One of the classiest houses for relatively high-end theatre in Milwaukee, the Broadway Theatre Center is kind of a remarkable space. A bar, a studio theatre, a larger formal theatre and a whole bunch of offices rest on the end of Broadway near the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design. Once again this summer, the Theatre Center opens its doors to provide a peak behind (and above and below) the stage with another open house.
In addition to a sel-guided tour that allows the general public to view costume shop, scenic design areas and all of the rest of the backstage production areas, this year’s open house has what appears to be an expanded list of formal events.
The most interesting thing to stick out at me in the program was an open rehearsal of Milwaukee Chamber Theatre’s season opener Crimes of the Heart. The evidently 15-minute open rehearsal (between 7 and 7:15 PM in the Cabot Theatre) is likely a staged version of what goes into a production, but it’d still be a great deal of fun to watch director Mary MacDonald Kerr go over some aspect of the drama with what largely appears to be a very talented cast.
The program that follows from 8 to 9pm features four groups rushing through the stage in one hour. The Bel Canto Chorus will perform. There will be a formal preview of Crimes of the Heart—followed by a similar preview of Renaissance Theaterworks’ season opener Gorgons. Skylgiht appears to have the bulk of the stage time with snippets of previews from its entire season.
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The Broadway Theatre Center Open House happens Friday July 29th from 5pm to 9pm. Being an open house, its free and open to the general public. For more information, visit the Skylight Opera Theatre Online.
