Doctor Faustus Lights the Lights at Wisconsin Classic Stage

WISCONSIN CLASSIC STAGE ELECTRIFIES HALLOWEEN WITH THE MILWAUKEE PREMIERE OF GERTRUDE STEIN'S DOCTOR FAUSTUS LIGHTS THE LIGHTS

The First Professional staging of Stein’s experimental operetta in Milwaukee

ONE HOUR. AN OPERETTA. AN ART INSTALLATION. A MUST SEE EVENT.

MILWAUKEE, WI, September 3, 2026. Wisconsin Classic Stage will illuminate Milwaukee's Halloween season with the city's professional premiere of Gertrude Stein's Doctor Faustus Lights the Lights, an immersive operetta running October 30 through November 8, 2026, in the Sanctuary Hall. The piece immerses its audience in 360 degrees of spectral light, music and Stein's incantatory language, transforming a 1938 opera libretto that was never officially scored into a ritual built entirely from scratch. Composer Lincoln Donner has developed a haunting monophonic score threaded with spectral choral textures in close collaboration with Cole Castine who directs, designs and illuminates the production.

The production arrives at the midpoint of Wisconsin Classic Stage's inaugural season, following its impressive runs of Henry V, The Persians and the company's recent acclaimed staging of Ibsen's Ghosts (in a parking lot). WCS is seizing works the modern stage has left behind and re-inventing them back into urgent, embodied life for Wisconsin audiences.

THE ENSEMBLE

Doctor Faustus: Antonio Parra Jr.

Mephisto: Evan Smolik

Marguerite Ida and Helena Annabel: Dylana Bauduin and Esther Akinsanya

Man From Overseas: Tyler Stauffacher

Dog: Marty Alivo

Little Boy: Austin Bock

Little Girl: Nessiah Grace

Old Woman: Deborah Stencel

Ensemble: Duleon Schneider, Ryan Holifield, and William Molitor

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

Friday, October 30: 8:00 pm

Saturday, October 31: 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm

Sunday, November 1: 8:00 pm

Friday, November 6: 8:00 pm

Saturday, November 7: 8:00 pm & 10:00 pm

Sunday, November 8: 8:00 pm

Running time: Approx. 1 hour, performed without intermission.

ACCESSIBILITY & AGE GUIDANCE

Reserved seating is recommended for patrons who require accessible seating; the standing-room section is not accessible. Doctor Faustus Lights the Lights is recommended for audiences ages 13 and older. Children under 13 will not be admitted. The production features continuous, unbroken "perpetual light" staging throughout its 60-minute run, with no blackout and no intermission. Patrons with accessibility needs are encouraged to contact the box office in advance at 414.375.5127

Halloween Weekend & Beyond · October 30 – November 8, 2026

Calvary Presbyterian Church, Sanctuary Hall · 935 W. Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53207

www.wisconsinclassicstage.com