May Adrales, Associate Artistic Director of the Milwaukee Repertory Theater
May Adrales was no stranger to the Milwaukee Rep before arriving as the company’s associate artistic director in its 2017-2018 season. She already had been guest director of the Rep’s production of Dael Orlandersmith’s Yellowman, her third assignment as a professional director. Adrales credits the Rep’s Mark Clements who “took a chance on me” after a “varied and circuitous path” that led from a nonprofit social justice organization through attempts at playwriting (“which admittedly were not very good”).
Directing at the Milwaukee Rep level is no easy field to enter. “And you don’t get many chances and even less opportunity to fail,” she says. Most of the gatekeepers are still men. “When I was coming of age, I never assisted a woman director or person of color. Of all the many regional theaters I’ve worked at, only two were run by female directors.” But, she adds, “the field is changing,” including efforts by the Rep “to help level out this playing field.”
Adrales has directed in many places across the U.S. including Lincoln Center Theater and the Cleveland Playhouse. She says that the Rep “excels in excellence in quality of production,” citing Clements, scenic painter Jim Medved and the props department’s Jim Guy. “Most of all, I am inspired by the audiences here and the City of Milwaukee itself. I love the history and the pride embedded in each cream-colored brick.”
Editor's Note: This article is part of our annual Fall Arts Guide. For the 2018 Fall Arts Guide, we interviewed six women that have founded or taken a leading role within arts institutions in the Milwaukee area to learn about their experiences. Read more of the Fall Arts Guide here.
