Company Info

Next Act Theatre presents the best new contemporary plays in Milwaukee�s Historic Third Ward at the Off-Broadway Theatre.

Next Act Theatre
342 N. Water St. 2nd Fl.
PO Box 394
Milwaukee, WI 53201-0394

Tickets: 414-278-0765
Administration: 414-278-7780
Fax: 414-278-5930

Send an Email
Visit Website

Contacts:

David Cecsarini, Producing Artistic Director

Charles Kakuk, Managing Director

Season

Mary's Wedding by Stephen Massicotte

9/10/2009 - 10/11/2009

It is the eve of Mary's wedding, 1920, a night filled with dreams: of love, of war, of what might be� or might have been. Go back six years, to when Mary and Charlie -- filled with passion, vulnerability and the impulsiveness of youth -- unexpectedly find one another sheltering in a barn during a thunderstorm. An innocent first love is born. But in Canada, in 1914, Mary and Charlie must surrender their love and their fate to the uncertainties of a world on the brink of war. Breathtakingly poignant, magnificent in its imagination.

7 STORIES by Morris Panych

11/12/2009 - 12/13/2009

The Man teeters on a seventh story ledge of an apartment building. We don't know his reasons, but his purpose seems clear. The tenants who pop in and out of the surrounding windows, however, are too involved in their own petty problems to care about his dilemma. In fact, The Man becomes so embroiled in their vicious arguments, money schemes and callous suggestions that he get on with it, that he devises an entirely surprising and near-miraculous escape. Fast-paced, sophisticated, hilarious: questions of life and death have never been this much fun.

PURGATORIO by Ariel Dorfman

1/28/2010 - 2/21/2010

A woman and a man. Patient with doctor? Prisoner questioned by interrogator? Accused before the judge? As the examination unfolds, we are correct on all counts. Then the roles are switched. More questions, accusations, remedies. Each subject is groping for forgiveness and contrition, which will bring freedom, transcendence, a new start. But one of them has done something unforgiveable...to the other. Ultimately, their fates are bound together by their horrific past, and their willingness to lead each other out of purgatory.

THE VALUE OF NAMES by Jeffrey Sweet

4/1/2010 - 5/2/2010

Comedian Benny Silverman used to be a big deal on stage and screen, but today he gets by with a little TV. Hey, it's a living. Now his daughter Norma � a chip off the old actor's block -- has caught her big break in a play to be directed by Benny's old ex-friend Leo Greshen. The pals parted ways decades ago after Leo named Benny before the House Committee on Un-American Activities. Leo kept working while Benny was blacklisted out of existence. At Norma's urging, Leo meets Benny to try to patch things up, but forgiveness is not going to come easy. Provocative subject and a totally engrossing and personal story.

Four Places by Joel Drake Johnson

9/16/2010 - 10/10/2010

Growing up is hard to do. Peggy is a proud woman. Proud of her long life; proud of her two adult children; fiercely proud of her independence. Even though it's a daily challenge to care for her invalid husband, she's not about to give up hearth and home. But the grown-up kids have another agenda. Reports from the nurse's aide cite questionable � even dangerous � behavior on Peggy's part. At their weekly lunch date, brother and sis have to get their wiley mom to fess up. But it won't be easy � after all, mom still knows how to push their buttons! �...a remarkable and completely believable emotional journey.� -- - Variety

John McGivern's Home For The Holidays

12/1/2010 - 1/2/2011

Special Presentation! Milwaukee�s funniest man returns to Next Act with a new take on his favorite holiday season. Spiced with a few of his best hits, John�s latest tour through the McGivern family archives includes adventures on his paper route and mischief in the church pews. With McGivern, your good time is guaranteed.

Big Boys by Rich Orloff

1/20/2011 - 2/13/2011

The business of big laughs. No one argues with success. Just ask Victor Burlington, a self-satisfied, grandiose, amoral and very successful big business boss. He's had it all his way; that is, until he hires Norman � insecure, highly moral and more than a little naive. Despite Victor's ruthless scheming and blowhard badgering, Norman seeks a better corporate way. The plucky recruit proves to be strong executive material as he challenges Victor's methods and power. The stage is set for a surprising � and hilarious � battle for the heart and soul of Corporate America. "Rip-roaringly funny. With its snappy dialogue and non-stop mayhem, BIG BOYS proves a winner.� -- New York Times

A Sleeping Country by Melanie Marnich

3/24/2011 - 4/17/2011

Now I lay me down to...never mind. Julia Fracassi hasn't slept a wink. For months. Facing her mid-thirties, a sleep-deprived fianc� and an unstable psychiatrist, Julia believes she has the worst insomnia in the world. And it may be genetic. Desperate for a cure, Julia travels to Venice to look for family and finds Countess Isabella, who insists that she has the Worst Insomnia in the World. With the aid of the fabulous Countess and her exotic entourage, Julia's wacky journey of self-discovery yields promising results in this adult fairy tale about sleep lost and hope found. "...a funny riff on the way that many of us avoid being fully aware of life." -- City Beat