Renaissance Theaterworks Cleans-Up With TIDY, Beginning March 24

Renaissance Theaterworks (RTW) concludes their 30th season with TIDY by Kristin Idaszak, March 24 - April 16, 2023 (Opening Night, March 25 8pm), at the Theater at 255 S. Water St. in Milwaukee's Harbor District. The play will be directed by RTW veteran, Elizabeth Margolius and features audience favorite, Cassandra Bissell in TIDY's singular role. Tickets are available at R-T-W.com 24 hours a day, or by calling the box office at 414-278-0765 or in person at the box office, 255 S. Water St., from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily and 2 hours before performances. Full list of performance dates, times and special shows below.

A woman stands in the middle of a room. She is an island in a sea of stuff - her stuff. It's a disaster. Fortunately, she's a detective and she has just read Marie Kondo's self-help book: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.

As she excavates her mountain of possessions, she uncovers a terrifying mystery. Can she follow the series of clues and solve the puzzle in time to save the planet? TIDY examines the holes in our lives we try to fill with consumption, how we decide what to keep and what to leave behind, and who and what will survive mass extinction. And...will it spark joy?

TIDY is part of World Premiere Wisconsin, a statewide festival celebrating new plays and musicals running March 1 - June 30, 2023, presented by the Ten Chimneys Foundation. To learn more visit www.worldpremierewisconsin.com.

RTW, already a local leader in presenting new work with the BRINK New Play Festival (in which Idaszak was a Resident Playwright in 2018 with her play, THE SUREST POISON), is excited to be one of the companies involved with World Premiere Wisconsin. "We're delighted to be part of this festival," says RTW Artistic Director, Suzan Fete. "Bringing new works to the stage, especially new works written by women, fits in perfectly with RTW's mission. We're also thrilled to be part of a project that showcases all the great theater Wisconsin has to offer."

It started as a ripple, but crashed into cultural relevance in the late 2010s/early 2020s. The KonMari Method, a tidying philosophy created by Marie Kondo that is most synonymous with the phrase "Does it spark joy?".

The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up has been released in 44 different languages and has sold over 13 million copies worldwide. Its influence on how we should organize our lives and tidy our homes/workplaces has been so powerful that when Kondo admitted she's been prioritizing spending time with her family rather than tidying, the backlash was so strong it almost broke the internet.

At the core of the KonMari method is to make sure that a person is only surrounded by essential items and things that bring them long-term joy. This usually ends up being only the bare minimum: socks, books, photos, nothing is safe. It goes against the dominant accumulation philosophy that many subconsciously follow. But Kondo does say that every item has a purpose, to teach the consumer a lesson and then it's time to let that item go. It's these lessons that Idaszak uses to build the layers of TIDY inspiring audiences to ponder the gratification of consumerism, minimalism vs clutter and the question of what really sparks joy.

One of the most resounding themes in TIDY is the ongoing climate crisis. As the Detective deals with a mass-extinction event on stage, that motif echoes in the real world. Idaszak requests that companies that produce TIDY follow the guiding principles of the Green New Theater, which encourages theater companies to adapt in the face of the climate crisis. "We're always looking for and open to ways we can improve ourselves." says RTW Managing Director Lisa Rasmussen. "By taking on more sustainable initiatives, we can do our part in preserving theater and the planet for future generations to enjoy." Throughout the run of TIDY RTW will be sharing ways they've been going green, tips for audiences to be more mindful of the environment and community partnerships to increase awareness of our climate crisis

Green New Theater is one of the community projects sponsored by Groundwater Arts. For more information, especially for those interested in exploring options for a more sustainable performing arts scene can check them out here. Patrons are also encouraged to stay tuned to RTW's social media pages for more green tips.

For those who are interested in a deep dive into the themes TIDY explores, you can check out The Sixth Extinction by Elizabeth Kolbert, "What Really Killed the Dinosaurs" by Bianca Bosker in The Atlantic, The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo, "The empty promises of Marie Kondo and the craze for minimalism" by Kyle Chayka in The Guardian, and The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler.

Production Team

DIRECTOR...................................................... Elizabeth Margolius^

PRODUCTION MANAGER & STAGE MANAGER.... Bailey Wegner*

TECHNICAL DIRECTOR.................................... Tony Lyons

LIGHTING DESIGN............................................Noele Stollmack**

SCENIC DESIGN...............................................Jeff Kmiec**

SOUND DESIGN............................................... Christopher Kriz**

COSTUME DESIGN.......................................... Anna Wooden

PROP MASTER................................................ Olivia Bastien

WARDROBE SUPERVISOR................................ Shelby Kashian

PROJECTIONS DESIGN....................................Yeaji Kim

DECK CHIEF................................................... Nat Goeller

*Member of Actors' Equity Association

^Member of Stage Directors and Choreographers

** Member of the United Scenic Artists of America

Performance Schedule & Special Events

Friday, March 24 7:30 p.m. Preview

Saturday, March 25 4:00 p.m. Preview

Saturday, March 25 8:00 p.m. Opening Night & Reception

Sunday, March 26 2:00 p.m.

Wednesday, March 29 7:30 p.m. Wine Wednesday

Thursday, March 30 7:30 p.m. Community Networking Night

Friday, March 31 7:30 p.m. Talkback

Saturday, April 1 4:00 p.m.

Saturday, April 1 8:00 p.m.

Sunday, April 2 2:00 p.m. Play Club

Monday, April 3 7:30 p.m. Pay-What-You-Choose

Wednesday, April 5 7:30 p.m. Wine Wednesday

Thursday, April 6 7:30 p.m. Women's Happy Hour

Friday, April 7 7:30 p.m. Pre-show talk

Saturday, April 8 4:00 p.m. PRIDE Show

Sunday, April 9 2:00 p.m. Sensory Friendly Performance/Talkback with Trista Michels-Third Eye Tidy, certified Marie Kondo method

Wednesday, April 12 1:00 p.m.

Wednesday, April 12 7:30 p.m. Wine Wednesday

Thursday, April 13 7:30 p.m.

Friday, April 14 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, April 15 4:00 p.m.

Sunday, April 16 2:00 p.m. ASL Interpreted