MILWAUKEE _ The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s production of “Arcadia” will move to Milwaukee Repertory Theater following a fire last weekend in UWM’s theater building.
The play, originally scheduled to run May 3-7 in UWM’s Mainstage Theatre, will instead be performed in the Stiemke Studio, the second-largest of The Rep’s three theaters with 200 seats. The play will open as scheduled on May 3 – requiring students to quickly reimagine scenery, props, costumes, as well as recreate staging, lighting and sound to get rehearsals back on schedule.
Arcadia’s on-time opening is being made possible by a three-way partnership between UWM’s Peck School of the Arts, The Rep and Shorewood High School, which is providing space for students to work until the Stiemke Studio is available. The seventh annual production of Rep Lab, a short play festival featuring The Rep’s highly-lauded Emerging Professional Residents, is currently in the studio.
“We have received a generous outpouring of support from the community, including this invitation to allow our students access to not only perform in a world-class facility, but the opportunity to work side-by-side with professional theater staff,” said Scott Emmons, dean of the Peck School of the Arts. “If there was a silver-lining, this would be it. These experiences build more than sets – they build character and strategic and flexible thinking, a skill set that isn’t as easily taught in a classroom.”
Along with the Steimke Studio, The Rep is donating access to dressing rooms, work space, a reception area and use of its lobby and ticketing system. Students will have the opportunity to work with The Rep’s union area heads on the production, as well as UWM faculty members, increasing their professional learning opportunities.
“As the largest operating theater in the state of Wisconsin, we at The Rep have a responsibility to hold up our citizenship by demonstrating how a theater company inextricably committed to the betterment of its locality can wield a nationally resonant, influential voice in the advancement of the art form in an ever-changing world,” said Mark Clements, The Rep’s Artistic Director. “I’m grateful to the staff at The Rep for coming together to make this happen so quickly. We look forward to hosting the students and staff of UWM in our space and learning from their resilience and dedication to the arts.”
Tickets for Arcadia can be purchased online at www.MilwaukeeRep.com, by phone at 414-224-9490 or in person at the Ticket Office, 108 E. Wells St. Proceeds from ticket sales will go to UWM’s Theatre Department to help rebuild and upgrade the Mainstage Theatre as a leading performing arts, and learning, center.
The set for Arcadia has been redesigned so that a new one can be built in as little as a week. Construction will take place at Shorewood High School, with UWM students working alongside high school students who are building the set for their spring play, “The Secret Garden.” Shorewood High School Principal Tim Kenney said his school, which has had two fires, understands UWM’s loss.
“To me, it is a very easy thing for us to open our doors and say, ‘What do you need?’” Kenney said. He noted that UWM and Shorewood have a long history of working together, with UWM providing technical assistance to Shorewood’s theater group, teaching a Girls Who Code class for aspiring programmers, and helping create “maker spaces” at the high school.
Theater Professor Michelle Lopez-Rios described the support from community groups and alumni as “amazing,” noting that faculty members have received messages from people as far away as Singapore asking how they can help. That encouragement helped them overcome feelings of loss from the fire.
“By Monday, we thought, even if we have to perform at the beach by the lake, the show will go on,” Lopez-Rios said. “But we are thrilled, and we are so excited, that Milwaukee Repertory Theater and Shorewood High School deeply understand our loss and know the importance of training the next generation of artists.”
UWM senior and actor Thorin Ketelsen said he was excited about performing at The Rep after seeing many excellent shows there during his college career. The switch to a new theater will require actors to change their performances and alter how they move on the stage. Ketelsen said he was ready for that.
“I sort of enjoy mixing things up, so it doesn’t bother me at all,” he said, “and I know the rest of the cast is on board as well.”
The accidental fire reported about 10 p.m. Saturday is believed to have started in the set/scenery shop behind the 500-seat Mainstage Theatre. The theater building suffered fire damage, and it and the adjacent music and art buildings have smoke and water damage. The music and art buildings are being cleaned and should reopen next week. The theater building will remain closed until fall.
Along with the art, music and theater buildings, the Peck School operates the Zelazo Center and Kenilworth Square East, which both include performance spaces. It also has classroom and studio space in Mitchell Hall. As a result, most performances this spring will take place in their originally planned locations. A few recitals were moved this week, but Arcadia, which involves about 80 students, is the largest production to relocate.