Photo Flash: First Look at Milwaukee Chamber Theatre's BROKEN AND ENTERED

 

In BROKEN AND ENTERED, Wally and Vern have just moved back to their family home in a crumbling inner city community. They soon realize that in order to survive they need to "take what they can get," literally. So each night they guiltlessly burglarize houses in nearby upscale neighborhoods. When Wally falls for a wealthy, attractive neighbor named Jamila, the two brothers are forced to reexamine their perceptions of race while facing demons from their childhood.

Milwaukee Chamber Theatre has produced two staged readings of new plays by Kurt McGinnis Brown as part of the Montgomery David Play Development Series: NOT THE ARTIST in 2008 and BROKEN AND ENTERED in 2010. Both plays were also finalists in the Wisconsin Wrights New Play Project. Currently a resident of Madison, Kurt McGinnis Brown's plays have been performed in Akron, Chicago, Los Angeles, Madison, Milwaukee, New York, and Valdez, and have won competitions sponsored by Chicago Dramatists, Eclectic Company Theatre, Mercury Players, Reverie Productions, University of Akron Theatre Guild and Wisconsin Wrights New Play Project.

Brown's other full length plays include MOSTLY SUNNY EARLY THEN CLOUDS, RAIN; IF LITERATURE IS DEAD, SO ARE YOU; LOVE'S EXILE; and RECOVERING THE REAL ME. He has also written several one-act plays and his award-winning fiction has appeared in numerous national journals and e-zines. He studied at the University of Illinois and Colorado State University and currently works at UW-Madison as the senior editor at the Wisconsin Center for Education Research.

 

BROKEN AND ENTERED marks Suzan Fete's MCT mainstage directing debut. She also directed the 2010 staged reading of the piece. Fete is a co-founder and co-artistic director of Milwaukee's Renaissance Theaterworks where she has directed numerous productions including NEAT, TOPDOG/UNDERDOG and REASONS TO BE PRETTY.

 

The Cast includes three Milwaukee-based actors, all returning to the MCT stage: Marti Gobel (AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS, WELL) as Jamilla, Andrew Edwin Voss (PICNIC) as Wally and Jonathan Leslie Wainwright (CRIMES OF THE HEART, MAURITIUS, TAKE ME OUT) as Vern. In March of 2010, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre produced a staged reading of BROKEN AND ENTERED as part of the 2009-2010 Montgomery Davis Play Development Series. Suzan Fete directed and Marti Gobel was in The Cast.

The world premiere of BROKEN AND ENTERED plays now through October 14, 2012 in the Broadway Theatre Center's Studio Theatre, 158 N. Broadway in Milwaukee's Historic Third Ward. 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 tickets, performance schedule and more information, visit www.milwaukeechambertheatre.com.

Photo Credit: Mark Frohna

Andrew Edwin Voss as Wally and Jonathan Leslie Wainwright as Vern

Andrew Edwin Voss as Wally and Marti Gobel as Jamila

Jonathan Leslie Wainwright as Vern, Andrew Edwin Voss as Wally and Marti Gobel as Jamila

Andrew Edwin Voss as Wally and Jonathan Leslie Wainwright as Vern