Cortney McEniry, Milwaukee Repertory Theater's Director of Community Engagement
This month, the Milwaukee Repertory Theater will host the first-of-its-kind Intersections Summit (March 23-25), a national convening of community engagement practitioners from theaters across the country. Off the Cuff spoke with the Rep’s Director of Community Engagement Cortney McEniry about the goals of the Intersections Summit and her role at the Rep.
What is the role of the community engagement department? What are some of the initiatives you oversee and how do they coincide with the Milwaukee Rep’s mission?
The community engagement department really focuses on igniting positive change in the city, creating platforms for meaningful dialogue and gathering an audience that is representative of Milwaukee’s rich diversity. We hone in on those aspects of our mission. A lot of the work we do is around our Community Conversations series, using the plays in our season as a platform for dialogue. We also really think about intentional and reciprocal relationships with community partners. Our department is only two years old so we’re continuing to grow, which is exciting.
It sounds like these initiatives are going to be a huge part of the Rep for years to come.
Yeah, that’s really critical to us. What we’re hoping to do is build something that feels sustainable and long term while also feeling authentic.
What motivated the Milwaukee Rep to create and host the first Intersections Summit?
It seemed like there was a need for a gathering space for people in the field to share their expertise and wisdom and the Milwaukee Rep has the capacity and space to host an event like that. It’s the first of its kind, in that a committee of other community engagement practitioners planned it so it’s very organic. It’s become something bigger than we initially thought it would be.
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How many theaters will be attending?
Originally we thought we might be able to get 60 or 70 people here, but we are at 145 participants now, which I think really shows the demand for this kind of event. We have over 75 theaters representing all different budget levels, missions and theater structures. I would say about 70% of the attendees have the word “engagement” in their title and work at a regional theater, which was the initial impetus. The rest include freelance artists, like playwrights and directors, as well as leaders organized around equity and representation in theater as a whole.
What is the Milwaukee Rep looking to gain from this experience?
The Rep learned so much about how to engage most effectively with our city through the people on our Mpact Council and our Pillar Partners. But we are interested in learning more from our peers in other theaters. There are people coming who are brand new to the field and have fresh ideas, as well as people who have been doing this work for decades. Our thought was how many different types of people could we get in one room to learn from one another. We are also really interested in cross-border collaboration with theaters around the country. But our ultimate goal is to learn how to serve the Milwaukee community better.
Is the Intersections Summit something the Milwaukee Rep is looking to implement annually?
We are so privileged to do this for the first time, and we would be super excited if another theater would like to have part two of the conversation next year in another city. We would love to be involved in planning a future Intersections Summit and help support another theater.
How does the Milwaukee Rep distinguish itself from other theaters in our area?
I think we have a really beautiful community of theaters in this city. The Rep is different in the number of productions we are able to do each year—15 productions over four venues with over 700 performances. We really work to make sure there is something for every audience. This commitment allows our theater to be a gathering space and we take that responsibility very seriously. We have the opportunity to engage with all sorts of people in all sorts of ways. And because community engagement is a core tenet of our organization, we are thinking about that all the time.
The Intersections Summit will be livestreamed on HowlroundTV, and you can participate via social media by tagging #IntersectionsSummitMKE. For more information, visit milwaukeerep.com.
