday: “…we’re back for the third year of this new kind of Holiday standard.” Well this certainly is a new kind of holiday play. In no way is it a holiday play that you would expect, even in your wildest fever dreams around the holidays. It is at times loud, silly, totally in your face, and often profane! No holiday sacred cow or reindeer for that matter goes ungored.

Deadly? Yes indeed. This concept was created by Jaimelyn Gray and Gray also directs. There are seven skit/sketches loosely bound to the seven deadly sins. And the cast shift roles and persona as they work their way through each one. And one beloved character actually dies during one memorable skit. The cast includes Autumn N. Green, Becky Cofta, Ekene Ikegwuani, Kellie Wambold, Libby LaDue, Logan Milway, Nate Press, Nicole McCarty, and William Molitor.

But there is plenty of music here and dance as well. Some of it very animated and engaging and some of it is just over the top silly. The plentiful humor is dark indeed and every shade of gray. The performers all bring out the best and worst of the situations. You will recognize many of the songs done here but maybe not the lyrics as the writers took great liberties with the meaning of a number of Christmas carols. St Nick narrates until… And yes there are adult themes…you can only guess…given that the opening skit is Lust and is situated in a bar…so give it your best shot.

At a brief 55 minutes with just a quick blackout between scenes for a set change, you barely have a chance to catch your breath…between chuckles or just as often groans. Unfortunately it only ran for four performances over three days so I was lucky to catch it.

So, if there is a fourth. remember: this is a short skit based play with adult language and adult situations and no subtlety whatsoever. It isn’t the holiday play that you’d expect but it might be the holiday play you deserve when the holiday stresses start to get on your last nerve.