Milwaukee Opera Theatre
Milwaukee Opera Theatre
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Thanks for a great first show!!!
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Libretto by Josh Perkins   |   Music by Andrew Dewey
Co-Created with Julianne Perkins
October 28-30, 2022
Studio Theatre at the Broadway Theatre Center
158 N. Broadway, 53202
Thanks to everyone who joined us for the concert reading of our newly commissioned Night of the Living Opera!
Stay tuned for info about the fully staged production, coming in 2023-24!

Photo Credits: Mark Frohna
"A Cozy, Little Zombie Opera"
~Russ Bickerstaff, The Small Stage
"Everything You Wanted to Know, But Were Afraid to Ask, about MOT’s “Night of the Living Opera” Reading"
~Gwen Rice, GwendolynRice.com
"Staying Alive"
~Jeff Grygny, Play On Milwaukee
"Milwaukee Opera Theatre-Angry Young Men Makes the ‘Living Dead’ Sing"
~David Luhrssen, Shepherd Express

Cast
Barbara: Elizabeth Blood
Johnny: Ben Yela
Ben: Jerome Síbulo
Harry: Nathan Wesselowski
Tommy: Nick Huff
Judy: Kaisa Herrmann
Helen: Julianne Perkins
Zombie Chorus
Becky Cofta
Danielle Gedemer
Shayne Steliga
Brett Sweeney
Zombie Puppeteers
Liz Getschow
Alice Hammers
David Kaye
Billy Ray Olsen
Miranda Pride

Creative Team
Stage Directors: Jill Anna Ponasik and Josh Perkins
Music Director & Keyboard: Anne Van Deusen

Double Bass: Kevin Eberle
Stage Manager: Marge Frey
Shadow Puppetry: Kat Pleviak of Sea Beast Puppetry
Read Cast and Creative Team Bios here!
Read Paul Kosidowski's interview with the Night of the Living Opera Creative Team here!

Check out the rest of our season!
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DOC The Halls

Music & Lyrics by Adam Qutaishat
Animation by Eric Miranda
December 2, 2022
Virtual Presentation

The indie companies of the
Decameron Opera Coalition (DOC) are at it again,
​and this time we’re making a holiday album! 
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Requiem

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Music by Paula Foley Tillen
Set to various texts
January 29, 2023
Plymouth Church
2717 E Hampshire Street, Milwaukee


A requiem seven years in the making emerges this January, uniting us once again with Paula Foley Tillen and our friends at Chant Claire.

Rusalka

Music by Antonín Dvořák
Libretto by Jaroslav Kvapil
Adapted by Jason Powell
February 9-12, 2023
Danceworks Studio Theatre
1661 N Water Street, Milwaukee


For our 7th collaboration with
Danceworks Performance MKE, we plunge into Dvořák’s Rusalka, featuring singing sprites,
dancing goblins, and Jason Powell as The Moon.
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Impossible Operas

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Created by Tim Rebers, Brian Rott, Jeffrey Mosser, Anja Notanja Sieger and Jill Anna Ponasik

​Featuring the music of
​Mozart, Wagner, Bartók, Handel
(and more!)
May 19-28, 2023
Studio Theatre at the Broadway Theatre Center
158 N Broadway, Milwaukee


Some operas are so challenging,
​they’re considered practically impossible.
With our friends at Quasimondo Physical Theatre, we’re going to present seven of them…in a row. 

Birds of a Feather

May 31 & June 1, 2023
Jan Serr Studio
2155 N Prospect Ave, Milwaukee


We’re teaming up with Present Music
for a concert featuring Gabriel Kahane,
performing a new version of his solo album
Magnificent Bird - plus a newly commissioned work
from chamber music superstar Paul Wiancko.
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Plus monthly Voice Labs, our Script & Score program,
and a new Composer Librettist Studio education initiative!

Help us continue our mission to serve as
​Milwaukee's Microbrewery for Opera
with a tax-deductible donation in any amount!
Donate Now!
Your support is greatly appreciated!

Graphic Design: Andrea Klohn
Rusalka Photo Credit: Christal Wagner
Impossible Operas Artwork: Anja Notanja Sieger

Our season was supported in part by a grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board
with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts.
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Our Mission

We are Milwaukee’s micro-brewery for opera, proudly producing small batches of high quality, local lyric theatre.
​​We tell stories through music...unconventionally.
Milwaukee Opera Theatre is a registered 501(c)(3) organization.
Mailing Address:
Milwaukee Opera Theatre
PO Box 182 
​
Elm Grove, WI 53122
Jill Anna Ponasik
Producing Artistic Director 
Daniel J. Brylow
Company Manager
​dbrylow@gmail.com
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