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For Immediate Release
Contact: TNW Ensemble Theater
info@tnwensembletheater.org
608-770-0826; 608-244-2938
What do a formerly enslaved woman running for her freedom, a hidden child during the Holocaust, and Mary Magdalene have in common?
More than you might think. These remarkably strong women are all featured as “characters” in Step Right Up, Ma’am - Stories of Resilience, a new TNW Ensemble Theater production exploring the theme of resilience.
The production includes the writings of poet, Fabu Phillis Carter, Dale M. Kushner, poet and novelist, and TNW’s own co-producing artistic director, playwright Danielle Dresden. Cut paper collage banners, by upstate New York visual artist Milly Charles, highlight the production’s themes and shape the stage environment. Performers are Nedra Bobo-Boyles, Liz Light, and Atlanta-based actor Eileen Koteles. Donna Peckett, TNW’s co-producing artistic director, stages this multi-disciplinary theater production. Lighting design is by Patricia Micetic, and Shane Heim is Stage Manager.
Poet Fabu’s writings, Say It Loud, I’m Black and I’m Proud, tell the stories of notable black women in history and their connections to Wisconsin. Dale M. Kushner’s poems, What Couldn’t Be Said, dive into the transformative experiences of women in myth and history, from desire through loss and grief to awakening. Dresden’s work, Henny & the Strawberries is based on the real-life experiences of her cousins as hidden Jewish children during World War II in the Netherlands. The play concludes with “characters” from each author coming together to find a way forward.
Performances in Overture Center’s Promenade Hall are set for 7:30 pm on Friday and Saturday, June 21 and 22, and 3:00 pm on Saturday and Sunday, June 22 and 23. Tickets are $30 and available through the Overture Center Box Office, online, by phone at (608) 258-4141, email, or in person at 201 State Street.
Contact TNW Ensemble Theater at info@tnwensembletheater.org for more information.
Step Right Up Ma’am is made possible, in part, by support from the Great Performance Fund for Theater at Overture, a Field of Interest Fund at the Madison Community Foundation; Dane Arts, with additional funds from the Endres Mfg. Company, the Evjue Foundation, charitable arm of the Capital Times, the W. Jerome Frautschi Foundation, the Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation; the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin, and the National Endowment for the Arts; the Neil Allen Peckett Memorial Fund; and RoseDot.
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Contact: TNW Ensemble Theater
info@tnwensembletheater.org
608-770-0826; 608-244-2938
What do a formerly enslaved woman running for her freedom, a hidden child during the Holocaust, and Mary Magdalene have in common?
More than you might think. These remarkably strong women are all featured as “characters” in Step Right Up, Ma’am - Stories of Resilience, a new TNW Ensemble Theater production exploring the theme of resilience.
The production includes the writings of poet, Fabu Phillis Carter, Dale M. Kushner, poet and novelist, and TNW’s own co-producing artistic director, playwright Danielle Dresden. Cut paper collage banners, by upstate New York visual artist Milly Charles, highlight the production’s themes and shape the stage environment. Performers are Nedra Bobo-Boyles, Liz Light, and Atlanta-based actor Eileen Koteles. Donna Peckett, TNW’s co-producing artistic director, stages this multi-disciplinary theater production. Lighting design is by Patricia Micetic, and Shane Heim is Stage Manager.
Poet Fabu’s writings, Say It Loud, I’m Black and I’m Proud, tell the stories of notable black women in history and their connections to Wisconsin. Dale M. Kushner’s poems, What Couldn’t Be Said, dive into the transformative experiences of women in myth and history, from desire through loss and grief to awakening. Dresden’s work, Henny & the Strawberries is based on the real-life experiences of her cousins as hidden Jewish children during World War II in the Netherlands. The play concludes with “characters” from each author coming together to find a way forward.
Performances in Overture Center’s Promenade Hall are set for 7:30 pm on Friday and Saturday, June 21 and 22, and 3:00 pm on Saturday and Sunday, June 22 and 23. Tickets are $30 and available through the Overture Center Box Office, online, by phone at (608) 258-4141, email, or in person at 201 State Street.
Contact TNW Ensemble Theater at info@tnwensembletheater.org for more information.
Step Right Up Ma’am is made possible, in part, by support from the Great Performance Fund for Theater at Overture, a Field of Interest Fund at the Madison Community Foundation; Dane Arts, with additional funds from the Endres Mfg. Company, the Evjue Foundation, charitable arm of the Capital Times, the W. Jerome Frautschi Foundation, the Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation; the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin, and the National Endowment for the Arts; the Neil Allen Peckett Memorial Fund; and RoseDot.
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For Immediate Release
Contact: TNW Ensemble Theater
info@tnwensembletheater.org
608-770-0826; 608-244-2938
Step into the creative and quirky world of inventors, tinkerers, do-it-yourselfers, and handy people of all genders with Makers & Fixers: Celebrating the Can-Do Spirit, the latest play from TNW Ensemble Theater, opening January 19, 2024.
Set in a makerspace just before an open house, this comedy features Amanda, who’s trying to find a way to keep the makerspace afloat, and Jim, who’s considering leaving his day job for full-time handy person work, as they prepare their presentations.
Makers & Fixers is based on interviews playwright Danielle Dresden conducted with Madison-area handy people and entrepreneurs, as well as visits to area makerspaces. Real-life stories of imaginative problem-solving and eccentric clients are woven together to showcase the extraordinary resourcefulness of everyday people as they strive to make life better.
Performances are at 7:30 PM Friday and Saturday evenings, January 19, 20, 26, and 27, with matinees at 2:30 PM Saturday and Sunday afternoons, January 20, 21, 27, and 28.
All performances take place at TNW Ensemble Theater’s Studio Theater at 1957 Winnebago Street at Schenk’s Corners. Tickets are available at Eventbrite.com.
Directed by Francisco Torres, the cast of Makers & Fixers includes Jordynn Enniss, Glenn Widdicombe, Donna Peckett, and Dresden. Tap dancer Sean Frenzel is featured in a cameo role and inventive tool dance. Lighting design is by Patricia Micetic, graphic design is by Michael Duffy, Emily Morrison-Weeks is the stage manager, and Shane Heim provides production support.
Tickets are $25. Please call 608.770.0826 or 608.244.2938 for information and reservations.
Makers & Fixers is made possible, in part, by support from the Madison Arts Commission and the Wisconsin Arts Board, with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts; the Neil Allen Peckett Memorial Fund; and RoseDot.
Contact: TNW Ensemble Theater
info@tnwensembletheater.org
608-770-0826; 608-244-2938
Step into the creative and quirky world of inventors, tinkerers, do-it-yourselfers, and handy people of all genders with Makers & Fixers: Celebrating the Can-Do Spirit, the latest play from TNW Ensemble Theater, opening January 19, 2024.
Set in a makerspace just before an open house, this comedy features Amanda, who’s trying to find a way to keep the makerspace afloat, and Jim, who’s considering leaving his day job for full-time handy person work, as they prepare their presentations.
Makers & Fixers is based on interviews playwright Danielle Dresden conducted with Madison-area handy people and entrepreneurs, as well as visits to area makerspaces. Real-life stories of imaginative problem-solving and eccentric clients are woven together to showcase the extraordinary resourcefulness of everyday people as they strive to make life better.
Performances are at 7:30 PM Friday and Saturday evenings, January 19, 20, 26, and 27, with matinees at 2:30 PM Saturday and Sunday afternoons, January 20, 21, 27, and 28.
All performances take place at TNW Ensemble Theater’s Studio Theater at 1957 Winnebago Street at Schenk’s Corners. Tickets are available at Eventbrite.com.
Directed by Francisco Torres, the cast of Makers & Fixers includes Jordynn Enniss, Glenn Widdicombe, Donna Peckett, and Dresden. Tap dancer Sean Frenzel is featured in a cameo role and inventive tool dance. Lighting design is by Patricia Micetic, graphic design is by Michael Duffy, Emily Morrison-Weeks is the stage manager, and Shane Heim provides production support.
Tickets are $25. Please call 608.770.0826 or 608.244.2938 for information and reservations.
Makers & Fixers is made possible, in part, by support from the Madison Arts Commission and the Wisconsin Arts Board, with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts; the Neil Allen Peckett Memorial Fund; and RoseDot.
For Immediate Release - 6/5/2023
Contact: TNW Ensemble Theater, 608.244.2938
info@tnwensembletheater.org
Kiki Moritsugu
2654 Hoard St
Madison WI 53704
zenkeeks@hotmail.com
917-863-9408
Direct from a successful run as part of World Premiere Wisconsin, A Woman Is…, a cabaret about family, identity, and becoming who you are, is coming to the Toronto Fringe Festival, July 6-16, 2023.
The production features triple-threat performer Kiki Moritsugu in a solo show that is part monologue, part musical theatre, part tribute, and part exorcism.
It’s all about Kiki’s relationship with her larger-than-life mother, Canadian actress Jo Hutchings. A Woman Is… addresses universal experiences even as it follows the story of one woman.
Sharing three generations of backstage stories, Kiki shows the love, laughter, and learning that animated a family where role conflict could be a literal thing…plus, her own, personal experiences, from summer stock to every shopping mall in Canada to Broadway.
A Woman Is
In association with The Toronto Fringe Festival presents
A Woman Is…
Written by Danielle Dresden and Kiki Moritsugu
Directed by Francisco Torres
Featuring Kiki Moritsugu
Choreography by Lyn Pilch
Music Direction by Lizzie Haller
Accompaniment by Athena So
Stage Manager: Lisa Van Oorschot
Runs July 5-16, 2023
Official Launch June 14, 2023
Online at www.fringetoronto.com
Media Rep Contact: Poppy Smallman
Media Rep Phone: 608-422-3818
Media Rep Email: zenpoppyluna@gmail.com
Contact: TNW Ensemble Theater, 608.244.2938
info@tnwensembletheater.org
Kiki Moritsugu
2654 Hoard St
Madison WI 53704
zenkeeks@hotmail.com
917-863-9408
Direct from a successful run as part of World Premiere Wisconsin, A Woman Is…, a cabaret about family, identity, and becoming who you are, is coming to the Toronto Fringe Festival, July 6-16, 2023.
The production features triple-threat performer Kiki Moritsugu in a solo show that is part monologue, part musical theatre, part tribute, and part exorcism.
It’s all about Kiki’s relationship with her larger-than-life mother, Canadian actress Jo Hutchings. A Woman Is… addresses universal experiences even as it follows the story of one woman.
Sharing three generations of backstage stories, Kiki shows the love, laughter, and learning that animated a family where role conflict could be a literal thing…plus, her own, personal experiences, from summer stock to every shopping mall in Canada to Broadway.
A Woman Is
In association with The Toronto Fringe Festival presents
A Woman Is…
Written by Danielle Dresden and Kiki Moritsugu
Directed by Francisco Torres
Featuring Kiki Moritsugu
Choreography by Lyn Pilch
Music Direction by Lizzie Haller
Accompaniment by Athena So
Stage Manager: Lisa Van Oorschot
Runs July 5-16, 2023
Official Launch June 14, 2023
Online at www.fringetoronto.com
Media Rep Contact: Poppy Smallman
Media Rep Phone: 608-422-3818
Media Rep Email: zenpoppyluna@gmail.com
For Immediate Release - 4/22/2023
Contact: TNW Ensemble Theater, 608.244.2938
info@tnwensembletheater.org
A Woman Is… Part of World Premiere Wisconsin
A Woman Is…, a cabaret about family, identity, and becoming who you are, runs for two performances, May 13 and 14, at the Diane Ballweg Theatre on the Edgewood College campus as part of the World Premiere Wisconsin festival.
Triple-threat performer, Kiki Moritsugu, holds forth on her relationship with her larger-than-life mother. Sharing three generations of backstage stories from summer stock, Broadway openings, and every shopping mall in Canada, Kiki reveals how one multi-
racial woman defines herself in a world dominated by stereotypes.
A Woman Is… addresses universal experiences even as it follows a true story.
Performances are set for 7:30 pm Saturday May 13 and 3:00 pm Sunday May 14, 2023 at the Diane Ballweg Theatre 1000 Edgewood College Drive. There is a requested donation of $25. Tickets at www.brownpapertickets.com.
Contact TNW Ensemble Theater at info@tnwensembletheater.org or 608.244.2938 for more information.
This production is part of World Premiere Wisconsin, a statewide festival celebrating new plays and musicals running March 1 – June 30, 2023, presented by the Ten Chimneys Foundation. To learn more visit www.worldpremierewisconsin.com.
Contact: TNW Ensemble Theater, 608.244.2938
info@tnwensembletheater.org
A Woman Is… Part of World Premiere Wisconsin
A Woman Is…, a cabaret about family, identity, and becoming who you are, runs for two performances, May 13 and 14, at the Diane Ballweg Theatre on the Edgewood College campus as part of the World Premiere Wisconsin festival.
Triple-threat performer, Kiki Moritsugu, holds forth on her relationship with her larger-than-life mother. Sharing three generations of backstage stories from summer stock, Broadway openings, and every shopping mall in Canada, Kiki reveals how one multi-
racial woman defines herself in a world dominated by stereotypes.
A Woman Is… addresses universal experiences even as it follows a true story.
Performances are set for 7:30 pm Saturday May 13 and 3:00 pm Sunday May 14, 2023 at the Diane Ballweg Theatre 1000 Edgewood College Drive. There is a requested donation of $25. Tickets at www.brownpapertickets.com.
Contact TNW Ensemble Theater at info@tnwensembletheater.org or 608.244.2938 for more information.
This production is part of World Premiere Wisconsin, a statewide festival celebrating new plays and musicals running March 1 – June 30, 2023, presented by the Ten Chimneys Foundation. To learn more visit www.worldpremierewisconsin.com.
For Immediate Release - 2/26/2023
Contact: TNW Ensemble Theater, 608.244.2938
info@tnwensembletheater.org
A Woman Is…, a cabaret about family, identity, and becoming who you are, will run for two performances, May 13 and 14, at the Diane Ballweg Theatre on the Edgewood College campus as part of the World Premiere Wisconsin festival.
The production features triple-threat performer Kiki Moritsugu in a solo show that is part monologue, part musical theater, part tribute, and part exorcism.
It’s all about Kiki’s relationship with her larger-than-life mother, Canadian actress Jo Hutchings. Woman Is… addresses universal experiences even as it follows the story of one woman.
Sharing three generations of backstage stories, Kiki shows the love, laughter, and learning that animated a family where role conflict could be a literal thing…plus, her own, personal experiences, from summer stock to every shopping mall in Canada to Broadway.
Performances are set for 7:30 pm Saturday May 13 and 3:00 pm Sunday May 14. The Diane Ballweg Theatre is located at 1000 Edgewood College Drive. Contact TNW EnsembleTheater at info@tnwensembletheater.org or 608.244.2938 for more information.
Contact: TNW Ensemble Theater, 608.244.2938
info@tnwensembletheater.org
A Woman Is…, a cabaret about family, identity, and becoming who you are, will run for two performances, May 13 and 14, at the Diane Ballweg Theatre on the Edgewood College campus as part of the World Premiere Wisconsin festival.
The production features triple-threat performer Kiki Moritsugu in a solo show that is part monologue, part musical theater, part tribute, and part exorcism.
It’s all about Kiki’s relationship with her larger-than-life mother, Canadian actress Jo Hutchings. Woman Is… addresses universal experiences even as it follows the story of one woman.
Sharing three generations of backstage stories, Kiki shows the love, laughter, and learning that animated a family where role conflict could be a literal thing…plus, her own, personal experiences, from summer stock to every shopping mall in Canada to Broadway.
Performances are set for 7:30 pm Saturday May 13 and 3:00 pm Sunday May 14. The Diane Ballweg Theatre is located at 1000 Edgewood College Drive. Contact TNW EnsembleTheater at info@tnwensembletheater.org or 608.244.2938 for more information.
For Immediate Release - 1/11/2023
Contact: TNW Ensemble Theater, 608.244.2938
info@tnwensembletheater.org
Sketchy Ideas Performance at Overture Center
Sketchy Ideas began as a series of illustrated letters Wisconsin-based visual artist Randall Berndt started experimenting with more than four years ago.
But now TNW Ensemble Theater, under the guidance of Danielle Dresden and Donna Peckett, is presenting this exploration of the relationship between narrative and image on stage in a multi-disciplinary production at Madison’s Overture Center. Performances are set for 7:30 PM, Friday, and 3:00 PM Saturday and Sunday, February 10-12, in the Wisconsin Studio.
As Berndt’s drawings are projected, four actors, Anthony Novich Leonard, Liz Light, Andrew Lonsdale, and Patrick Mahoney, share Berndt’s droll perspectives on everything from “the secret life of plants” to “extravagant thinking in a time of plague.” Sketchy Ideas is produced by TNW Ensemble Theater under the direction of Danielle Dresden and Donna Peckett, with staging by Peckett. Violinist Paran Amirinazari underscores and enhances the words and images, making this a thoroughly mixed media event.
Tickets are $30, when purchased in person at the Overture Center Box Office. Overture Center charges a surcharge for tickets ordered online at https://www.overture.org/tickets-events/upcoming-events/ or by phone at 608.258.4141.
These upcoming performances are actually the second time TNW has presented this mix of theater, music, and visual art. The first round of Sketchy Ideas, the multi-disciplinary production, took place at the company’s Studio Theater on Winnebago Street and were so successful the company decided to take the work to a larger venue.
Berndt’s Sketchy Ideas series operates in the tradition of artist’s letters that flourished in the 19 th and early 20 th centuries. Berndt sent his own missives across the country in this century. The production came about because Donna Peckett, co-founder and co-producing artistic director with Danielle Dresden, of TNW Ensemble Theater, are among the nearby recipients of Berndt’s work. After enjoying Berndt’s mailings for years, one day Peckett decided, “More people need to see these,” and the show began to take shape.
A studio artist, Berndt is a former curator of the James Watrous Gallery in the Overture Center and worked as an art conservator in the Wisconsin State Capitol restoration project. He has designed sets for several TNW Ensemble Theater’s productions. TNW Ensemble Theater founded in 1985 by Danielle Dresden and Donna Peckett, creates, produces, and performs new, multi-disciplinary works for theater. The company has performed across the United States, as well as in Canada, Mexico, and Scotland.
Sketchy Ideas is made possible by support from Pleasant Rowland’s Great Performance Fund for Theater at Overture, the Madison Community Foundation, the Wisconsin Arts Board, with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts; the Neil Allen Peckett Memorial Fund, and RoseDot.
Contact: TNW Ensemble Theater, 608.244.2938
info@tnwensembletheater.org
Sketchy Ideas Performance at Overture Center
Sketchy Ideas began as a series of illustrated letters Wisconsin-based visual artist Randall Berndt started experimenting with more than four years ago.
But now TNW Ensemble Theater, under the guidance of Danielle Dresden and Donna Peckett, is presenting this exploration of the relationship between narrative and image on stage in a multi-disciplinary production at Madison’s Overture Center. Performances are set for 7:30 PM, Friday, and 3:00 PM Saturday and Sunday, February 10-12, in the Wisconsin Studio.
As Berndt’s drawings are projected, four actors, Anthony Novich Leonard, Liz Light, Andrew Lonsdale, and Patrick Mahoney, share Berndt’s droll perspectives on everything from “the secret life of plants” to “extravagant thinking in a time of plague.” Sketchy Ideas is produced by TNW Ensemble Theater under the direction of Danielle Dresden and Donna Peckett, with staging by Peckett. Violinist Paran Amirinazari underscores and enhances the words and images, making this a thoroughly mixed media event.
Tickets are $30, when purchased in person at the Overture Center Box Office. Overture Center charges a surcharge for tickets ordered online at https://www.overture.org/tickets-events/upcoming-events/ or by phone at 608.258.4141.
These upcoming performances are actually the second time TNW has presented this mix of theater, music, and visual art. The first round of Sketchy Ideas, the multi-disciplinary production, took place at the company’s Studio Theater on Winnebago Street and were so successful the company decided to take the work to a larger venue.
Berndt’s Sketchy Ideas series operates in the tradition of artist’s letters that flourished in the 19 th and early 20 th centuries. Berndt sent his own missives across the country in this century. The production came about because Donna Peckett, co-founder and co-producing artistic director with Danielle Dresden, of TNW Ensemble Theater, are among the nearby recipients of Berndt’s work. After enjoying Berndt’s mailings for years, one day Peckett decided, “More people need to see these,” and the show began to take shape.
A studio artist, Berndt is a former curator of the James Watrous Gallery in the Overture Center and worked as an art conservator in the Wisconsin State Capitol restoration project. He has designed sets for several TNW Ensemble Theater’s productions. TNW Ensemble Theater founded in 1985 by Danielle Dresden and Donna Peckett, creates, produces, and performs new, multi-disciplinary works for theater. The company has performed across the United States, as well as in Canada, Mexico, and Scotland.
Sketchy Ideas is made possible by support from Pleasant Rowland’s Great Performance Fund for Theater at Overture, the Madison Community Foundation, the Wisconsin Arts Board, with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts; the Neil Allen Peckett Memorial Fund, and RoseDot.
For Immediate Release - 3/25/2022
Contact: TNW Ensemble Theater, 608.244.2938
info@tnwensembletheater.org
New Comedy Premieres at Historic Site
Little old ladies turned spies and an intrepid FBI agent tangle with Russian moneylaunderers who’d rather be doing musical theater in this zany new comedy.
The Floridians is the latest production from TNW Ensemble Theater, premiering Thursday, April 21, and running for a total of 10 performances at the Governor’s Mansion Inn, 130 East Gilman Street in Madison.
A send-up of cloak-and-dagger exploits, retirement living, and trying to keep it together during a pandemic, this show celebrates the quirky and good-hearted, even in difficult times. Performances are Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights, 7:30 pm, April 21 – 23 and April 28 – 30, with matinees at 2:30 pm, Saturday and Sunday, April 23 – 24 and April 30 – May 1.
The Governor’s Mansion Inn is an added attraction for this production. Home to 17 Wisconsin governors from 1885-1950, the Inn’s drawing room may be where Governor Robert M. La Follette first imagined The Wisconsin Idea. Proprietors David Waugh and Bob Klebba say they bought the building and oversaw its beautiful restoration to make sure it remains a hub for community life.
In the show, the Governor’s Mansion Inn becomes various locations in Sunny Isles Beach, an actual community in North Miami Beach, Florida, often referred to as Little Moscow, due to the many Russians buying high-priced property there.
Russian money launderers Boris and Natasha hope their undercover operation as travel agents will help them work off their debt to sinister higher-ups, while they dream of working in musical theater. Retirees Florence and Sadie are frustrated and bored in the pandemic. They get suspicious of the inexplicably busy travel agents and decide to investigate, but get caught by Louise, an FBI agent tracking the dirty money flowing through Florida. Throw in Florence’s son, a young man at a crossroads, and Rhumba Rudy, whose advice is surprisingly with it, even if his jokes aren’t, and the stage is set for capers and comedy.
Written by Danielle Dresden and directed by Francisco Torres, The Floridians features Krystal and Andrew Lonsdale, Megan Mori, Joshua Paffel, Nelson Zane Eisman, Donna Peckett, and Dresden. Shane Heim is stage manager.
Tickets are $25.00 for adults, available through brownpapertickets.com. Seating is limited. The company will donate 10% of all ticket sales to GlobalGiving Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund. Contact TNW Ensemble Theater at info@tnwensembletheater.org or at 608.244.2938 for more information.
This production is supported, in part, by Arts Midwest, in collaboration with the Wisconsin Arts Board, with funds allocated by the National Endowment for the Arts through the American Rescue Plan; the Madison Arts Commission, with Funds from the Wisconsin Arts Board; Dane County Arts, with additional funds from the Endres Mfg. Company Foundation, The Evjue Foundation, Inc., charitable arm of The Capital Times, the W. Jerome Frautschi Foundation, the Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation; the Neil Allen Memorial Fund; and RoseDot.
Contact: TNW Ensemble Theater, 608.244.2938
info@tnwensembletheater.org
New Comedy Premieres at Historic Site
Little old ladies turned spies and an intrepid FBI agent tangle with Russian moneylaunderers who’d rather be doing musical theater in this zany new comedy.
The Floridians is the latest production from TNW Ensemble Theater, premiering Thursday, April 21, and running for a total of 10 performances at the Governor’s Mansion Inn, 130 East Gilman Street in Madison.
A send-up of cloak-and-dagger exploits, retirement living, and trying to keep it together during a pandemic, this show celebrates the quirky and good-hearted, even in difficult times. Performances are Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights, 7:30 pm, April 21 – 23 and April 28 – 30, with matinees at 2:30 pm, Saturday and Sunday, April 23 – 24 and April 30 – May 1.
The Governor’s Mansion Inn is an added attraction for this production. Home to 17 Wisconsin governors from 1885-1950, the Inn’s drawing room may be where Governor Robert M. La Follette first imagined The Wisconsin Idea. Proprietors David Waugh and Bob Klebba say they bought the building and oversaw its beautiful restoration to make sure it remains a hub for community life.
In the show, the Governor’s Mansion Inn becomes various locations in Sunny Isles Beach, an actual community in North Miami Beach, Florida, often referred to as Little Moscow, due to the many Russians buying high-priced property there.
Russian money launderers Boris and Natasha hope their undercover operation as travel agents will help them work off their debt to sinister higher-ups, while they dream of working in musical theater. Retirees Florence and Sadie are frustrated and bored in the pandemic. They get suspicious of the inexplicably busy travel agents and decide to investigate, but get caught by Louise, an FBI agent tracking the dirty money flowing through Florida. Throw in Florence’s son, a young man at a crossroads, and Rhumba Rudy, whose advice is surprisingly with it, even if his jokes aren’t, and the stage is set for capers and comedy.
Written by Danielle Dresden and directed by Francisco Torres, The Floridians features Krystal and Andrew Lonsdale, Megan Mori, Joshua Paffel, Nelson Zane Eisman, Donna Peckett, and Dresden. Shane Heim is stage manager.
Tickets are $25.00 for adults, available through brownpapertickets.com. Seating is limited. The company will donate 10% of all ticket sales to GlobalGiving Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund. Contact TNW Ensemble Theater at info@tnwensembletheater.org or at 608.244.2938 for more information.
This production is supported, in part, by Arts Midwest, in collaboration with the Wisconsin Arts Board, with funds allocated by the National Endowment for the Arts through the American Rescue Plan; the Madison Arts Commission, with Funds from the Wisconsin Arts Board; Dane County Arts, with additional funds from the Endres Mfg. Company Foundation, The Evjue Foundation, Inc., charitable arm of The Capital Times, the W. Jerome Frautschi Foundation, the Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation; the Neil Allen Memorial Fund; and RoseDot.
For Immediate Release - 10/30/2021
Contact: TNW Ensemble Theater, 608.244.2938
info@tnwensembletheater.org
Sketchy Ideas Premieres
When Madison-based visual artist Randall Berndt started experimenting with “illustrated letters” three years ago, he never thought his exploration of the relationship between narrative and image would somehow wind up on stage.
However, Saturday and Sunday, November 13 and 14, at 4 pm, the series of illustrated letters he titled Sketchy Ideas will come to life in the latest production from TNW Ensemble Theater. Performances will take place in the company’s fully accessible studio theater at 1957 Winnebago Street, at Schenk’s Corners.
As Berndt’s drawings are shown through rear-screen projection, four actors, Liz Light, Andrew Lonsdale, Daniel Torres-Rangel, and NayMyo Win, share Berndt’s droll perspectives on everything from “the secret life of plants” to “extravagant thinking in a time of plague.” Violinist Paran Amirinazari underscores and enhances the words and images, making this a thoroughly mixed media event.
Admission is $20 and includes refreshments. To maintain social distancing, seating is limited to 25 people at each show. Masks and proof of vaccination are required before entering. Contact TNW Ensemble Theater, 608.244.2938 or info@tnwensembletheater.org for information. Tickets are available only online at brownpapertickets.com. There are no hard copy tickets.
Berndt’s Sketchy Ideas series operates in the tradition of artist’s letters that flourished in the 19 th and early 20 th centuries, and Berndt sent his own missives across the country. The production came about because Donna Peckett, co-founder and co-producing artistic director of TNW Ensemble Theater, is one of the nearby recipients of Berndt’s work. After enjoying Berndt’s mailings for years, one day she decided, “More people need to see these,” and the show began to take shape.
A studio artist, Berndt is a former curator of the James Watrous Gallery in the Overture Center and worked as an art conservator in the Wisconsin State Capitol restoration project. He has designed sets for several of TNW Ensemble Theater’s productions. TNW Ensemble Theater was formerly known as TAPIT/new works Ensemble Theater.
Sketchy Ideas is generously supported by Richard B. and Marilyn Mazess; Etta Gasport; Bobby Rubenstein; Rose Dot Productions; Dane County Nonprofit Assistance Fund, a component fund of the Madison Community Foundation; and the Neil Allen Peckett Memorial Fund of TNW Ensemble Theater.
Contact: TNW Ensemble Theater, 608.244.2938
info@tnwensembletheater.org
Sketchy Ideas Premieres
When Madison-based visual artist Randall Berndt started experimenting with “illustrated letters” three years ago, he never thought his exploration of the relationship between narrative and image would somehow wind up on stage.
However, Saturday and Sunday, November 13 and 14, at 4 pm, the series of illustrated letters he titled Sketchy Ideas will come to life in the latest production from TNW Ensemble Theater. Performances will take place in the company’s fully accessible studio theater at 1957 Winnebago Street, at Schenk’s Corners.
As Berndt’s drawings are shown through rear-screen projection, four actors, Liz Light, Andrew Lonsdale, Daniel Torres-Rangel, and NayMyo Win, share Berndt’s droll perspectives on everything from “the secret life of plants” to “extravagant thinking in a time of plague.” Violinist Paran Amirinazari underscores and enhances the words and images, making this a thoroughly mixed media event.
Admission is $20 and includes refreshments. To maintain social distancing, seating is limited to 25 people at each show. Masks and proof of vaccination are required before entering. Contact TNW Ensemble Theater, 608.244.2938 or info@tnwensembletheater.org for information. Tickets are available only online at brownpapertickets.com. There are no hard copy tickets.
Berndt’s Sketchy Ideas series operates in the tradition of artist’s letters that flourished in the 19 th and early 20 th centuries, and Berndt sent his own missives across the country. The production came about because Donna Peckett, co-founder and co-producing artistic director of TNW Ensemble Theater, is one of the nearby recipients of Berndt’s work. After enjoying Berndt’s mailings for years, one day she decided, “More people need to see these,” and the show began to take shape.
A studio artist, Berndt is a former curator of the James Watrous Gallery in the Overture Center and worked as an art conservator in the Wisconsin State Capitol restoration project. He has designed sets for several of TNW Ensemble Theater’s productions. TNW Ensemble Theater was formerly known as TAPIT/new works Ensemble Theater.
Sketchy Ideas is generously supported by Richard B. and Marilyn Mazess; Etta Gasport; Bobby Rubenstein; Rose Dot Productions; Dane County Nonprofit Assistance Fund, a component fund of the Madison Community Foundation; and the Neil Allen Peckett Memorial Fund of TNW Ensemble Theater.
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