First Stage’s Unflinching ‘Rose of Treason’

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Photo by Paul Ruffolo

Cast - Rose of Treason - First Stage

(L to R) William Swoboda, Reiley Fitzsimmons, Marko Van Slyke, Lio Landis, and Natalie Ottman in The Rose of Treason by James DeVita. First Stage Young Company, 2025.

It’s easy to lose track of individuals in the massive tapestry of history. Playwright James DeVita cleverly explores the lives of compassionate activists in Germany during World War II in The Rose of Treason. Director Reva Fox ushers the First Stage Young Company through an unflinchingly intimate staging of the historical drama in the round at the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center.

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Photo by Paul Ruffolo

Reiley Fitzsimmons - First Stage's Rose of Treason

Reiley Fitzsimmons in The Rose of Treason by James DeVita. First Stage Young Company, 2025.

Reiley Fitzsimmons sparkles with heroic courage in the role of German political activist Sophie Scholl. Scholl had been involved in the White Rose: a student group that opposed the Nazis. Marko Van Slyke renders quite an impressive character arc in the role of her older brother Hans, who was also a member of the White Rose. It’s a drama about a few people standing up to a murderous regime, performed admirably by young actors tury.

The design of a show like this is particularly tricky. There is a need to bring across the oppressive visuals of a totalitarian state while also allowing the individual emotional drama to take the center of the stage. First Stage balances, these things quite nicely with design elements that never overpower the importance of the individual performance. The visual realities of fascism are largely present onstage in the power dynamic between characters. There is the looming presence of Hitler in the background as his words are occasionally projected behind the drama that marches forth onstage. The movements and motions of the Nazis and the presence of the red armbands continue to have a very chilling effect on such a small stage.

First Stage Young Company’s production of The Rose of Treason continues through November 16 at the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center, 325 W. Walnut St. For ticket reservations and more, visit First Stage online.