Milwaukee Rep Regional Finalist Wins First Place at 2025 Next Narrative® Monologue Competition National Finals in New York City for the Second Year in a Row

Milwaukee, WI – [May 14, 2025] Last Monday, May 5, 2025, Milwaukee Repertory Theater (Milwaukee Rep) regional finalists Silver Anderson from Golda Meir High School won first place in the 2025 True Colors Theatre Next Narrative® Monologue Competition (NNMC) National Finals held at Harlem’s historic Apollo Theatre in New York City, hosted by True Colors’ Artistic Director Jamil Jude and writer/performer Roger Q. Mason. This marks the second year in a row that a finalist from Milwaukee Rep has won the coveted first prize showcasing the theaters commitment to arts educational programming in the community.

Launched in 2021, NMMC features original monologues commissioned specifically for the competition from 31 leading contemporary Black playwrights. NNMC is an evolution of Atlanta-based True Colors’ original monologue competition, which featured monologues of August Wilson and ran from its creation in 2007 until 2021. Milwaukee Rep is one of many regional cities participating, offering free workshops across the city to prepare students in the selection and rehearsal of their monologue. Silver Anderson performed the monologue “Shame” by Cheryl West to take home the $3,000 scholarship first prize.

“What started out as an idea has been nurtured by so many loving artists and has blossomed into an incredible event, and this year’s finals competition was certainly one of our best,” said True Colors Artistic Director Jamil Jude. “The commitment of our playwrights, who have delivered some fantastic original monologues, and the dedication of our regional partners have allowed students to fully step into this competition and see themselves transformed through it.”

The finals participants from across the country received an all-expenses paid trip to New York, where, among other activities, they attended a workshop led by noted actress Phylicia Rashad. The judges for the competition were: Ngozi Anyanwu, Brittanny Bradford, Andre Minkins, and Ricardo Vazquez, and Evette Marie White.

“The National Next Narrative Monologue Competition is so much more than a competition as the students build community with one another while building confidence within themselves,” said Jenny Toutant, Milwaukee Rep’s Chief Education and Engagement Officer. “It is open to students of all experiences, creating equitable access to high quality theater training while building confidence in youth throughout the city. Winning the first place prize two years in a row shows the rich talent in our city that is just waiting to be unlocked given the opportunity.”

To learn more about the program visit Next Narrative Monologue Competition at Milwaukee Rep.

About Milwaukee Repertory Theater
Milwaukee Rep is the largest performing arts organization in Wisconsin with its new artistic home in the Associated Bank Theater Center opening Fall 2025 with three unique performance venues – the Ellen & Joe Checota Powerhouse Theater, Herro-Franke Studio Theater and Stackner Cabaret. For over seven decades, Milwaukee Rep has been a centerpiece of Milwaukee’s vibrant arts and cultural scene with productions ranging from Broadway musicals to Shakespeare to American Classics and New Works that are entertaining, inclusive and impactful. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Mark Clements and Executive Director Chad Bauman, Milwaukee Repertory Theater ignites positive change in the cultural, social and economic vitality of its community by creating world-class theater experiences that entertain, provoke and inspire meaningful dialogue among an audience representative of Milwaukee’s rich diversity. More information is available at www.MilwaukeeRep.com

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.