Optimist Theatre / News (as it Happens)

Shakespeare 2021 is Coming to YOU!

5/13/2021

So... GREAT News!

We are pleased to announce that Shakespeare in the Park and No Holds Bard 2021 are ON! We'll be presenting A Midsummer Night's Dream and The Midsummer Project, respectively, and SitP will be GOING MOBILE!

What does all of that mean?

Shakespeare in the Park: A Midsummer Night's Dream
In the grand tradition of keeping professional live Shakespeare free to see for as many people in the Milwaukee area as possible, we are taking what we've learned over the past decade of live shows (and a year of on-location filming) to build a fully realized, fully staged, fully touring show. Instead of one static location, our stage and cast will move--bringing the show to multiple parks and green spaces near YOU.

What you need to know now:

12 matinee performances over six weekends, beginning July 24-25
Full list of dates and locations will be announced very soon. (We've lined us some great spaces!) Updates will be posted here.
As always, the shows will be totally free to attend for everyone
Limited spaces at each performance will be held as reservable for our Members
(If you'd like to donate to help keep our performances free, or to become a member, click here .)
The stage show will be co-directed by M.L. Cogar, Optimist Theatre’s Dramaturg, and Tom Reed, Associate Artistic Director
The show will run 60 to 75 minutes, and feature a cast of six actors playing multiple roles. The story will focus on the follies of the lovers, and the foibles of the fairies Oberon and Puck.

No Holds Bard: The Midsummer Project
Following the success of our No Holds Bard: The Pericles Project (if you missed it, visit our YouTube channel and check it out) we will follow the live performances by filming our story to create a new season that will stream over the fall/winter.

From Executive Director Susan Scot Fry
"We’re happy and relieved to be joining the ranks of our fellow companies bringing live theatre back to audiences who are craving love, connection and laughter. With our mobile set, we’ll be able to help fill that need anywhere there’s a piece of flat grass, an electrical outlet and bathrooms within walking distance."

"This is also our opportunity to take our shows to green spaces all over Milwaukee. Connecting with all of our diverse communities is one of our cornerstones. It’s why we Optimists work so hard to keep our performances free."

After all, All the world’s a stage!

SitP 2020 Production Update

6/23/2020

It's a Sad News/Good News Situation

Heartfelt greetings from Optimist Theatre
We have both sad (but probably not surprising) news and an update on our current programming.

We’ve decided to postpone Romeo and Juliet until 2021. This was an incredibly difficult decision to make. We have been dedicated to making Peck Pavilion performances happen. But, we reached a point when we had to decide whether to hang on and roll forward with possible live performance dates for R&J or, instead, to do something we could do well right now (well, soon, anyway).

First, Why Postpone?
While it might have been possible to produce at the downtown Peck Pavilion this summer, it’s become a slimmer and slimmer chance. Some of the reasons we chose to delay Romeo and Juliet?

It’s impossible to forecast with certainty when Milwaukee will reach phase 4 (gatherings of 100 allowed with social distancing),
Audiences are indicating they will feel uncomfortable gathering in large groups for a while even after phase 4 is achieved,
The Marcus Performing Arts Center cannot predict when they may re-open their performance spaces, which includes the Peck Pavilion,
The further forward we push the dates, the less likely the weather would be pleasant outdoors in the evening, and
Shakespeare in the Park needs a minimum of 10 weeks of lead time for designing, building, rehearsing, etc. prior to opening. It’s doubtful a green light could be given more than 2 weeks ahead.

So, we made the hard choice to postpone.
sigh...

But, there is Good News!!!
On the flip-side, this postponement is an invaluable opportunity.
We are embracing today and our current resources to focus on what we CAN do to fulfill our mission and bring some Shakespearean fun to our community. Shakespeare in the Park is our highest profile event every season but Optimist Theatre is very busy year-round.

Optimists are still hot on the heels of fulfilling our mission and goals in 2020.

We have three programs in high gear:

Zoom To Be!
Our award-winning educational outreach program, To Be! Shakespeare Here and Now! has successfully adapted to a virtual platform.

14 shows for a middle school in Maryland and one in Wisconsin taught us a lot. Thanks to this adaptation, we are no longer limited to the distance our William Shakespeare (live and in person) can drive. Er… ride. On a horse… less carriage...!

No Holds Bard!
It’s so new, we aren't quite ready to describe it to you and there’s not even a blurb yet on our website! The focus, though, is on fun with Shakespeare.

Stay tuned for all the info about this program!

(graphic credit for Will in sunglasses to the Charleston City Paper, Charleston, South Carolina.)

This is a very low-key program that creates a personal, one-on-one connection using Shakespeare’s literature as touch points for youth living in trauma. Want to know more? Email or call (262-498-5777) Susan Fry.

To All of Us Optimists
Here's to embracing all the possibilities of today, doing work we can be proud of, and looking to the future.

With all our love, gratitude and optimism,

Susan, Ron, Tom, ML, Christie, Karen and Barbara

A Special Note to Our Supporters: Members, Donors and Financial Supporters – Thank You.
Nearly every arts organization in the country have suffered steadily decreasing financial support and for understandable reasons (https://artsnc.org/covid-19-pandemic-bad-for-arts-nonprofits/). Happily, thanks to you and organizations like the Greater Milwaukee Foundation and the Milwaukee Arts Board, we have funding to help keep our doors open.

Shakespeare 2021 is Coming to YOU!

SitP 2020 Production Update

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