Best of Milwaukee 2015 Winners: Arts & Entertainment

best of milwaukee 2015 

{ arts & entertainment }

Art Gallery (Non-Museum)

First Place:

Rogues Gallery

134 E. Juneau Ave.

414-763-1102

roguesgallerymke.com

A “rogues gallery” refers to a wall of photographs kept by the police to identify ne’er-do-wells and malefactors. The hardboiled mugs of the East Side’s seedy underbelly may line up along Rogues Gallery’s bar, but the walls are bedecked with Milwaukee’s favorite art outside museum walls. Art is even often born in-house by the speedy brush of Jimmy Cha Cha, whose works are worn by establishments the citywide. (Tyler Friedman)

Runner Up:

Bubbler Studios

Honorable Mentions:

Portrait Society Gallery

The Green Gallery East

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Art Museum

First Place:

Milwaukee Art Museum

700 N. Art Museum Drive

414-224-3200 | mam.org

Since winning last year’s award, Milwaukee’s Best Art Museum has gotten even better. MAM reopened in November after having scaled back operational galleries for 14 months of repairs and renovations. Now 1,000-plus more works in more than 25,000 additional square feet of space are on display. New galleries are dedicated to monumental sculpture, Haitian art, American folk art and photography. Beginning your visit by coming through the new lakeside entrance/café reinforces the impression that this is a whole new MAM. (Tyler Friedman)

Runner Up:

Villa Terrace Decorative

Arts Museum

Honorable Mentions:

Museum of Wisconsin Art (MOWA)

Haggerty Museum of Art

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Dance Company

First Place:

Milwaukee Ballet 

504 W. National Ave.

414-643-7677

milwaukeeballet.org

In quality, range and originality, Milwaukee Ballet stands with the best in the country. Two masterpieces and a world premiere this season by longtime artistic director Michael Pink and his wonderful international family of dancers are making that clear. A program of challenging contemporary ballets in April will include the fifth world premiere by resident choreographer Timothy O’Donnell; and in May, Septime Webre’s high-style, family-oriented ALICE (in wonderland) will offer more new pleasures and surprises. (John Schneider)

Runner Up:

Danceworks

Honorable Mentions:

Panadanza Dance Company

Wild Space Dance Company

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Local Radio Personality

First Place:

Marcus Doucette

(88Nine RadioMilwaukee)

Marcus Doucette was familiar to many Milwaukee music lovers well before he joined RadioMilwaukee when the station debuted in 2007, thanks to his years spinning records at clubs around the city. He brought his same vast knowledge of music to the fledgling station, where he can now be heard weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. He also hosts one of the station’s most unique programs every Sunday night, “Sound Travels,” a curated tour through some of today’s most adventurous, forward-looking world music. (Evan Rytlewski)

Runner Up:

Bob & Brian (102.9 The Hog)

Honorable Mention:

Ken Herrera (1130 News/Talk WISN)

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Local TV Personality & Stage Actor

First Place:

John McGivern

John McGivern has been fortunate enough to not only make a living being himself, but also make a name for himself in the process. McGivern’s charismatic biographical reminiscences of growing up in Milwaukee have given him recognition on both stage and screen. He recently finished a run as Earlene Hoople in A Kodachrome Christmas at Potawatomi Hotel & Casino. His “Around the Corner” series for PBS is an Emmy Award-winning love letter to Wisconsin. (Russ Bickerstaff)

Runner Up

Local TV Personality:

Ted Perry

Honorable Mentions

 Local TV Personality:

Vince Vitrano

Mark Baden

Runner Up Stage Actor:

Jim DeVita

Honorable Mentions

Stage Actor:

Robby McGhee

John Glowacki

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Milwaukee Author

First Place:

John Gurda

This year all four finalists in the Milwaukee Author category have ties to the Shepherd Express—even John Gurda once wrote an article for us. However, Gurda’s reputation rises on his own projects, an increasingly long shelf of books devoted to Milwaukee history. His magisterial The Making of Milwaukee became an Emmy Award-winning PBS special that raised awareness of the city’s unique story. His latest, Milwaukee: City of Neighborhoods, continues the good work. John, it’s an honor to be defeated by you for best local author. (David Luhrssen)

Runner Up:

David Luhrssen

Honorable Mentions:

Tea Krulos

Matthew J. Prigge

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Movie Theater

First Place:

Oriental Theatre

2230 N. Farwell Ave.

414-276-5140

landmarktheatres.com

Some of the newer theaters have stadium seats and IMAX screens and serve pizza at your seat, but there is nothing like seeing a movie in a movie palace and the Oriental was always the grandest of them all. The building with its eclectic Orientalist mélange of minarets and Buddhas was a Milwaukee landmark long before it became part of the Landmark Theatres chain. Although it makes room for blockbusters, the Oriental devotes most of its three screens to films that would never appear in the bland settings of a multiplex. (David Luhrssen)

Runner Up:

Marcus Majestic Cinema

Honorable Mentions:

Avalon Theater

Downer Theatre

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Museum (Non-Art)

First Place:

Milwaukee Public

Museum

800 W. Wells St.

414-278-2702

mpm.edu

The Milwaukee Public Museum has always been an innovator in presenting the past to contemporary audiences. This year the museum moved forward again with the revamping of its signature attraction, the Streets of Old Milwaukee. Many familiar sights remain, but while the facades still simulate Milwaukee of a century ago, those old storefronts now cast a digital shadow. By downloading a tour app, visitors can chose between virtual tour guides. Using Bluetooth Beacon technology, the app knows where you are on the Streets and tells the story into your earplug. (David Luhrssen)

Runner Up:

Discovery World

Honorable Mentions:

Harley-Davidson Museum

Betty Brinn Children’s Museum

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Outdoor Festival

First Place:

Summerfest

In a city that prides itself on its many festivals, none looms larger than Summerfest, the city’s flagship gathering. This year more than 772,000 patrons turned out for the 11-day fest to see headliners like Stevie Wonder, Neil Young, Carrie Underwood and Kendrick Lamar, in addition to another 23,000 that showed up the night before for a kick-off concert at the Marcus Amphitheater that featured one of the festival’s biggest bookings in years: The Rolling Stones. (Evan Rytlewski)

Runner Up:

Wisconsin State Fair

Honorable Mentions:

Bastille Days

Milwaukee Irish Fest

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Radio Station

First Place:

88Nine RadioMilwaukee

220 E. Pittsburgh Ave.

414-892-8900

radiomilwaukee.org

RadioMilwaukee’s DJs offer a charmingly eclectic mix of rock, hip-hop, soul, indie and electronic music, but where the station really distinguishes itself is through its embrace of Milwaukee music, which it seamlessly integrates into its playlist. That platform has proved invaluable for the local music scene: Now bands that might have previously struggled for exposure are reaching a wide, loyal listenership, helping fuel newfound enthusiasm for Milwaukee’s music scene. It’s amazing what a difference one station can make. (Evan Rytlewski)

Runner Up:

102.9 The Hog

Honorable Mentions:

89.7 WUWM Milwaukee

Public Radio

91.7 WMSE

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Stage Actress

First Place:

Deborah Staples

A captivating, mercurial talent, Deborah Staples has played many roles for many local theater companies. Last month she played both the Ghost of Christmas Past and Mrs. Dilber in the Milwaukee Repertory Theater’s beloved A Christmas Carol. One of her more memorable appearances with The Rep had her playing every role in The Blonde, The Brunette and the Vengeful Redhead. This coming April, she once again plays multiple roles in Next Act’s staging of Motherhood Out Loud. (Russ Bickerstaff)

Runner Up:

Amber Smith

Honorable Mentions:

Tess Cinpinski

Lindsey Erin Paquette

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Theater Company

First Place:

Milwaukee Repertory

Theater

108 E. Wells St.

414-224-9490

milwaukeerep.com

With finances relatively stabilized, The Rep is heightening its efforts to include as many of the area’s communities as possible in programming, casting and operations. Partnerships with the Bronzeville Arts Ensemble and the Brookfield-born, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Ayad Akhtar are exciting examples, as is The Rep’s deepening commitment to the development of challenging new plays like this season’s American Song. And we’re also being graced with first-rate productions of contemporary musicals. (John Schneider)

Runner Up:

First Stage

Honorable Mentions:

Kohl’s Wild Theater

All In Productions