Following in the wake of the World Premiere Wisconsin season, there is a noticeable new trend in the Milwaukee theatre community: a hunger for new works. With companies large and small working directly with playwrights to bring the inaugural productions of plays and musicals alike to our city, audiences are developing trust in their local arts in real time and taking chances on unknown titles.
In the spirit of Halloween, I'm excited to share this interview with Greg Ryan, the producer of RIP: A Musical Comedy of Life and Death, which rocked the Next Act Theatre space in July.
KL: What has the process of producing RIP looked like for you guys?
GR: Rob Grede (the playwright) and I were friends and business colleagues from 25 years back and our relationship had changed from a mostly business one to a pure friendship. About 7 years ago, Rob had this idea about a play and, knowing that I was a local actor, started bouncing ideas between the two of us.
It became a regular get together where he'd update a script, hand it off to me and then we'd make changes. Eventually, we had something that we thought was good enough with which to see if it had "theater" legs. We organized a 12 actor reading and asked for feedback. Covid hit but we kept at it and after multiple changes we did a staged reading (and singing) at a local theater with a small audience. Alan, the director, directed that reading and decided to come aboard. That was about 2-3 years ago or so.
KL: What challenges were the team presented with along the way?
GR: One of the main challenges was to find a director who had the vision to give an unknown musical the time and effort it required. Alan was a major contributor to the evolution from paper to stage as he was an accomplished lighting designer and director and he also had worked with many local (Milwaukee) crew. I think that was a nice benefit for him as he had somewhat carte blanche to select people who he already knew and trusted. He also was able to get a seat at the "Milwaukee Generals" to see some local actor talent before we put out the call for auditions.
Alan is a multi-talented person and was able to do much more than just direct the show. He has marketing expertise (social and otherwise) as marketing this show was a serious challenge. A few months ago, Karen Grishhaber came aboard as our marketing director and she accomplished some amazing feats of design. We wouldn't have had such a good turnout if not for the both of them. The cast and crew were instrumental in getting the word out, too.
Not only is it an unknown production but we were producing it in the summer in Milwaukee where potential attendees have plenty of other entertainment choices; many of them outside in the nice, warm weather. Rob and I were introduced to the money end of the production. The math just doesn't work out to produce a show like this (or any musical, for that matter) without getting financial sponsorships.
The addition of a live band added to the complexity of the production. Once we found our musical director (Jessi Kolberg) and convinced her to take the job, we then had to find musicians who would accept a stipend that they probably could have beat elsewhere in Milwaukee.
KL: What makes developing and producing a new work different than mounting an existing production?
GR: An unknown production has the added challenge of convincing cast and crew that it's worth their time and effort to be a part of it. From an actor's point of view, it'll never be on their "bucket list" of parts since it's never been done before. The other side of the coin is that summer is usually a bit slow for theater and therefore if people are looking to be in a show, this was a great opportunity. Also, to be part of a premier is a feather in their caps.
Convincing potential audience members to pay for an unknown show is more difficult, too. We walked a fine line giving discounts to get people in the seats vs. receiving funds from sales. We knew that this show had a good chance of NOT making money but we were keen on getting large enough audiences so that the word could get out and we could have a successful production. Success, by the way, was an elusive definition. By many criteria, breaking even financially would have been a total success.
Marketing an unknown show is much more difficult than a known one. Not only does the production need to alert customers to the presence of a musical in town but they also need to describe it in simple enough terms so customers are intrigued enough to pay money to see it. Our mortuary concept was unusual enough to stir interest but we needed to be careful to show it was fun and not morbid. Multiple short videos and interviews made that possible and gave a good indication that not only was the show going to be fun, but the actors were having a good time rehearsing for it. They all looked like they were enjoying the experience and, I'm quite confident, they were.
KL: What involvement did the playwright have with the mounting of this particular production?
GR: Rob was the main driving force behind the production and deserves much of the credit. I provided theater expertise when needed and introduced him to other persons who were also instrumental in the show. Additionally, Rob helped with funding and fundraising.
Of course, once Alan Piotrowitz (the director) and Jessi Kolbert (the musical director) became involved, they contributed greatly to the final result. As a premier production, many changes were called for and required as RIP found its way from paper to stage. Alan interacted with Rob to get the musical to a point where it was stage-ready. Jessi worked with the music which Rob had written to make it more appealing and consistent with the direction of the show.
KL: I noticed that the production team branding is all around RIP, not a company brand. Is the team going to pursue producing other works in the future?
GR: Never say never but there's no current plans for another production. Getting RIP out into the greater theater community remains a hope and we are working toward that goal. Of course, RIP was such a fine success that another production isn't off the table....
KL: Is there a moment in the process that exemplified why you chose this piece?
GR: From my point of view (as the producer), much of the early process was enjoying working on a production with a good friend of mine. It almost caught me by surprise when we decided to take it to the next step and produce it ourselves. We did some serious soul searching and calculations to come to that step. It's a huge financial and time undertaking to produce a show like this.
The "piece" wasn't chosen from a group of possibles. It developed over time from an interesting concept and we found it difficult NOT to do something with it. It was a fun and engrossing project which, at some point, developed a forward momentum of its own. Certainly a bit of luck was involved, but I like to think that the energy of the show helped move it along and find many of the complex and moving parts needed for the production.
We had spent a good amount of time figuring out the best venue on which to stage it. Once we decided on the Next Act Theater, many of the other choices, thankfully, fell into place. I'm convinced that the Next Act was the perfect venue for this show.
KL: What would you tell other artists who are considering creating new works?
GR: Find the people who believe in your work and are willing to take a chance on an unknown. Get the script as good as you can get it and don't take it personally if others request changes that might be needed or wanted. Get your financial ducks in a row so that the money is available when you need it. Investigate the possibility of a nonprofit corporation under which the show might lie. Network with theater professionals and get to know who does what in town.
KL: Why is it important to develop new works?
GR: New works help theater remain creative and vibrant. Certainly, producing known works is good for the community but producing an unknown work takes guts and drive and that's Great for the theater community. Theater is an evolving media which thrives on collaboration of actors, crew and, hopefully, new playwrights.
I'm so proud to have been a part of this production and equally proud of my friend Rob Grede for developing RIP - The Musical. I consider it a wonderful life event for me and, I'm sure, he does too.
The community's overwhelmingly positive response to RIP, in conjunction with more and more organizations initiating new works development of their own, lights the way for an exciting new future for Milwaukee - it places a spotlight on our city as an arts hub, not simply a host for works that "belong" to larger cities.
Happy Halloween - may your evening be filled with as much haunted joy as RIP, and may the remainder of your 2024/2025 season be filled with rewarding artistic endeavors.
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