In early 2022, Peck School of the Arts students Ethan Hightire and Nahjee Robinson sat in Milwaukee’s Next Act Theater, immersed in Dominque Morisseau’s critical-acclaimed play Pipeline. Both were astonished by what they saw. Hightire recognized that the character Omari was a role he was born to play.
Hightire and Robinson immediately went to Katie Avila Loughmiller (Lecturer, Theatre) insisting that Pipeline was a show she had to see. Their intention? Advocate for an eventual UWM production of the piece.
Two years in the making, Pipeline opens at PSOA’s Kenilworth Five-0-Eight.
The play follows Nya and her son Omari, as Nya seeks the best for her son despite an education system that actively works against him. For Hightire, the themes of oppression and “Black silent rage” are of the utmost importance.
“I saw that I too could give myself permission to tell the stories of every Black boy that suffers with inherited rage through this role, including my own,” said Hightire. “Imagine how it feels to watch it come together after all these years of wanting, waiting, and work.”
Hightire found comfort in telling Omari’s story, which he sees as an opportunity to shed light on the ways Black students must fight for opportunity compared to others.
“So often, your work as a Black person is ignored, minimized, misidentified, or stolen,” said Hightire. “That’s why Black excellence is so significant. Not because there is a ‘colored version’ of excellence, but that the amount of effort it takes to be recognized as such requires so much more of us than our contemporaries.”
Loughmiller, who is directing Pipeline, noted how her love for the piece and desire to see it brought to life was multi-faceted, describing a connection with Nya as an educator and a person of color.
With a 17-month-old son of her own, Loughmiller felt a renewed connection to the story since Hightire and Robinson introduced her to the show. Her main motivating force is to showcase the work and sacrifices mothers make.
“The heart of this show is about a parent’s love, more specifically, a mother’s love,” says Loughmiller in the program’s director’s notes. “When I first watched this play, I was just starting to wrap my mind around the idea that I would have the same fears, worries, and love that mothers do.”
Despite challenging topics, she is confident that audiences will enjoy the show.
“This isn’t a lighthearted play, but it’s an important one,” said Loughmiller. “I really hope as many people come see my wildly talented cast tell this relevant and impactful story.”
Pipeline runs April 3-7. You can purchase tickets on the PSOA events calendar.
Story by Jason McCullum ’25