CricketToes

Find The Promised Land On Teevee

Before we get to the the whoot worthy news contained in this post, let's get one thing out of the way: The world of children's entertainment is chockfull of mindless, mega-hyper tripe crafted to pander to every kid's uncontrollable attraction to anything that provides immediate emotional/physical satisfaction without regard to quality of content. Since it is the adult crowd that creates said tripe, it is certainly not the fault of the young ones because folks who have lived long enough to actually possess a matured brain in their pans should know better, right? Right.

Those facts being true, it is a wholly magnificent thing when a theater company continually presents works that actually convey deep human emotion and utilize history to give the knee-, elbow- and shoulder-biter audience members the invaluable gift theater is meant to give, which is the cathartic experience.

Just such a company is Milwaukee's First Stage. For 26 years, First Stage has been presenting and developing thoughtful, young-mind-growing and, yes, entertaining theater productions without pandering. And they have never shied away from topics deemed to be too sticky or uncomfortable, such as race, whether the audience be 8 or 80 years old. And here it comes--Whoot!

Other organizations have definitely taken notice of First Stage's great work and one, Milwaukee Public Television (MPTV), has smartly decided to help the company spread that greatness to a wider audience, including you.

On April 19 at 8PM, MPTV will air To The Promised Land on Channel 10. This play, originally presented by First Stage in January and February of this year, portrays the story of a young African-American girl named Ruth living in Civil Rights era Milwaukee. Through learning about the life of Golda Meir, the former Milwaukee resident who grew up to become Israel’s first female prime minister, Ruth discovers a way to deal with the loss of her brother and finds a path to her own promised land. Now that's what we call real theater for everybody!

Tune-in on April 19, you kids of all ages, and get your catharsis on.

(Thanks, Erica!)

Bring Your Own Artistic Creature To Life In The DanceLAB--Mwahahaha!

The process of artsy creation is always complicated and always messy, and anybody who tells ya different has never gotten his/her brain dirty--all right now, y'all know what I mean, sheesh! In the most obvious yet poignant metaphor in English literature, Mary Shelly told us so in her Gothic novel Frankenstein--a.k.a The Modern Prometheus. While she narrates nearly nothing of what must surely be a gruesome procedure of animating inanimate matter, we gather all too well that the process of bringing a new creation into this world is filled with both wonder and terror. Ask any mom--she'll tell ya that plus more than ya ever wanted to know!

So if that's the case, if it's so damn tricky and scary to create, why do we do it at all? Fair question, kids. Ya gotta be at least half off your nut to even try, right? Well, yes, but being half off your nut just means you're human, so that's no excuse, and being human means you not only try in spite of the tricky/scary but because of the tricky/scary, right? Right on!

In that spirit, Danceworks invites you and the artistic partner of your choice to apply for participation in its DanceLAB Art to Art 2013, an experimental performance event featuring works created by multiple two-artist teams who practice different disciplines. It's an artsy cross-pollination hootenanny!

One stipulation: One member of each team should be a choreographer or at least know a little sumpin' sumpin' about choreography. Pretty sure dancing along with the Glee gang in your living room doesn't count, but if you got the gumption and a high level of what-the-hell attitude, I'm not gonna tell ya you can't apply.

For the rest of you in film, music, theatre and visual arts, all you gotta do is find yourself one of those fancy dance types to partner with and you're good to go. Easy peasy!

Go to the Danceworks website to download the Art to Art 2013 application--it's under the DanceLAB tab--so you can face the wonder and the terror together!

(Thanks, Elyse!)

Related:
Video Confession: 3 Guys, 3 Beers & Modern Dance

Now Dig This: Urban Anthropology LIVES!

Much of the work done by mega smart anthropologists entails delving into the dusty, sneeze inducing archives of humanity's past. What draws them to this discipline is the desire to understand the always complicated and twisted paths we have followed through time and the occasional heady rush they get when they're reminded that history is never static--a feeling that should not be confused with the pleasant wooziness of having ingested a tad too much allergy medication.

But anthropology is not restricted to the study of ancient peoples and cultures that stops at some random, old-timey moment--it is a vehicle that allows us to connect the dots between the way-back-then, the not-so-long-ago and the here-and-now. This, it must be noted, is a tricky business. Why? Because while it is true that the nearer we are to a specific point in the past the more we know about it, it is just as true that our close proximity often clouds our view, obscuring relevant contributions to the picture as a whole.

So what proverbial machine can effectively clear away the mist from what may have been hidden from our conscience mind? Why, art of course! And that's exactly the tool Milwaukee's own Urban Anthropology Inc. is making use of by staging the theatrical production of The March to Kosciuszko. Hooray for artsy science!

Drawing from the very real era of the Civil Rights Movement, the play is set during the moments leading up to the fair housing march of 1967, when some 200 members of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) Youth Council mobilized and marched to Kosciuszko Park via what was known then as 16th Street Bridge. Long a geographic symbol of Milwaukee's racial and economic divide between the largly black North Side community and the largely white South Side community, the structure has since been renamed the James E. Groppi Unity Bridge in honor of the legendary Catholic priest who worked tirelessly for equality.

The March to Kosciuszko centers on two families whose neighborhoods, though dramatically different, have suffered the loss of available housing due to the unfettered and unwise freeway construction boom of the 1950s and 60s--a sad period for American cities across the country, the catastrophic results of which we are still trying undo. As the date of the march nears, each family grapples with their own issues. For the South Side family, it is the desire to preserve the historically Polish culture of their neighborhood. For the North Side family, it is the desire to play a role in the dismantling of systemic housing discrimination which denies blacks the freedom to live where they choose. Both are understandably wary of the violence that may be sparked by the march.

Serving as the narrator of the play is General Thaddeus Kosciuszko, for whom the Milwaukee park and its statue commemorate. Polish by birth, Kosciuszko was an engineer who served with great distinction during the American Revolutionary War against the British and then returned to Poland to win independence for his home country.

You may fairly ask, what does a Polish engineer born in 1746 have to do with the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s? Turns out that Kosciuszko's belief in equality was so strong that he requested that the money from his U.S. estate be used to buy freedom for slaves, provide them with education and purchase land. Now that's what we call a forward thinker! Not only that, his character serves as the metaphoric and anthropological human "bridge" between the play's two families. Whoa, that's deep, no? Yes!

Rehearsals are now underway for The March to Kosciuszko, but they are in need of three actors, one middle aged Latina and two middle aged to elderly African Americans (male or female). Actors will receive a stipend in the form of a share of the door for each performance. If you or someone you know would be interested in auditioning, contact Jill Florence Lackey, PhD at jflanthropologist at sbcglobal dot net asap.

The March to Kosciuszko will be staged at Basilica of St. Josaphat, 2333 South Sixth Street, in November. Stayed tuned to CricketToes to find out the exact dates when you can see this fascinating and anthropologically significant work of art.

(Thanks, Jill!)

Related:
Philosophers & Anthropologists Get Field Work In The Parking Lot

Met Opera's Spoiled Diva Tears Instigate Censorship Slap Fight

Here's a tirade you may have had the guilty pleasure of hearing/saying before: "Critics, who needs 'em, huh? Certainly not us artistic types, right? I mean, who are they to judge our work when they're just pathetic, frustrated artists themselves, spreading their negativity around like a Black Plague Epic Fail? Who gave them the right and power to scrutinize our creative efforts and influence audiences through their opinions?"

Sound familiar, not to mention more than a little infantile? You bet it does! Still, I have no doubt that in your more lucid, fair-minded moments you have answered that last question about the critic's source of right and power with the truth and a dope slap, saying, "Oh, right, it was us." Most likely followed by a quick return to denial.

Well, you're not alone, my friends. Seems that the Metropolitan Opera in rough and tumble New York City also carries this trait of super-sensitivity and is lashing out like a spoiled diva, giving us all an impressive demonstration in typecasting. I refer you to The New York Times for a full rundown, but to briefly recap first it whined to WQXR Classical Radio about a critical blog post, causing it to be taken down, and now it's effectively issued a shut-the-hell-up order to the 76 year-old Opera News. Might I suggest a ginormous, plus-size female breastplate as the permanent backdrop for each and every performance while you're at it? Sheesh!

To be clear, Opera News, which reviews productions nationwide, is published by the Metropolitan Opera Guild, meaning that a conflict of interest does exist. F. Paul Driscoll, the magazine's editor in chief, announced recently that Opera News would no longer review Met Opera productions, a decision that only the very simple wouldn't see as a direct arm-twisting maneuver by the Met's general manager Peter Gelb, who apparently has had his feelings hurt by some negative reviews.

So let's get right down the nitty-gritty by asking just who is at fault for allowing an artistic temper tantrum to turn into full-blown censorship, hmm? Got it yet? That's right, all of 'em! Ya can't have a slap fight by yourself. Well, ya can but ya really shouldn't in public unless ya wanna spend some quality time in a comfy padded room.

Come on, Met, really? Y'all know as well as anyone that presenting art in the public forum means you open yourself up to responses filled with praise, criticism and a whole lotta meh. If you can't handle that, keep it to a makeshift stage in your basement and invite only your bestest friends who won't be mean and, because they're biased by their deep like of you, will never give you an honest assessment of your work. Also, be sure to have a keg in the corner.

As for WQXR and Opera News, you two should aspire to be platforms upon which independent voices can whisper, cajole, harass and shout, so don't shirk that responsibility by letting yourselves be man-handled by an institution that believes itself to be beyond the critical gaze. No one is nor ever should be.

And just between you and me, Opera News, you're a bit old to still be living with your parents, holed up in your tween-decorated bedroom with your "Ring" cycle action figures and "La Boheme" sheets. Maybe it's time to spread your journalistic wings and move out.

To all of you, remember this: Complexity and contradiction is the essence of true love, whether it be for another human being or an art form, and if it cannot survive a little constructive criticism and make room for other points of view then it was never true at all.

UPDATE: The Met has very wisely reversed its ban on the Opera News reviewing its productions, largely due to regular opera loving peeps threatening boycotts--something which an old-timey art org can ill afford--and accusing of it of Big Brother conduct. The lingering aftermath of its bully tactics, of course, will no doubt leave a bad taste in many mouths, including performers, filling the house with the fetid stink of halitosis for a long, long time.

Related:
Lunacy Quickly Dimming Skylight's Stage Lamps

Finally, Old-Timey Vernacular Gets The Quality Airing It Deserves

As regular digesters of this here blog know, Cricky's awful found of pulling words and phrases out from the dank linguistic cellar and giving 'em a good airing out 'cause, just like anything organic, language can and does get moldy and musty if ya don't. Also, folks tend to forget that the snappy vernacular of our parents, grandparents, etc. is tons o' fun!

In perfect alignment with that sentiment, Wisconsin Hybrid Theater--a.k.a. Radio WHT--and WMSE 91.7 FM are as tickled as giggly school girls to announce a brand new series called Frontier Radio Theater. And to that we say, "Whoozzah!"

Beginning this Sunday morning and continuing on the first Sunday of every month, WMSE Radio and online listeners will have the supreme joy of experiencing radio dramedy like it hasn't been aired in decades--at least not since the majority of y'all poked your tiny, adorable heads into the world.

First up is Sherlock Holmes’ Adventure at Stonor Manor, a re-imagined piece based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Adventure of the Speckled Band, deftly penned by Radio WHT's own Charles Sommers.

Now, I've been guilty of taking titles a tad too literally in the past--usually for the sake of hoots--but I get the distinct impression that old-timey won't be the only type of speech highlighted in this story. In my fragile mind it goes something like this:

"Listen, you no-goodnik, we'll fit ya for a pair of concrete galoshes and toss ya in the drink if ya don't come clean."

"Whoa, man. You need to mellow out, ya know, just loosen up. Like, uh, here, try this."

Eh? Eh? Could happen. I'm not sayin' it will, but it could happen.

I guess we'll all just have to tune in this Sunday at 9AM to find out for sure, right? Indeed.

Link (Thanks, Charles!)

Related:
Leave the Dishes in the Sink Ma--It's Time for Radio WHT!
Wisconsin Hybrid Theater Mashup: Very Old-Timey + Old-Timey + New-Timey

Put Your Brains On Parade

Remember last year when a whole gaggle of folks from every corner of Miltown came together to create socially relevant floats, puppets, music and dance, culminating in the first ever All-City People's Parade & Pageant? Sure ya do, and who doesn't, huh?

Well today co-producers Milwaukee Public Theatre and Milwaukee Mask & Puppet Theatre announced that planning for the sequel will begin posthaste and they need you to contribute all the gray matter you can spare to help 'em devise a theme and make 2010's parade even more spectacular.

Here's the initial schedule for the community brainstorming sessions:
Friday, April 23, 10-11:30AM
UWM Kenilworth Bldg., 1915 E. Kenilworth Place, Room #492

Wednesday, April 28, 6-7:30P
True Skool/Urban Underground, 4850 W. Fond du Lac Avenue

Tuesday, May 4, 6-7:30PM
Core El Centro, 611 W. National Avenue

Wednesday, May 5, 6-7:30PM
Agape gym, 6100 N. 42nd Street

Monday, May 10, 7-8:30PM
Urban Ecology Center, Riverside, 1500 E. Park Place

Thursday, May 11, 4:45PM
City Hall Rotunda, 200 E. Wells Street

Saturday, May 15, 3-4:30PM
Woodland Pattern, 720 E. Locust Street

Tuesday, May 18, 6-7:30PM
Bay View Library, 2566 S. Kinnickinnic Avenue

Wednesday, May 19, Time TBD
Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD), 273 E. Erie Street

All are RSVP events, so send an email to mptheatre2 at gmail dot com or call Milwaukee Public Theatre at 414-347-1685 to get your name on the VIB--Very Important Brains--list.

Also in the pipeline is a Train-the-Trainer Workshop for as many as 50 artists and teachers to learn giant puppet building techniques--an extremely useful skill for anyone who enjoys scaring the bejesus out of small children and animals. Date and time to be announced soon.

Not exactly sure what the All-City People's Parade & Pageant is? Or maybe you're wondering what level of nuttiness you'll be expected to display for the gaping crowd along the route. Click here to find out.

(Thanks, Linda!)

Theatre Editor Turns Prophet Of The Coming Apocalypse

David Cote, theatre editor for Time Out New York and well known critic, posted a nearly hysterical item at the Guardian yesterday, bemoaning the slash-n-burn techniques US publishers are employing to hand out pink slips to longtime, established critics. And when I say hysterical, I mean both in his delivery and in my own response of uncontrollable laughter.

Citing Variety's decision to cut loose chief film critic Todd McCarthy and chief theatre critic David Rooney on Monday--which is indeed sad--Cote's piece quickly spirals out of the realm of logic and into a diatribe of civilization-ending consequences should this trend continue.

He actually compares it with Alan Weisman's book The World without Us, stating, "You've seen the books speculating on what our cities would look like if humans vanished and nature were allowed to spread unchecked. Let's imagine a world without critics (please indulge my paranoid prognostication)." Well, yes, by all means, let's indulge him, shall we? Ha!

Combine that with his own less than stellar use of the English language--example: "... a parade of jobbing freelancers with little experience and even littler clout." Littler? Are you serious? Yes, it's a word, but that doesn't mean you have to use it. Sheesh!--and his analogy that "critics, reviewers, consumer reporters – call us what you will – are the dung beetles of culture. We consume excrement, enriching the soil and protecting livestock from bacterial infection in the process," and you've got the makings for a very public display of the crazies.

Now, don't get me wrong, kids, I do believe that critics play an important, if sometimes irritating, role in the health of the artistic community, but let's have a bit of perspective here. And for Pete's sake, whatever it is you're ingesting that makes you think it's an awesome idea to call the work that artists do "excrement"--the sole reason you have a job, btw--I suggest you put it down and phone a medical professional immediately. Be sure to ask for a lollipop on your way out.

Link (via Thomas Cott's "You've Cott Mail")

Join The Happening To Raise Funds For Injured Actors

The Youngblood Theatre Company has announced the details of the fundraiser to assist injured co-founder/ensemble actor Andrew Edwin Voss and his fellow thespian Jason Waszak cover medical costs as they recover from a senseless stabbing attack that occurred on Milwaukee's Eastside early Sunday morning.

The event, complete with music and a comedy show by Meanwhile Improv, will be held at The Alchemist Theatre Friday, January 29, starting at 7PM. $5 will get ya in, but we encourage all to dig a little deeper to show their solidarity.

With the announcement came word that Andrew's condition has been upgraded from critical to satisfactory after having undergone surgery at Froedtert Hospital, and thank the healing arts for that. Jason is recovering at home from less serious wounds.

If ya can't come to the happening tomorrow night, you can donate at The Alchemist website. All funds raised will be deposited in a single-purpose account called "Actor Aid" in the name of University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) theatre faculty member and mentor Raeleen McMillion.

Please give what you can to help these actors and their families diminish financial worry and ease what we know to be an extremely difficult physical and emotional burden.

Related:
Urgent Help Needed For A Fallen Artist
Youngblood Theatre Is Shakin' The Tree

Urgent Help Needed For A Fallen Artist

It was with great distress that we received an email from Michael Cotey, founding artistic director of Milwaukee's Youngblood Theatre Company, Monday evening informing us that Andrew Edwin Voss, company co-founder and ensemble actor, was the victim of violence early Sunday morning. Though we are not privy to the details of the incident, we do know that Andrew is currently in critical condition at a local hospital.

Andrew was appearing in the role of Davis in Youngblood's staging of Red Light Winter, which opened last Thursday. The play's run has been canceled due to this tragic turn of events.

The company has stated that those "who purchased tickets for the remainder of the run will be offered the opportunity to have their money refunded or donated towards Andrew’s costly medical expenses. The staff of the Alchemist Theatre will contact patrons individually regarding their tickets."

In a show of great compassion, The Alchemist is accepting donations for Andrew’s family at its website and will also host a fundraising event on Friday, January 29, beginning at 7:00PM.

Please give to help a young and talented artist in need.

To Andrew, may your recovery be swift and absolute.

UPDATE: It appears another actor, Jason Waszak, was also injured in the incident. He was treated at an urgent care facility and is recovering at home.

Related:
Youngblood Theatre Is Shakin' The Tree

Youngblood Theatre Is Shakin' The Tree

It's no secret that the art world regularly operates in a contradictory, nearly schizophrenic manner when it comes to offering opportunities to the young and/or largely unproved. Theatre manifests this nutty tendency in a particularly pernicious way, sapping the vast energy and drive of emerging actors, playwrights, directors, et al by placing them in glorified, dead-end gopher positions and blowing off their ideas, saying, "We'd love to see what you've got, kid, but come back when you've paid your dues."  So the only way for rosy-cheeked yougins and others without a ton of experience to crawl their way into the spotlight is to simply ignore the establishment and get crackin' on the work themselves.

As evidence that this can be done, I give you Milwaukee's Youngblood Theatre Company. Not only have these whippersnappers made the artistic independent leap, but at just six months old they've skipped the crawling and walking stages entirely and are running full tilt toward a promising future, bringing contemporary theatre to our old burg and shakin' the tree with gusto!

Last week I had the inimitable pleasure of sitting down with Youngblood's co-founder/ensemble actor/resident playwright/sometimes director Benjamin James Wilson, co-founders/ensemble actors Andrew Edwin Voss and Tess Cinpinski, and thespian David Rothrock. We met at the always drool-inducing Transfer Pizzeria in Bay View to discuss the company's production of Red Light Winter, opening tonight at The Alchemist Theatre.

Penned by jack-of-virtually-all-writerly-trades Adam Rapp (Nocturne, Essential Self-Defense) and directed for Youngblood by Wilson, Red Light Winter is the tale of two former college pals--Matt (Rothrock) and Davis (Voss)--who couldn't be more different from each other, their encounter in Amsterdam with a prostitute named Christina (Cinpinski) and its lasting effects. Sounds like a real hoot, right? Eh, not so much.

Seems the play actually wants to say something about how we humans--especially youngish humans--are so adept at finding ways to avoid what's really missing and messed up in ourselves that we'll do just about anything to redirect our attention. If it isn't boozing, self-medicating and/or sleeping around with strangers willy-nilly, it's cowering in corner, tormenting ourselves with negative thoughts, obsessing about someone we barely or don't even know, and/or pretending to be someone/something we're not. Now that's entertainment!

Chatting 'round a plate of antipasti, the director and actors had nothing but praise for Red Light Winter, relating their first impression of it as "scary good." Boy, I gotta tell ya, it's pretty damn hard to get four people to a place of complete agreement on anything, let alone on the quality of a play, so I'm gonna take their word for it. Also, I trust anyone who insists that I try a share of good eats, especially when they're holdin' down a day job to support their currently non-paying artistic life.

All four studied acting at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) and Wilson explained that having past working relationships meant that he could read the characters with actors in mind and not have to send out a casting call. It also meant that he could imagine a specific actor in a type of role he knew they'd never played before, adding an element of challenge and the excitement of exploration. Let's give a shout-out for breaking the curse of typecasting before it's got a chance to set, shall we? Whoot!

For their part, Cinpinski, Voss and Rothrock agreed that the knowledge they'd gained by working with each other in the past made it much easier and quicker to get a handle on the complexities and nuances of the characters and how they relate to one another. Both Voss and Rothrock expressed their belief that Cinpinski's role was the most formidable to develop as the text gave her less hints to the real motivations behind the actions of Christina than the two male characters. Leave the heavy lifting to the one woman amongst you, fellas, and all shall be well and right.

Red Light Winter opens tonight and runs through February 6, 2010, at The Alchemist Theatre, 2569 S. Kinnickinnic. Tickets are just $12 a pop and can be ordered online here.

Warning/Enticement: This is an adult play, people! There is nudity and rather explicit sexual situations, so leave the kiddies and your tween giggles at home, and enjoy the show!

Link (Thanks, Michael, Ben, Andrew, Tess, and David!)