small, easy, simple good: The Interview Project at Next Act Theatre

About the Program Next Actors is Next Act Theatre’s completely free summer intensive for advanced high school theatre artists and recent graduates. Over four weeks, student actors work alongside professional directors to explore the art of documentary theatre. They learn to conduct interviews, shape transcripts into theatrical storytelling and bring the real words of community members to life onstage. The program culminates in an original play created entirely by the ensemble and shared with audiences throughout Milwaukee.

About the Piece Rather than focusing on the divisions that often define conversations about Milwaukee, this year’s ensemble wanted to ask a different question: Where’s the love that’s holding Milwaukee together? The student actors set out to discover where love comes from, how people experience it and the ways it shapes families, neighborhoods and communities. They interviewed a remarkable cross-section of Milwaukee – from well-known voices like John McGivern and Christopher Gilbert to little league coaches, religious leaders, music teachers and community members from all corners of the city. Using the words from those conversations, they created an original play of monologues and vignettes that blend journalism with performance. The result is a theatrical mosaic of authentic voices that reflects Milwaukee back to itself.