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626 E. Kilbourn Avenue, Suite 802 / Milwaukee, WI 53202 (Administrative Office) / 414.347.1685 / fax 414.347.1690
©2010 Milwaukee Public Theatre. All Rights Reserved.
Programs
Original and Adapted Theatreworks
Special Events & Custom Programs
Educational Workshops & Arts Residencies
Artists & Performers Include:
musicians: classical, jazz, hip hop, pop, world cultures, drummers, Broadway, opera, operetta
dancers: all styles
actors: classical characters, historical impersonators, improv performers
scriptwriters
craft & workshop artists
jewelry makers
face and body painters
dollmakers
caricaturists
chalk artists
muralists
martial artists
flag & fire spinners
puppeteers
fortunetellers
magicians
storytellers
clowns and balloon clowns
mimes
ventriloquists
jugglers
stiltwalkers
designers, costumers, wigmasters
Original and Adapted Theatreworks
Milwaukee Public Theatre specializes in the creation of highly acclaimed theatreworks that celebrate our uniqueness and challenge us to reach our potential.
Touring shows present vital contemporary themes and social issues on stage and at public events and parades. A major area of programming since 1976 has been free-to-the-public musical/vaudeville/circus productions for Milwaukee's parks and public places each summer. Most of these productions are 50-60 minutes.
NEW! ONE MAN'S TRASH IS ANOTHER MAN'S TREASURE—May 6 and 7, 2010
Music, dance and puppetry bring found objects and trash to life in a story about consumer and personal values, recycling, and preserving a healthy environment. An urban youth moves beyond the drudgery of “taking out the garbage” to the realization that his actions can help to assure a cleaner earth for coming generations. His imagination is sparked by rhythms and creative play with found objects, as garbage comes to life around him.
Recently staged shows follow this list.
Current touring shows which can be booked for your organization:
AJULA—A highly dynamic youth drum and dance troupe presenting music, dance and stories from the African diaspora. Presentations are 20-60 minutes with a 6-15 person show. Space/technical needs: 20’-30’ x 20’-30’ clean bare floor, preferably wood; with 5- standing mics; for audiences K thru adult.
CAPAZ (“Capable” in Spanish)—presents short interactive plays about health care access for families of children with disabilities. The audience is invited by the bilingual cast to change negative outcomes in the plays. Audiences include health care professionals. Capaz was initiated from funding by the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs (CYSHCN) Center.
Circus/Pageantry—Throughout Milwaukee, we celebrate community with a delightful variety of clowns, jugglers, stiltwalkers, giant puppets, colorful banners and flags and costumed characters so that every celebration takes on a unique vibrancy. Our artists can come to your site and help you create your own circus, puppets and parade.
CUENTAME UN CUENTO (Tell Me a Story) Latin American Folk Tales—A simply staged set of interactive stories with music and masks that are adapted and directed by Carolina Soza. Bilingual presentations are 20-60 minutes with a 2-4 person show. Space/technical needs: 10’ x 10’ for 2 wireless mics and 1 standing mic; for audiences K thru adult.
FAQS (Facing Adolescent Questions about Sex)—An original show with music by and for young people that deals with HIV and sexually transmitted diseases. Created in collaboration with MPS, Fighting Back and Running Rebels. Performances are 30 minutes with a 20-30 minute talk-back. Space needs: good sightlines for classrooms of 25-30; for audiences in middle & high school.
INTERACTIVE THEATRE—Empowering vignettes dealing with social issues and inviting audience participation in a “rehearsal for life” that provides tools to explore solutions for problems kids face every day. Interactive Theatre is developed in collaboration with the Center for Applied Theatre and directed by Mark Weinberg and Jenny Wanasek.
- Persuading Tiffany—An interactive play exploring the social and media pressures on contemporary teenagers to engage in sexual activity.
- No Good Reason To Stay?—Deals with a teenager trying to decide whether or not to drop out of school.
- Amy's Addiction, Joey's Lunch Money Blues and Party Girl—All three deal with drug, alcohol and tobacco issues, bullying and violence. Presentations are 90-120 minutes with a 5-6 person show. Space/technical needs: 10’ x 10’; for audiences middle school thru adult of 30-150 people.
ONE WOMAN'S VOICE—An interactive history program about citizenship and the right to vote that recreates the character of Theodora Winton Youmans, an early Wisconsin journalist and suffragette. Created and performed by Kathleen Stacy, this presentation is a 20-30 minute performance with a 20-30 minute talk-back. Technical needs: 1 wireless mic; for audiences age 8-adult.
Storytellers—MPT presents a wonderful array of storytellers, spinning tales ranging from folklore to history, from faraway lands and distant times to the very heart of our communities today. Tell us what you’re looking for and our gifted performers will make your audience laugh, cry, gasp, sigh and beg for more through simple staging or strolling. Performances are 30-60 minutes with a 1-person show. Space/technical needs: 1 wireless mic; for audiences K thru adult.
TALES FROM THE NILE—Rose Onama’s stories about growing up on the Nile River in Uganda accompanied by music and drumming. Presentations are 20-60 minutes with a 2-5 person show; Flexible space needs requiring 1 wireless & 1 standing mic, minimum; for audiences K thru adult.
TASAWARI (“Capable” in Swahili)—presents interactive theatreworks to African American families whose children have special needs as well. It was also initiated by funding from CYSHCN and from Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. The program has expanded to help support families dealing with cancer and other health issues.
TOBACCOSAURUS REX—A humorous and educational puppet play about tobacco that is toured by two performers or taught to youth to perform themselves. Performances are 30 minutes with a 20-30 minute talk-back or a 2-hour performance/workshop. Space/technical needs: good sightlines for classroom of 25-30; for audiences in First-Fifth grade.
WHAT IS COOL?—Fabulous Feno’s one-person circus featuring juggling, magic, and music dealing with peer pressure, violence, tobacco/drug abuse. Performances are 20-60 minutes with 1-person show. Space/technical needs: 10’ x 10’ with 1 wireless mic; for audiences K thru adult.
UNCLOTHED…the naked truth: Survivors’ Stories of Sexual Abuse—A play by local playwright La’Ketta Caldwell that is based on hundreds of interviews with women who have been sexually assaulted. The true stories focus on the ways they have been able to find healing. Unclothed has been adapted for teen audiences and has been performed at Riverside University High School.
Recently staged shows:
CAMP WE-KAN-TAK-IT—Fall 2009. An original musical comedy developed by Voices Theater and Milwaukee Public Theatre. “We Can Take It” was the national slogan for the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). From 1933 to 1942, the CCC gave jobs to three million unemployed young men, brought relief to their families, and helped conserve America's natural resources. The multi-media show incorporated original pictures and drawings, songs, and stories. The play was presented at nine statewide venues, with hopes to tour again in summer, 2010.
SPECTACOLO!—April 2009. This original piece charmed student audiences with clowning, tumbling, juggling and other circus arts in a colorful story about cooperation and leadership. An experienced and wildly talented cast demonstrated circus skills and comedic talents while slipping in valuable lessons about teamwork.
WINTER VOICES: Native American Stories to Warm the Heart—December 2008. Thirza DeFoe narrated four traditional stories about the change of seasons for student and public audiences. We are developing a youth version with Indian Community School, to be performed in 2010.
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