Photos: First Look at First Stage's THE GRACIOUS SISTERS

The final production in First Stage's 2022/23 season is THE GRACIOUS SISTERS, freely adapted from Aeschylus' The Eumenides by noted playwright/ filmmaker and First Stage Resident Playwright Alice Austen, currently running through May 21st.

Check out photos from the production here!

Austen's play GIRLS IN THE BOAT premiered at First Stage in 2018 and has since gone on to having productions across the country. Popular Milwaukee/First Stage actor (THE HOBBIT) and Director of the Young Company Matt Daniels will direct this world premiere production. When archaeological intern Alice falls down an ancient Greek rabbit hole, she discovers the aftermath of a violent murder, with the goddesses of vengeance, or "Furies," chasing down the accused to exact bloody retribution. Athena, the goddess of wisdom (and war), persuades the Furies that the accused should have a fair trial before a jury. When the jury is divided in a split decision, all must come to terms with the balance of a desire for vengeance and the need for grace. THE GRACIOUS SISTERS is part of World Premiere Wisconsin, a statewide festival celebrating new plays and musicals. Sponsored by United Performing Arts Fund.

THE GRACIOUS SISTERS runs May 5 - May 21, 2023 in the newly renovated, theater-in-the-round Goodman Mainstage Hall, Milwaukee Youth Arts Center, located at 325 W. Walnut Street in downtown Milwaukee. Tickets are $15. Tickets are available online at firststage.org or through the First Stage Box Office at (414) 267-2961. Performance runtime is approximately 90 minutes with no intermission. Suggested for families with young people ages 13+.

From Director Matt Daniels: "I love ancient Greek plays almost as much as I love Shakespeare, so the opportunity to partner with one of First Stage's playwrights in residence to bring one of these pieces into our modern age was too good to pass up. After her amazing work on GIRLS IN THE BOAT, I knew Alice Austen was the ultimate fit for creating a play for our young people that highlights their unique blend of curiosity and determinism. Especially as we all traverse this incredibly unstable era of modern history."

This is a Young Company production, showcasing the work of First Stage's award-winning advanced high-school actors. Produced in the intimate Goodman Mainstage Hall, the connection of actor to audience is enhanced and the words of the play come alive in exciting ways as these young artists apply their graduate level skills to this piece, commissioned specially for them.

The Young Company cast for THE GRACIOUS SISTERS includes: Silver Anderson (Milwaukee) as Tisiphone; Elena Marking (Franklin) as Clytemnestra; Reiley Fitzsimmons (Fox Point) as Pythia; Angel Rivera (Milwaukee) as Alice; Terynn Erby-Walker (Milwaukee) as Athena/Hermes; Hazel Dye (Milwaukee) as Fury (Megaera); Rose Campbell (Whitefish Bay) as Fury (Alecto); John Eash-Scott (Wauwatosa) as Orestes; Zachary Nowacek (Wauwatosa) as Apollo; Lio Landis (Milwaukee) as Understudy for Orestes; Enzo Litz (Milwaukee) as Understudy for Apollo; Gabriela Bastardo (Saint Francis) as Swing Understudy and Mara Holzen (Wauwatosa) as Swing Understudy.

The Artistic & Creative Team for THE GRACIOUS SISTERS includes: Matt Daniels (Director/Director of the Young Company); Leo Madson (Assistant to the Director), Madelyn Yee (Scenic Designer); Derek Buckles (Sound Designer); Marion Frank (Lighting Designer); Lyndsey Kuhlmann (Costume Designer); Carrie Johns (Stage Manager) and Isaac Hopper (Assistant Stage Manager).

Tickets are $15 - Tickets may be purchased at firststage.org or by phone (414) 267-2961.

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