Legends and rising stars close out the month

Theater

Olympia Dukakis. Photo courtesy of Ten Chimneys.

Academy Award-winning actress Olympia Dukakis is perhaps best known for roles in such films as Steel Magnolias, Mr. Holland’s Opus, and Moonstruck. In the world of theater, she’s known instead as a near-legendary interpreter and instructor of the works of Anton Chekhov. That led Ten Chimneys to bring on Dukakis as the Master Teacher for its third annual Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship program. For one week, Dukakis will mentor 10 regional theater experts in the art of Chekhov, passing along the skills she has learned over her decades-long career.

In addition, she’ll host evening programs on Friday and Saturday, July 29 and 30, at 8 p.m. The first, part of the Conversations at Ten Chimneys series, features Dukakis telling stories about her career on stage and screen. At the second, the Lunt-Fontanne Fellowship program, Dukakis and the Ten Chimneys Fellows will share portions of the Chekhov plays they worked on during the week. Tickets for both presentations start at $25. Call (262) 968-4110 for reservations.

This weekend, American Players Theatre adds Of Mice and Men to its already plentiful collection of summer shows. The play, an adaptation of the classic novel by John Steinbeck, is set in the Great Depression. It offers a glimpse into the life of itinerant worker George and his companion Lennie. They dream of an idyllic future that can never come to pass. The show opens July 29 runs through Oct. 1 at APT, in Spring Green, Wisconsin. Tickets are $40 and up, depending on date, time and seat. For more detailed information or to purchase tickets, visit APT’s website or call the box office at (608) 588-2361.

If you were ever a child, you may have heard of a gentleman named Dr. Seuss. This week, your inner child can relive its glory days, as Soulstice Theatre opens Seussical the Musical, a song-and-dance infused take on the good doctor’s rhyming creations. The show is the first in Soulstice’s new location, a loft at 3770 S. Pennsylvania Ave. in St. Francis. It looks to be an cheerful way to break in the new digs. The show runs July 28 to August 6, with all shows at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $18 general admission, $16 for students and seniors with ID, and $10 for children under 12, and can be purchased at (414) 481-2800.

Dance

Emma Draves, one of six UWM dancer-choreographers featured in the Dancemakers program.

Over at the Peck School of the Arts, some of the best developing dancer-choreographers will show their stuff at the school’s annual Dancemakers show. This year’s concert comprises new works by MFA students Emma Draves, Lisa Giobbi, Scott Lyons, April Sellers, Maxine Steinman, Elijah Alhadji Gibson and Shawn Short. Subjects range from interpretations of Hindu deities and tulips to the birth of the telegraph to the plight of the soccer mom. Shows are Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., at the UWM Main Stage Theater, on campus at 2200 E. Kenwood Blvd. Tickets are $12, $10 for seniors, alumni and faculty, and $8 for current students. For more information or to purchase tickets, call the box office at (414) 229-4308.

Also, if you’re strapped for cash, or just generally like free stuff, you should consider commenting on this post. Why? Because if you do, you have a chance to win two free tickets to the show. There’s two pairs of tickets available, one for Friday and one for Saturday, so if you’re interested I’d scroll down to that little white box at the bottom of the page.

Visual Arts

Friday night is Gallery Night!

Special Events

The Skylight Opera Theatre’s season proper begins with The Rivals on Sept. 16, but the the company’s Broadway Theatre Center, 158 N. Broadway in the Third Ward, will be jumping with two special Skylight events.

The Skylight will throw an Open House from 5-9 p.m. Friday July 29. The Skylight’s BTC tenants will get into the act; the Bel Canto Chorus will sing, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre will hold an open rehearsal, and Renaissance Theatreworks will preview Gorgons, its season opener. The Skylight will offer a montage of numbers from its upcoming season. The building will be open for self-guided tours throughout. Admission is free; just show up.

Revolush, a Milwaukee rock band, will throw a benefit concert for the Broadway Theatre Center in the center’s Cabot Theatre at 8 p.m. Saturday, July  30. Tommy Hahn, the band’s bassist and lead vocalist, is directing the event. Since the original announcement, it has expanded to include a host of Skylight regulars in a string of numbers from rock musicals. Tickets are $10; click here or call the BTC box office, 414 291-7800.

(Click on the company name for a link to its website. Click on the show title to read the TCD review.)

Sunset Playhouse: The Drowsy Chaperone, through Aug. 7

Marcus Center: Church Basement Ladies, through Aug. 7

Marcus Center: Jersey Boys, through Aug. 14

Fireside Theatre: David, through Aug. 21

American Players Theatre: Blithe Spirit, through Sept. 9

APT: The Critic, through Sept. 10

APT: The Taming of the Shrew, through Oct. 2

APT: The Glass Menagerie, through Oct. 15

APT: Crime and Punishment, through Oct. 16

Last Chance

Bad Example Productions: Cannibal! The Musical, through July 30 (at the Alchemist)