Optimist Theatre welcomes the summer with an enjoyable production of Shakespeare's classic drama Macbeth. The outdoor staging on the campus of Alverno College moved along briskly on a crisp summer evening...

June features not one, but two free outdoor productions of Shakespearean works. The better known of the two productions is Macbeth, which is being staged by Optimist Theatre. There is little that could be said here about Macbeth that hasn't...

Ode to Joy: The "Sound and Fury Sonnet Slam" was a delightful evening of readings—Shakespearean, original or otherwise—that were bawdy, uber-bawdy, romantic or downright funny. The event raised funds for the Optimist Theatre...

  Not to be outdone by Optimist Theatre's upcoming free outdoor production of Macbeth this late June/early July . . . Mark Puchinsky and a number of others are staging a production of Two Gentleman of Verona for a few different Milwauke Parks. The production will be performed free of charge June 25th and 26th at Lake Park, June 27th at Washington Park and June 28th and 29th at Humboldt Park. ...

  The Optimist Theatre will be hosting a sonnet . . . slam . . . to benefit Shakespeare In the Park on Monday May 7th at Transfer Pizzeria Café. The Sound And Fury Sonnet Slam starts at 8pm and run until . . . whenever. Tickets for the show are $25. Readers slated to perform on the evening include James Pickering, Tom Reed and Andrew Voss. Sounds like fun. There will be time for attendees to s...

It’s raining just a few days before the new year and the whole world seems slightly confused. It’s winter in Milwaukee. Optimist Theatre recently sent out a press release on its upcoming winter fundraiser party. Here they’re celebrating an upcoming Shakespeare in the Park production of Macbeth that they’re hoping to do this coming June. The juxtaposition of the two names is kind of cute....

Optimist Theatre had recently opened its web reservations system for its upcoming free outdoor production of Shakespeare's Twelfth Night. The show, which is being directed by Milwaukee Rep resident actor Laura Gordon, will be running June 16th “ through 26th on the campus of Alverno College. Last year'™s production of Tempest had a really unique energy about it that made for the first of...

A group of theatre professionals sit around over pizza casually discussing things and a few years later, there�s a large group of people watching a free outdoor production of The Tempest in the shadow of Alverno. Optimist Theatre�s first Shakespeare in the Park outing was exceedingly well attended and acclaimed.� � As last year�s production of The Tempest was a successful as it was, Optimist is ...

The holidays begin to come to an end in the coming week as a touring production of Mama Mia! breezes through town and Greendale Community Theatre’s production of Bat Boy: The Musical gets ready to open at the end of the week. Only a couple of days prior to the New Year, The Optimist Theatre had announced that it had received a grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board.  This is Optimist’s secon...

The $20 million film production of The Tempest that was released by Miramax/Touchstone pictures earlier this month my not make it to Milwaukee cinemas any time soon. It’s already been released elsewhere. Despite a huge budget very slick special effects, filmed Shakespeare that opens in limited release isn’t as popular as more contemporary stuff. It runs the risk of hitting home video first, l...