Village Playhouse Presents 1940s Radio Noir Comedy, “Jake Revolver, Freelance Secret Agent”

The Village Playhouse is thrilled to close their 2015-2016 season with Jake Revolver, Freelance Secret Agent. This radio noir, private detective parody by local playwright, Matthew Konkel, opens August 5th at Inspiration Studios, 1500 S. 73^rd Street in West Allis. Performances are at 7:30pm on Fridays and Saturdays from August 5 to August 20.  A Sunday matinee is scheduled for 2:00pm on August 21.

Konkel combines slapstick, screwball humor, commercial spoofs and a murder mystery for a stylish and ridiculous tour de force that will keep audiences in stitches.

Narrator: “Emmy Award, Jake’s secretary, came through Jake’s office door.”

(sound effect: wood splintering, glass breaking)

Jake:      “Emmy, Darling, how many times have I told you? Open the door before you enter.”

“When I read this I was hooked,” says Abby Stein, the show’s director. “I take delight in the same comedic conventions as Matthew Konkel. Puns, self-reference, and play-on-words make me giggle with delight. The more I read Jake Revolver, Freelance Secret Agent, the more I fell in love with it.”

Meant to be performed as the premiere episode of a 1940s live radio broadcast, complete with Foley artistry and on-stage standup microphones, Jake Revolver, Freelance Secret Agent is packed with puns, play on words, and oodles of self-referential absurdity.

“This is the most talented, collaborative and professional ensemble of actors I’ve ever had the privilege of directing,” says Stein. “I watched them bring life to their characters by creating distinct voices, physicalizations and oodles of personal back stories. Together we played, experimented, and sometimes failed during the process, but the laughter never stopped for a minute.”

In the title role is Casey Van Dam, an actor/musician from Pewaukee known for his musical performances with various Milwaukee area bands and for his improvisation competitions with ComedySportz.  Casey contributed his musical talents by arranging original music for Jake Revolver, Freelance Secret Agent. 

Actor/director of theatre/film with a degree in drama from UW-Stevens Point, Lindsay Erin plays Angel Fatale and Lt. Ann Danderson.  Erin received an Honorable Mention for “Best Actress” in Shepherd Express’ Best of Milwaukee 2015. She has directed and performed with Giant Spider Productions, Turner Hall, and Cooperative Performance Milwaukee. She is also Casting Director and Artistic Consultant for the new sci-fi play, The Darfsteller (KACM Theatrical Productions), which will premiere at the Milwaukee Fringe Festival.

Donald Kozinski performs as Narrator & Radio Announcer. A current theatre student at UW-Milwaukee, Kozinski loves to entertain others with what he calls his “diverse bag of tricks.”

Logan Milway is a senior at Carthage College majoring in Theater-Directing and Communications. Milway has performed in 4 world premieres at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Logan will also be making his directorial debut at Carthage and is currently working as a teaching apprentice with First Stage Children’s Theater. Milway plays Roll and Wallace in this debut with the Village Playhouse.

In the roles of Emmy and Trudy, is Waukesha resident, Anna Lee Murray. She has performed with the Commonweal Theatre in Lanesboro, Minnesota and in Milwaukee area productions with Giant Spider Productions, Sunset Playhouse, and the Cooperative Performance Milwaukee One Act Festival.

Village Playhouse regular, Paul Zaragoza, provides live sound effects for the show, a first for him.  Zaragoza holds a BA in Theatre-Acting from UW-Milwaukee.

Rounding out the cast is Waukesha resident, Jeff Davis. No stranger to the stages of Southeastern Wisconsin, Davis returns to the Village Playhouse with his wit and wisdom intact.  He jokes, “Being the token ‘old man’ in this cast has been interesting.  Keeping up with the young people has been an experience.  It has been a lot of laughs!”

Jake Revolver, Freelance Secret Agent runs August 5-6, 12-13, 19-20 at 7:30pm. A 2:00pm matinee will be held on Sunday, August 21.  All performances at Inspiration Studios, located at 1500 S. 73^rd Street in West Allis. Tickets are $17 (adults) and $15 (seniors/students).  Seats may be reserved by calling 414 207-4VPW or by emailing jakerevolver@villageplayhouse.org. Tickets are also available for purchase online at www.brownpapertickets.com.

More information can be found on the Village Playhouse website at www.VillagePlayhouse.org or the Inspiration Studios website, www.inspirationstudiosgallery.com.

Inspiration Studios opened its doors to the West Allis community on March 1, 2014, with the intention of providing varied styles of art and theatre to the broader community, focusing particularly on the emergence of new artists and their works.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.