Milwaukee’s First Accessible Theater Opens Doors to All

Katie Cummings (center), founder of Pink Umbrella Theater Co., holds up large scissors after cutting the ribbon at the organization’s new theater on June 7. (Photo by Jake Dale / Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service)

Leaders of the Pink Umbrella Theater Co. say the organization was born with the goal of changing the narrative by changing the narrator. Since 2018, it has served the community as the first professional theater in Milwaukee with a focus on hiring disabled actors and artists to tell their stories.

Katie Cummings is the founder of Pink Umbrella Theater Co.,1104 W. Historic Mitchell St. (Photo by Jake Dale/Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service)

Katie Cummings, Pink Umbrella’s founder and executive director, started the organization on her “credit card and a prayer and a hope.” Today, it serves nearly 300 students annually.

Despite the organization’s success, it wasn’t until this month that Pink Umbrella had a permanent home.

The organization had hosted classes, rehearsals and shows in church basements, parks and school theaters.

“I knew that for Pink Umbrella to really grow and to be sustainable for the long term, we needed a place,” Cummings said.

It has one now, introducing its new home, the first accessible theater in Milwaukee, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on June 7.

“Our Pink Umbrella Theater Company has been nice and cozy and happy under the umbrella, and now we’re going to be able to thrive and grow and multiply our impact,” Cummings said during the ceremony at the new theater’s home, 1104 W. Historic Mitchell St.

Clearing the PATH

Patrons enter during Pink Umbrella Theater Co.’s opening event on June 7. (Photo by Jake Dale/Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service)

Even in the years without a building to call their own, Pink Umbrella leaders worked to make positive changes for the Milwaukee disabled community.

“It’s really that kind of impact that doesn’t leave after you walk out of class or a play. It stays with you all the time,” Janelle Tavela, president of the Pink Umbrella board, said during the opening ceremony. “The people at Pink have created a community that makes each community member stronger.”

Attendees of Pink Umbrella Theater Co.’s ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrated on June 7 in Milwaukee. (Photo by Jake Dale/Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service)

A main goal for the organization’s new theater, called Pink’s Accessible Theater House, or PATH, is to serve as a home-like space for its actors with disabilities and their families.

“We want it to feel like it’s your home. That you can get up and dance with us,” Cummings said.

Organizers hope that comfort and inclusion will blossom at the new theater.

“Making sure that everybody is included, and everybody feels included, and everybody knows they are included is the biggest thing,” Shaqita Crockett said.

In recent years, Pink Umbrella has put on productions such as “A Christmas Carol,” “Portraits” and a staged reading series. Pink’s staff includes teaching artists and artistic allies who help serve the students and actors with disabilities.

Shaqita Crockett, Pink Umbrella Theater Co.’s building manager, poses for a picture at 1104 W. Historic Mitchell St. (Photo by Jake Dale / Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service)

Future programming

The new theater will not only serve Pink Umbrella, it will also benefit local arts and theater groups.

“Having a home also opens up opportunities for other organizations and other theater companies who had that same struggle that we have of not having a go-to place for their patrons to come to,” Crockett said.

Pink Umbrella also plans to continue work it’s been doing since its inception by helping different theater companies in the area cultivate a better experience for viewers with disabilities.

“It means welcoming other community members, exchanging our knowledge for what we learn with people with disabilities,” said Ash Mulholland, a former student of Pink Umbrella and its current social media manager.

Cummings said having Pink Umbrella has helped the theater community better adapt to people with disabilities.

“I do think because we’re here and willing to share our knowledge, there’s more of it happening in Milwaukee than there might be in other cities,” Cummings said.

Remaining challenges

In order to make the new theater space fully accessible, Pink Umbrella is looking to raise $1.5 million. Funding would support an in-facility elevator, wheelchair lift, accessible studio equipment, workspaces and more. The organization’s 2024-2029 strategic plan seeks to raise $100,000 annually over the span of five years, totaling $500,000.

Also, recent national and state-level governmental cuts of aid for people with disabilities may pose major funding challenges, according to Cummings.

“If everybody loses their funding, 90% of our income is down for classes,” Cummings said.

Still, she said, Pink Umbrella is holding out hope.

“I feel really strongly that this is the right thing to do and people will show up,” Cummings said. “It feels like destiny.”

To support Pink Umbrella’s capital campaign, visit here.

You can learn more about the theater company here.

This article first appeared on Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.