Welcome to the 10th Anniversary!!

Column by Executive Director Susan Scot Fry

Greetings and Welcome to the 10th Anniversary of Shakespeare in the Park!
 
I confess, it’s hard to fathom that 2019 will mark the 10th anniversary of Shakespeare in the Park. How did that happen?
 
About a month before the cheers from the final standing ovation for King Lear became whispers, we started putting together this very special milestone season. The wild and raucous ride that is The Comedy of Errors seems like just the right way to celebrate.
 
Like any organization, there are regular tasks like budgets, balance sheets and board meetings. Specific to SITP19, we are or have already…

• Had post-production meetings with all of our partners and collaborators. We reviewed what we did, what worked, what didn’t and what we’d like to achieve next year.
  • So, The Comedy of Errors will have 12 performances in June and July of 2019 at the beautiful downtown Peck Pavilion!  
  • And, Optimist Theatre is the newest Resident Partner with the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts! I guess they liked what we did these last 2 years… ;-)
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• Applying for grants, grants and more grants because, as we all know, Shakespeare in the Park is free to see but far from free to produce.  Funders like BMO Harris, Brico Fund, Isabel and Alfred Bader Foundation, Milwaukee Arts Board, Greater Milwaukee Foundation, Harry & Lynde Bradley Foundation, Jane Bradley Pettit Foundation, Herzfeld Foundation, CAMPAC, Wisconsin Arts Board and a whole host of others make it possible to offer free SITP.
  
  Even with all that foundation firepower, would you be surprised to know that about 1/3 of our funding comes from individual humans like you and me? It’s true! (Thank You!)

 

• Begun assembling our dazzling design team, scheduling auditions, working our script cutting and all that other great pre-production jazz.
  
  Optimist’s own Artistic Director Ron Scot Fry and our longstanding Dramaturge extraordinaire M.L. Cogar are on board to co-direct The Comedy of Errors. Together, they make a powerhouse of skills in physical comedy and insightful wordplay. Ron's last directorial work for SITP was our lively homage to the summer of love, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. M.L. helmed The Winter's Tale as sole director, and more recently co-directed Julius Caesar.

 
There’s so much more that happens in the baker’s dozen of months it takes to create Shakespeare in the Park for 3,500-4,000 people each summer. In newsletters to come, I’ll share more insights about what and how we’re doing. In the meantime, it’s not too early to gather your confetti, plan your picnic and get ready to party next summer!
 
Optimistically,
Susan
 
Susan Fry is the Executive Director for Optimist Theatre. Contact her at [email protected]. Most of the time, she works alone and talks to her dog. Your email would be a welcome human interaction!
 
“We came into the world like brother and brother,
And now let's go hand in hand, not one before another.”
                                                                The Comedy of Errors, Act 5, sc 1

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