2009 Producing Partners

The 2009 Wisconsin Wrights New Play Development Project May 29-June 6 workshops are supported by a partnership between UW-Madison Continuing Studies, University Theatre/UW-Madison Theatre and Drama Department, and the Edenfred/Terry Family Foundation.

The mission of the UW-Madison Division of Continuing Studies is to foster professional and personal development by sharing the knowledge and expertise of the university, and by making its resources available to individuals of all ages. We offer educational programs and services grounded in the rich intellectual and professional resources of UW-Madison's faculty and staff, and facilitate outreach educational opportunities in the schools and colleges. While the Division plays many roles in offering and supporting outreach opportunities, the overarching purpose of our activity is connecting the campus and our community of lifelong learners.

University Theatre, the producing component of UW-Madison’s Department of Theatre and Drama, will share their facilities and staff during the Summer 2009 workshop and production portion of the Wisconsin Wrights Project. Upon determination of the final three pieces, playwrights will be partnered with a stage director and dramaturge who, along with the chosen cast members, will work together to develop each piece through several days of “workshops.” These workshops provide an extraordinary opportunity for the expansion and exercise of the playwriting craft, exploration of characters, and constructive critique by caring, invested artists. Three of the plays will move from a weeklong workshop into a public staged reading in University Theatre’s 150-seat Hemsley Theatre.

Edenfred/Terry Family Foundation supports the Wisconsin Wrights New Play Development Project by providing a one-week residency to each of the three finalists. Established by the Terry Family Foundation in 2004, Edenfred is dedicated to the development of arts and culture by providing time and space to artists for the creation of new work. The Cooperative Residency program collaborates with arts organizations on projects involving the creation of new art works; the Resident Fellows and Day Fellows programs support individuals. Please visit www.edenfred.org for more information.

For 2009, the Milwaukee Chamber Theatre and the Forward Theater Company will each select a play to be featured with a staged reading as part of their respective 2009-2010 seasons.

The mission of the Milwaukee Chamber Theatre (MCT) is to produce intimate, high-quality, professional theatrical works of literary merit that engage and challenge the audience, while employing and nurturing principally local theatre artists.

Milwaukee Chamber Theatre’s deep commitment to theatre as a collaborative art is evidenced in Producing Artistic Director C. Michael Wright’s passion for nurturing writers, providing opportunities for literary exploration and creativity, and interacting with educational institutions and other arts groups. Our New Works Program exemplifies this commitment to developing new theatrical works and showcasing emerging literary voices. It includes a Montgomery Davis Play Development Series, with workshop productions of two new scripts by adult playwrights who have ties to Wisconsin. This initiative offers undiscovered, adult playwrights the chance to develop and revise their work for possible future production and gives audiences an inside look at the intricate process of play development. As part of the New Works Program, MCT also produces a Young Playwrights Festival, featuring fully-staged productions of the work of three adolescent winners of a high school playwriting competition.

The Gerald A. Bartell Community Theatre Foundation was created to obtain, equip, operate, and maintain suitable live-performance facilities for the benefit of the public and of the several participating publicly supported acting companies and additional organizations of the same class, so as to assist them in carrying out the purposes for which they are organized. Among the participating theatre companies at the Bartell is Madison Theatre Guild, which was founded in 1946 and is Madison's oldest community theater group, having produced nearly 400 shows for all ages in its illustrious history.

Forward Theater Company, formed in March 2009, is a not-for-profit professional theater company based in south-central Wisconsin. Founded by a group of local artists who have made a commitment to their community and the pursuit of theatrical excellence, Forward Theater Company will serve as a strong cultural and economic partner to other governmental, artistic and educational organizations in the region. Company members include Artistic Director Jennifer Uphoff Gray and Managing Director Celia Klehr, as well as Colleen Burns, Jim Buske, Sarah Day, Richard Ganoung, Michael Herold, Gwendolyn Rice, Frank Schneeberger, Sam White and Jack Forbes Wilson. Please visit their website at www.forwardtheater.com for more information about plans for the 2009-2010 season!