MKE Moms Blog!

MKE Moms BlogI had the unique opportunity to work with a fun group of women, the MKE Mom’s Blog!  They are a networking group focused on events Mom’s (and sometimes dad’s!) can be adults without their kids.

They have a great mission, “Real community – both online and off, inspiring Milwaukee Moms to love on one another regardless of age, race, economic status or otherwise, and to open a dialogue about the tough issues affecting our city. We want to become part of the solution and we believe moms can become a powerful force of change.”

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I was asked to help present some comedy at the all new Enlightened Brewing Company in Bay View, WI for an event and brought members of Milwaukee improv groups The Goodlanders and Improv Limbo to perform some improv. It was a lot of fun! The performers were great and the event itself was very well organized by Laura and Sarah of MKE Mom’s. Love the beer at Enlightened Brewery – and it was exciting because the brewery isn’t open to the public as of this posting.

 

It was a really fun event and there is a nice recap on the MKE Mom’s Blog site, take a look!

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.

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.

 

Matt on Google Maps

 

Milwaukee Theatre Unconference

There is a pretty cool event coming up that I am excited to be a part of: The Milwaukee Theatre Unconference.  What’s an unconference? An “unconference” brings like-minded people together to discuss topics they want to learn about, teach, and are otherwise passionate about. It’s going to be an exciting learning experience for everyone involved, whether seasoned theatre professionals or just lovers of the art.

Here are some details from the web:

The Milwaukee Theatre Unconference is geared toward getting the theatre community here together and asks the broad questions of “Where are we now?” & “Where can we go?”

All we ask is for people to bring their questions, ideas, open minds, experience and knowledge!

  • Food will be provided
  • rooms and time slots assigned different general topics.
  • Sessions are brainstormed ahead of time or can spring out from ideas during the day of the event.

Check out the Facebook event here: https://www.facebook.com/events/153556254760221/