theisen to be oliver hardy at milwaukee rep

skylight opera theatre artistic director bill theisen will begin the 2010 season across town at the milwaukee repertory theatre as one half of "laurel and hardy," the opening show at the rep's stackner cabaret. rep regular gerry neugent will play stan laurel.

theisen, who has appeared in over 15 shows at the skylight (and directed 15 more) has performed for virtually every other theatre company in town including the milwaukee chamber theatre, first stage milwaukee, next act theatre, the florentine opera, theater x and others. this will be the first time the veteran milwaukee performer has appeared at the milwaukee rep.

is the rep's new artistic director mark clements the reason for the change? "he truly wants to hire more local performers," said theisen. "my being in laurel and hardy is proof of that."

clements caused a bit of a stir in the milwaukee theatre community when he announced the rep would open their 2010 main stage season with "cabaret," marking the first time the company has included a full-fledged musical in their schedule. theisen's outlook is decidedly upbeat: "i think the rep doing a musical is good for everyone," he said. "rep audiences – who might not attend musical theatre and enjoy 'cabaret' – may try coming to the skylight for the first time."

though he is fairly new to town, clements has already forged a good relationship with theisen and others. "i have had a few meetings with mark and like him very much. i think he is just what both the rep and milwaukee need."

is this the beginning of a beautiful friendship between the two companies?

"with mark and i working together, the possibility of much collaboration between the skylight and the rep seems very likely, which is fantastic for the milwaukee arts community."

the american premiere of tom mcgrath's "laurel and hardy" runs september 24 through november 14 at the rep's stackner cabaret.

playbill leads with skylight story

the skylight opera theatre has become the national arts story. new tonight, from ken jones at playbill.com:

The resignation of the vilified Eric Dillner came a day after a major story in the New York Times left some with the impression that the staffing soap opera made the company look like it didn't know how to run itself (the Times headline crowed "Figaro Meets Fargo," referring respectively to the Rossini opera and the movie populated by Midwestern boobs and bunglers). Playbill.com and the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel had previously covered the saga.

dillner resigns from skylight post cabot/lounsbery brought in as interim ad/md

(updated 8/5/09 9:40 p.m. est)

eric dillner has resigned as managing director of milwaukee's skylight opera theatre, it was announced at a 3 p.m. meeting of the full skylight staff. the news was delivered by interim board president terry kurtenbach, and an announcement to the skylight board of directors followed shortly thereafter.

joan lounsbery will return to milwaukee from her home in santa rosa, california to assume the role of interim managing director, and colin cabot, also a former managing and artistic director of the company, will return as interim artistic director.

bill theisen, the artistic director who's position was eliminated on june 16 – an event that became the catalyst for weeks of angst, frustration, protests, and national publicity – will resume his duties as director of four shows he was previously under contract for: barber of seville, plaid tidings, marriage of figaro, and the long and the short of it, for which cabot and his wife, actress/singer paula cabot have agreed to return to perform in.

UPDATE 8:25 p.m. – joan lounsbery has released the following statement about the developments in milwaukee, and her return to the company on august 24th:

"I am honored that the Skylight's Board of Directors has invited me to return to Milwaukee to serve as Interim Managing Director. I am especially pleased to be working alongside Colin Cabot in his role as Interim Artistic Director.

I have every intention of doing my part to quickly restore the Company to its position of national prominence and to work with the board, the staff, the artists, the subscriber and donor community, the press and the public at large to ensure a stellar 50th anniversary season. I can't wait!"

UPDATE 9:40 p.m. – tom strini reports that skylight marketing director kristin godfrey has said all performers who had been fired by dillner or quit their roles would be restored.

the full skylight press release:

Managing Director Eric Dillner Resigns

Milwaukee, WI, (August 5, 2009) - Interim Board President Terry Kurtenbach today regretfully announced the resignation of Skylight Opera Theatre Managing Director Eric Dillner. Dillner said, "I had to make many difficult decisions to streamline the company and it is now best for me to step aside and let someone else carry it forward."

"The decisions to lay off several valued employees, eliminate positions through attrition, reduce artist fees and ask staff to take furloughs, though unpopular, were necessary in order to address the Skylight's budget gaps and help secure its viability in the future," said Kurtenbach. "Eric is a strong manager willing to make difficult decision with professionalism, honesty and integrity. The Board of Directors and I appreciate Eric's service to the Skylight during the challenging times brought on by the national economic crisis. We thank him for his commitment to the Skylight and wish him the best."

"During the current difficult economic climate, many performing arts organizations have faced staff reductions," said Dillner. "As the economy took its toll on the Skylight's fortunes, the Executive Committee and I made these extremely difficult decisions in order to preserve the financial viability of this extraordinary company."

Eric Dillner, a professional artist in his own right, came to the Skylight from the Shreveport Opera, where he successfully weathered 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina during his seven-year tenure. He has devoted the last decade to building companies, audiences and artists' careers. He will continue consulting with the Skylight, but will engage in other pursuits to build and develop artists, nonprofit companies and build future audiences. He plans also to further develop topic-based outreach programs such as "Herman the Horse: a Healthy Tail" and "Why Dinosaurs Don't Smoke".

"I wish the Skylight the best in all its future endeavors and leave it in the hands of a capable staff, and fiscally responsible and caring Board of Directors. It is an amicable departure." Dillner added, "I am thankful for the support I have received here in Milwaukee and from around the globe."

The Board of Directors plans to explore a full range of options as it considers Dillner's successor. Two Skylight alumni, Joan Lounsbery and Colin Cabot, have graciously offered to help manage the company in the interim until a replacement can be identified.

The Skylight will be celebrating its 50th Anniversary Season in 2009-2010. The season will open on September 18th with a beloved opera The Barber of Seville, sung in English, as is all work at Skylight Opera Theatre. The season includes an exciting line-up of shows featuring the full range of music theatre for which the Skylight is known. The season, produced at the Broadway Theatre Center, will also include Plaid Tidings, The Marriage of Figaro, A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine, and RENT. Enthusiasm for this season continues to be high.

figaro vs. fargo: the times article

8:53 p.m. – i'm at a the joyce theater in nyc seeing pilobolus. but see if this link works...and discuss.

2:07 a.m. – someday soon we'll talk about how amazing the pilobolus performance was (especially darci wutz's former student and skylight opera alum andrew herro. stunning.)

tonight, i'd first like to publicly say to all the good folks who don't actually live in wisconsin that the film "fargo" is set in minnesota. not milwaukee. (but you know, a jersey dialect sounds a lot like new york, too...)

that said, the comment section of this post – a post that was initially only one line, put up quickly from a cell phone to give readers a chance to vent – has covered some interesting ground.

but there's been no mention of this gem, from daniel wakin's new york time's article on the skylight opera theatre saga (my emphasis):

Mr. Dillner said he respected Mr. Theisen’s directing abilities tremendously and suggested that the local performers were upset because without Mr. Theisen, they wrongly feared losing opportunities at the Skylight. At the same time, he said, at least one person pulled out of an audition because disgruntled performers threatened to ostracize him. Mr. Dillner said the performer declined to be named.

local actors were worried that without bill theisen they might never work at the skylight again?

please. discuss.

the blogs and the rumors

performink wades into the choppy skylight opera waters, takes a stab at a complete wrap-up of the entire situation (difficult at this point) and includes what basically amounts to an interview with the skylight's marketing director kristin godfrey.

here's godfrey on the number of skylight season subscribers looking for refunds:

“I process about two refunds a day. They feel that they’re not getting the season they paid for. They are a little gun-shy. They read the blogs and the rumors. I don’t want to make anyone unhappy. I hope we can welcome them back. I wouldn’t say we have an outpouring of support at the box office. But when I speak to people in the community in what I would think of as our demographic, they don’t understand why people are reacting so angrily.”

it's unlikely godfrey was suggesting this, but just to be clear – there's a difference between blogs and rumors. this blog has not been one to propagate rumors. facts, and comment on facts.

and two refunds a day since june 16 would equal 90 refunds for season subscriptions, while only going back to the firing of bryce lord and jon stewart would put the number at 30.

can we safely assume the actual number is somewhere in between?

strini: skylight operates on good will

milwaukee journal/sentinal music and dance critic tom strini, about to leave his post at the paper, stopped by wuwm's lake effect and talked about the skylight situation.

"80% of the artists who appear on the Skylight stage are local. They have a stake in the place. The Skylight operates as much on good will as it does on money."

(listen to the full strini interview in full here.)

skylight news travels across the pond

the just released august issue of the british magazine OPERA, includes this unhappy news item on page 928:

DISCORD IN MILWAUKEE

Milwaukee's Skylight Opera Theatre has been engulfed in a row following the dismissal of its popular and successful Artistic Director, Bill Theisen, who had been in the post for the last five years. The Managing Director who dismissed him, Eric Dillner, claimed that he was merging their two posts out of financial necessity, but his actions are being seen as a colossal public-relations blunder.

According to Tom Strini of the city's Journal-Sentinal, Dillner, who arrived from Shreveport Opera in Louisiana in March 2008, was practically unknown to the city's audience until he took the step. "He did not seem to grasp that Bill Theisen isn't just anyone. Theisen started acting at the Skylight as a teen and performed there intermittently while leading a busy national career as a performer. He loves the Skylight and personified its ethos. He is also a great director and fine performer. You don't just throw someone like that under the bus."

Artists are lining up behind Theisen and heaping public scorn on Dillner. As things stand, Skylight Opera Theatre now goes into its 2009-10, 50th anniversary season with no Music Director and no Artistic Director.

(hat tip k. kuchenback)

what happened at the skylight?

chris krasovich puts together a thorough timeline of the skylight debacle.

wininger: "blatant disregard for artists"

leslie wininger, former development director for the skylight opera theatre has sent this letter to eric dillner and the skylight board.

leslie's message to all those standing against the recent restructuring: "I just want everyone to know that I am standing, and have stood, squarely with them."

Dear Mr. Dillner and members of the Skylight Opera Theatre Board of Directors,

I am very saddened to find it necessary to write this letter, but I must add my name to the growing list of artists, former staff, and Board members who have withdrawn their support from Skylight Opera Theatre.

I have avoided expressing an opinion until now because I didn’t want to add to an already painful situation or harm an organization about which I care deeply. Having stepped down as the Skylight’s Development Director three years ago, I did not feel it was my place to weigh in on the decision to eliminate the positions that set off this unfortunate chain of events. I didn’t know all of the circumstances that led to the decision, nor should I. What’s more, I still have friends who work at the theatre, and I wanted to support their efforts to try to make the best of the very difficult situation in which they found themselves. I also still respect and admire many of the board members with whom I was privileged to work. But your combined actions over the past month, and especially the past two days, have forced me to reconsider.

In an arts organization, the staff’s role is to provide and protect an environment where artists can effectively practice their craft. The Board of Directors’ role is to ensure that the organization has the resources and leadership it needs to allow both the staff and the artists to be successful. In the current situation, neither the Managing Director nor the Board of Directors is fulfilling its solemn responsibility to the Skylight. As a result, the organization so many of us love is on the brink of destruction and I cannot in good conscience support it any longer. I am withdrawing my financial support effective immediately.

As the former Development Director, no one knows better than I how important charitable donations are to the theatre. When I left, contributions represented well over half of the Skylight’s annual operating budget and that figure was growing every year. Ticket sales were (and apparently continue to be) strong. But with that blessing also comes the curse of not being able to significantly increase earned revenue without dramatically increasing ticket prices. That option wasn’t viable three years ago, and it certainly isn’t viable during a recession. Donations must “fill the gap” between what it costs to operate the organization and what’s sold at the box office.

So I understand that the theatre needs donations now more than ever. But I also understand that it is artists, and in this case the Skylight’s artists, who inspire donors to give to arts organizations. Yes, it’s the Board and staff that usually do the asking, but there would be nothing to ask for if it weren’t for the artists. They are the reason patrons come to the theatre. They are the ones who touch our emotions. They are the ones who “help us remember some things, forget others, and refresh the dry places in our spirits”. It’s not the Development Director, the Managing Director, or the Board of Directors.

It’s heartbreaking to see that those who believe that a strict business model can be applied to an arts organization have overtaken the leadership of the Skylight. Your blatant disregard for the artists and the donors who care so deeply about the Skylight demonstrates that you do not understand the basic, beautiful nature of what you’ve promised to protect and preserve.

In my opinion, there is only one way out of this sad situation: Mr. Dillner must step down, and the Board must accept Colin Cabot’s incredibly gracious offer to serve as the interim Managing Director. Any board member who cannot endorse these actions should step down, as well. Then and only then can Colin and the remaining Board members undertake the enormous task of reengaging all of the stakeholders that have been disenfranchised during this debacle and re-claim the Skylight’s rightful place among our community’s most vibrant and treasured cultural institutions. To do otherwise is to willingly destroy Skylight Opera Theatre. Should these actions be taken, I would be willing to dedicate considerable time, talent and resources to the effort to save the Skylight.

Arts organizations – by their very nature – are living organisms. They can flourish or perish overnight. I fear your actions have wrought the latter. Please reconsider before it is too late.

Most sincerely,

Leslie Wininger
Development Director
2002-2006

reports from catalano square

3:03 pm:

jonathan west will be posting video of the meeting throughout the day.

1:48 pm:

full audio of the skylight meeting in catalano square this morning.

(hat tip fred pike)

1:29 pm:

this seems key, to me. from this morning's discussion. board president terry kurtenbach states the skylight cannot afford a full-time artistic director. the question the comes, can the company afford a part-time artistic director? in his answer, kirchenbach claims the following:

"That is a very fair question. And you know, that is part of the issue that we probably didn't fully consider. However there were options. This is not the circumstance that came to, you know, the position...that came to the individual out of the blue. There were discussions. There were options."

this would seem to suggest that bill theisen was given options to remain in an artistic director position, in something other than a full time basis. this has been disputed again and again by theisen.

12:45 pm:

dillner's opening statement:

"For those of you who don't know me, I'm Eric Dillner, managing director of the Skylight.

I think we're all here for the same reason. You all love the Skylight, I love the Skylight, we all have loved it for many different lengths of time. Many of you for your whole life, some of us for, ah, well, I'd say for the last ten years i've known about the Skylight, but the last year and a half, I've loved it, like you have, but for different reasons.

Our whole mission here, all of us, together, is to produce exciting, wonderful productions that our community at large can enjoy, and love, and celebrate a special occasion at that evening, have dinner, celebrate with a drink afterwords. We're all here to make that the best that it can be.

We have this terrible thing called the economy hurting us right now. We're all suffering from that. We are personally suffering from it, we're emotionally suffering from it. The Skylight is one of the most important things in our lives, to keep the doors open. We aren't here discussing whether...well, we are here to discuss how we're gonna take it forward, but we also have to completely understand that we're here to discuss how to keep the doors open..."

12:28 pm:

jonathan west: the message we got today, from the new board president, was that it is mostly "the artist's responsibility" to fix this problem. if they don't they are not being gracious. (full quote from kurtenbach coming.)

molly rhode: in his "opening statement" kurtenbach said he had been on the board six years, but doesn't know any of the artists.

and then there is this, from the earlier tuesdays emailer, summing up the meeting:

Kurtenbach: "You need to help us fix this."

Dillner: "All of the people we lost have been replaced already."

Cabot: "Think of what you're doing."

Dillner: *interrupts Colin Cabot*

Kurtenbach: "The board knows what its doing."

Us: "Do you want to apologize for anything"

Kurtenbach: "Sorry for not telling you sooner."

Us: "Why should we trust you?"

Kurtenbach/Dillner: "............"

12:22 pm:

the meeting has apparently concluded. working on getting audio. video should come later in the day. an emailer to tuesdays: "oh my god, it was a bloodbath."

11:49 am:

radio silence. sorry. fyi, there is, i believe, video happening on the scene, so hopefully this is all being captured and will be online later today. (and no, dear christopher, i am not twittering this and live-blogging this. besides, much of milwaukee hasn't quite caught on to twitter yet.)

on a side note, this from damien jaques in this morning's journal/sentinel:

"[Artists] are not fast food employees who can be summarily shuttled in and out. Haughtily referring to them as a mob, as a Skylight board member reportedly did, reveals a stunning lack of understanding as well as a sickening arrogance."

11:19 am:

actress molly rhode point blank asked dillner to please step down. dillner refused.

lighting designer kurt schnabel has withdrawn from next season. he was contracted to design both "barber" and "figaro." his resignation letter will be posted later in the day.

11:09 am:

the discussion has become quite intense and probably too complicated to relay in a forum like this, says my source. (but we'll keep trying.)

10:58 am:

dillner modifies his last statement. no, not all have been replaced. jamie johns is speaking. and, according to my source, "getting squelched."

10:55 am:

there are now definitely over 100 people present.

eric dillner has just announced that he has an entire list of replacements for next season that he will release very soon. everyone has already been replaced.

10:50 am:

just a reminder to readers: this is all very fluid. none of the information here is in quotes. these are rough ideas of what is going on.

my source is suddenly very quiet.

10:40 am:

kurtenbach is talking about the process that took place at last night's board meeting, arguing it was fair, and the community should participate out of a sense of obligation. (these are not quotes.) in a democracy, some win, some lose.

dillner speaks. an apology. west asks why he should be trusted. kurtenbach then explains why the board has been slow in reacting, and he apologizes on behalf of the board and asks for understanding.

10:30 am:

the hastily called meeting of skylight opera theatre artists, colin cabot, and eric dillner is underway in milwaukee's catalano square, just south of the skylight's home in the broadway theatre center. reports of 100-120 people in attendence.

new board president terry kurtenbach spoke at length about his fairly short history with the skylight, which began with the first show he saw there, "floyd collins." cabot spoke for a few moments, and now jonathan west is posing questions on behalf of the artists.

wilkowske quits: "breaks my heart"

andrew wilkowske, slated to perform the role of Figaro in both the barber of seville and the marriage of figaro has sent a letter of resignation to the skylight board, suzanne hefty, and eric dillner, making him the 24th artist to withdraw from the upcoming skylight opera theatre 50th anniversary season.

I'm writing to confirm that I too am withdrawing from The Barber of Seville and The Marriage of Figaro. I was to have played Figaro in both productions. It breaks my heart, but these shows have been severely compromised with the departure of Bill and so many others who have made SOT a second home for me.

deehr quits: "saddens me deeply"

longtime skylight singer/performer justin deehr drops out of the barber of seville:

Dear Eric Dillner and the Skylight Board of Directors,

It saddens me deeply, but I am writing you to withdraw from the chorus of the upcoming production of Barber of Seville.

I have some conflicts with rehearsals for this show that I discussed with stage manager, Jessica Berlin Krivsky about two weeks ago. These conflicts combined with the current events of the last few days I now feel that I can no longer be a cast member of a show that is not the original show I agreed to be a part of.

Most regrettably,

Justin D. Deehr

"a few overly inflated egos"

tuesdays is receiving letter after letter like this, from skylight fans and subscribers, sent to the skylight board. while it's impossible to publish all of them here, this one caught my eye:

To the Skylight director and boards,

I write this as a long time supporter of the Skylight, not with dollars (but if I had more, I would definitely have given more) but with passion...my husband and I have been subscribers for more years than the records reflect--the early 60s before you kept records of these things.

We have seen the Skylight and have loved it. When our children were little, Clair used to take us up to his rooftop garden, and instilled a love of plants in our oldest son. And memories for all of us.

We were familiar with all of the early performers...Ray Hickman, John Bohan, Jack Strawbridge, the Quints, Monty Davis, Kurt Ollmann, and eventually, Colin Cabot, Tony Clements, Norman Moses, Jamie Johns, Richard Carsey, Bill Theisen, Ray Jivoff...and more names, but those are the ones I recall at this moment. Some we knew personally, others we just knew on stage.

We are saddened by what is going on right now. From the beginning of this nonsense, we had this haunting feeling that this was going to be the demise of the Skylight, and just before the 50th anniversary...how terribly sad.

One almost gets the feeling that this was a set up to dispose of Bill Theisen so that Eric Dillner could create his own fifedom. And we question what agenda Suzanne Hefty has. It seems like the agendas (of these two people) have backfired.

Although the Skylight has had good and bad times... financially... and the economy has not been good in the last year or so...there seems to be no reason for the bad management that has taken place. There are ways to work things out, but the firing of the Artistic Director is not one of them! Who is more important to the production? I can’t go into the details as well as the professionals who have already written to you, but from a “people” standpoint, there are ways to handle situations that certainly are preferable to the way this has been handled.

What a waste of a wonderful company, and all for the sake of a few overly inflated egos.

Marianne & Sherm Abrahamson
7/22/09

the ny times reads tuesdays

check out this morning's new york times.

careful the things: reader responses

excerpts of two of the many reader responses to careful the things you say:

I feel like a man without a country.

I'm contracted with the Skylight verbally. I'm keeping my head down and waiting for the chaos to return to order...somehow. At the same time, I'm hearing from people telling me what I should do -- "I would have resigned by now," "If things don't work out, you'll be hearing loud and clear from a LOT of people."

How do I feel? I want to resign, but I'm trying to be hopeful. I want Bill back. I want Jamie back. I want Diana back. I want, so desperately, to have our Skylight back.

Something has to give, doesn't it?

However, I cannot -- will not -- do this production without the people who believed in me more than I ever could. What's the point really? I'm just not announcing it yet.

I want you to know that there are some of us -- the ones in the shadows -- still out there 100% behind our friends. But we're so very confused, and waiting patiently for the storm to subside.

Thank you so much for what you're doing...and for listening.

and then there's this:

Your last blog post, careful the things you say, has put a lot of people like myself, who may not have the choice to drop out of the 2009/10 Skylight season, because of either being without insurance or just trying to pay next month's rent, a little more at ease.

The past month has been eating away at me. I don’t agree with what is being done to this theatre company. But come the start of the season, I have to walk through the doors if I want to live, eat and sleep.

I have to leave behind all the problems I may have with the move Skylight is making, and walk through that door and try and make the best of it. Try to make a living. Try to smile and not cry. I think there are a lot of people in my shoes who don’t know if they should follow the crowd, or follow their wallet.

I’ll be walking into and working along side a company I no longer understand. Some of the people may be the same old folks I’ve known for years, but the family will be broken in heart and soul.

I just hope and pray that someday the Skylight Opera Theatre can be the place everyone can call home....again. Where we can share our laughs and our tears, our thoughts and our dreams. I don’t know when that will be. That is up to the powers that be.

a letter from konrad and john

To Mr. Dillner and the Board of the Skylight:

Attached is a link to a youtube video that we wish you would all watch.

It was brought to my attention by one of your fired employees. He, like Mr. Rogers in this video is a very caring artist, but I'm afraid that the mention of this person's name might turn you off.

As long time subscribers and supporters of the Skylight both John E. Holland, my partner, and I are very disheartened by the direction that the Skylight has taken. John's first Skylight performance was COSI FAN TUTTE in June of 1960, the first opera the Skylight performed. My first performance was the double bill of THE MEDIUM and THE TELEPHONE in November of 1964. We were hooked and attended as many times as the budget allowed and became subscribers in the early 1970s.

Though the years we have grown to know a number of the performers as well as the administrative staff. We were there when seven year old James Valcq made his debut in Berg's WOZZECK. What guts it took for the Skylight to even put this work on.

However, it took a committed group of talented artists and supportive board of directors and donors working together. We no longer see that level of respect and support. Until we see this level of mutual support and respect return, with great regret we can no longer support the Skylight.

Sincerely,

Konrad Kuchenbach
John E. Holland

about that artistic endowment

from this morning's milwaukee journal/sentinel:

A new law signed by Gov. Jim Doyle this week allows nonprofits such as the University of Wisconsin Foundation and Marquette University more flexibility in tapping into endowment funds at a time when many have incurred losses because of the economic downturn.

Until now, organizations were typically barred from spending from an endowment fund when the value dipped below the historical dollar amount - the amount the endowment was originally set up with. They could spend only interest, dividends or appreciation.

Under Senate Bill 31, signed into law Monday, charitable organizations that manage endowments can make an informed judgment about whether to tap the original funding, said attorney Adam Wiensch, a partner at Foley & Lardner who specializes in trust and estates and lobbied for the bill.

perhaps the key phrase here is "an informed judgment." the new law does not change, however, situations where specific spending instructions from the donor are already in place, likely the situation with the 2004 skylight endowment to support the position of artistic director.

(hat tip: a tuesdays commenter)

ollmann quits: "destroy an institution"

kurt ollmann, under verbal agreement with the skylight to play the count in the marriage of figaro, withdraws:

I write as one of the performers slated by Bill Theisen to take part in the upcoming Skylight season (as the Count in The Marriage of Figaro), but not yet contracted by the Dillner administration. I'm not in a position to withdraw or resign but certainly have no intention of working for the company in its present form.

I recently celebrated the 30th anniversary of my debut at the Skylight and am amazed that it takes so few misguided souls to destroy an institution that has been a part of our lives for so long.

Kurt Ollmann

the jensens quit: "bidding farewell"

they're not actors or singers. or designers or directors. but they are donors. and not only financially. for 12 years, mother and daughter team of carol and amy jensen have supported the skylight with their pocketbooks, and their spatulas.

these two women embody "the skylight family" that this current board seems so willing to stomp on and squash. and they're done:

Dear Mr Dillner, Skylight Board and Skylight Board of Advocates,

Although the recent resignations of directors, actors, other artists and, now, the Cabots undoubtedly have a much more significant impact on the organization, we tender our resignation from the Skylight as well. Who are "we"? We are Carol and Amy Jensen who, for the past 12 years, set our schedules around the Skylight's "Tech Weekend" bringing food to the cast of each of the past 60 productions (save one tragic weekend we missed and for which we forever take responsibility for Branch Woodman's broken leg due to our failure to provide sustenance).

We started because of Tony Clements and his attempt to subsist on a Kit Kat diet. We continued because of the small, but wonderful, glimpse of the rehearsals we received as our reward. We worried through the rehearsals when the cast and the show wasn't coming together so easily. We rejoiced in the shows where the cast was so in sync in rehearsal that we knew what magic we would see opening night. Sometimes we knew the cast members well, sometimes we didn't. This past May, Bill arranged for the cast of Pirates to sing Happy Birthday to Carol - using the brownies that she had brought as the "cake" for the candles.

In addition to feeding the cast five times a year, we have, at various times, been Skylight employees, volunteers, donors, subscribers and, of course, always avid supporters. We've donated auction items to Skylight night and purchased our fair share as well. We have been so proud to be a part of the Skylight family.

Since mid June, our plans for the new season were uncertain and we agonized over what to do. Could we still continue our Tech Week tradition to support the cast without condoning the recent actions of the Board and management? The answer to that question became painfully clear late last week and with the inevitable resignation of so many artists.

Our role at the Skylight is small compared to the many talented and beloved artists both on stage and behind the scenes. But, it has been special to us and to the many casts that have shared our small repast on what is usually the longest day of rehearsal. Without them, our role, like so many others, has essentially been eliminated. And so, we must heartbreakingly resign, biding farewell to our treasured Skylight tradition.

One final note. In a meeting just last week with Mr. Dillner and Ms. Hefty, Amy tried to describe the sense of fear and loss of the Skylight spirit that was leading to the overwhelming outcry by so many. She tried to explain what it is that makes the Skylight so special. Mr. Dillner nodded reassuringly and said that it is the building that draws everyone together and that the "process" is still the same. Mr Dillner, it is neither the building nor the process that makes the Skylight special. It is the people. It was a wonderful family that came together in ways both great and small - onstage, offstage and in the audience - to passionately and collaboratively create, support and sustain the magic. Above all other responsibilities you may have, Mr. Dillner, it was your job to nurture that.

With the greatest sense of loss,

Carol J. Jensen
Amy S. Jensen

rasmussen quits: "disturbed & disheartened"

the bleeding continues: rick rasmussen, one of the country's most respected set and costume designers and a staple on the milwaukee theatre scene, is tearing up his contract from the skylight opera theatre, making him the 21st artist to pull out of the company's 50th anniversary season.

Dear Mr. Dillner and the Skylight Board of Directors:

Cowardice asks the question, 'Is it safe?' Expediency asks the question, 'Is it politic?' Vanity asks the question, 'Is it popular?' But, conscience asks the question, 'Is it right?' And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but one must take it because one's conscience tells one that it is right. -Martin Luther King, Jr.

I am writing this letter to resign my position as Scenic Designer for the Skylight Theatre’s production of A Day In Hollywood, A Night In The Ukraine. I have been associated with the Skylight Opera Theatre almost continuously, ever since I designed Sets and costumes for Dames At Sea in 1992.

Over these intervening 17 years I have felt blessed and honored to be asked to work on so very many incredible productions. I have been made to feel that I was part of the Skylight Family and I have been very proud of that association with other admirable artists and theater professionals.

I have always found everyone in the organization to be honest and up front in their dealings with the artists. I now find myself watching the current administration destroying that sense of family and honest dealing with its firing of Bill Theisen and the dismissal of many colleagues and their concerns. The disrespect and mishandling of trusted Artists and other hard-working colleagues is without precedence and I cannot work for an organization that will allow and support this disrespect.

These are people who have helped make the Skylight such a wonderful arts organization. Sadly the way their input and pleas for fairness have been ignored leaves me disturbed and disheartened.

I hope that, as time goes by, I can re-associate myself with the Skylight under proper management and better circumstances. For now, I must stand with my colleagues in speaking out about this outrageous behavior manifested by certain members of the board and the administration of the theater toward its artists and staff.

Rick Rasmussen