Welcome to Optimist Theatre's 2026 Cast and Crew Portal
CONFIDENTIAL - PLEASE DO NOT SHARE THIS URL
This page contains info you will need to know 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 2026 company member.
Navigation Quicklinks and Table of Contents
Topics still to be added or updated:
Scripts / Set Designs / Detailed directions to show locations / 2026 Map
Scripts / Set Designs / Detailed directions to show locations / 2026 Map
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The Company Artistic
Director and Dramaturg - Cara Johnston Stage Manager - Melissa Wanke* Assistant Stage Manager - Molly Schmidt Cast - Libby Amato*,Rebekah Farr, Bree Beelow and Annalyse Lapajenko Costume Designer - Grace Thompson Set Designer - Courtney Miles Props Designer - Matt Norby Soundscape Designer - Ron Fry Merry Wives of Windsor Music Early Music Now - Executive Director Chuck Grosz Early Music Now Musicians - Tim Miller and Brett Lipschutz Puppet Richard III People
Designer - Cara Johnston Designer and Builder - Adam McAleavey Skills Trainer - Billy Ray Olsen Production
Production Manager - Susan Fry Production Crew Lead - Katy Lane Sound Engineer - Riley McTaggert Wardrobe - Carter Bauer Production Road Crew - OPEN Production Road Crew - OPEN Production Road Crew - OPEN House, Surveys & Games
House and Games Manager - Jenni Glueckstein Surveys and Guest Relations - Norma Mortimer House Team Member - Guest Relations - Chris Carey House, Surveys and Games Team Member - Sofia DeTorre House, Surveys and Games Team Member - Annabelle Singer House, Surveys and Games Team Member - Theo Christenson Social Media, Graphic Design, PR - Beth Lewinski
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2026 Contact Sheet
Your first point of contact should be your supervisor if you have one. Otherwise, feel free to reach out to me. If you need me ASAP, text 262-498-5777. Don't call. I rarely answer the phone. Unless it's Melissa. Or a cast or crew member. Okay, go ahead and call, I guess.
Show days - call me. |
2026 Master Calendar
Please download this calendar and take careful note of days and times you are called.
Our 2026 Master Calendar includes call times for everything - load-in, rehearsals, tech, show days, and strike Until the calendar is updated, please note these differences, special notes and clarifications:
CREW: Load-in to WLC the is officially May 30. This won't affect our rehearsal start of June 8.
CREW: Load-in to WLC the is officially May 30. This won't affect our rehearsal start of June 8.
Link to Master Calendar
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Master Calendar... Special notes...
If you aren't sure if a call applies to you, please ask. Special note to our production CREW members. In addition to your other calls, you are expected at all tech rehearsals that Katy schedules. Please see the calendar and mark all dates and times just in case. Special note to our Sound Engineer, RILEY. You will need to participate in a few rehearsals - schedule TBD. Please work that out with Melissa. Special calendar note to our CAST:
If you have a conflict that is not listed on this calendar, it is not approved. If you have a conflict arise, we expect you to try to re-schedule it so that you do not miss any rehearsals. Please bear in mind, you are a member of of a small cast, rehearsing two shows concurrently. Chances are, you're in every scene so we probably can't just rehearse around your absence. |
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Update to our calendar with details about our final weekend at the Schauer Arts Center in Hartford...
Saturday, August 15 Load in Katy and her crew will load in the set with the discussed modifications to fit the space. TBD Call Time No Actors called. |
Sunday, August 16
Show Day TBD - Crew Call - this will depend on many factors including weather. 12:00 PM - Actors Called - Brush Up Rehearsal (This term fits into the AEA rulebook for calling a rehearsal) 1:30 PM - Half Hour 2:00 PM - Richard III TBD - Dinner Break for Actors 4:30PM - Half Hour 5:00PM - Merry Wives |
POSSIBLE: Cast and Crew gathering at the Schauer after performances and after loading the truck.
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2026 Show Dates and Parks All performances and activities are held outdoors between 1:00 pm and 6:00 pm every afternoon. Please see the Master Calendar for call times, etc.
Lunch You need to eat! We will feed you!
Time: Location: We're all on site between 5 and 9 hours - you need to eat and we're going to do our best to make sure that happens. Lunch will be provided every day. It will probably be sandwiches unless we manage to obtain a special deal with a non-sandwich provider. There will also be bottled water, gatorade and decidedly unhealthy snacks all day. Associate's Handbook Our 2026 Associate's Handbook available here will also be distributed to everyone with their individual letter of agreement. Topics include policies and procedures about weighty topics such as non-discrimination, equal opportunity and health & safety.
Yet, while this Handbook addresses serious topics that are important to working together responsibly, it exists in service of a joyful purpose, which is to share the magic of Shakespeare in the Park with our community. OT values creativity, generosity, curiosity, and mutual respect, and we strive to create working environments that reflect those values. 
Link to the 2026 Associate's Handbook
Weather (aka rain) ... it's a fact of life and a big consideration for outdoor shows.
Shakespeare in the Park is a rain or shine show. What that really means is our crew will drive to the show location to set up regardless of the weather. If there's a downpour, Melissa and I might hold set up until we see a break. If the weather radar doesn't show any let up, we'll still wait until the last minute to make the call to set up or not. The goal is to do the shows no matter what. If we set up and the weather turns bad... - Is it bad enough to push through or do we need to pause the performance?
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. Everyone has a favorite, but I'm usually monitoring Accuweather. LINK TO ACCUWEATHER FOR MILWAUKEE |
2026 Line-up of shows and activities
Show and activity times are in progress and will be shared here as soon as possible. Once the schedule is set, it will be the same for every show day. This rundown does not currently include call times for set-up, scene or set changes and strike. Finding the shows - cast and crew The parks where we perform are large and you know where to go. This map will cover the info WE need - vs the public.
Unless you're already sure where to go, crew will meet at top of the call follow the leader as we drive on. Anyone else - Carter/ Wardrobe, House - please take a look at this and make sure it's understandable. IF you get lost, call or text Susan 262-498-5777. Cast - Melissa will also email you directly with instructions on where to meet, call times, etc. If you need to drive on to drop off, please feel free to do so. We need to drive van(s) on site so here will always be an access point for your car. (This is our 2025 map. 2026 is in process.)
Detailed Descriptions for Finding Show Locations These are 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. (These are the 2025 descriptions. 2026 are in process.) 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 |