Our Revels Are Now Ended

For about 5 years, I have been taking my kids to Milwaukee Shakespeare, a non-profit theatre company, and the only one (in Milwaukee) devoted exclusively to the presentation of Shakespeare. Among the plays we saw were Julius Caesar, The Merchant of Venice, and, over the past three years, the Richard II-Henry IV cycle, which was to end this year with our favorite play, Henry V.

We saw plays in small auditoriums, listened to actors describe their work to students ranging in age from 5th grade through high school, participated in a terrific acting workshop, (where Ethan and I learned some fun stage fighting) and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

Alas, we few, we happy few, were not enough to keep such a production company functioning. Their major source of funding pulled all financial support from Milwaukee Shakespeare. From a press release dated today;

October 28, 2008 - Milwaukee Shakespeare is closing its doors due to lack of available funding.

Despite generous support from private and public local, state and national foundations and granting organizations such as UPAF and the NEA, the company’s primary source of operating funds is the Argosy Foundation. Due to the current financial climate, the Argosy Foundation has eliminated support from Milwaukee Shakespeare in order to put itself in the best position to continue to grow and support the community in the future. For this reason, Milwaukee Shakespeare cannot continue its season as planned. While ticket sales have been at a record level so far this season, ticket income only provides a fraction of what it costs to keep a non-profit theatre company running. Milwaukee Shakespeare has been actively seeking and achieving outside support, but the growth has not been sufficient to withstand this loss in its primary source of funding.

Milwaukee Shakespeare has been honored to produce in such a theatrically rich city and proud of the productions they’ve done over the past nine seasons. The Milwaukee Shakespeare board and staff will begin working this week to determine the best way to close down the company’s operations.

For any questions regarding Argosy, please contact the foundation directly.

I literally want to cry. We saw these plays at $6 a seat. Chicago Shakespeare, which is actually closer, has "cheap" seats available at $48. And this was not cheap theatre. This was the real deal, well done, thoroughly entertaining and educational. People like Shylock, Brutus, and Harry became members of our family. And so,

You do look, my son, in a moved sort,

As if you were dismayed. Be cheerful, sir.

Our revels now are ended. These our actors,

As I foretold you, were all spirits and

Are melted into air, into thin air;

And—like the baseless fabric of this vision—

The cloud-capped towers, the gorgeous palaces,

The solemn temples, the great globe itself,

Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve,

And like this insubstantial pageant faded,

Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff

As dreams are made on, and our little life

Is rounded with a sleep…

We wish your peace.