Welcome to the Optimist Theatre / Shakespeare in the Park 2025 Cast and Crew Portal
CONFIDENTIAL - PLEASE DO NOT SHARE THIS URL
This page contains info you will need and things you will need to do. The URL is hidden from the main Optimist Theatre website menu. Please do not share it with anyone who is not a 2025 company member.
Shakespeare in the Park 2025 schedule of show dates and locations
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As of March 25, 2025...
Opening Weekend 1... Wisconsin Lutheran College - Saturday, July 12th Washington Park - Sunday, July 13th Weekend 2... Humboldt Park - Saturday, July 19th Sherman Park - Sunday, July 20th Weekend 3... Mitchell Park - Saturday, July 26th Grant Park - Sunday, July 27th |
Weekend 4...
Lake Park (new location within the park) - Saturday, August 2nd Forest Home Cemetery - Sunday, August 3rd Weekend 5.... Kern Park (new park) - Saturday, August 9th Lincoln Park - Sunday, August 10th Closing Weekend 6... RAIN DATE - Saturday, August 16th Wisconsin Avenue Park (new park) - Sunday, August 17th |
Finding the shows for cast and crew - where to meet, where to park, where to drive on
The parks where we perform are large and you need to be able to find us. This map is a copy of the public map but is being updated to cover the info WE need. Pins in red have already been updated. More pins will be fixed as we go.
It's easiest for crew with early call since we'll all just meet there and you can follow the trucks as we drive on. Anyone else - Carter/ Wardrobe, Actors - please take a look at this and make sure it's understandable. IF you get lost, call or text Susan 262-498-5777.
It's easiest for crew with early call since we'll all just meet there and you can follow the trucks as we drive on. Anyone else - Carter/ Wardrobe, Actors - please take a look at this and make sure it's understandable. IF you get lost, call or text Susan 262-498-5777.
First Puppet Rehearsal And a giddy, madcap time was had by all at our first puppet rehearsal. Enjoy the photos!
Note: take with an iphone so they're HEIC files. There are online free HEIC to JPG converters if you want to download and keep or share any photos. 
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Susan's phone number is 262-498-5777
Schedule a zoom with SusanIs a conversation easier than emailing? Let's zoom.
https://calendly.com/ssfry/zoom-with-susan This link takes you to my calendar with times available M-F 11am to 6:30pm. Snag a date and time or let me know if you need more options. I look forward to it. Tour MaterialsThis image is linked to the list of items for our 2025 rehearsals and tour. Most of these materials will be loaded in on May 31st.
Contents are in the process of being sorted and re-packed by function. 
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Navigating this page
The quicklinks below will help you skip around to whatever you need to find. If any link isn't working correctly, please use the contact form above to let me know.
Quicklinks to page contents... not necessarily in order if you simply scroll down.
The Company
Email addresses are linked from each name. There is also a company contact sheet available via the google drive sheet.
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Artistic
Director and Dramaturg - Kelley Faulkner Stage Manager - Melissa Wanke* Assistant Stage Manager - Carrie Johns Cast - Libby Amato*, George Lorimer* and Kailey Azure Green Costume Designer - Trinae Williams-Henning Set Designer - Em Allen with Caroline Dischell Props Designer - Matt Norby Soundscape Designer - Ron Fry * Member of Actors' Equity Association or appearing under an AEA contract Artistic - Non-Shrew and Much Ado
The PLAY's the Thing facilitator - Jenni Glueckstein Early Music Now - Chuck Grosz Puppet Much Ado People
Designer and builder - Adam McAleavey Designer and renderings - Ron Fry Skills training - Jeff Moser |
Production
Production Manager - Susan Fry Production Coordinator and Crew - Captain Koneazny Production Crew - Katy Lane Production Crew and Sound Engineer - Jason Richter Wardrobe - Carter Bauer Production Crew - Drea DeVos House
House Manager - Chris Carey Surveys and Guest Relations - Norma Mortimer House and Surveys Team Member - Cat Sadler House and Surveys Team Member - Alex Haas |
Daily rehearsal and show schedule - including crew call times - link to actual calendar
Casting... Who's Playing Whom
As of May 14, 2025 and subject to change but let's start here!
Much Ado About Nothing - puppet edition
Kailey - Hero / Benedick / Don John
George - Leonato / Don Pedro / Dogberry
Libby - Beatrice / Claudio / Borachio
The Taming of the Shrew
Kailey - Huntsman / Bartholomew / Tranio / Bianca / sometimes Baptista / sometimes Hortensio
George - Sly / Lucentio / Baptista / Petruchio
Libby - Lord / Kate / Hortensio
Much Ado About Nothing - puppet edition
Kailey - Hero / Benedick / Don John
George - Leonato / Don Pedro / Dogberry
Libby - Beatrice / Claudio / Borachio
The Taming of the Shrew
Kailey - Huntsman / Bartholomew / Tranio / Bianca / sometimes Baptista / sometimes Hortensio
George - Sly / Lucentio / Baptista / Petruchio
Libby - Lord / Kate / Hortensio
Contact Details
Email addresses are linked from the names above. The google drive sheet accessible via link below also has some phone numbers on it. I trust you'll obtain phone numbers for anyone with whom you'll be working directly.
NOTE: I haven't kept up on the phone numbers on the google sheet but it's very important we have them so please add your phone number yourself.
NOTE: I haven't kept up on the phone numbers on the google sheet but it's very important we have them so please add your phone number yourself.
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Detailed location descriptions
These are the descriptions submitted to the Milwaukee County Parks for our event permits. These will also (eventually) be pinned to our map as well.
If you don't yet see a description, I simply haven't written it yet. It wasn't included on this draft because it's not a Milwaukee County Park and this was created for our permit application.
Not yet shown: Drive on instructions for crew unloading sets, etc.
If you don't yet see a description, I simply haven't written it yet. It wasn't included on this draft because it's not a Milwaukee County Park and this was created for our permit application.
Not yet shown: Drive on instructions for crew unloading sets, etc.
Saturday, July 12, 2025 ---- Wisconsin Lutheran College
Sunday, July 13, 2025 --- Washington Park
Hillside, north side of the Olmstead Way road that traverses the park, south of the Goethe-Schiller monument, west of picnic area 2, opposite side of the hill from the bandshell (not visible from our location)
Saturday, July 19, 2025 --- Humboldt Park
Slight hillside in a 'triangle' on the north side of Park Road, opposite side of the road northeast of the bandshell, north of the tennis courts
Sunday, July 20, 2025 --- Sherman Park
Large grove of trees in a large meadow north of the intersection of W Locust and N 41st, east side of the walkway that crosses the park, south of the Boys & Girls Club building
Saturday, July 26, 2025 --- Mitchell Park
Picnic area 1, east of the Domes, northwest of the Mitchell Park Pavilion and the pond, very near the parking lot east and behind the Domes
Sunday, July 27, 2025 --- Grant Park
In a grove on the west side of Grant Park Road, near the south end of the park, southeast but not visible from the tennis courts, south of the pond and north of the Grant Park/Spider Park playground
Saturday, August 2, 2025 --- Lake Park
(New location within the park) Under a grove of trees slightly north of picnic area 4, west side of Lake Park Road, near the walkway that extends north from the cul de sac / dead end at the end of N Lake Park Road, northeast of the baseball diamond
Sunday, August 3, 2025 --- Forest Home Cemetery
Saturday, August 9, 2025 --- Kern Park
(New Park) Accessible from the walkway at the corner of N Humboldt Blvd and E Keefe Ave that passes by the playground, hillside slightly southeast of the playground , west of the tennis courts, south of the parking lot and the community building
Sunday, August 10, 2025 --- Lincoln Park
Large meadow slightly southeast of the Blatz Pavilion and east of the David F Schultz Aquatic Center, north of the Hank Aaron baseball diamond, southeast of the large parking lot on Hampton Ave
Saturday, August 16, 2025 --- RAIN DATE
This date will be kept open to reschedule any location that had to be canceled due to rain or illness.
Sunday, August 17, 2025 --- Wisconsin Avenue Park
(New Park) Hillside northwest of the community center building and north of the playground, accessible via the walkway on the north side of the parking lot leading to and past the playground, northwest of the community center building, and east but not visible to the baseball diamonds
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Milwaukee Weather
Weather is a fact of life when you tour a theatrical production.
Shakespeare in the Park is a rain or shine show. What that really means is our crew will drive to our show location and plan to set up regardless of the weather. If there's a downpour, we will monitor the weather and hold to set up until we see a break. If the weather website doesn't show any let up in rain, we'll still wait until the last minute to make the call to set up or not.
If we set up and the weather turns bad, there are other considerations....
- Is it bad enough to push through or do we need to pause the performance? (Generally speaking, if it goes on for more than 30 minutes, we're less and less likely to be able to re-start the show.)
- Will it pass in time to re-start the show before it's too late? (Too late may be defined a bunch of ways... too dark to continue.... won't finish in time for the next show to start... and.... )
- Will the weather damage costumes / props / sound equipment?
- Is the audience staying in hopes we'll continue? (They usually do stay!)
- And....
Melissa (our AEA Stage Manager) and I confab constantly as we are each monitoring online weather channels and radar. Melissa will make the final decision on whether or not to continue to hold or if we need to call it a day and pack up.
If you're interested in checking for yourself too, try the Accuweather channel available here. LINK TO ACCUWEATHER FOR MILWAUKEE
Shakespeare in the Park is a rain or shine show. What that really means is our crew will drive to our show location and plan to set up regardless of the weather. If there's a downpour, we will monitor the weather and hold to set up until we see a break. If the weather website doesn't show any let up in rain, we'll still wait until the last minute to make the call to set up or not.
If we set up and the weather turns bad, there are other considerations....
- Is it bad enough to push through or do we need to pause the performance? (Generally speaking, if it goes on for more than 30 minutes, we're less and less likely to be able to re-start the show.)
- Will it pass in time to re-start the show before it's too late? (Too late may be defined a bunch of ways... too dark to continue.... won't finish in time for the next show to start... and.... )
- Will the weather damage costumes / props / sound equipment?
- Is the audience staying in hopes we'll continue? (They usually do stay!)
- And....
Melissa (our AEA Stage Manager) and I confab constantly as we are each monitoring online weather channels and radar. Melissa will make the final decision on whether or not to continue to hold or if we need to call it a day and pack up.
If you're interested in checking for yourself too, try the Accuweather channel available here. LINK TO ACCUWEATHER FOR MILWAUKEE
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Inventory
It takes a lot of stuff to take our shows on the road. This link goes to our inventory of stuff.
This inventory was updated in April of 2024. Since then, we've acquired a number of items - most notably a couple of new sound systems and a new generator. This list has not been updated yet. All of our stuff is in our storage unit - Extra Space Storage at 999 W Mt Vernon Ave in Milwaukee. There's a key pad entry to the building and the unit itself requires a key and Susan has the key. If you need to get in there, just ask.
This inventory was updated in April of 2024. Since then, we've acquired a number of items - most notably a couple of new sound systems and a new generator. This list has not been updated yet. All of our stuff is in our storage unit - Extra Space Storage at 999 W Mt Vernon Ave in Milwaukee. There's a key pad entry to the building and the unit itself requires a key and Susan has the key. If you need to get in there, just ask.
Puppets
Misc files - all about puppets - or whatever gets uploaded to be shared via this drive folder - click the photo of the open road box. If you are on this page, you should be able to access this folder. If that doesn't work for some reason and you need access, please contact Susan.
Road box photos - link
Puppet Much Ado script linkScript cutting as of 4-7-25. Link is to a drive file. If you need Edit access, please let me know.
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First peek at DogberryBwahahahahaaaaa!!!!! Video shared by Adam 5-12-25.
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