Milwaukee Repertory Theater announced it will welcome 23 Emerging Professional Residents (EPRs) during the 2019-2020 season. The highly respected program is designed for actors and technicians who strive for a career in theater. Lina Chambers, the Rep’s manager of artistic training, explains, “EPR participants stay between two and eight months, and they receive housing, transportation and a small stipend. They shadow and work with company members, providing an invaluable step towards obtaining experience and a union Equity card.”
EPR stage management resident Krista Kanderski is a Milwaukee native and a recent Marquette graduate, and she has already worked with several theater companies in the area. She also studied dance at the Milwaukee Ballet School and has appeared in the company’s annual Nutcracker production. “My artistic home is definitely behind the curtains. Ideally, I would love a job in a regional company like the Rep,” says Kanderski. She might stay for a second year in the program and will work on all three of the Rep’s stages, including West Side Story.
Actor Gilberto Saenz, originally from Texas, graduated with a theater degree from Yale University. Saenz is also an alumnus of the National Theatre Institute at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center. Says Saenz, “I am inspired by the diversity of the Rep’s shows and styles. I will be here for the entire season—and it will include my first appearance in any Christmas Carol!” Saenz wants to eventually return to school to get his master’s degree.
Both Kanderski and Saenz love this program. “From day one, I feel that we are members of the company. We don’t have to prove ourselves, we are definitely at the table,” said Saenz. “We couldn’t imagine doing anything else,” Kanderski added.
Hispanic Cultural Awareness
Latino Arts, Inc. is a local non-profit organization dedicated to bringing Hispanic cultural awareness, educational experiences and high-quality programming to the Milwaukee area.
Established in 1985, Latino Arts has brought internationally renowned musicians and dance companies to Milwaukee from many countries, including Mexico, Argentina, Brazil and Peru.
Latino Arts’ South Side facility within the United Community Center (1028 S. Ninth St.) includes a 350-seat multi-purpose auditorium and a modern 3,000 square-foot art gallery. The Center also houses a café and weekly fish fries “with a Latino flavor.” The vibrant surrounding neighborhood that is home to many of the area's nearly 100,000 Hispanic residents.
Jacobo Lovo, managing artistic director of Latino Arts, explains, “Our mission is to present cultural programming for the Latino community in a progressive and cultural way. The Latino Arts Center is a place for everyone. After all, the best way to learn about a culture is to experience its arts.”
One source of pride is the Latino Arts String Program, established in 2002. Directed by Dinorah Marquez, this pre-college music training curriculum provides Latino students with instruments and lessons. Open to students age five and up, the program reaches more than 200 children who participate in a youth orchestra, mariachi groups and varied chamber ensembles. Students are classically trained with a nod to various forms of Latin American folk music, lovingly referred to as "from Bamba to Bach" or "from Mariachi to Mozart."
Noche de Gala, the Center’s annual fundraiser, will offer food, dance demonstrations and plenty of opportunities to support the organization’s many programs with auctions and raffles. It will be held Saturday, Sept. 28, at the Latino Arts Center.
