MILWAUKEE, WI – April 5th, 2022 Milwaukee Chamber Theatre is proud to announce full casting and production details for THE ISLAND by Athol Fugard, John Kani, and Winston Ntshona, directed by Mikael Burke. THE ISLAND opens Saturday, April 9th at 8pm. Preview night is set for Friday, April 8th at 7:30pm. A Pay-What-You-Choose performance is scheduled for Monday, April 11th at 7:30pm. Tickets can be purchased via the MCT website, milwaukeechambertheatre.org/tickets or by calling 414-291-7800.
Athol Fugard, John Kani, and Winston Ntshona’s THE ISLAND celebrates the depths of human resilience and offers a scathing indictment of the injustice of white supremacy. Inside a notorious maximum-security political prison, two cellmates toil at brutal hard labor by day and rehearse Sophocles’ ANTIGONE for a prison entertainment by night. When one is unexpectedly granted his release, envy and empathy, triumph and loss, and hope and despair all collide in the concentrated atmosphere as they dig into a two-thousand-year-old play that explores every human’s moral obligation to defiance of unjust government. After a critically acclaimed run in MCT’s 20/21 virtual season, this modern classic from some of South Africa’s most esteemed theater-makers is back by popular demand for a live in-person run.
“Dimonte and Sherrick were the first two Wisconsin actors approved by Actors’ Equity Association to rehearse in-person last season when we created our virtual production of THE ISLAND,” shared Artistic Director Brent Hazelton. “It is our honor to close our 21-22 Season by sharing their work in this remarkably moving production with an in-person audience who is able to react, respond, and engage in the conversations this play sparks.”
THE ISLAND is Directed by Mikael Burke, with Composition and Sound Design by Peter Goode, Costume and Makeup Design by Amy Horst, Scenic and Properties Design by Stephen Hudson-Mairet, Lighting Design by Ellie Rabinowitz, Dialect Coaching by Nathan Crocker, Stage Management by Kira Neighbors, and ASM/COVID Safety Management by Sydney Smith.
“THE ISLAND speaks to our current American moment as if it were written yesterday,” said Burke. “These two men, Winston and John, are sent to the Island to be broken, to have their spirits broken. And even under the most extreme circumstances, these men manage to hold on to their spirits and conviction, through the power of art and story.”
THE ISLAND is presented by Executive Producers John Shannon and Jan Serr, and Producer J. Michael Reavis.
TICKET INFORMATION
THE ISLAND runs April 8-May 1, 2022, in The Studio Theatre located inside the Broadway Theatre Center. To purchase tickets, go to www.milwaukeechambertheatre.org/tickets , call 414-291-7800 or visit in person at 158 N. Broadway in the Historic Third Ward. For more information about MCT, the 21/22 season, how to purchase tickets, and how to donate can be found at www.milwaukeechambertheatre.org.
TALKS AND EVENTS
Pay What You Choose: April 11th 7:30pm
Talk Theatre: April 20th 12pm
TalkBacks: April 14, 21, and 28. All post-performance.
For more information on talks go to https://www.milwaukeechambertheatre.org/continuing-the-conversation.
COVID AND ATTENDEE EXPERIENCE
Beginning March 28, 2022 the Broadway Theatre Center will no longer require proof of vaccination for admittance to the facility. Milwaukee Chamber Theatre continues to require masks to be worn at all times while inside the Studio Theatre. This policy is in effect for THE ISLAND April 8 – May 1, 2022. For full details of our health and safety plan, go to https://www.milwaukeechambertheatre.org/safety
ABOUT MILWAUKEE CHAMBER THEATRE
Founded in 1975 by Montgomery Davis and Ruth Schudson, guided until 2020 by Michael Wright and Kirsten Finn, and now led by Brent Hazelton and Amy A. Salat, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre (MCT) partners with other arts organizations, community-based organizations, and universities to produce thought-provoking productions and innovative outreach programs on an intimate, human scale. As a leader in developing Milwaukee and Wisconsin’s theater community, MCT provides regular employment and a stable artistic home to local theatre professionals through a five-play subscription season, the Young Playwrights Festival (YPF), and the Montgomery Davis Play Development Series (MDPDS). MCT performs at the Broadway Theatre Center in Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward and is a proud Member Group of the United Performing Arts Fund. For more information, to purchase tickets, or to make a donation please visit milwaukeechambertheatre.org.
