MCT’s Kearns Transitioning to Madison’s Forward Theater

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Marcella Kearns

Marcella Kearns

The Milwaukee theater scene’s loss will be Madison’s gain. Marcella Kearns, associate artistic director for Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, announced she will be stepping down after the 2021-2022 season ends this summer to assume a similar role with Madison’s Forward Theater.

“Marcy is an exceptionally skilled theater-maker across a wide variety of disciplines—actor, director, educator, new play developer, administrator, and community connector—and matches that craft with an incredibly curious and hungry mind and spirit,” says MCT Artistic Director Brent Hazelton. “As truly sorry as we are to see her go, I’m looking forward to seeing what greater impacts she’s able to make on our statewide theater community in a position that provides for wider exploration of her full skillset than MCT’s growth trajectory allows.”

In addition to MCT, Kearns also has worked with Forward since the company’s 2009 inception. She hopes to continue to work with both companies, as well as maintain her relationships with local theater group First Stage and the theater departments at Marquette University and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She is not planning to move to Madison, she says.

Making Space for Change

“I’m making space, mostly within myself,” Kearns says. “I have a long relationship with both companies and love them both, and this change affords space for new trajectories, learning curves, expansion, relationships. I hope that applies to both MCT and Forward as well.”

Both roles are part-time positions and do have some crossover in responsibilities, the theater-maker adds, such as managing the development and hearing of new plays. At Forward, among other tasks, Kearns will be more deeply involved with casting and supporting exploration of potential season material.

The social missions embraced by both MCT and Forward is what drew Kearns to the two companies in the first place. Strong relationships to their respective communities and their members is what makes MCT and Forward such valuable artistic assets, she says.

“I entertain a not-so-secret notion to build stronger ties between Madison and Milwaukee theater,” Kearns says. “It’s a mighty arts corridor, with one of the beating hearts of American theatrical history, Ten Chimneys, about halfway between the cities. I’m not sure what that looks like yet, but keeping a foot in both cities is a start.

“I’m also betting that World Premiere Wisconsin—a statewide festival celebrating new plays and musicals—will bring some serious spark to our part of the world next spring,” says Kearns, who is providing administrative support to the consortium of theater groups in Milwaukee, Madison and Door County. “Flyover country, ha! It’s going to be a reason to get in some Midwest destination vacation time in 2023.”