Journalism lesson and five more things

Mauriah Donegan Kraker and Jose Luis rehearse Kraker’s “High Plains” on June 21. Madeline Pieschel photo for TCD.

Dancing the Dance and Dropping the Drop, a Journalism Object-Lesson in Three Parts

Part 1: At a Rooftop Dance rehearsal on June 21, I watched Mauriah Kraker and José Luis dance Kraker’s High Plains. In the preview story for the concert, I noted that near the beginning and at the end of the dance, Luis abruptly dropped Kraker, who hit the floor “like a sack of potatoes.”

Part 2: Danielle McClune, a very talented former intern who still writes for us occasionally, asked to review this concert and I sent the assignment her way. Danielle attended the opener on June 27 and filed her story the next morning. By coincidence, she dropped by the office just as I began to edit the review. I asked her to look over my shoulder, for mentoring purposes. Her vivid review didn’t need much editing, but we butted heads a little over her account of High Plains. Here it is, the truth slightly embellished to heighten the drama:

McClune (left) and Strini, discussing McClune’s review of “Rooftop Dances.”

STRINI: How can you not mention José dropping Mauriah like a sack of potatoes? I mean, he does it twice.

DANIELLE: You already said “sack of potatoes” in the preview story, so I couldn’t use that. Anyway, I don’t even remember it. It didn’t make an impression on me?

STRINI: A guy drops a girl and she hits the floor with a bang, and you missed it? I’m going out for a burger — want one?

DANIELLE: Yes. Cheese only.

STRINI: Think about this while I’m gone. The review, not the burger.

[Time passes. Strini returns with hamburgers.]

DANIELLE: [firmly] I’m not putting it in.

STRINI: Okay, then. It’s your story.

Part 3: I biked down to the Kenilworth Building to catch the final performance of Rooftop Dances, a 10 p.m. show on June 30. I got there early and made eye contact with Kraker across the room — she gave me a funny little smile that gave me pause. I didn’t have a chance to talk with her after the show, but I think I know what that smile was about.

In the final form of High Plains, no crashing to the floor. No drops. No sacks of potatoes. Danielle got it totally right.

Epilogue and Moral of the Story: So, all you kids out there, when you grow up to be writers, when you know you’re right, stand up to your editors. And if you grow up to be an editor, respect a talented writer who stands up for her work.

The Florentine’s resident singers will live in this Weil Street house. The purple wall at left is the rear of the La Lune Collection factory.

The Opera House Across the Street: The Florentine Opera‘s offices face south on Burleigh, between Bremen and Weil in Riverwest, within the La Lune Furniture complex owned by Cathy and Mario Costantini. We live just a few doors north on Weil, and have had the pleasure of watching the old house immediately north of the La Lune factory transformed into the new home for the Florentine’s resident singers (young ladies on the top floor and you fellows on the ground floor). The Costantinis, who bought the house many years ago, have rebuilt the house from the foundation up, including the addition of a full second floor. They are making it available to the Florentine, for which it will be an invaluable recruiting tool for singers who in most cases will live in Milwaukee for just 10 months. I’ve often seen Mario out there supervising the work, much of it done by his woodworkers during lulls in furniture production. The house, as you can see, is nearing completion. This house enhances our street and neighborhood, in addition to helping the Florentine and its singers. Thanks, Mario and Cathy.

The first class of young Florentine singers to occupy the Weil Street house: Julie Tabash (soprano) of St. Louis, Mo.; Erin Gonzalez (mezzo-soprano) of Danville, Calif.; Aaron Short (tenor) of Kansas City, Mo.; and Pablo Siqueiros (baritone) of San Diego, Calif. They are the Studio Artists for the Florentine Opera Company’s 2013-2014 season. The residency gives them ample opportunity to sing: in recital, main stage productions, fund-raisers, educational shows, and in a new series at the company’s Riverwest production center. This sort of experience and months of coaching with the company’s experts and guest artists are invaluable to singers breaking into the field.

Clarinetist Joe Aaron died June 7 at age 93. I got to know him a little a few years back. The Florentine was staging Franz Lehar’s The Merry Widow. I interviewed Joe about it, because as a GI during World War II, he had met Lehar during the occupation of Austria at the end of the war. He had some great stories about the operetta composer, but my take-away from that meeting was of the man’s enormous love and enthusiasm for music in general. He taught generations of clarinetists and never passed up an opportunity to play. A good guy who lived a full life.

I’ve been listening to the Jason Seed Stringtet’s new “In the Gallery” CD today.  Seed, a Chicago composer-guitarist, has spent a lot of time in Milwaukee, notably playing with Present Music. In addition to Seed, the Stringtet comprises violinist Glenn Asch, violist Helen Reich and cellist Scott Tisdel, all of the Milwaukee Symphony, and bassist Dan Armstrong, formerly of the MSO and currently a member of the Chicago Symphony.

The group plays Seed’s arrangements of jazz numbers by Charles Mingus, Frank Zappa, Bill Frisell and Edgar Winter among others, but Seed composed all 11 tracks on this CD. Given the instrumentation and Seed’s jazz background, you might expect something along the lines of Django Reinhardt, Stephane Grappelli and the Quintet of the Hot Club of France. Much of Seed’s work does have that antique jazz aura, a certain European sensibility and charm. I like that sort of thing, especially when it comes with new twists such as Middle Eastern scales spinning out in unison melisma. The music has a lot of charm, and the players are terrific.

The Stringtet has one foot in the jazz and bar scenes and the other in the classical, concert-hall tradition. You can hear them live at the CD release show at Sugar Maple, 441 E. Lincoln Ave., at 9 p.m. on July 11 and at the Milwaukee Symphony’s Grape Expectations event 5:30-8 p.m. July 19 at the Milwaukee Hilton City Center.

Stringtet, L-R: Asch, Reich, Seed, Armstrong, Tisdel. Photo courtesy of Seed’s website.

Mary Belle Potter, the gracious wardrobe mistress of the Milwaukee Ballet since day one, has retired from the company. She was a steady hand amid a great deal of tumult and drama over the decades and has been a key person in keeping so many old costumes in remarkably good shape and altering to give dancers that perfect fit. Congratulations for a long and quietly important career.

Willie McClaren, former production manager for the company is organizing a retirement party/MBC reunion for Potter, to be held July 13. Everyone who knew Potter in her professional capacity — “going back to the Ted Kivitt era” — is welcome to attend. For details, email wmmclaren@gmail.com.

Romeo and Juliet Go to School: Milwaukee’s First Stage is one of 40 professional theater companies selected to participate in Shakespeare in American Communities: Shakespeare for a New Generation. This is the 10th year of Shakespeare for a New Generation, but the first for First Stage. The company joins ranks including American Players Theatre, Guthrie Theater and Utah Shakespeare Festival.

Arts Midwest, on behalf of the National Endowment for the Arts, has granted First Stage $25,000 to help it participate.

First Stage’s Young Company – the Academy’s advanced actor training program for high school students – will present Romeo and Juliet in May 2014 at the Rosa Parks Auditorium at Golda Meir School. First Stage’s Young Company actors will work alongside Milwaukee professionals. First Stage Associate Artistic Director John Maclay edited the play to 75 minutes, focusing on material that was critical to the plot such as the relationship between Romeo and Juliet and the perpetuating violence in the street. The abridgement will allow two performances per day and thus double the number of students who can experience the play.

In addition to performances, this program will reach 9,600 middle and high school students through interactive pre- and post-show workshops led by First Stage teaching artists. Professional development opportunities for educators will also be included as part of the program, and First Stage Education Director Julia Magnasco and Maclay will create workshops that help students understand the themes in Romeo and Juliet.