BWW Reviews: The Rep's Artistic Intern Ensemble Celebrates 5th Anniversary of Short Play Festival

Five names the magic number. For the past 50 years, Milwaukee Rep has supported the Artistic Intern Program, a rarity throughout the country. In another 5th anniversary worth celebrating, The Rep Artistic Intern Ensemble presented a cohesive, fascinating evening in homage to the theater during their Short Play Festival held in the Stiemke Studio this April. Actors stood in the tiered stands amid the audience and asked: "Think of all the characters you love."

This homage titled Every Show You've Ever Seen written by Amelia Roper embodies every nuance these gifted young theater professionals strive to accomplish during their Rep internship learning as actors, directors and stage technicians. More than 15 of The Rep's Artistic Interns participated in the Short Play Festival to challenge and charm Milwaukee audiences and included two former Rep interns who wrote two of these short plays.

Throughout the seven plays created by the Artistic Ensemble, the Stiemke Studio remained in the original angular configuration from the previous production and glowed with future talent. In a clever sci-fi drama, "Tape," one tormented man rewinds and listens to all the lies he told in his life, a punishment in the hereafter, the meaning revealed near the end of the piece.

Rich Orloff's The Latest News from the Primordial Ooze revisits evolution through the humorous eyes of a reptilian couple (a fanciful Jennifer Latimore and transforming Chris O'Reilly) when the male begins to grow fingers and rise above the water to become an amphibian. In the enchanting People Are Dancing, dialogue and music combine and reflect falling in love during a vacation to Venice after personal tragedy that offers second chances.

Former Rep Intern James Fletcher wrote Give Until It Hurts where a comical, hyped up fundraising scheme terrorizes a donor for National Public Radio. After which follows Steve Yorkey's Hysterical acted by Katherine Duffy and Nick Narcissi. A distraught young woman consumes large quantities of Jägermeister, a 38 percent alcohol, German digestif surging to recent popularity, that helps her overcome a romantic breakup. When the logo on the bottle, a white stage with a golden cross between his antlers, appears to the woman and speaks to her the results create an intoxicating fantasy short play.

In a complex one-act titled The Cowboy, the man represents the lure of smoking drugs to relieve contemporary stress. Nick Narcissi plays the Cowboy along with Kristina Loy, Jennifer Latimore and Leanna Rubin who become the three women whose intertwined lives unfold in haunting and horrific results to former Rep Intern Patrick Holland's play when he stakes the Cowboy's ominous claim in the first few minutes: "I'm not the grim reaper, but when you ride the Cowboy, anything can happen."

The innovative Artistic Rep Intern Ensemble program produces amazing experiences for the participants as well as Milwaukee's theater community. Numerous interns, including 2010/201l Directing Intern Leda Hoffman are beginning to make an impact on Wisconsin theater. Now employed by The Rep as The Rep Literary Coordinator, Hoffmann debuted this year with actor Deborah Staples in the one woman show The Amish Project. This summer, Hoffman returns to Baileys Harbor with Door Shakespeare to direct their two summer selections, while she looks forward to making her directorial debut with Renaissance Theaterworks in 2015-2016. This in only one example of how The Rep Artistic Intern program impacts the future of theater in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and ultimately throughout the country.

Audiences clamor for tickets to the exclusive five day only Short-Play experience, and then anticipate subscribing to the 2015-2016 Milwaukee Rep season which includes Dreamgirls, Of Mice and Men, and another World Premiere American Song written by Joanna Murray-Smith and features renowned American Players Theatre actor James DeVita in the Quadracci Powerhouse. The Stackner Cabaret includes the musical revue Back Home Again: On the Road with John Denver and another World Premiere event Sirens of Song, musical stories compiled while they define the history of a women's hearts over the decades through song. The Stiemke offers a Pulitzer Prize winning hometown playwright Ayad Akhtar's The Invisible Hand, a political drama perfect for the impending presidential campaign. These represent only several of a total of 11 productions held in three vastly different venues for a compelling theatrical year.

While appreciating the future of theater through the Short Play Festival, The Rep succeeds on every level to encourage experienced and young professionals along with audiences to comprehend the ultimate power of the performing arts---Their contemporary, classic and world premiere productions deliver more than mere entertainment and produce connections to community and modern culture that enriches Milwaukee.

The Rep presents the last selection of the season, Peter and the Star Catcher beginning April 21. For more information on The Rep interns, an upcoming production or a subscription to the 2015-2016 season, please call 414.224.9490, visit www.miwlaukeerep.com or fax 414.225.5450.

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