I usually meet with two other music and arts and cultural fanatics once a week at a local coffee shop. We share stories and memories and usually have a little show and tell of music or artifacts of ‘our’ era. Well, one day arriving a few minutes late, one of my friends was in a very animated discussion with a young couple at the next table about theater. And he had mentioned that I was a ‘theater critic’ and they wanted to meet me. Well they are the Young Theologians and are presenting an original short play in July. It will be free to the public and here is what I found on the Mitchell Street Arts page. I will post more when I get more details from the Young Theologians.
PERHAPS
8 PM with Free Admission on July 10, 11, and 12, 2026 at Mitchell Street Arts, 710 W Historic Mitchell St, Milwaukee WI.
Young Theologians debuts “PERHAPS”, an original short play about a Mother and Father who are raising their twins in separate public restrooms. Mother with Daughter. Father with Son.
I am late to the party again but I want to make sure I get this out there. Kaylene Howard from the Summit Players Theatre shared this with me late last week. Their season is already underway so don’t wait too long…and if you are in Milwaukee there are a couple of local parks where Hamlet is being presented! So here is a bit of the info that Kaylene shared and info gleaned from the Summit Players Theatre website.
We have a few Milwaukee area local shows this month, including a performances on June 29th at Catalano Square Park in the Third Ward. Additionally, in July, we will have performances relatively locally at Kettle Moraine State Forest, Pike Lake on July 17th, Kohler-Andrae State Park on July 18th, and our closing performance is in Milwaukee at Havenwoods State Park again on July 26th!
The Summit Players present their 2026 season: Shakespeare’s Hamlet. We will once again visit 18 different Wisconsin State Parks this summer for 19 unique shows!
All shows and workshops are presented free of charge. Seating is general admission on a first come, first served basis. Wisconsin State Park Admission is required at most locations and can be purchased upon entry to the park. If you have an annual state sticker already, you are all set.
One of Shakespeare’s most famous tragedies. Performed with six actors in under 80 minutes.
With his father’s recent death still looming in his mind, Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark grapples with the truth of his father’s death, his mother’s betrayal and his uncle’s role in all of it. Relationships are torn apart. Deceit will be revealed. At the heart of it all, Hamlet must decide between his duty and his doubt, and learn what it means to be alive amidst power and privilege.
A scandalous modern classic: a fever dream of inherited guilt, buried desire, and the quiet violences families inflict on themselves. Ghosts returns with unnerving immediacy through the prism of assisted suicide and America’s fentanyl epidemic — exposing a world where morality is performative, grief is anesthetized, and love curdles into control. Set within a parking lot, this intimate and hallucinatory production traps its characters under the glare of fluorescent lights and inescapable memory.
Overview
Wisconsin Classic Stage presents GHOSTS, Henrik Ibsen’s explosive and haunting masterpiece translated by Brian Johnston and Rick Davis.
GHOSTS by Henrik Ibsen An unforgettable site-specific production
Wisconsin Classic Stage presents GHOSTS, Henrik Ibsen’s explosive and haunting masterpiece, translated by Ibsen scholars Brian Johnston and Rick Davis.
Unlike anything you’ve ever experienced, this daring, site-specific production unfolds in the historic Calvary Presbyterian Church Parking Lot — where the ghosts of the past collide with the urgent realities of today.
Director Josh Pohja(Henry V, Hamlet, An Enemy of the People, The Persians, Antigone, All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914) reimagines Ibsen’s most controversial play with gripping intensity, drawing powerful parallels between the moral and familial decay in the text and our modern fentanyl crisis. Expect raw truth, cinematic staging, and theatrical bravery that will leave you breathless as the sun sets.
Featuring
Deborah Stencel as Mrs. Alving
Ben Skwierawski as Osvald Alving
Cole Castine as Pastor Manders
Ryan Holifield as Engstrand
and introducing Ashley Garcia as Regina
Performance Dates: July 10–19, 2026 Time: 6:00 PM – 8:45 PM (ending at sunset)
This intimate production is strictly limited to just 30 seats per performance, creating an exclusive and immersive theatrical experience you won’t forget.
If you’ve never attended a Wisconsin Classic Stage event, prepare for a rare blend of elegance, unflinching truth, and profound beauty.
