On the Small Stage In August

The heart of the summer of 2024 wraps-up with a variety of different shows coming to small stages in Milwaukee including the debut of a musical set in a portrait studio and a stages reading of a cyberpunk-inspired sci-fi drama. Also this month: the return of the Milwaukee Black Theatre Festival and the Drama Tent at Milwaukee Irish Fest. Here's a look at some of what lies ahead.

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Pink Umbrella Theatre opens the month this weekend with a new musical by David Lancelle and Patrick Thompson. It’s a story set in a photography studio. It’s a place to get family portraits and headshots--that sort of thing. One partner calls-in sick, leaving the entire studio to one person. Sounds like a fun premise for a small-scale musical for the small stage.
August 2 - 11 at Christ Church Episcopal on 5655 N. Lake Drive in Whitefish Bay. For more information, visit Pink Umbrella online.
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​​The Third Annual MKW Black Theatre Festival takes the stage of the Marcus Center this month. The festival opens with a production of the classic theatrical narrative for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf directed by Linetta Alexander. Also opening the festival: Idris Goodwin’s The Realness: A Break Beat Play. Denzel Taylor directs an interesting personal political drama as a young artist enters the hip-hop scene of the mid-to-late 1990s and tangles with the reality of dreaming for love or money in “the middle-class fantasy of rap.” Also featured later-on on the festival: Bill Harris’ Stories About the Old Days and a pay-what-you-can reading of In the Blood--Suzan-Lori Parks’ modern re-telling of The Scarlett Letter.  For more information, visit Black Arts MKE online.
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​I really don't want to miss this one, but there is SO MUCH opening next week. Local playwright Rick Bingen seems to be channeling J. Michael Straczynski's "The Mind of Simon Foster" or Philip K. Dick's "Paycheck" in a story involving a man who seems to be leaking memories. He's got to race against the clock to try to build a device to save the memories. Kind of a fun cybeerunky-sounding sci-fi premise that's being presented in a staged reading directed by the talented Maya Danks.  The reading runs August 9 - 10 at The Brick House on 504 East Center St. For more information, visit The Brick House online.
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​Beloved contemporary musical The Prom makes its way to another local staging as Bombshell Theatre Co. presents the heartwarming comedy in a production at the Next Act/Renaissance Theaterworks stage.  Madison Nowak and Ashley Rodriguez play a couple looking to go to the prom together. The conservative adults in charge of the prom choose to shut it down rather than have anything like that go on...which prompts a national news story that catches the eyes of a few big names from Broadway looking to struggle against faltering careers on the stage. The show runs August 9th - 18th. For more information, visit Bombshell Theatre online.
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​Milwaukee Irish Fest returns to the festival grounds this year. Once again, the Theatre Pavilion Tent features a number of cozy, small stage shows including Wild Sky--a 2022 play about the Easter Rising of 1916 by Deirdre Kinahan. Also on the festival this year: Green and Blue--the story of two men patrolling between two different Irelands during the height of the conflict. THAT show comes to Irish Fest courtesy of Belfast's touring Kabosh Theatre Company.  For the full schedule and more, visit Milwaukee Irish Fest online. 
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