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Milwaukee Repertory Theater Resets Their 2020/21 Season part 2

This morning the Milwaukee Repertory Theater announced their 2020/21 Season Rest…essentially moving the plays originally scheduled for this coming season out to the 2021/22 Season…see our post on that announcement here.

But that doesn’t mean that there won’t be live theater at the Rep this season…it is just going to look a bit different than what we are used to. There will still be shows in the Quadracci Powerhouse and Stiemke Studio theaters…just to greatly reduced audiences…and yes there will still be a presentation of A Christmas Carol, but it will be a much different presentation…see below!

So first a bit of how this will work…AND then we’ll get to the plays being performed.

But we are determined to still have a 2020/21 Season. We’ve developed a creative way to bring you amazing theatrical experiences via our 2020/21 Season Reset. The Season Reset features five plays that provide entertaining and uplifting stories in theaters that are socially-distanced and revamped for the safety of everyone. We recognize that returning to the theater will be a personal decision. To aid you in this decision, we have developed a RISK-FREE Reset Pass:

Experience shows live in theaters with capacities limited to 35% OR via high-definition recordings delivered directly to your screens at home (your choice).

If COVID-19 causes cancellations, you will automatically receive a refund.

When you purchase a Reset Pass, you will be seated in socially-distanced locations with the best seats offered on a first come, first served basis. As a thank you, all Reset Pass options come with a free ticket to A Christmas Carol presented by Wells Fargo.

And now the PLAYS!

Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol written by Tom Mula and directed by Mark Clements and presented in the Quadracci Powerhouse Theater from December 1 through December 24, 2020. This one-person intimate tour-de-force adaptation, featuring Lee E. Ernst, embodies the very heart of this beloved holiday classic.

Ella Fitzgerald: First Lady of Song Presented in the Quadracci Powerhouse from February 16 through March 14, 2021. Award-winning actress Alexis J Roston salutes America’s favorite jazz singer, Ella Fitzgerald. Classic tunes by Ellington, Gershwin, Porter and more include “Summertime,” “The Lady Is a Tramp,” and “It Don’t Mean a Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing.”

McGuire Presented in the Quadracci Powerhouse from March 23 through April 18, 2021. McGuire is a touching portrait of the uncommonly funny and profound man behind the legend with the man himself played by Tony Award-winning actor Anthony Crivello.

Antonio’s Song/I Was Dreaming Of A Son Written by Dael Orlandersmith and Antonio Edwards Suarez and directed by Mark Clements. Presented in the Stiemke Studio from April 7 to May 2, 2021. World Premiere Event: A poetic journey of a dancer/artist/father questioning the balance of his passions – art, culture family. A story that, questions/challenges the legacy of stereotypes: of manhood/race/fatherhood. Antonio Edwards Suarez, a breathtaking performer, share the legacy with pain, promise and hope. 

Nina Simone: Four Women Written by Christina Ham and presented in the Quadracci Powerhouse from April 27 to May 23, 2021. Through storytelling and song, Nina Simone: Four Women reveals how this iconic artist found her true voice.

So Milwaukee still has opportunities to experience some very compelling live theater in the coming season. Hopefully these plays won’t be interrupted again. I am really looking forward to seeing actors on stage and to share the experience with other theater lovers.

So you are going to want to know how to secure tickets…follow this link to the 2020/21 Season Reset pass information.

And for those theater nerds like me who want to see the new Season Reset brochure, here’s the link!

I think I pretty much have it all covered!

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Milwaukee Repertory Theater Resets Their 2020/21 Season part 1

This morning I received an email from the Milwaukee Repertory Theater about COVID-19 imposed changes to their already modified 2020/2021 season. Essentially the season has been reset to 2021/2022 with subscriber tickets being moved accordingly. This is incredibly disappointing but not unexpected news. But I was personally wondering if I would feel safe this season and was working out the logistics in my head. Sigh.

In the meantime, five plays will be presented during the season in the Quadracci Powerhouse and Stiemke Studio theaters…to much reduced capacities. The Stackner Cabaret will not have any performances this season. There will be a part 2 post to cover the new season program.

In the meantime, here is an excerpt of the Rep’s announcement and here is the link to the full announcement on their website.

We have important news to share about our 2020/21 Season. We’ve been working diligently to reopen in a way that is safe for both audiences and artists. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 constraints, we cannot present the season as scheduled and will move the entire season to the following year.

Our 2020/21 Season was designed to be experienced as a whole by our more than 200,000 patrons and when it became apparent that we couldn’t produce some shows fully due to safety protocols, and would have to significantly limit seating to socially distance, we concluded the entire lineup should move to the 2021/2022 Season.

For the convenience of current Subscribers, we have automatically shifted their 2020/21 Subscription forward to the 2021/22 Season.

But we are determined to still have a 2020/21 Season. We’ve developed a creative way to bring you amazing theatrical experiences via our 2020/21 Season Reset. The Season Reset features five plays that provide entertaining and uplifting stories in theaters that are socially-distanced and revamped for the safety of everyone. We recognize that returning to the theater will be a personal decision. To aid you in this decision, we have developed a RISK-FREE Reset Pass:

Experience shows live in theaters with capacities limited to 35% OR via high-definition recordings delivered directly to your screens at home (your choice).

If COVID-19 causes cancellations, you will automatically receive a refund.

When you purchase a Reset Pass, you will be seated in socially-distanced locations with the best seats offered on a first come, first served basis. As a thank you, all Reset Pass options come with a free ticket to A Christmas Carol presented by Wells Fargo.

Thank you for your support and we look forward to seeing you soon.

Mark Clements : Artistic Director

Chad Bauman : Executive Director

More details on the 2020/21 Season Reset right here!

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American Players Theatre’s Back to the Woods Campaign

One of my biggest disappointments for the summer of 2020 was the cancellation of American Players Theatre’s summer season. This theater has meant a lot to me over the past 18 years or so. I had wanted to attend their theater for years but there were always things that got in the way. But while going through a divorce, I made the time to go. Some very important alone time that let me restructure my life and rediscover the arts that lived in my heart and my soul. At first I attended every Shakespeare play that they were presenting, usually one per month in June, July, and August. I made friends with a couple who ran a Spring Green motel and they always put me in the same room on every visit. But they moved on and I had to find other digs. sigh.

And then I met the love of my life and I was so eager to share my experiences at American Players Theatre with her. And she loves it as much as I…and we expanded our interests in plays and playwrights and also embraced the Touchstone Theater as it came into its own. And we visited my cousin who had a shop in Spring Green…and found favorite restaurants…and cherished our evenings (and matinees…something unusual for us) spent at APT. Magic memorable times. What an exciting period for both of us.

Over the past five years, we have changed our habits and attended a number of plays over a number of contiguous days around my birthday in mid-August. And this was the plan for 2020…and celebrate a milestone birthday as well. So this summer has given me a real sense of loss in any number of ways. But I will endure and look forward to the future of American Players Theatre. And that’s where we are today…let’s insure the future of APT. Read the email below…watch the video from Brenda DeVita…and please donate something! I will be giving them $70 to celebrate my 70th birthday and I intend to have drink at APT in 2021 on my next one!

Last week we celebrated Founders’ Day – the anniversary of APT’s first performance, which took place on July 18, 1980. Since that day more than 40 years ago, APT’s season has been in full swing at this point in the summer. Until now.  As soon as we announced the cancellation of our season, we began diligently planning and analyzing how APT is going to come out the other side of this. Here is our plan.

Today, we announce Back to the Woods: A Campaign for American Players Theatre. The campaign will raise the funds APT needs to literally get back to the woods and produce a full season in 2021. In the meantime, it keeps basic operations running and allows us to create a bit more virtual theater along the way (more news on that in the coming weeks and months). The goal is to raise $5 million by the end of 2021. Thanks to the generosity of thousands of you, we are already close to the halfway mark, with a total of $2,290,000 in hand already.

Once again, we ask for your help. And this time, we’d like to take it a step further. We want you to be our partner in reaching an even larger community of people who care about APT’s future.

Please visit our campaign site. There, you’ll find stories from people who love and believe in our theater and the work we do. Stories from people whose lives have been changed by APT. Each of them has volunteered to become a fundraiser. We hope their experiences inspire you to support their effort.

And we invite you to go a step further; to join them and become a fundraiser yourself for APT’s Back to the Woods Campaign. Tell your story. Then share it with friends, and help us get the word out to people who care but may not have given yet. Whether you join a team or fundraise on your own, starting a page is fun and easy, and any amount raised will go a long way in helping us reach our goal.

Above all, we treasure the relationship we have with our supporters, and our audience. We want to strengthen that relationship even further, as we fight for the future of our theater, together. And as always, we hope you’re remaining happy and healthy, and that we’ll see you safe, sound, and as soon as possible.