but what about pig-casso, moo-zart, and of course... david hare?

paula suozzi, theater director and former artistic director of milwaukee shakespeare and the skylight opera theatre, reminiscing about the good old days in wisconsin. you know, the days when scott walker wasn't the governor.

"I remember when (Scott Walker) was running for County Executive and someone at a public gathering asked him if he enjoyed the wide range of arts available here in Milwaukee County. His answer, 'Uh, yes, I love taking my kids to the zoo.' NO LIE. That was the moment I was done with him. I'll never forget it."

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.

a preview: the sky is not falling

rod weber is an actor, a singer, and an independent filmmaker and videographer. he's also the only person we called when we decided to document the sky is not falling, the skylight opera benefit in new york. by some strange stroke of good luck, rod was free, and he agreed to do it. he showed up on monday, october 5th at st. luke's theatre with three cameras and a crew of one.

here is a preview of the dvd you have to look forward to. it's a pretty astounding array of talent. everyone there to support their friends, to support art, and to support the skylight. all captured beautifully by rod.

i wish you could have been there too. something tells me, thanks to rod, you sort of can be.

theisen is the old new skylight a.d.

bill theisen will return to the position of artistic director of milwaukee's skylight opera theatre.

from the skylight:

SKYLIGHT OPERA THEATRE ANNOUNCES
THEISEN WILL RETURN AS ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Milwaukee, WI (October 14, 2009) -- Joan Lounsbery, Interim Managing Director of the Skylight Opera Theatre, has announced the re-appointment of Bill Theisen as Artistic Director. The decision is part of a redistribution of responsibilities at the Skylight that will remain in place while the Skylight’s incoming Board leadership and Managing Director assess the viability of all artistic positions moving forward.

Theisen re-assumes the Artistic Director position effective today through June 30, 2011. Board and staff leadership are in the early stages of a strategic planning process which will include an assessment of the Skylight’s long-term artistic leadership.

Theisen will manage productions and planning as well as facilitate the artistic team’s transition. He plans to direct up to two shows next season, which will reflect a program planned collaboratively with Interim Artistic Director Colin Cabot.

With Cabot’s departure today as Interim Artistic Director, “we all feel a great sense of urgency in establishing a 2010-2011 season that is exciting, forward-thinking, and financially viable,” Lounsbery said. “Bill’s re-involvement enables the Skylight to move forward in quickly planning and preparing for 2010-2011, and provides a level of consistency in the Skylight product while we continue to develop a strategic plan for artistic leadership.”

Lounsbery added, “I am grateful to Colin Cabot for his artistic leadership during this time of transition at the Skylight.” Cabot has been part of an interim management team along with Lounsbery. Although Cabot will no longer be on staff, he will attend Skylight Night, the company’s annual gala, on October 24, and will also attend the November 11 Annual Meeting.

The Skylight’s new management team will be fully in place on November 16, when Amy Jensen assumes the job of Managing Director, an appointment announced earlier.

“I love the Skylight and I always have, so I’m thrilled to be helping the administration with this transition,” said Theisen. “Amy Jensen will be a terrific leader for the Skylight, and I want to help her and the company in any way I can.”

zambello on skylight: "there is no other theatre company like it in the world."

francesca zambello, the internationally recognized director of opera and musical theater, and former artistic director of milwaukee's skylight opera theatre, speaks at the sky is not falling, the october 5th nyc benefit concert for the skylight. the concert grossed over $8500 in ticket sales and donations. a full-length dvd of the event is in the works, with a holiday release anticipated.

"The Skylight is unique. There is no other theatre company like it in the world.

People may come from all over the United States to work there, but there is also an amazing troupe of what are called local artists – which sometimes people go 'oh, local' – actually, that's the greatest thing about it. The fact that there is this tradition there of people who are performers: music theatre performers, opera singers, backstage workers, musicians, all in that community – which is not a great big city, remember. And they're all there and they make this family. That's why we all work in the theatre, right? Because there's that sense of family that we wanna be connected to. And that's what the Skylight has.

To lose that, and not hold firm to those principles, is something that is very, very sad.

So I really salute and applaud everyone who went to an incredible kind of internet campaign – led by people from Milwaukee – to say 'No, art is important. And local art is important.' Because without that, most of us who are here living in New York wouldn't have had these careers.

Nor would Milwaukee be the kind of city it is without an important institution like the Skylight."

big news from the skylight wednesday

let's just say peter allen had it right...everything old is new again.

the sky is not falling: the performers

just a few of the 20-plus performers who were part of the sky is not falling last monday night. it was an incredibly diverse group of singers and repertoire. just like the skylight itself. (photos by lesly weiner.)

kate mccann. a call from the vatican from "nine".


tari kelly. he loved me till the all clear came.


phyliss somerville. way back home from "spitfire grill".


malkia and nathaniel stampley. wheels of a dream from "ragtime".


francesca zambello. "if it weren't for the skylight, i wouldn't have the career i have today."


joel hatch and niffer clarke. daisy's confession from "adding machine: a musical".


lisa brescia. i'll be here from "ordinary days".


shuler hensley and tony clements. curly and will 17 years on.


branch woodman. a better emcee you could not ask for.


michael diliberto. clair is always there written by skylight alum brett ryback.


carol chickering burden & william burden. o happy we from "candide".


richard carsey. rock solid accompanist extraordinaire.


malkia stampley. last night i didn't get to sleep at all.


john kuether, branch woodman & nathaniel stampley. three little maids from "the mikado."


carol chickering burden signing posters to be auctioned off in milwaukee at skylight night, the skylight's annual fundraiser.

"is this going to be a yearly event?"

that seemed to be the question of the night.

the sky is not falling, the benefit for the skylight opera theatre at st. luke's theatre in new york city, was - if i do say so myself - a pretty stunning evening of entertainment. there was definitely an "old skylight" feel to the venue (st. luke's theatre seats less than 160 people, and there are posts! not blocking any sightlines, but along the side of the seating area) and to the performance.

skylight performers old and new took the stage and told the audience about this special little place in milwaukee. from wendy hill to tari kelly, john kuether to nate stampley, shuler hensley to lisa brescia, it was a beautiful mix of opera, musical theatre, gilbert & sullivan, and new music as well.

and the folks familiar with the skylight were incredibly moved by francesca zambello's impassioned plea to not only milwaukee and the skylight but to artists everywhere to remember that "art matters."

photos are on the way. and...without giving too much away, you might actually get to see the concert yourself, in the comfort of your own home. (wouldn't a sky is not falling dvd make a lovely christmas gift for your friends and family? stay in touch.)

the sky is not falling

it's the day of the show, y'all.

i hope you'll be there. and i do mean you. seriously. find a babysitter.

if you're already planning on coming, get your tickets here or at the box office. if you can't make it, (or if you come, have a great time and wanna kick in a few more bucks) donate here. all proceeds from ticket sales and additional donations go directly to the skylight opera theatre. all are tax deductible.

and fyi...just because this event happens tomorrow doesn't mean that the fun is over. watch skyisnotfalling.googlepages.com closely over the next few weeks for a very special announcement.

tonight, from playbill.com:

New York City-based showfolk with a connection to Skylight Opera Theatre — the Milwaukee Equity troupe that had a highly publicized administrative shakeup over the summer — are putting on a benefit show for the organization devoted to operas and musicals. Tony Award winner Shuler Hensley, director Francesca Zambello and actor Malcolm Gets will appear.

Billed as The Sky Is Not Falling, the concert will be presented 8 PM Oct. 5 at St. Luke's Theatre at 308 W. 46th Street, off Eighth Avenue.

Appearing among 25 artists will be Tony Award nominee Jeff Blumenkrantz (Urban Cowboy), Kate Weatherhead and Lisa Brescia (both of Off-Broadway's Ordinary Days), John Kuether (The Phantom of the Opera), Beverly Ward (the tour of Show Boat), James Moye (Broadway's Urinetown and the new Ragtime), Hensley (Young Frankenstein, Oklahoma!); stage, television and film star Gets (The Story of My Life, Amour, "Caroline in the City"); opera and Broadway director (and former Skylight artistic director) Zambello (The Little Mermaid, Little House on the Prairie); The Lion King's Nathaniel Stampley; and Billy Elliot's Joel Hatch.

Expect an eclectic mix of music from the opera, operetta and musical theatre repertoire, matching Skylight's mission.

the sky is not falling: the flyer

click, print, and post. at your desk, in your office, on your callboard at the theatre. print a bunch and go running through times square handing them out.

jensen (re)joins the skylight

the good news at the skylight opera theatre continues, today's being some of the best in a long time: amy jensen is returning to the skylight, this time as managing director.

Skylight Opera Theatre Announces
New Managing Director Amy S. Jensen

MILWAUKEE, WI - It is with great pleasure that John Stollenwerk, newly elected president of the Skylight Opera Theatre Board of Directors, announces the appointment of Amy S. Jensen as the next Managing Director of the Skylight Opera Theatre.

Stollenwerk states, "We are extremely pleased that Jensen has accepted the position as Managing Director of the Skylight Opera Theatre." Adds Joan Lounsbery, former Skylight Opera Theatre Managing Director and current Interim Managing Director, "The Skylight has gained a skilled professional with 15 years of experience in leadership roles in the Milwaukee arts community. Her financial expertise and her love of the Skylight make her the perfect choice for this organization."

This is actually a return to the Skylight for Jensen; between 1995 and 2001, she served as the Skylight's Finance Director. She has also held positions at the Milwaukee Art Museum, UPAF, and, most recently, as the VP and CFO of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra (MSO). "Amy's contributions to the MSO have been enormous over the past three years. As CFO, she has played a key role in MSO financial planning, human resource management, information technology, strategic planning, UPAF relations and the work of the Finance Committee, Audit Committee, Endowment/Foundation Trustees and Milwaukee Arts Partners. The MSO family wishes Amy the best in this exciting new role at the Skylight," said MSO President and Executive Director Mark Hanson.

Jensen has long been an arts lover, arts patron and arts advocate. She has provided consulting services for several area non-profits and has been invited to speak at a variety of local and national conferences such as Theatre Wisconsin, Association of Fundraising Professionals and Americans for the Arts.

She states, "I am so proud of the Skylight for beginning its 50th Anniversary Season with such a spectacular production of The Barber of Seville. It is the shining example of everything there is to love about the Skylight and I am excited to be returning to the company in this new role at this time. I look forward to working with everyone who is a part of the Skylight family to solve the current challenges and build toward an exciting future."

l'amour est un oiseau rebella

on taxi horns, no less. from the skylight opera theatre's 50th anniversary celebration: the inimitable mike lorenz, aka "ding." (but does it hold up next to callas?)

there's a new kid in town

well, sorta. damien jaques' first weekly column for onmilwaukee.com includes an o'neill review, a chat with the milwaukee rep's new boss, and a brief wrap-up of the big tuesday night skylight shindig:

After surviving its summer from hell, the Skylight Opera Theatre launched its 50th season Tuesday night with a mini-Woodstock –- five solid hours of non-stop performances. Some of them were quite spectacular...

read jaques' whole column here.

skylight open house draws huge crowds

by all accounts, the skylight opera theatre's open house and concert in the park was an unbridled success. proceeds from the event are estimated to be in the range of $10,000.

this from ray jivoff:

"At 4:00 in the afternoon, [interim Artistic Director] Colin Cabot was up on a ladder outside the building cleaning the marquee. Cleaning the marquee!

The open house was not at all what I expected... tons and tons of people coming for the open house. 30 people at a time standing around [technical director] Rob Wagner in the scene shop, people in the props and costume shops... people everywhere.

The bar was packed, there was entertainment up there before the concert. There were over 500 people at the concert in the park, and then there were over 300 in the theatre afterwords to watch Norman Moses get sawed in half.

It was an amazing night."

late this afternoon i spoke with interim managing director joan lounsbury, who was basically gushing:

"Last night's event was positively brilliant in its execution, and it has the whole Milwaukee arts community talking about the power and the magic of The Skylight.

The depth of talent, both on and off the stage, the artist's and staff's ability to pull this off in the midst of building a show which opens in a few weeks, and the care taken to see that everything happened in the classiest and most 'Skylight-y' way possible, inspired and thrilled me.

I am in deep awe.

The press was there and stayed for the whole thing, right through the Cabot Theatre piece. Damien Jaques from OnMilwaukee.com, Tom Strini from ThirdCoastDigest.com, and David Schuyler from The Business Journal.

Christine [McGee], Sara Marie [von Hemert-Dachelet] and Heidi [Boyd] have just spent the whole morning counting cash. The sixth floor conference room looks like the back room in a casino.

I am so proud to be a part of this organization right now. There was a staggering amount of contributed talent, and hats off to THE SKYLIGHT STAFF, the best staff in the arts universe, in my view.

third coast digest's tom strini was there too, and counted over 800 in the park.

strini's assessment of the evening, however, swings from certain singers who "were not so good" (a bold statement to make about a benefit concert, especially considering the fact that we've all now heard strini himself warble a youtube tune) to suggesting eric dillner's notion that the skylight can afford to brush aside locals like leslie fitzwater, kathy pyeatt and diane lane is ridiculous, to ending with a note of anxiety about needing someone new to run the skylight "and soon."

here is lighting designer jason fassl's time-lapse of the set-up for the concert in catalano square:

come on-a my house, a-my house...

who could pass up a free variety show hosted by skylight ringmaster colin cabot? maybe he'll pull ray jivoff out of a hat, while you help make the company's debt disappear.

tuesday afternoon, september 1st, beginning at 5 pm the skylight opera theatre is throwing open it's doors for a huge celebration and the entire milwaukee community is invited. the whole event is free, and they're gonna put on one heck of a show. er...shows.

anyway, here's the official rundown:

SKYLIGHT 50th ANNIVERSARY
OPEN HOUSE & CONCERT

Come one, come all for a FREE celebration of the Skylight Opera Theatre's rich 50-year history!

Whether you've been a Skylight patron since 1959 or if you've never even seen a show, this open house and concert will welcome you into the Skylight community – illustrating just how special this theatrical gem really is.

The event will include an intimate glimpse behind the scenes of the Skylight with backstage tours and costume, set and prop displays; a concert in Catalano Square with Skylight favorites singing big Broadway musical numbers, torchy jazz hits, arias - a taste of the variety of music theatre we perform on the Skylight mainstage; and a special performance featuring the magic of David Seebach and our own Colin Cabot and Norman Moses.

5-7:00 pm – Open house with backstage tours, exclusive access to Skylight memorbilia, and displays of props, costumes, and scenery

6:30-9 pm – Benefit concert in Catalano Square (corner of Menomonee and Broadway) with contributed performances by Skylight artists including a 50th Anniversary Season Preview

9-10:30 pm – Variety show hosted by Skylight favorite Colin Cabot

can't make it to the shindig tomorrow? you can still help the performers raise dough by contributing here.

moses wants your moola (for the skylight)

"This is Norman Moses and I’m writing to ask for money.
How’s that for to the point?"

so begins a letter being sent out by milwaukee actor norman moses, in a plea to help the struggling skylight opera company.

the artists that protested so intently over the last several weeks are now coming back to do what they can to bolster the company's finances.

moses is making the plea on behalf of the performer action committee of the skylight opera theatre.

here is the rest of moses' plea as sent to patrons, subscribers, donors, and artists in the milwaukee community and beyond:

If you have not been following the national arts news in the past month or so, you may have missed the turmoil that has been going on in Milwaukee at the Skylight Opera Theater since June 16th. Dan Wakin of the New York Times came out with this article about it on August 4th.

Then, on August 5th, a day after the Times article came out, this bombshell landed.

The following article came out on Sunday, August 9th in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

We are now in amazingly good hands.

Such is the power of peaceful protest. As a result of this upheaval, the Skylight artists and patrons have come together in an effort support the Skylight as it navigates through this difficult financial time.

The Skylight owns the Broadway Theater Center, which is the building that houses the offices and performing spaces for the Skylight, the Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, Renaissance Theaterworks, Milwaukee Children’s Choir, and the Bel Canto Chorus and Present Music. Those arts groups depend upon the Skylight to remain financially stable.

In 1594 there were Queens and Kings who were the corporate sponsors for Shakespeare and his plays. We don’t have Kings and Queens any more. But we do have you. All of the Skylight artists are determined to continue to offer you the high quality music theater we have offered you for the past 50 years. With your help now, we will be able to offer it for another 50 years.

You can start now by helping us raise $50,000. Pledge 50 for 50. $50 for the Skylight’s 50th Anniversary season. Be one of the 1000 people to pledge $50 each by September 18th, the opening of the season. If you only have $10, ask four of your friends to chip in the same. Easy, right? You can spend $50, and then some, going out to dinner these days. So go out one evening less this month, and give that $50 to the Skylight. Pledge of multiples of $50 like $100, $250, $500, $1000…you get the point…are highly encouraged. There must be a few of you Kings and Queens out there yet.

If you are already a donor, thank you for your generous support. More than ever, we need you to continue your regular donations. Would you consider an additional pledge of $50 this year for the Skylight’s 50th anniversary season?

The Skylight artists have wonderful things in store for you this season, starting off with a free concert in Catalano Square (located just south of the Broadway Theater Center, 158 North Broadway) on September 1st, from 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm, during the Skylight Open House, which is 5:00 – 7:00. Many other great events are being planned for the entire season. It’s going to be an amazing anniversary.

Whether you can make a donation or not, please forward this e-mail to siblings, parents or friends who still may have a connection with, and love of Milwaukee, and who believe that the arts must flourish in our city. We are hoping all can chip in at least a little.

You can donate online here.

Donations can also be sent directly to the Skylight. This link will send you to a donation form.

You will receive a letter verifying your donation for tax purposes.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and please give as much as you can. Milwaukee has grown into an amazing city, and arts groups, like the Skylight, have contributed so much towards making it a wonderful place to live.

Yours truly,

Norman Moses

dale gutzman returning to the skylight

milwaukee's dale gutzman is returning to the skylight opera theatre to write and direct an evening with gilbert and sullivan for the company's 50th anniversary season.

skylight's interim artistic director colin cabot says gutzman "has some great ideas for the script which he's developing based on the original songlist from the skylight's first production in '59. they involve a chance meeting between gilbert & sullivan in an english gentlemen's club in heaven -- big leather chairs and alots of dry ice."

the skylight press release:

MILWAUKEE (August 20, 2009)... Dale Gutzman, founder and artistic director of Off The Wall Theatre, will return to Skylight Opera Theatre for the 50th Anniversary Season to write and direct An Evening with Gilbert and Sullivan.

Gutzman is no stranger to the Skylight having directed twenty-three shows in the 1970s and 80s including the American premiere of Italian Straw Hat and productions of The Fantasticks, Mikado, Little Me, and more. Gutzman has also written nearly a dozen original shows for the Skylight and has acted in over twenty Skylight shows.

"I have always loved the Skylight and my memories of (Skylight founder) Clair (Richardson) and working there are among the most precious in my life. To be able to return and do Gilbert and Sullivan and to be able to write once again for the Skylight is a dream come true," said Gutzman.

Gutzman plans for an eclectic show filled with the unexpected. It will present Gilbert and Sullivan looking down at the original theatre on Jefferson leading into the new Cabot Theatre and commenting on the journey through song and nonsense to recall the "old" days with an eye on the future.

Gutzman reminisces, "We are all siblings in the arts in this town, and I feel a closeness that has filled a long vacant hole. Thank you, Skylight."

In addition to being the founder and artistic director for Off The Wall Theatre, Gutzman is an associate director of the Odessa Russian Drama Theatre in the Ukraine. As Resident Playwright at the Performing Arts Center in Thailand, he is one of the few Midwest artists to have had an audience with the Royal Family of Thailand. He was named one of the most gifted directors of Stephen Sondheim shows by the Sondheim Review, and is the only director to be twice honored as Director of the Year by Theatre Week Magazine.

An Evening with Gilbert and Sullivan will be performed in the Broadway Theatre Center Studio Theatre from May 28 through June 20, 2010. Tickets are on sale now.

the skylight public relations battle

tim frautschi, a member of the skylight opera theatre's board of advocates, tells milwaukee magazine how the internet played a part in convincing the boa to get involved:

“I could follow it through all the blogs,” Frautschi notes. “It was a public relations battle and the artists used the Internet extremely effectively. Everybody (in the Board of Advocates) was talking about it,” Frautschi recalls.

There were some board members and Skylight observers who clearly felt the theater had to take a stand against insubordination by the artists – a “don’t let the lunatics run the asylum” sort of attitude. On the contrary, says Frautschi: “The artists performed a terrific service in raising such a stink. It’s really heartwarming that they cared so much about this.”

reports from catalano square

this morning's milwaukee arts advocacy breakfast, a weekly meeting which began in catalano square and has since moved to the skylight bar, included skylight opera theatre board members laura emory, jude werra, and susan godfrey. vince shiely and howard miller couldn't attend, but sent snacks for the crowd – bagels and cream cheese from shiely; muffins from miller. jonathan west (artsyschmartsy) brought donuts for "the youth of america," and colin cabot gave a guided tour of the broadway theatre center after the meeting.

this is progress.

UPDATE 10:20 p.m. – commenter alissa adds this:

Also in attendance today: board member Tessa Bartels (V.P. of Artist Relations) and past board member Lili Friedman (with whom many Tuesdays commenters have engaged in dialogue).

Tessa bent over backwards to adjust her work schedule and join us these past couple weeks. Board member Byron Foster, though currently on vacation, also joined us thrice in the park.

Some real communication is transpiring. Authentic dialogue and good will all around.

s.o.t. subscribers: "artists should be proud"

several skylight opera theatre artists have volunteered to make the annual phone calls to subscribers, asking them to renew their season tickets, and they're getting some interesting responses. from becky spice:

aiden from whitefish bay:

"I have closely followed the recent events and was very happy with the outcome. I may now make a donation."

emma from oconomowoc:

"I waited to see if things would get settled before I bought my tickets."

straight talker muriel from milwaukee:

"You artists should be so proud of yourself for standing up when you didn't know where your next paycheck would come from. I was laughing about the situation with a friend who also buys tickets...It shows people can make a difference. I'll be back this year."