I don't know enough to know for certain, but I would be willing to bet that it isn't very often that a statue gets built in the honor of a butcher. Admittedly, that's not why they built a statue of John Plankitnton. (Or named a street after him for that matter) but it's kind of inspiring that a man with humble beginnings could be remembered more than 150 years after he was born.
This coming February, Plankinton's statue, which rests in the rotunda of the Planktinon Arcade on 161 West Wisconsin Avenue is being re-dedicated in a special one-night event. Perhaps inadvertently mirroring the humble background of the man being honored, the event is simply being called interACT. One word. Two syllables. But it's actually a really big deal.
From 7 - 10 pm, the Shops of Grand Avenue present the event, which will include live music, art, a cash bar and performances featuring no less than six Milwaukee-based theatre companies: Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Skylight Music Theatre, Renaissance Theatreworks, Pink Banana Theatre Co., World’s Stage Theatre Co. and The Quasimondo Physical Theatre. From some of the oldest, most established theatre companies in town to some of the youngest, newest ones, it's quite a mix. They're all there and they're all performing bits of David Ive's All In The Timing.
All In The Timing is a great collection of shorts by a truly idiosyncratic playwright with one of the more inventive minds working in theatre today. I love this collection. There are quite a few shorts to choose from and it's difficult to tell what may be chosen but here are the original six shorts in the collection:
Stay on top of the news of the day
Subscribe to our free, daily e-newsletter to get Milwaukee's latest local news, restaurants, music, arts and entertainment and events delivered right to your inbox every weekday, plus a bonus Week in Review email on Saturdays.
--Sure Thing--in which a couple are on a first date that is continually reset every time something is said that would otherwise completely derail any romantic connection.
--Words, Words, Words--in which a few primates have an idle conversation while inadvertently working out a draft of Hamlet.
--The Universal Language--In which a man attempts to teach a woman a language only known to him.
--Philip Glass Buys a Loaf of Bread--which is . . . pretty much what you might expect. And every bit as fun.
--The Philadelphia--which outlines a condition in which someone can only be satisfied by having the opposite of what one wants. (How else do you explain a cheesesteak?)
and finally
-- Variations on the Death of Trotsky--something which can feel a bit like a cross between the story of Rasputin and a Warner Brothers cartoon--Leon Trostky dies multiple times and spouts a few philosophical things.
Okay, so six different theatre companies and six original shorts. The shorts will be performed multiple times over the course of the evening. They range in length from 10 to 20 minutes each. Thank you so much to ARTMilwaukee and Matt Kemple for arranging such an interesting evening in celebration of a man with a humble background.
interACT runs 7pm -10pm on Friday, February 8th. Tickets are $15 the day of the show or $10 in advance. All proceeds from the even will support the theatre companies involved. For ticket reservations, visit ARTMilwaukee.com
