singing the song of angry men

about 65 protesters showed up at the skylight opera theatre's 4 p.m. board of directors meeting today at 411 e. wisconsin avenue to protest the seemingly haphazard restructuring of the company, which included firing artistic director bill theisen and four others.

singers, actors, former and current artistic directors, and others carried signs and sang scary protest songs like "bring back, bring back, oh bring back my skylight to me, to me," (to the tune of "my bonnie") as selected skylight staff and board members entered the building.

"we saw several staff members drive in – no eric [dillner] though – and several board members, some of whom were on our side and gave us 'thumbs up" one of the protesters reported.

to these folks there's been a death in the family. the skylight was financially ill, and the folks in charge looked at the patient and decided to remove it's heart.

from the journal/sentinal's tom strini:

Many of those on the sidewalk have been busy online, calling for Dillner to be fired and Theisen reinstated. They were encouraged to hear that Colin Cabot, a key player in the company's transition to institutional status and the force behind the development of the company's Broadway Theatre Center, had flown in from his New England home to address the board. He is no longer a member, but he wields considerable influence.

The crowd greeted Cabot as a white knight, and many hugs were exchanged after he crossed Wisconsin Avenue. Though he hasn't lived in Milwaukee in 12 years, Cabot seemed to remember everyone's name.

one wonders how many of those names current managing director eric dillner would know.

the milwaukee theatre community is holding it's collective breath tonight, as the board meeting went into closed session at about 5:40 pm, presumably to discuss the unfolding crisis.

colin cabot greets protesters old friends.

those musical theatre types are a scary bunch, huh?

that smiling woman will be thrilled her photo is on 'the nets.'

colin cabot talks to the crowd, crowd is amazed someone is talking to them.

(photos courtesy konrad kuchenbach & joel kopischke)