Renaissance Theaterworks Announces 30th Season Celebration

Renaissance Theaterworks (RTW) invites you to 1993, the year they were founded. RTW celebrates their thirtieth season with distinct 90s panache at their annual Raise a Glass to Renaissance fundraiser on Thursday, September 8, 5:30 p.m. at their new performance space at 255 S. Water St. Tickets are available at R-T-W.com.

RTW board members, Sue & Tim Frautschi and Beth Weirick co-host the event.

RTW will share the evening's spotlight by honoring local arts advocates: Jan Serr and John Shannon as Outstanding Arts Supporters and local actor Flora Coker as an Outstanding Artist.

Speaking of the Serr and Shannon, RTW Managing Director Lisa Rasmussen says, "It is difficult to quantify all the good Jan Serr and John Shannon have done for our community because their impact can be seen everywhere. It is evident in their generous and wide-ranging philanthropy and creation of public art spaces like the Jan Serr Studio at the UWM Peck School of the Arts and The Warehouse Art Museum. But even more impactful is their stalwart belief in community and the transformative power of art that continues to sustain and elevate our city. Together they make Milwaukee shine."

Artistic Director Suzan Fete says "Flora Coker has been a vibrant part of Milwaukee theater for 50-plus years. As a founding member of Theatre X - one of America's preeminent experimental theater companies - Flora wrote and performed for 35 years. In addition, Flora has shared her amazing talent, warm sense of humor and generous soul with nearly every theater in town, including ours. She is a true Milwaukee treasure!"

The evening begins with mixing and mingling under a big tent right outside the front door with tasty bites from local food trucks including Hidden Kitchen, Meat on the Street and Tostada by Maranta. Drinks include complimentary wine and soft drinks. Cocktails and beer are available at the full cash bar.

While not required, 90s attire is encouraged - think neon colors, combat boots, chokers and slip dresses, à la Spice Girls. DJ Shawna - Official DJ of the Milwaukee Bucks - supplies the music outside. Also, the local skate group, Roll Train, provides "roller dance" entertainment. In the lobby, local duo Frogwater performs wide-ranging music from Celtic offerings to Delta blues.

DJ Shawna returns after the program to provide tunes for the 90s-dance party, right on the stage. Attendees can purchase raffle tickets to win awesome baskets such as "Milwaukee Night on the Town" and "Fiesta Margarita."

Samples of live auction items include:

• A Bucks game in style with 12 friends in a Milwaukee Bucks Luxury Suite.
• An immersive artistic adventure with RTW's Jayne Regan Pink that includes a private rehearsal viewing of Milwaukee Ballet's Peter Pan and tickets to a performance.

At the end of the evening guests can enjoy sweet treats from MOR bakery and A Lil' Razzle Dazzle.

RTW is Milwaukee's professional theater company founded and led by women, and the nation's second-oldest professional theater devoted to gender equity.

Most of the theater world does not look like RTW. Nationally, plays written by women account for less than 30 percent of all plays produced in theaters, and female writers of color account for only six percent. This disparity is particularly puzzling since women make up the majority - about 70 percent - of theater audiences.

At RTW, where women set the stage, women are 75 percent of the 1,000-plus theater professionals who have found opportunities at RTW since the founding in 1993.

RTW has consistently created outstanding theater and pushed to redefine Milwaukee's artistic landscape. More than a women-run theater company, RTW connects all people - and what it means to be human - through vibrant, visceral storytelling.

RTW chooses only high-impact stories that touch minds and hearts to break stereotypes, produce a wide range of themes, and pay attention to balance.

Milestones include:

• Winning the 50/50 in 2020 International Applause Award (2016).
• Hosting 2018 StateraCon, a national conference for gender-balance in theater.
• Producing two finalists in the Samuel French Off Off Broadway Short Play Festival (2015, 2019).
• Launching the annual "BRINK New Play Festival" showcasing the new work from women playwrights in the Midwest.
• Creating the Fran Bauer Young Critics Project, our arts education program fostering the next generation of theater critics.
• Moving to our new artistic home at 255 South Water St., a 152-seat venue in a diverse neighborhood with state of the art features, including full wheelchair accessibility and an advanced technology hearing loop listening system.
• We are in our 30th season of debt-free operations.

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