The nonprofit Project1VOICE (P1V) is an internationally recognized performing arts organization that promotes and supports black theater, black playwrights and cross-cultural conversations by making theater accessible to communities. Its flagship program, Project1VOICE/1PLAY/1DAY, coordinates international, same-day, staged readings that revive and reintroduce neglected, forgotten and/or underappreciated works written by black playwrights for the American theater. On June 20, 2011, the inaugural program took place in 15 cities across the United States. Today, it includes 45 theaters in three countries, more than 200 coordinated events and an exponentially increased audience—both in person and via live streaming.
For its sixth year, P1V is celebrating the 30th anniversary of George C. Wolfe’s award-winning production The Colored Museum, which will be presented in Milwaukee by local theater companies Bronzeville Arts Ensemble, Lights! Camera! Soul!, MPower Theater and Black Arts Think Tank at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, June 20 at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts, 929 N. Water St.
“The Colored Museum explores the contradictions and complexities of black life—its powerful beauty, intellect, pain, and pleasure—while simultaneously empowering the universality of the narrative,” says P1V founder and event coordinator Erich McMillan-McCall. “This provides a rich opportunity to search, explore and empower identity.” The staged reading will feature a wide spectrum of diverse, creative talents with up to six directors and up to 20 actors.
“As a person of color, I was trained from very early on to see ‘Leave it to Beaver’, ‘Gilligan’s Island’ or Hamlet and look beyond the specifics of it—whether it was silly white people on an island, a family living in nowhere or a Danish person—to leap past the specifics and find the human truths that have to do with me,” Wolfe states. “I’m interested: Is the reverse possible? Can people who are not of color leap past the specifics of who these people are and get inside the dynamic of who they are as individuals?”
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Tickets for The Colored Museum are $25 and can be purchased at 414-273-7206 or by visiting marcuscenter.org. For additional information and an evolving list of participating organizations, visit project1voice.org.
Theater Happenings:
Outskirts Theatre Company presents Wonderland, a new play written and directed by Ryan Albrechtson that offers a look into the darker side of Wonderland. Show runs June 17-26 at The Underground Collaborative, 161 W. Wisconsin Ave. Must be 16 or older to attend. For tickets, call 414-367-6484 or visit outskirtstheatre.org/tickets.
Bunny Gumbo Theatre Company presents “Combat Theatre,” two evenings of new plays written by eight writers, directed by eight directors and acted by 30 thespians. Shows run Friday, June 17 and Saturday, June 18 at 8 p.m. at The Milwaukee Youth Arts Center, 325 W. Walnut St. Tickets are $18 (cash or check) and only available at the door. For more information, visit bunnygumbo.com.
Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play about humanity, The Skin Of Our Teeth, comes to Off the Wall Theatre (127 E. Wells St.) June 23 through July 3. For more information and tickets, call 414-484-8874 or visit offthewalltheatre.com.
