![]() ![]() He also directed an imaginative production of "Ordinary Days," a play about young New Yorkers who were adrift in a world of uncertainty. Backes was in a great production of "The Shape of Things" under All In Productions at Villa Terrace. And some of these youngsters delivered outstanding performance. Who takes their place?"īoth Soulstice and Splinter Group gave opportunities to young actors working their way up the ladder of theater life. We have wonderful veteran actors in Milwaukee, but what’s going to happen when they aren’t working anymore. There are a lot of creative actors and directors who are my age (25) but it’s very difficult for them to get work, to grow. "I know that Soulstice is cancelling the schedule and that just means there are fewer places for young actors and directors to get work. "They have to go somewhere where they can work. "I would say that about 10 or 15 percent of the young actors I know are planning to move to Chicago or New York or Minneapolis," he said. ![]() Backes, who need work in order to grow and hone their skills. It creates a difficult for young actors like J.T. That lack of opportunity portends a problematic future for theater in Milwaukee. The saddest part of small companies like Soulstice going out of business is the fact that opportunities for young artists are disappearing in Milwaukee. In the last tax return I found for Soulstice, it spent around $40,000 on rent and took in about $25,000 in ticket admissions.īut a lot more than the economics are at work here. Running a small theater company is a perilous way to make a living. Last season, Jim Ferrell’s Splinter Group shut down. If Soulstice does actually close, that will mark the second year in a row that a valuable theater company that regularly gave opportunities to young actors has shut its doors. Last season alone, I saw "The Secret Garden," a warm and tender play by Marsha Norman, and "Sea Marks," a deep look at how we identify ourselves, with Julie Swenson and David Ferrie. Soulstice has grown from an ambitious community theater company to a company that frequently delivered top-flight productions. But a number of sources confirmed that Soulstice has cancelled the two plays scheduled for winter and spring in 2017. Francis, has apparently cancelled its 2017 season amid discussions at the board level about whether it can conceivably continue to produce plays.Įfforts to contact Jillian Smith, artistic director and president of the board, were unsuccessful over the holiday weekend. Soulstice Theatre, founded over a decade ago in a tiny corner of an out-of-the-way building in St. There has been no formal announcement yet, but it appears as if another theater company that provides work for young actors and directors in Milwaukee is about to fold its tent. ![]()
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