Category: Youth Theater

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PSA: First Stage Presents Tolkien’s The Hobbit!

I dropped the ball on this one, it opens TONIGHT!

Milwaukee, WI – January 18, 2022 – First Stage’s next offering in the new year is a thrilling production of THE HOBBIT, based on the book The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien and adapted for the stage by Greg Banks and directed by Artistic Director Jeff Frank. An unlikely hero, Bilbo Baggins, would much rather be sitting in their cozy Hobbit Hole with a cup of tea and a plate of bacon and eggs. However, they somehow find themselves on a magically mystical adventure. Staged with speed and surprises, audiences will be delighted as things change before their eyes.
Discover what happens as Bilbo travels on an epic journey over freezing mountains and through a frightening forest, meeting all sorts of fierce creatures – some who want to eat them, others who turn into dear friends. This will be a theatrical experience not to be missed!

THE HOBBIT runs February 3 – March 5, 2023 in the newly remodeled Goodman Mainstage Hall at Milwaukee Youth Arts Center, located at 325 W. Walnut Street in downtown Milwaukee. Tickets are $25. Tickets are available online at firststage.org or through the First Stage Box Office at (414) 267-2961. Performance runtime is approximately 90 minutes, which includes a brief intermission. Suggested for families with young people ages 8+

From Artistic Director/Director Jeff Frank: “Five actors. One musician. Thirty-two characters. Ninety minutes. One epic tale brought magically to life on a theatrical adventure unlike anything seen before at First Stage! I love the fast-paced, energetic adaptation by Greg Banks with actors switching characters at the drop of a hat or the donning of a costume piece. He has distilled the adventure to its essential elements and the audience is quickly swept up along with Bilbo. The intimate nature of the Goodman Mainstage Hall with the audience surrounding the stage, invites them to join Bilbo’s adventure. I envision the production set in the broken down, war-ravaged remains of a library. When reason has left us and greed and a lust for power have taken over – the pillars of society have crumbled – knowledge, truth, self-growth, empathy and understanding that our stories have provided us have been lost and must be looked to again. Bilbo shows us that courage is about taking on a challenge despite our fears and reminds us what it means to be a friend. They are the hero we all long to be.

There are a number of special events that you might be interested in, a Pay What You Choose performance on Friday February 10th and a Sensory Friendly performance on Saturday February 18th. For more information on these events, the play itself, and ticket information, please click HERE!

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PSA: American Players Theatre Acting for Classical Theater For Teens Is Back!

More information and details here, and here are the highlights:

This year’s camp will take place in person, July 16-21, 2023.

For young people interested in classical acting, APT’s ACT (Acting for Classical Theater) Camp is an unique opportunity to work with professional teaching artists in the beautiful Driftless Area, culminating in a performance on an APT stage.

ACT Camp is open teens who will be entering 9th through 12th grades in the fall. APT will accept up to 35 participants. Campers must submit an application to be accepted. ACT Camp strives to create an inclusive and positive learning environment. Campers are expected to work together and participate fully in all activities.

Camp workshop sessions, housing and meals for the week will be at Bethel Horizons Camp and Retreat Center, located 15 minutes away from APT. Facilities include dorm style accommodations, and a large common room for programs. APT staff counselors are onsite throughout the week. Bus transportation is provided between Bethel Horizons and APT daily for performances and other onsite activities.

2023 ACT Camp Applications will Open Monday, February 6 at 10 AM.

courtesy of the American Players Theatre
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PSA: First Stage Starts 2023 With: Carmela Full Of Wishes!

From our friends at First Stage:

Milwaukee’s First Stage, one of the nation’s leading theaters for young people and families, begins the new year with CARMELA FULL OF WISHES, adapted by First Stage Resident Playwright Alvaro Saar Rios, (ON THE WINGS OF A MARIPOSA/ LUCHADORA!), from the popular book by award-winning children’s author Matt de la Peña, with illustrations by Christian Robinson. In this beautiful adaptation, audiences will discover that it is Carmela’s birthday, and her wish has already come true – she’s finally old enough to join her big brother as he does the family errands! As they travel through the neighborhood, Carmela finds a lone dandelion growing in the pavement. Before she can blow its puffy white fluff away, her brother tells her she must make a wish. If only she can think of just the right wish to make! Delight in this moving ode to family, to dreamers and to finding hope in the most unexpected places. Sponsored by PNC. 

From Director Michelle Lopez-Rios: “In CARMELA FULL OF WISHES, we take a big journey with Carmela on her birthday. Like the book, the play delivers a world that stimulates all the senses. The imaginative set, costume, sound and lighting designs of the production will play a vital role in bringing this world to life. There are fields of bright orange marigolds, tastes of paletas (popsicles), smells of fresh laundry and the beauty of life by the sea. As she tags along to run errands with her Big Brother, we travel through the vibrant community that is their home. We watch as Carmela dreams up the perfect wish for her birthday and reveals what life is like for her family. 

Family is at the heart of this journey. Mami starts off the day with chocolate pancakes and a charge for Big Brother to take care of his sister. Carmela and her brother bicker, tease each other as they make their way through the list of things to do and complicated conversations. We learn about their undocumented father and how her Big Brother is filling his shoes. We ache with her as she longs for her dad to be home and her family to be complete. It is a story that is familiar to too many youth in Milwaukee as they carry the weight of tremendous hardships in their daily life.  

It is hard to understand a world that would separate a six-year-old from her Papi. It is a world where all the adults she knows work so hard, including her Mami. It is a world that forces her brother to grow up quickly and help her navigate tough questions. The story is necessary because it explores the difficult issue of immigration from the point of view of a child trying to understand why her father cannot be home with his family. It is a story that we all need to know and understand. As Carmela dashes along the streets on her worn green scooter taking in the world around her, we witness the deep and endless love of this family, and we feel the resilience of hope.” 

CARMELA FULL OF WISHES runs January 20 – February 12, 2023 at the Marcus Center’s Todd Wehr Theater, located at 929 N. Water Street in downtown Milwaukee. Tickets are $28 and can be purchased in person at the Marcus Center Box Office at 929 N. Water Street, by phone at (414) 273-7206 or online at firststage.org. Performance runtime is approximately 70 minutes, which includes a brief intermission. Suggested for families with young people ages 3+. 

More information and to order tickets…click here!! There are some special event days as well, like pay what you can or sign language interpretative days. So click the link above to check those out!