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Inova/Kenilworth Gallery 2155 N. Prospect Avenue Adelheid Mers & Indexical Frontiers Now – May 11, 2008 I almost decided not to review the new Inova/Kenilworth exhibition (now – May 11, 2008). The lengthy press release was exhausting, and I was somewhat confused by the information surrounding Chicago-based artist Adelheid Mers. According to the press release, her “Organogram,” a mapping of the people, positions, procedures, foundations and economic conditions that make up a functioning university arts program (specifically the Peck School of the Arts), produces not a critique, but a projection. But it also claims that the Organogram “reveals the artist’s bias as she gives shape to a visual report of what she has observed.” I had to ask myself, if the work “reveals a bias,” how then can it not be a critique? Of course, perhaps the artist was protecting herself from possibly offending the Peck School, which commissioned the project. The exhibition, curated by Nicholas Frank, also includes the work of Michael Banicki, Annabel Daou and Renato Umali, all participating in Indexical Frontiers. I visited the Kenilworth Building shortly after the March 28 opening. The alleged point of Mers’ project and process is to help people find “new ways of thinking about their institutions.” Eight questions were included in an online survey, with the anonymous replies to be no more than 2,000 words. Those wishing to schedule an interview with the artist were asked to provide an email address. The gallery-sitter that day was a 23-year-old pursuing an Arts Education degree with a double major in painting and drawing. She told me her favorite works in the exhibition were Umali’s, who earned his Master of Fine Arts if Film and Video Performance from UW-Milwaukee and presently teaches in their Film Department. I agree with the young woman. His repertoire is a meticulously crafted presentation of personal data he’s recorded over an eight-year span. You might say this slice of his life is one big spreadsheet – with a twist. Umali has good days and bad days and in-between days, and you can locate his ups and downs by studying his richly detailed, colorfully designed graphs. A bad day is a black day. When his mood lightens, the squares morph to sunny shades of yellow. It’s all very prim and proper in the way that math is prim and proper; it’s easy to imagine Umali as a busy accountant, ticking off his life’s moments and making sure that everything balances. He maintains a piano studio for private instruction somewhere in the Kenilworth building, likely with not one but two metronomes. The gallery-sitter/art student remarked that Umali’s work “is something I would never have thought of.” Across from Umali’s offerings is a wall of obsessive notations on white paper, so tiny and fragile-looking that I feared they might disappear from sight. Born and raised in Beirut, the artist, Annabel Daou, moved to New York in 1999, which may explain why her feathery notations seem to cling to the paper, as if […]

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Community & Economic Development Holds North End Training Plan

Resolution 071618 would authorize the terms of a job training program utilizing part of the $500,000 that the North End development received as part of its TIF funding. Dick Lincoln, from the Mandel Group, presented an overview of the North End development highlighting their environmental remediation efforts, the creation of new public places and then covered the job training component of the project. Dick Lincoln said that “the focus of that job training program was going to be on developing the capacity of existing business rather than job skill training and workforce development. Essentially they will work with Emerging Business Enterprise (EBE)  firms to grow their business with the goal of being able to participate in the development of the North End development in the future. The committee felt this plan needed further review and additionally breakdown of the costs so it was held at the call of the chair.

The Mystery of Irma Vep

There is pure pleasure in laughter, in comic relief from a long, receding winter, in an evening spent watching two very talented actors revel in their roles. Next Act effortlessly provides this opportunity in their production The Mystery of Irma Vep by Charles Ludlam. Charles Ludlam founded The Ridiculous Theater Company in 1967, where producing absurd comedy was serious professional business. Combining several classic film and theater genres, staging and lighting effects, borrowed text from other literature, precise stage directing and a measure of Abbott and Costello, Ludlum perfected an original avant-garde theater experience. After writing numerous plays to unimpressed critics – over 30 during his lifetime – 1984’s The Mystery of Irma Vep garnered Drama Desk and Obie awards for Ludlam and partner Everett Quinton along with a measure of financial success. Tragically, as with many creative professionals during the 1980s, the AIDS epidemic that decimated the arts community claimed Ludlam’s life in 1987. Fortunately his work remains, with fast-revolving humor revealing impossibly insane characters and plot twists. Two doors in a gothic, wood-paneled study repeatedly open and close with utter efficiency, allowing a pair of actors and a trio of behind-the-scene helpers to expertly recreate the ridiculous. The eight characters in the play, all performed by John McGivern and Christopher Tarjan incredibly portray Ludlum’s convoluted story, which questions the mysterious death of Egyptologist Lord Edgar Hillcrest’s son and his wife, Irma, after Hillcrest’s remarriage to the actress Lady Enid. Add the spinster housekeeper Jane Twisden, groundskeeper Nicodemus Underwood, a wooden leg, werewolves, secret dungeons and recently discovered Egyptian mummies, and you have hilarious surprises attracting attention every minute. While the story literally unravels, the skills of McGivern and Tarjan (and their seamless and elaborate costumes changes) hold the audience captive. McGivern delights as a primping and pampered Victorian woman while Tarjon’s fitting partner Lord Edgar responds. The evening accompaniment by Jack Forbes-Wilson as the Mad Gothic Organist transports the action to 1940’s film noir with ominous melodies. This production requires a host of expertise in every area, from David Cecsarini’s direction to stage technicians. The promise of great, difficult comedy demands precision to perform, and Next Act delivers. As one of the characters in the play so aptly describes, “It’s hard for people to believe in the supernatural, just hard enough to believe in the natural.” The Mystery of Irma Vep combines both – a supernatural story with the natural gifts of these actors and theater performances culminating in an entertaining production. Next Act ridiculously presents the unbelievable on stage so the healing power of laughter in life becomes unequivocally believable to those watching. VS Next Act presents The Mystery of Irma Vep at The Off-Broadway Theatre on Water Street until May 25. For tickets or information, call 414.278.0765 or visit Next Act online.

A Year with Frog and Toad

An afternoon – or an entire year – of life at the pond with Frog and Toad completely mesmerizes. Interpreting the book, lyrics and music of Willie and Robert Reale, First Stage Children’s Theater closes their season in classic style with A Year with Frog and Toad. As these amphibians perform a soft-shoe dance in brown-and-white spectators, this adaptation of Arnold Lobel’s picture books marvelously reveals the meaning of friendship. From the first moments of song, where Toad, Frog, and Bird chorus sing, “Spring isn’t spring, not without you,” every detail of the production enhances the experience. The enchanting costumes by Kim Instenes — like bird and mouse dresses edged in fringe — impart these humble creatures with an understated grace that captures the imagination. Frog’s pale green silk morning coat with bow tie commands respect, which carries over to every word and action throughout the play, as does Toad’s woven wool vest and knotted tie. Sarah L. Hunt-Frank’s creative stage design includes a semicircular arched bandshell in grass-green, sheltering the instrumentalists and framing the rotating homes of Frog and Toad in the foreground. Cobblestones beneath the actor’s feet give way to growing gardens, windows in the bandshell hide singing birds, and waves of satin blue cloth, when attached to the outer edges of the stage, allow Frog and Toad to swim through cut-out peepholes, revealing their heads. Every inch of the stage sets a believable scene as the action flows easily through seasons of the year. Best of all is Brian J. Gill as the quietly dignified Frog to John Maclay’s slightly cantankerous Toad. Recalling traces of Gene Kelly and Danny Kaye, those iconic figures of song and dance, Frog and Toad are already princes waiting to be kissed. As they near perfectly perform their roles with refined class and sincerity, the audience understands that one would surely be lost without the other, as they sing, “You will always be in all my dreams.” Paul Helm, Courtney Jones and Beth Mulkerron charm in multiple roles supporting this magical duo, ably assisted by the Frog Cast of First Stage child actors. The professional trio of bassist, percussionist and pianist, under the direction of former Milwaukeean James Valcq, plays as though performing for an elite evening soiree. The simple elegance of this performance underscores the importance of children’s theater while revealing a straightforward message. As Frog and Toad spend a year appreciating daily life and each other’s company, showing care, kindness, and empathy while happily baking cookies or taking tea, the musical uncovers the joys of living. Even the Large and Terrible Frog that comes to life in the second act creates an imposing but non-threatening element in this serene story. Children and adults delight in the animated melodies, meaningful lyrics, sly humor and subtle morals. The very best children’s theater illuminates real life with truths seen on stage that every age appreciates, so that when the stage lights raise, its themes linger in the audience’s mind with words or moments […]

Zoning Committee Approves Bookends Proposal

Resolution 071392 would authorize $1.25 million of additional funding from Tax Incremental District #48 for development of a riverwalk and associated public improvements located at 202 West Juneau Ave. $858,042 of the funding will go towards construction of a riverwalk, dock wall, public boat slip and public plaza with pedestrian access.   This work is part of the $42 million Aloft development and should pay off the TIF in seven years. The remaining portion of $278,160 will be used to purchase the right of way to construct the extension of Ogden St. and Market St. This resolution was approved by the committee and will now go before the full Common Council. Resolution 071500 would change the zoning for the properties located at 700 East Kibourn Ave. and 711 East Kibourn Ave. to General Planned Development and would specify the maximum height and density of the project. New Land Enterprises intends to build two mixed-use buildings with up to 20-stories, 230 residential units each and approximately 4000 square feet of retail space. The combined value of this project would not only add an estimated $120 million to the city tax base but would not utilize any city financing. A few neighboring business owners spoke in opposition to this project focusing their complaints mainly around height, density and potential parking issues. Specifically Margaret Gintoft, of Therapies East Associates, spoke at length repeatedly asking some form of the question “do you really want to have a high-rise on every corner, dwarfing these little buildings in between”? The land’s current zoning has no height limitation and as Vanessa Koster, from the Department of City Development, indicated “if he developed it under the current zoning parameters he could come in off the street and pull his permits and we would have no control over the design of the building, the materials, the location of the parking, and driveway access, so this gives us control over the design”. Although this change in zoning allows for more density than the current zoning, it also allows the City of Milwaukee input into the development process and now limits the building’s height. During the discussion Alderman Mike D’Amato responded to Margaret Gintoft’s question when he said “you spoke earlier about does the city want high-rises and do we want a high-density city. And I think the answer in some areas. In some areas the answer is yes”. This resolution was approved by the committee and will now go before the full Common Council.

We Must Cultivate Our Gardens

“Tawdry and Despicable” — Milwaukee Journal Sentinel A “Tragedy” — Gov. Doyle “Unfit to be a judge or hold any public office — Bill Lueders Others have reflected on the awful campaign leading to the defeat of Justice Louis Butler by Burnett County Circuit Court Judge Michael Gableman in Tuesday’s election. My reaction was disappointment and anger. Justice Butler, a highly-respected, ethical and accomplished jurist was taken out by a truly mean-spirited, vicious and cynical campaign. But let’s stop putting the blame on how shady, anonymous third party groups manipulated the process. For one thing, the Gableman campaign itself was responsible for the most reprehensible ad. It was the one that flashed Butler’s picture on the screen next to the face of a child molester who Butler represented in his role as a public defender more than twenty years ago. Leaving aside the racist implications that led to comparisons with the Willie Horton ad of the 1988 Lee Atwater-George H.W. Bush campaign, Gableman’s ad crossed a clear line by suggesting that Butler was tainted for serving as a public defender offering competent defense to an indigent client. Gableman refused to withdraw the ad or apologize for it, insisting that he was simply drawing a distinction between his experience as a prosecutor and Butler’s experience as a defense attorney. A number of legal experts believe that this ad violated the prohibition of judges engaging in behavior detrimental to public confidence in the judicial system. Even many of his supporters, including the estimable Charlie Sykes, criticized the ad. So Gableman will join the court with an ethical cloud surrounding him much as Annette Ziegler did last year. But let no one be confused about those third party groups. They are neither anonymous nor obscure. Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, the state’s largest business group, bellied up to the bar and opened its wallet to make sure that the balance of power on the Supreme Court swung in its favor. These greedy, Gordon Gecko-wannabes shouldn’t be given the cloak of invisibility or unaccountability. Take a look at the WMC board. These are the folks responsible for replacing Louis Butler with Michael Gableman. Each one probably considers him or herself a civic leader, with ties to the community and charitable causes they support. I’ll bet they love their mothers, are good parents and maybe even have really, really cute pets. Maybe you know one of them or more. I suggest you do what I did. Contact them and ask them if they were involved in the decision to conduct this campaign and, if so, why. I exchanged emails with John B. Torinus, Jr., Chairman of Serigraph, Inc. of West Bend. Mr. Torinus, who also pens a business column in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, responded that he personally favors public financing of Supreme Court elections though he acknowledged that would be useless unless third party spending was reined in. We have no choice but to operate under the rules as they exist. So it seems somewhat […]

Sinners + Saints – 4.18.08

Enter an otherworldly realm with us this Friday at THE ARTS BUILDING, as 10 artists from divergent traditions – from Kristopher Pollard’s compelling ink portraits to Adam Werther’s ethereal and disturbing imagery to the typographic riffs of Jeremy Pettis – take on heaven and hell, devotion and doubt, temptation and resistance, iconography and iconoclasm and everything in between. With acoustic reconsiderations of sex, drugs and salvation by Andrew Falk and Joe White, a reading by Milwaukee’s bard of bald-faced truth Eddie Kilowatt, and a generous contribution from SPARKS, this party will make you a believer! PARTICIPATING ARTISTS: Kat Berger, Jeff Kenney, Brandon Minga, Judith Ann Moriarty, Ken Pitt, Jeremy Pettis, Kristopher Pollard, Greg Schoeneck, Scott Van Vreede and Adam Werther 7-10 pm • 133 W. Pittsburgh, #409 Come early – the multi-talented members of The Arts Building will open their studios for perusal at 5 pm!

Film Festival Skin And Bones

What up Milw? I had a great conversation with a friend at VITAL about the excitement of starting a film festival. Here’s my take on a jumping off point for all you sinners: Film Festival Skin and Bones Sponsorship Aka Marketing and Advertising for those who don’t want to concede to the fact they are selling….. The nerve center of the festival. Trade out lots of festival costs like the 3 biggies: location, projection/sound, and media partners. Important Note: get your location and projection/sound first because you will not have a festival otherwise. Create package with exclusive and non-exclusive levels. Why are you different, demographic reached, year round reach, event only reach, etc Box Office sell tickets for screening. Very easy with one screen venue, tends to get complicated with multi-day, multi screen. Sell tickets to general public, handles lines / sales for passholders, jury, press, filmmakers, etc. Manage Rush Line: tickets sold once passholders are in. If there is an audience award, Box Office distributes, collects and counts ticketed results. Head of Programming and Programmers CAN NOT BE ON JURY. DO NOT CONFUSE THIS. Your festival will be bullshit if you do because programmers can sway what films get in and what films win. Filmmakers sniff this out, spread the word that your festival is shit and you will not get submissions or attendees. Plain and simple. Head of Programming heads up organizing of submissions, creating call for entries documents, sets early and late deadline by postmark only – no late submissions. Another bullshit festival move. Determines definition of short or feature / categories for awards ie: animation, 8mm, vision award, best song, best director, best editor, etc. Organizes programmers on schedule of watching and scoring submissions. Sets dates for all programmers to get together to determine the slate of films in competition. Jury A handful of qualified, high profile film, music, art peeps brought in to view films. Preferably attend festival. Fest must also set up side room for viewing films again to discuss their scoring. No one from the festival should be in room during deliberation. Director of Programming sets time deadline for results to present awards. Events Manager Parties, happenings, happy hours, panels, networking events etc surrounding the festival. Works closely with sponsorship coordinator to determine budgets / what events can be sold to what sponsor. Basic checklist: venue, backline sound, flyers, talent, a beer/wine/liquor/energy drink sponsor…..simple math: free drinks=big turnout=good for sponsors/filmmakers/life of festival. Projection & Projectionists Most overlooked yet most important department. Do not get a college kid to sit by a corporate dvd projector and shit his pants when the bulb blows. If the projection goes, the fest dies and looks bad, sponsors leave and you are done. Also, having a skilled projection department / equipment opens up what screening formats are offered and opens festival entries to potentially higher level of filmmakers shooting on a range of formats. Printing – Festival Program Prints all fest info and ads promised to sponsors. Fest […]

City Plan Commission Approves Zoning for 20-story Building

Resolution 071500 would change the zoning for the properties located at 700 East Kibourn Ave. and 711 East Kibourn Ave. to General Planned Development and would specify the maximum height and density of the project. As reported earlier New Land Enterprises intends to build two mixed-use buildings with up to 20-stories and 230 residential units each. Despite the project being in the neighborhood of Yankee Hill, Juneau Village Towers, The Regency, University Club and Kilbourn Tower a handful of neighbors expressed their belief that a 20-story building wasn’t consistent with the neighborhood Alderman Bauman spoke briefly on the project saying that he “enthusiastically supports this project” and went on to indicate the proposed buildings fit the neighborhood. This resolution was approved by the commission and will now go before Zoning, Neighborhoods & Development Committee for approval. Resolution 071176 proposed the vacation of the eastbound right-hand turn lane from East Pittsburgh Ave to South Water Street. The removal of the turn lane would support the mixed-use development of the adjacent property by improving access to the site for a potential retail tenant. This resolution was approved by the commission and will now go before Zoning, Neighborhoods & Development Committee for approval.

Mass Appeal

Between heaven and hell, if either exists, is a present life that human beings struggle through, desperate to survive the circumstances that confront them. Saving a person from hell by faith, the conventions of the authentic church and the representations of those beliefs, including the priesthood, become controversial dialogue in the current production Mass Appeal by In Tandem Theatre. Amid the stained glass windows, both real and on stage in the Tenth Street Theatre, Bill C. Davis’s 1980 award-winning play corners two Catholic priests, Father Farley and Deacon Dolson, from different generations as one tries to save the other from themselves and the authority of the Catholic Church. Youth rebels against the status quo, while age asks only for acceptance, to be loved at all costs, even if one’s profession and principles are sacrificed. Michael Duncan plays Father Tim Farley, an older priest settled contentedly in a wealthy diocese that fosters a non-confrontational approach towards religion, specifically Catholicism. Enter Michael Perez as Mark Dolson, the young seminarian just ordained as a deacon, the last step before becoming a full-fledged priest. After three years of indulgent living amidst startling sexual mores, Dolson ultimately seeks celibacy and reform through the priesthood – but only on his own unconventional terms, which are contrary to the reigning authority. Father Farley enjoys this enthusiasm while attempting to restrain it, although the headstrong Dolson resists. Their conversations spill into contemporary issues facing the Catholic priesthood and the church – homosexuality, women in the church, materialism, complacency and faith. As these priests try to change one another, Farley and Dolson reveal their own personal secrets, underscoring the notion that each individual creates his own heaven or hell on earth determined by the place faith holds in their life. As Father Farley reasons, “If there is such a thing as hell – there are hints of it here on this earth.” Both Duncan and Perez inhabit these holy vestments with vitality, but there is an emotional vulnerability between the two men as actors, and characters, which could be realized more completely. The Tenth Street theatre is a fine venue to contemplate these weighty issues; the high ceilings and arched doors are appropriate to this particular production, and the stage is dressed with rich oriental rugs and an ornate desk befitting a priest of Farley’s stature. Indeed, the audience feels as attentive and captivated as though the sermons were real. The surprises inherent in Mass Appeal resonate in today’s culture, even if “faith” in organized religion is dissipating; the church relates to other organized institutions in society, including the business environment. We confront Father Farley and Deacon Dolson not just as priests, but simply as people coping with life’s difficult choices. What can someone, anyone, Catholic or atheist, believe and trust in? And if the people we respect in society betray us, even priests, then questions concerning the existence of not only God, but also love and faith among each other, make it difficult to remove the grace of […]

Cymbeline

By Morgan Shelton Milwaukee Shakespeare Theater’s Cymbeline offers an appropriately layered artistic depiction of the play’s complex storyline. Cymbeline tells a story of fighting – whether it’s for love, power, revenge, land, spite or respect – through a string of sub-plots, each blending together and circling around a bubbling political scene. Posthumus, played by Wayne T. Carr, is a man of low birth who secretly marries the daughter of British King Cymbeline, Princess Imogen, played by Sarah Sokolovic. After learning of their marriage, King Cymbeline banishes Posthumus to Italy. There, the couple’s love is tested when Posthumus agrees to a wager with Roman soldier, Iachimo, testing his wife’s faithfulness. While Imogen passes the test, false reports cause Posthumus to sentence her to death. Meanwhile, Imogen’s stepmother concocts methods to win her son, Cloten, the throne. A late twist in the play, however, reunites King Cymbeline with his biological sons, whom were kidnapped at birth. As these sub-plots unravel, Britain and Rome turn from friends to enemies as Rome invades Britain and war breaks out. Just as Cymbeline’s numerous plots reflect some struggle or fight, the text of the play itself features competing storylines that ultimately unite. As these plots overlap and merge into each other, the audience learns the history of one character while hearing the fate of another. It’s fitting, then, that Director Jeffrey Sichel physically thrusts the audience into this world consumed by love, faith and deceit. The audience feels that circling effect when actors break the fourth wall, unraveling the play from all parts of the theater. The simple, yet symbolic set design offers a practical solution to scene transitions and visually reflects the connection between the characters and storylines. Misha Kachman, scenic and costume designer, overcame potential space limitations by creatively incorporating all parts of the studio into her work. The play’s strong cast is certainly equipped to handle the complexity of this production, and to add another twist, an interesting casting choice brings us an African-American actor as Posthumus. This decision obviously provides a deeper meaning behind to the King’s disapproval of Posthumus. Joe Foust as Cloten provides the ultimate comedic relief, crafting a character so likeable and sympathetic that his ultimate doom is almost unbearably tragic. VS To order tickets for Cymbeline, running March 22 – April 20, 2008, please call the Broadway Theatre Center box office at 414.291.7800 or visit milwaukeeshakespeare.com. Tickets range from $15-$50.