I love this bit of dialogue from Ira Glass, renowned radio personality from This American Life. I find it inspirational – and very true – to the creative process. Posting this so I can always find it when I need inspiration.
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Announcing The Milwaukee Fringe Festival
Announcing The Milwaukee Fringe Festival
New annual arts event will feature top performing and visual arts
MILWAUKEE, WIS – The Milwaukee Fringe Festival, the regions newest city-wide art festival is a two-day performance and visual art event celebrating Milwaukee’s vibrant and diverse arts scene. The inaugural event will take place Saturday, August 27th and Sunday, August 28th Downtown, Milwaukee at Pere Marquette Park, The Marcus Center Vogal Hall and surrounding venues.
The Milwaukee Fringe Festival will showcase live theatre, music, dance, comedy and visual art from the region along side keynote speakers and national performers with a connection to the Greater Milwaukee area. In addition, MKE Fringe Fest will also feature some of the areas best food trucks, breweries and other culinary delights.
“Milwaukee’s art scene is as diverse and prolific as any in the nation. The Milwaukee Fringe Festival is an event to celebrate that diversity on a wide scale.” Said festival Co-Founder Eric Engelbart. “We want this festival to be an immersive experience that features extraordinary entertainment from the many Milwaukee and Wisconsin based arts groups.”
The event will feature free outdoor performances in Pere Marquette Park and along the Milwaukee River, as well as ticketed indoor performances at some of Milwaukee’s best theater venues. The MKE Fringe Fest will focus on accessibility to the citizens of Milwaukee by offering free or inexpensive live performances in the center of the city.
Matt Kemple, Co-Founder of the MKE Fringe Festival stated, “Our goal is to expose audiences to talented performers they may not discover on their own, while also celebrating established artists who got their start in Milwaukee. There is a high level of talent here in Brew City and we want to acknowledge that talent with a celebration of the arts.”
The Milwaukee Fringe Festival is presented under the direction of renowned television and film actor Willem Dafoe, John Schneider (Theatre Professor at Marquette University), Eric Engelbart (Shepherd Express) Matt Kemple (Milwaukee Comedy Festival), Karen Rayzak and Katie Rhyme (MKE Follies) and Brian Rott (Quazimondo Physical Theatre). The festival is produced under Nice Plays, Inc a 501c3 nonprofit organization.
A call for submissions is announced for creative artists of all kinds to submit to perform or display. Those interested may do so as of March 1, 2016 via the Milwaukee Fringe Festival website, http://www.mkefringe.com. Submission fee: $20 or Early Bird is $15.
The Inaugural Milwaukee Fringe Festival
August 27 and 28, 2016
Pere Marquette Parke and surrounding venues in Downtown Milwaukee.
Comedy Success with the SBDC
Despite this being a “personal website”, I don’t really get very personal on here. But my recent experiences have given me the opportunity to reflect on the path I have chosen for myself and some of the success I have encountered. I have been working with the Wisconsin SBDC for about two years, a small business support organization. With the assistance of Kathy Orr, I have been able to look at my company Milwaukee Comedy from an outside perspective. She helped me better define my goals and helped answer a lot of the questions I was asking myself as a small business owner.
A while back they asked to film me for a short segment about Milwaukee Comedy, and had an opportunity to see the end result today!
SBDC Success Story: Milwaukee Comedy
Milwaukee Comedy is one of several comedy venues in the Milwaukee area, but owner Matt Kemple prides his business on its variety and unique qualities. Founded nine years ago, the comedy venue provides live entertainment, workshops and classes and is a resource for local comedians.
Take a look at the video to learn a bit about my experience.
I owe a tremendous thanks to Kathy and the SBDC! Thank you!
Comedy in the Shepherd
It’s a wonderful thing when your talents are recognized. It’s especially fun when the media picks up on it! There is a great write up in this weeks Shepherd Express by Tea Krulos about the underground comedy scene. I was interviewed as an expert on the subject along with Milwaukee Comedy.
Here is a little from the article:
The space is also home to Milwaukee Comedy, the production company run by Matt Kemple. A comedian and producer, Kemple is celebrating the 10th anniversary of his Milwaukee Comedy Festival this year, Aug. 6-9. He says the growing independent comedy shows are the sign of a strengthening scene.
“One of the best things we have is the community itself. It’s supportive; there are a lot of people that want the scene to survive and want to work with other comedians,” Kemple explains. “A number of years ago, people would drive to Chicago to see comedy. They wouldn’t even pretend to think it was happening in town. That’s not the case anymore.
We did this interview a while ago, so it was a nice surprise when it came out this week. It’s worth the read. You can take a look at the entire article here.
Matt on Maps
Here is a photo of me walking my dog Shakespeare on Google Maps! Fun and kind of creepy all at the same time.
