Photo courtesy of C. Michael Wright
C. Michael Wright
Milwaukee Chamber Theatre’s “Cheers to Chamber” Gala has always been a live in-person event, an opportunity to celebrate its season and raise funds.
That, of course, has now all changed in the Age of Pandemic. So instead, MCT will celebrate its 45th Anniversary Season as a virtual telethon beginning 7 p.m., Friday, May 1 on its Facebook and YouTube channels. And it is also a celebration of its Producing Artistic Director C. Michael Wright, who is retiring after 15 years.
So, how to re-organize online its biggest annual event featuring a who’s who of 30-plus veteran area performers?
“That was all Michael. He assembled the talent and decided from which plays we’d have selections based on overall popularity and the significance of the piece to his tenure overall,” says incoming Artistic Director Brent Hazelton. “It’s really an unprecedented gathering and the kind of thing that could probably never happen if we were actually in the same physical space because all of the schedule logistics would never align.”
All the funds raised on May 1 will help MCT deal with the financial impact of the pandemic, with a goal of $45,000 just to reduce its current deficit and get Hazelton’s first season as AD onto terra firma.
“Everything that follows once we head into our new fiscal year will be far more difficult because it will all be brand new and we’ll have to create a new playbook as we go,” he explains. “ The landscape is completely and totally unknown, and that’s another reason we’re hoping for a strong financial result from the Gala—we don’t have any cash reserves or endowments to fall back on,”
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Being new to the MCT job (he previously worked at The Rep for a number of years), Hazelton is looking forward to noteworthy MCT performances new to him. Expect to see Ruth Schudson recreating her memorable role from 84 Charing Cross Road to what would have been Wright’s final production at MCT, Gently Down the Stream.
Of course, they’ll be plenty of “toasts and celebrations,” Hazelton points out, adding, “for anyone starving for a huge dose of Wisconsin theater right now, this is going to be quite the fix.”
The Cheers to Chamber Gala will be live streamed on MCT’s Facebook page as well as their YouTube channel. The online silent auction is currently available at mctcheers20.givesmart.com. Bidding for live auction items will only be open during the live stream event on May 1. For more information, visit: milwaukeechambertheatre.com.
