Milwaukee Rep Announces Shadow Year For August Wilson Monologue Competition

Milwaukee Repertory Theater announces participation in a Shadow Year for the prestigious National August Wilson Monologue Competition.

A free arts education program, the National August Wilson Monologue Competition is a celebration of the words of the playwright August Wilson, inspiring high school students to find and express themselves through theater.

Founded in 2007 by Kenny Leon and Todd Kreidler at Kenny Leon's True Colors Theatre Company in Atlanta, the program is now in fourteen cities nationwide, including Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Los Angeles, New Haven, New York, Norfolk, Pittsburgh, Portland, San Diego, Seattle, Dallas and Greensboro. The program is produced in collaboration with the national presenting partners True Colors Theatre Company and Jujamcyn Theaters.

The Shadow Year is the first step towards becoming a host city for the national competition. During this period, Milwaukee Rep will establish a curriculum for seven after-school residencies and a six-part workshop series offered throughout the city in order to prepare students for participation in the August Wilson Monologue Competition. The curriculum will teach potential future participants about August Wilson, his plays, acting and performance, monologue preparation and training on how to participate in a monologue competition. The competition will include five semi-finals at locations throughout the city January and February, 2020. Twelve to 15 students will be selected to move on to the Regional Competition on April 13, 2020, in Milwaukee Rep's Stackner Cabaret. This competition will include cash prizes and will set the stage for the national competition in future years.

The competition is open to high school students of all backgrounds and abilities. To be eligible to compete, students must complete three of the six workshops offered throughout the city, participate in an after-school program, have theater training outside school or study August Wilson in an in-school curriculum. There is no cost to participate.

If Milwaukee is selected as a regional site following the Shadow Year, participating students will have a chance to win an all-expense-paid trip to New York City, the opportunity to perform on Broadway and cash scholarships for college. Support for Milwaukee Rep's Shadow Year activities comes from MPS Partnership for the Arts and Humanities. Sponsorship for the National Finals is provided by Delta Air Lines.

For more information and to learn how to participate, please visit our website www.MilwaukeeRep.com