Milwaukee Theatre Map

In order to get back on the map, I first created the map.

(as of 3.14.13, 9:00AM, there’s a whole new territory inside of “independent projects” that includes comedy, variety, burlesque, and the venues that frequently hold those projects. Also, Uprooted, Angry Young Men Ltd, and TheateRED were added, and I found a better signifier for Fools for Tragedy.)
(as of 9:30 AM, Optimist has shimmied towards “theatre in community,” Alchemist logo was updated, and Milwaukee Theater and their venue the Wisconsin Center District got on there somehow, although placing them was awkward. Also, I’ve been informed that Boulevard is going “poof”, so I poofed them from the map. SAD. I still don’t know if/where I should add dance or film.)
(10:20AM, TrueSkool was added… cuz they’re awesome.)

I’ve heard a lot about the rigor of the “tier system” in Milwaukee performing arts, and joined a lot of discussions about how we rate “success.” It has a lot to do with the size of the theater space and the amount of cash flow, but in creating this image, I’ve noticed some other trends. I know I’ve missed many companies and organizations around town – tell me about them and I will update.

I want to hear the Milwaukee Theatre community’s response. Is this the way the map should be? What else should be on there? If you as an individual were on this map, where would you go? Would you have a jet pack or a paddle boat to move across it?

The first draft of this map is on my living room floor, and Project Empty Space is a leggo pirate ship of magical theatre goodness sailing through and around – meeting individuals and wondering how to connect them all together, and more importantly, connect them to the community outside the map.

Art Bombing Wisconsin!

It’s a magical time of year; a time when lobbyists come to the state government to tell them what’s important enough to need more funding, or, at the very least, not lose the funding they have. Tomorrow, Wednesday, March 13th, is the day for artists around the state if Wisconsin to tell their government that the arts community is a thriving one.

The government wants to hear about how you, as an artist, contribute to local commerce. What do you make and how do you sell it? How do you attract an audience? Why is it important for the state government to keep arts in schools, on the streets, in the studios, and on their minds?

The only good bombs are arts bombs.

Go to this website: http://www.artbombwi.com/ to find out:

> How and when to get on a bus to Madison tomorrow
> Who to (virtually) throw art at tomorrow and how to contact them
> How you can contribute with dollars and/or love

PES appreciates you and your art bomb tactics.

❤

“I Hate Shakespeare!” a Project Empty Space workshop series

Hate Shakespeare? Think it’s too big, too difficult, too “high art,” too old? Has anyone made you believe “this isn’t for you”? Fell asleep through the boring Shakespeare classes in college? Love it and want to study it more? All are welcome. In this interactive workshop, you’ll discover how much you already know about William Shakespeare and his plays, break down any fears or apprehensions about 400-year-old English, and speak with clarity and understanding in front of a supportive audience. Come for one workshop in the series or come for all of them, it doesn’t matter, they’re free, and the focus will be new each week. You’ll walk away with either a love of the work or educated reasons as to why you still hate it.
The “I Hate Shakespeare!” series is taking place Sundays at Bucketworks, a collaborative space in Milwaukee’s Walker’s Point. Here, type this into your GPS: 706 S 5th St, Milwaukee WI 53204

The doors are open to come whenever you’d like and leave whenever you’d like. There is no cost. (Cookies are appreciated. Bring enough to share.)

Workshop One: Intro to Text 
Sunday, September 30, 2:00 – 4:00
What did Shakespeare write? How did Shakespeare publish his work? Which script should we use? How many versions are there and why? What was written text like in 1602 London? What’s a folio? What’s a quarto? And why do all the S letters look like Fs?

 

 

Workshop Two: Helloooo, Bill
Sunday, October 14, 2:00 – 4:00
Who was this Shakespeare guy and how much do we really know about him? What was life like in Elizabethan England? Did all the poets wear frilly collars? Did anybody attend Shakespeare’s plays when they were written? Was Shakespeare gay? Did he really look like Joseph Fiennes?

 

Workshop Three: Page to Stage
Sunday, October 21, 2:00 – 5:00
Did people really talk like this? Why do people speak in poetry? What does it mean to rhyme? What’s iambic pentameter? Where do I enter? What’s my motivation? Did anybody bring bagels?

 

Workshop Four: On Your Feet
Sunday, October 28, 2:00 – 5:00
How does anybody act this stuff? What was The Globe like? Who are “groundlings”? How do I make this interesting? Why do I think old white British dudes are so boring? Is there any way to make Shakespeare exciting and intelligible? Can I do that in three hours?

 

An impressive albeit short bio of the workshop facilitator so as you are sufficiently impressed and show up: Grace is a UWM theatre studies graduate and puts Shakespeare, teaching, and traveling at the top of her list of favorite things to do. Now the project manager of Project Empty Space, a community organization through The Alchemist Theatre in Bay View that brings new audiences to new theatre, Grace has acted, directed, written, designed, and toured through Minneapolis, Oxford, London, and Edinburgh. Grace’s Shakespeare credits include First Stage Theatre Academy, UWM, Optimist Theatre, and the British-American Dramatic Academy.