All-in Productions Returns with ‘Embers’

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Photo by Marie Helser Photography

Embers

It’s good to see one of Milwaukee’s theater companies back on its feet again. All-In Productions, absent from the local theater scene since 2019, stages the Milwaukee premiere of Embers. The play was written by Milwaukee theater educator and artistic director Tom Backes. The play opened last weekend at Brick House in Riverwest and continues through September 20.  

In this environmental staging, all of the action occurs outdoors. It’s a warm summer night in 1976, and seven friends gather for an informal reunion four years after their high school graduation. They sit in a semi-circle around a bonfire. In the course of this 65-minute show, they reveal what they’ve learned over the past four years, and how their relationship dynamics have changed over that time. Secrets are revealed that may have been uncomfortable to share while they all attended high school.  

The outdoor staging has its benefits and limitations. For instance, there is no outdoor lighting, other than a single string of bulbs behind the audience and a faint flame from a bonfire. The cast’s subtle expressions are all but lost as a result.  

Sound Problems Detract from Show’s Effectiveness 

There’s no sound amplification, either. This became an insurmountable problem on a busy Saturday night, where constant traffic noises drowned out the dialogue. Think of trying to follow a plot while being bombarded with sounds of revving motorcycles, a barking dog, the hissing starts and stops of city buses and loud music emanating from car stereos.  

Director Erica Case might have circumvented some of these sound issues by working more closely with her cast on the need for voice projection. The cast often talked to each other in “regular conversation” mode, barely above a whisper. Sometimes, actors turned their backs completely to the audience. 

As the show begins, one of the friends (Wyatt Michaels) leads off the group conversation with a “humorous” story about his most embarrassing moment since graduation. It involves extreme alcohol abuse. Another friend tells a similar incident in which she ends up in a hospital. She recalls being lectured about her drinking by the medical staff prior to being released. 

The group quickly fast-forwards to their frustrations about a lack of job opportunities following graduation. According to Luke (Graham Olen), his parents won’t stop pestering him about getting a “real” job that doesn’t involve the food service industry. Similar frustrations are shared by several of the other friends. One of them is forced to stay home after graduation for two important reasons: a lack of funds and her mother’s chronic illness. She opts to stay home and take care of her mother. 

Friends, Feuds and Cheating Partners 

There is nothing earth-shattering about their discussion, and this is perhaps by intent. In his play, Backes is attempting to convey the feelings many people share in their early 20s. His show is relatable in many ways – especially for the few front-and-center audience members who could hear the dialogue. The rest of us had to weave the plot from snippets of sentences. Those who could hear let out a laugh or chuckle several times during the performance. 

The young, local actors all distinguished themselves under these less-than-ideal circumstances. In addition to the actors mentioned above, the cast also included Chloe Attala, Patti Meadors, Jocelyn Dummert, Lexi Rios-Olivares and Isiah Stewart. Of the entire cast, Stewart was most effective in projecting beyond the bonfire flames to the 30-some audience members in attendance. 

One hopes for better things from All-In Productions in the future.  

Embers continues through September 20 at the Brick House, 504 E. Center St. Audience members are encouraged to bring their own folding chairs. For tickets, go to general@allin-mke.com.