DEATHTRAP, THE BROTHERS SIZE, DOUBT and More Highlight Milwaukee Chamber Theatre's 2017-18 Season

Milwaukee Chamber Theatre (MCT) announces its 43rd season, centered on "The Mysteries of Life." A mix of complex comedy, thought-provoking drama and - as the theme demands - entertaining, mysterious thrills, the 2017-2018 season will feature five productions at the Broadway Theatre Center in Milwaukee's Historic Third Ward.

The season begins in August with the Tony-nominated comedy-thriller DEATHTRAP, by Ira Levin, running August 10-27, 2017. The next month marks MCT's return to the work of Terrence McNally, FRANKIE AND JOHNNY IN THE CLAIR DE LUNE, a bittersweet modern-day romance, September 20 - October 15, 2017. As the holidays approach, the season continues with MIRACLE ON SOUTH DIVISION STREET, a spirited comedy about an unorthodox family with a sacred secret by Tom Dudzick, November 22 - December 17, 2017.

The new year will begin with THE BROTHERS SIZE, a West African myth-influenced drama about brotherhood by award-winning playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney, February 21 - March 18, 2018. And MCT will close its 43rd season with Pulitzer and Tony winner DOUBT, A PARABLE, John Patrick Shanley's ambiguous tale of secrets and accusations within a 1960s Catholic elementary school, April 12-29, 2018.

All productions will be presented at the Broadway Theatre Center, 158 N. Broadway, in Milwaukee's Historic Third Ward. Season tickets will go on sale in January, and single tickets in June. For more information, visit milwaukeechambertheatre.com or call 414.276.8842.

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Milwaukee Chamber Theatre's 2017-2018 Season:

Deathtrap

by Ira Levin August 10-27, 2017 Cabot Theatre

Directed by Michael Cotey

Featuring Di'Monte Henning, Mary Kababik, David Sapiro, Susan Spencer and Bill Watson

Acclaimed but cash-strapped writer Sidney Bruhl has an exceptional new thriller in his hands. There's just one problem: It was written by one of his students. Sydney and his wife quickly come up with a solution -- offer to collaborate with the young writer, and they can split the profits 50/50. No need to consider more ... lethal solutions. Dripping with twists and turns, Ira Levin's Tony-nominated play is both a spellbinding thriller and a devilishly clever comedy. You won't know whether the next sound out of your mouth will be a laugh or a scream.

Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune

by Terrence McNally Sept. 20 - Oct. 15, 2017 Studio Theatre

Directed by Mary MacDonald Kerr

Featuring Todd Denning and Marcella Kearns

Restaurant coworkers Frankie and Johnny have been on one date, and they've slept together, and that's IT - as far as Frankie is concerned. Johnny, a compulsive romantic, has other ideas. He's decided they're in love. As the night goes on, the duo's sometimes-touching, sometimes-hilarious conversation leads both to question whether the paths of their lives might be more changeable than they believe. Terrence McNally (writer of MASTER CLASS) shines yet again in this bittersweet comedy about two people slowly revealing themselves by moonlight.

Miracle on South Division Street

by Tom Dudzick Nov. 22 - Dec. 17, 2017 Studio Theatre

Directed by C. Michael Wright

Featuring Josh Krause, Raeleen McMillion, Kat Wodtke and Greta Wohlrabe

Buffalo, NY might be depressed, but Clara Nowak is not. The devout Catholic is a mother of three, an organizer for her soup kitchen and the caretaker of her family's local claim to fame: a 20-foot shrine to the Blessed Mother commemorating the miraculous night in 1942 when she appeared to Clara's father in his barbershop. But when daughter Ruth announces one fateful Christmas Eve that she plans to create a one-woman show about her Grandpa's story - the real story - this family's foundations are shaken to the core. Tom Dudzick's spirited comedy - just in time for the holidays - unspools a tale about believing in the powerful bonds that tie a family together.

The Brothers Size

by Tarell Alvin McCraney Feb. 21 - March 18, 2018 Studio Theatre

Directed by Marti Gobel

Featuring Marques Causey, Travis Knight and Andrew Muwongé

Ogun Size is focused and straightforward, dedicating himself to his career running an auto repair shop. His younger brother Oshoosi wanders aimlessly after his recent release from prison, uninterested in following Ogun's disciplined path. Each seeks to be free -- Ogun of worry for his brother and Oshoosi simply of the bayou country of Louisiana. So when Elegba, a man who served time with Oshoosi, arrives with an offer of a free car, the gift becomes a temptation - and perhaps a trap. Based on West African myths and rich in poetry and song, Tarell Alvin McCraney's profound play is a tough and tender drama about what it means to brother and be brothered.

Doubt, A Parable

by John Patrick Shanley April 12-29, 2018 Cabot Theatre

Directed by C. Michael Wright

Featuring Colleen Madden, April Paul, Malkia Stampley and Marcus Truschinski

In 1964, at a Catholic church and school in the Bronx, there is a secret. Sister Aloysius is certain she knows it. But that is not enough - not when she believes the sinner is the parish priest himself, and his victim is the boy who has just become St. Nicholas' first black student. Equipped with nothing but her moral certainty, Sister Aloysius embarks on a personal crusade with devastating consequences. John Patrick Shanley's Pulitzer and Tony-winning play is a master study in the crushing weight of ambiguity, a complex clash of perspectives that leaves nothing certain.

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Founded in 1975, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre (MCT) produces intimate, high-quality, professional theatrical works of literary merit that engage and challenge the audience, while employing and nurturing principally local theatre artists. Under the leadership of Producing Artistic Director C. Michael Wright and Managing Director Kirsten Mulvey, MCT performs at the Broadway Theatre Center in Milwaukee's Historic Third Ward. For more information, visit milwaukeechambertheatre.com.

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