Tag: Drama

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PSA: Next Act Theatre Announces Its 2025 – 2026 Season: “AGAINST THE ODDS”

Includes Three Wisconsin Premieres, One U.S. Premiere, All Written in Last Seven Years

Milwaukee, WI – With the overall season tagline “AGAINST THE ODDS,” this is the third Next Act Theatre season chosen and overseen by new Artistic Director Cody Estle and Managing Director Libby Amato. The upcoming season boasts four plays never before seen on Wisconsin stages – three of the plays are Wisconsin premieres and one is a United States premiere. All four plays are also comparatively new, having all been written in the last seven years. New season tickets alongside renewals of existing season tickets are on sale now. Single tickets will go on sale July 14, 2025. All tickets may be purchased by calling the Next Act Ticket Office at 414-278-0765 or through the Next Act website at www.nextact.org.

“From the serene beauty of fictional Cardiff Township in Wisconsin’s Driftless region, to the buzzing streets of Chicago, Newark, and all the way to Scotland and London, we’ve got a lineup that’s as diverse as it is thrilling,” said Estle. “As we follow these unforgettable characters, we’ll not only see pieces of ourselves, but we’ll also gain a greater understanding of one another.”

The 2025-26 season opens with the Wisconsin professional premiere of SANCTUARY CITY by Martyna Majok (September 10 – October 5, 2025). In post-9/11 Newark, NJ, two teenagers brought to America as children now face an impossible question: what are they willing to risk for a future in the only country they’ve ever known? These two DREAMers and lifelong friends will fight like hell to establish a place for themselves and each other in America. But as time hurtles on and complications mount, each must reckon with the sacrifices it will take in order to find a place to call home. Jake Penner will make his Next Act directorial debut – he has also directed at Madison’s Forward Theater Company and Spring Green’s American Players Theatre, where he was previously an Artistic Associate. King Hang, Joe Lino and Ashley Oviedo will make their Next Act debuts in the roles of “B,” “Henry” and “G,” respectively. Playwright Majok received the Pulitzer Prize for her play COST OF LIVING, which was presented by Renaissance Theaterworks at Next Act Theatre in 2023.

Next Act will bring a locally-developed play home for its Wisconsin professional premiere when it produces BOSWELL by Marie Kohler (November 19 – December 14, 2025). Kohler, a Wisconsin-based playwright, director and co-founder of Renaissance Theaterworks, workshopped the play at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside before premiering it at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2019. It played Off-Broadway at 59E59 in 2022. Next Act’s production will be the first professional production of Kohler’s play in its home state. An earlier version of the play, called BOSWELL’S DREAMS, was presented by Renaissance Theaterworks in 2005.

When ambitious 20th-century academic Joan goes looking for unpublished writings by literary giant Samuel Johnson, she finds her work interrupted by James Boswell. Chatty, bawdy, flawed and deeply honest, Boswell’s 18th-century journals of his grand journey through Scotland with Johnson take Joan back in time, showing her the power of authenticity and the need to make her own place in the world. Heart and mind spar wittily in this epic adventure of friendship, travel and the written word. Laura Gordon (directed SCARECROW, THE REVOLUTIONISTS, MOTHERHOOD OUT LOUD at Next Act), who directed the Off-Broadway and Edinburgh Fringe productions, will direct. Josh Krause (appeared in THE MOUSETRAP, EQUIVOCATION at Next Act) and Brian Mani (appeared in THE CHILDREN, THE VOICE OF THE PRAIRIE, ROUGH CROSSING at Next Act) will reprise their Off-Broadway roles of “James Boswell” and “Samuel Johnson/Father/Doctor,” respectively; Heidi Armbruster (appeared in and wrote SCARECROW at Next Act) will return to Next Act as “David Garrick/Mrs. Thrale/The Lady” and former Producing Artistic Director David Cecsarini will return as “Oliver Goldsmith/Professor/David Hume/Taxi Driver.” Madeline Calais-King and Sarah Zapiain will make their Next Act debuts as “Joan” and “Joshua Reynolds/Louisa/Serving Woman/Gardyloo Woman/Margaret Boswell/Hebrides Tavern Woman,” respectively.

After the new year, Next Act will stage the Wisconsin premiere of SWING STATE by Rebecca Gilman (February 11 – March 8, 2026). It’s hard to know who your friends are in a world that’s more divided than ever. Recently widowed, Peg tends to the native plants in her 40-acre rural Wisconsin prairie backyard. Her solitary days are interrupted only by visits from Ryan, a family friend with a checkered past. When a mysterious theft alerts the authorities, a string of events unfold that forever changes their lives and their community. Pulitzer Prize finalist Rebecca Gilman questions how we help each other when it feels like our way of life is in danger of disappearing. Gilman’s play won a Joseph Jefferson Award for New Work and was nominated for three other Joseph Jefferson Awards and a 2024 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play. The Chicago Tribune called SWING STATE “perhaps the first of the great American post-COVID plays.” Artistic Director Cody Estle (directed CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION, THE TREASURER at Next Act) will direct. The cast will feature Tami Workentin (appeared in CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION, PIPELINE, THE SECRET MASK at Next Act) as “Peg,” Elyse Edelman (appeared in CIRCLE MIRROR TRANSFORMATION at Next Act) as “Dani” and, making their Next Act debuts, Jack Lancaster as “Ryan” and Kelli Strickland as “Kris.”

To close out the season, Next Act will produce the United States premiere of DINNER WITH THE DUCHESS by Nick Green (April 22 – May 17, 2026). At the end of a storied career, violin virtuoso Margaret gives her final interview to a young reporter. As the evening wears on, Margaret must confront secrets and ghosts of the past to face an impossible question: how will she be remembered? Boundaries are drawn, lines are crossed and tensions reach a crescendo as a simple dinner becomes a battleground in the fight for the truth. Nick Green’s tense, personal drama explores whether the artist or her art defines a legacy. Samantha Martinson willmake her Next Act directorial debut – she has directed and assistant directed at Madison’s Forward Theater Company and Spring Green’s American Players Theatre. Laura Gordon will appear as “Margaret,” her first acting role at Next Act since 2009. More casting for DINNER WITH THE DUCHESS will be announced at a later date.

More information on the 2025-26 season can be found at nextact.org or by calling (414) 278-0765.

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Lake Country Playhouse Presents David Auburn’s Proof, A Play!

I know that I have previously mentioned here at AIP, that David Auburn’s Proof is my favorite play of the 21st Century. It is passionate, involved, and complete storytelling with a sometimes fragile nature. Having seen two amazing productions of it in the past (Milwaukee Rep and American Players Theatre) and having read it a number of times, it still completely draws me in. And I was very pleased that director Naomi Tiefel was once again able to fully engage me with her cast and the actions on that little back porch in Chicago.

And I have also previously mentioned that I thought Lake Country Playhouse would be an ideal stage for this intimate play. I was happily right.

left to right: Michael Chobanoff, Anna Gumberg, and Keenan Ellis. Photo by James G Baker. Photo courtesy of the Lake Country Playhouse & Academy

There are four characters here and Auburn has drawn them in such a way that we feel empathy for all four of them despite getting angry with them at times. Robert is an esteemed mathematician and professor at the University of Chicago. He is famous for a number of mathematical proofs from his early career. And he is well respected by his students until his career is cut short by mental illness. He has two daughters, Catherine and Claire. The younger daughter, Catherine, has inherited Robert’s math skills and she fears she will also inherit his mental health issues. Catherine is estranged from her older sister, Claire, a currency trader who lives in New York. Claire is in Chicago for Roberts funeral. And Hal, a former student of Roberts and now a professor at UC, is concerned about Robert’s legacy it would seems, jumps in and adds to the turmoil of this sad weekend.

So yes, this is a play about mathematicians and mathematics and academia…there are a few very funny math and math nerd jokes here. But the real story lies in the dynamics between Robert and Catherine, between Catherine and Claire, and Catherine and Hal. So there are some very human emotions and moments around family, mental health, expectations and aspirations, and love. I am just amazed at how Auburn ties it all together.

Michael Chobanoff and Anna Gumberg. Photo by James G Baker. Photo courtesy of the Lake Country Playhouse & Academy

From the above, you can see that Catherine is the main focus in the story. And Anna Gumberg is a phenomenal, fully believable Catherine. Gumberg clearly embodies a loving and devoted daughter despite setting aside her own goals in order to be Robert’s caregiver. Gumberg shows us the strength that that requires and (spoiler alert) when her father relapses her facial expressions tell us a story in itself, as they move from joy to despair to resignation as she realizes what is happening. Catherine is a difficult role but Gumberg feels it and we feel it. Other scenes with Hal show us her range. Gumberg has to move from untrusting to flirty to disgusted with Hal in a relatively short period. And there is always the underlying concern that not only has she inherited her father’s genius but his mental illness as well. Gumberg feels that sadness too.

Michael Chobanoff is a convincing Robert. From the gentle and loving father in our opening scene with Catherine to the flashback with Catherine and Hal as the energetic professor and math whiz, Chobanoff is Robert. And a very human and humorous Robert it is. But his best scenes are during his relapse as Chobanoff gives us the frenetic Robert insistently writing in his notebook as the machinery whirls until his conversation with Catherine makes it apparent that he’s slipped off the rails again. The conflict and drama Chobanoff brings to this scene is very compelling.

Anna Gumberg and Ariel Korducki. Photo by James G Baker. Photo courtesy of the Lake Country Playhouse & Academy

Claire has returned to Chicago for Robert’s funeral. And Ariel Korducki gives us a Claire in charge, and clearly a woman who expects to be in charge. Besides the funeral she has also swooped in to save Catherine! But Korducki can show us Claire’s human side too as she is interested in Catherine’s well-being and does indulge a bit too much with the math students following the funeral. But Korducki also brings us Claire’s too sure focus that initially ignores Catherine’s feelings and then ultimately betrays her. Not a sibling dynamic to celebrate.

Keenan Ellis and Anna Gumberg. Photo by James G Baker. Photo courtesy of the Lake Country Playhouse & Academy

Hal has his own focus, looking for important math ideas in the 103 notebooks that Robert has left behind in his study. Keenan Ellis shows us two reasons why he is interested in doing this…partly to preserve Robert’s legacy but also because the work could be published and the mathematician who discovers it will be famous too. Aside from that Ellis is also the nerd who doesn’t quite have what we might consider normal social skills although he does know how to woo Catherine. And although in the end he redeems himself, he too betrays Catherine. You’ll have to see the play to understand that but it is a telling condemnation of gender expectations.

Anna Gumberg, Keenan Ellis, and Ariel Korducki. Photo by James G Baker. Photo courtesy of the Lake Country Playhouse & Academy

Proof continues at the Lake Country Playhouse and Academy at 221 E Capitol Drive in Hartland, WI, through May 23, 2025. The runtime is 120 minutes plus a 15 minute intermission.

RATING: PG-13+
Audience advisory: Play covers heavy emotional topics dealing with mental illness, grief, and the pressure of academic achievement.

Additional information here and ticket information here.

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UWM’s Peck School of the Arts: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is an award winning play by Simon Stephens based on a novel of the same name by Mark Haddon. It is a multi-faceted theatrical gem.

Christopher is the protagonist here, a 15 year old math genius who is somewhere on the autism spectrum. And one night just before midnight, he discovers that his neighbors dog has been killed by being stabbed with a pitchfork. While surveying the incident and mourning the loss of the dog, he is discovered by the neighbor who, of course, immediately suspects him. Christopher decides to become a detective for the moment in investigate Wellington’s death (that’s the dog) and discover the person who murdered him. His father forbids it. But Christopher determines that it is the right thing to do and continues on his quest anyway. And the drama begins…

The deeper subjects of the play are readily apparent in the text and actions on stage. Of course there are the stories around family and neighborhood and village…but we go on to get a glimpse into how people with autism perceive the world around them…and how the world around them reacts to them…there are myriads of subtle cues. But Christopher steps completely outside his comfort zone and shows remarkable focus and bravery, a positive message for all of us.

We have two Christophers here. Zane Kurs for the first half and then Skylar Staebler post intermission. Both young actors personified the goals and struggles that Christopher exhibited in his quest. The only quibble I have here is Kurs speech was lost or indecipherable at times in his efforts to adopt an English accent.

Despite not being the focus of the play, for me, I see Christopher’s dad, Ed, as the most dynamic character in the play. Played by Gabe Rodriguez, Ed swings from doting father, to demanding father, to angry spouse, to a confused and desperate adult in the just that moment’s notice that the play requires.

One other actor that I’d like to single out is Autumn G. Gill as Siobhan. Siobahn is Christopher’s personal support staff and mentor at the special school he attends. Gill is remarkable in providing the stable support and empathetic help he needs to find his way.

Christopher’s mother, Judy, is lovingly played by Mikaela Bowers. We don’t get to meet her directly until late in the play, but Bowers brings out a loving and protective mother who despite her feelings doesn’t quite always know how to react to Christopher’s needs.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time has dozens of other characters who a played by an ensemble of remarkable young actors. Each one of them has to assume a number of roles (that is the way the script is written), from policeman, to principal, to a number of neighbors, to strangers on the street and train, to train station staff.

Director Ralph Janes is presenting this play in the round, using the Mainstage Theatre’s thrust for most of the action. In addition, a fair amount of technology is involved. Large screens are set up around the theater and behind the proscenium, as well as a half dozen monitors just about the stage. These were used to project scenic bits at times, like the train station that Christopher is looking for, and other times, video shots taken by ensemble actors with handheld cameras in the pit or the camera mounted to Christopher’s chest. I found these a bit confusing and distracting. If they were meant to signal the confusion that Christopher experiences outside his normal world, well maybe. But I think the action that Janes choreographed on stage with the cast was far more effective and deserved our full attention.

A better use of technology here might have been mics on the actors.

As I write this there are only two more performances….tonight at 7:30 and tomorrow, May 4, 2025 for a 2 PM matinee. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is being performed on the Mainstage Theatre in the Theatre Building at 2400 E Kenwood Blvd (just west of Mitchell Hall and North of Mellencamp Hall).

Ticket Information Here!

Extra Credit Reading: The Program is here.