Uprooted’s exit The African-American- founded theater company dissolves after six years, but leaves a legacy — and work to be done. page 31

May 7, 2015 | Vol. 6 No. 12

Governor 4 Marriage on trial WiG graphically recreates the Supreme Court hearing on Rebecca same-sex marriage. Kleefisch? What you need to know about to know about 18 Editorial Republican lawmakers deserve Walker’s backup some credit for fighting against several of the harsher items in page 10 Gov. Scott Walker’s budget.

36 Thor strikes again Actor Chris Hemsworth hammers out the challenges of being an action star.

41 ‘May-thoven’ in Wisconsin Orchestras in both Madison and Milwaukee tackle three iconic Beethoven symphonies this month. 2 WISCONSINGAZETTE.COM | May 7, 2015

News with a twist WiGWAG By Lisa Neff, Louis Weisberg & Matthew Reddin

Where’s the brat? It causes nausea, diarrhea O’Connor, in after spotting it at a cos- of engaging in sexual rela- lican “leaners” are highly No brats at Miller Park? and vomiting. being rec- tume company. tions with an animal faces likely to vote in the next No way, you say? But that ognized by fines and or prison. election. Conservatives was the embarrassing Heart-melting the Elizabeth Safer-world sex also are the likeliest to situation that Milwaukee story Sackler Cen- How can you help pro- Is the pope Jewish? follow government affairs Mayor Tom Barrett found A snowman in Mass- ter for Feminist Art award. tect endangered species? A New York City rabbi closely and far more likely at the ballpark when he apequa Park, New York, “Moi is thrilled,” Miss Piggy The folks at the Center for has received a papal to have given “some” or took visiting New York who became world famous quipped. Kermit the Frog, Biological Diversity say one knighthood. During a Man- “quite a lot” of thought Mayor Bill DeBlasio to a thanks to his Save the of course, will be among way is to control the popu- hattan ceremony, Arthur to the next election. Pew recent Brewers game. Snowman Facebook page the attending celebrities. lation of people. CBD cel- Schneier of the Park East didn’t assess the quality of That’s something like De and international news ebrated Earth Day by giving Synagogue was inducted such thought. Blasio inviting Barrett to coverage, has died at the Fetching outfit away 50,000 condoms in into the Papal Order of St. his city only to find the the- age of 3 — 3 months, that An outfit Vivien Leigh packages decorated with Sylvester. Schneier was Mating mindset aters on Broadway closed. is — from complications of wore when she played polar bears, whooping honored for his work on A recent Australian warming weather. Despite Scarlett O’Hara in the 1939 cranes, sea otters, horned behalf of religious freedom study found that straight Blue Bell blues his popularity, many fans film Gone With the Wind lizards, hellbender salaman- and international peace. dudes took bigger risks for A series of listeria ill- on the East Coast were no has fetched $137,000 at ders and monarch butter- Others who have held the money after being shown nesses tied to Blue Bell doubt glad to see him go. auction. Heritage Auctions flies. CBD’s campaign slo- title include comedian Bob pictures of shirtless male Creameries ice cream offered the gray jacket and gan? “Fumbling in the dark? Hope and industrialist Abercrombie & Fitch mod- prompted a massive recall. Something skirt, featuring a black zig- Think of the monarch.” Oskar Schindler. els. Researchers said the Concerned about their eco- to oink about zag applique, plus other study demonstrates the nomic futures, residents of A prestigious award from items from the Academy Meanwhile, in Caffeinated “mating mindset,” charac- the company’s home town the Brooklyn Museum hon- Award-winning film at auc- Denmark conservatives? terized by men trying to of Brenham, Texas, turned ors women who have made tion in Beverly Hills, Cali- Meanwhile, animal wel- Apparently tea par- one-up each other. In this to God for help. The com- outstanding contributions fornia. Heritage said more fare advocates in Denmark tiers aren’t drinking decaf. case, looking at better- munity came together for in their fields. This year’s than 150 items from the secured enough support An analysis by the Pew built guys spurred them an hour-long prayer vigil. surprise honoree is … Miss movie were offered by among Danish lawmakers Research Center found that to take greater risks to Xanna Young attended the Piggy. The Muppets char- James Tumblin, who began to outlaw bestiality. The conservatives are the most acquire more money and event wearing a T-shirt acter joins a distinguished collecting pieces associ- country was a bit behind politically active Ameri- become more attractive that read, “I Get Cranky list of recipients, including ated with the MGM film in its European counterparts cans. Pew said its review to women. In other words, Without My Blue Bell.” theater director Julie Tay- the 1960s. He paid $20 for on the issue. As of July of statistics found that 82 when their waistlines failed She’d probably get cranky mor and former Supreme the Scarlett O’Hara outfit 1, any person found guilty percent of conservative muster, they turned to their with a case of listeria, too. Court Justice Sandra Day Republicans and Repub- wallets. WISCONSINGAZETTE.COM | May 7, 2015 3 4 WISCONSINGAZETTE.COM | May 7, 2015

The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral Tennessee Associate Mary Bonauto, representing same-sex Marriage equality arguments on April 28 in four marriage Solicitor General Joseph couples: “In terms of the question of who equality cases that could lead to same- Walen: “Tennessee, Ohio, decides, it’s not about the court versus the sex marriage becoming legal nation- Kentucky and other states states. It’s about the individual making the wide. The cases stem from disputes over with a traditional definition choice to marry and with whom to marry, at the high court bans against gays and lesbians marry- of marriage have done or the government.” ing in Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee and nothing here but stand pat. Heard at the hearing … Michigan. A ruling is expected in late They have maintained the June. Justice Anthony Kennedy again is status quo.” expected to be the deciding vote on the “We had Loving. We had Zablocki. “I suspect even with us giving divided court. We had Turner. In all of these cases gays rights to marry that there’s what we’ve talked about is a right some gay people who will choose “The issue, of to marry. We didn’t try to define the not to. Just as there’s some het- course, is not wheth- “If Sue loves Joe and Tom loves Joe, Sue right more particularly. … We just erosexual couples who choose er there should be can marry him and Tom can’t. And the said there’s a right to marry, that “Marriage is not to marry. So we’re not tak- same-sex marriage, difference is based upon their different is fundamental and that everybody about as basic a ing anybody’s liberty away.” but who should sex. Why isn’t that a straightforward is entitled to it unless there’s some right as there is.” – Justice Sonia Sotomayor decide the point.” question of sexual discrimination?” good reason for the State to exclude.” – Justice Stephen – Justice Antonin Scalia – Chief Justice John Roberts – Justice Elena Kagan Breyer

“Same-sex couples say, of course, we under- … … “We have changed our idea about marriage. … Mar- stand the nobility and the sacredness of the – Justice marriage. We know we can’t procreate, but we riage today is not what it was under common law tradi- Clarence tion, under the civil law tradition. Marriage was a rela- want the other attributes of it in order to show Thomas that we, too, have a dignity that can be fulfilled.” tionship of a dominant male to a subordinate female.” – Justice Anthony Kennedy – Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg WISCONSINGAZETTE.COM | May 7, 2015 5 Poverty, unrest are inching their way into the presidential campaigns Julie Pace lift the poor out of poverty and reduce AP White House correspondent income inequality, though he has yet to In a presidential campaign where can- flesh out policy proposals. He has been didates are jockeying to be champions most specific about the need for greater of the middle class and asking wealthy educational choices and opportunities. people for donations, the problems facing Bush frequently cites his work in Flori- the poor are inching into the debate. da, where he expanded charter schools, Tensions in places such as Baltimore backed voucher programs and promoted and Ferguson, Missouri, have prompt- high testing standards. ed candidates to explore the relation- U.S. Sen. Rand Paul has long called ships between poor communities and the for overhauling criminal sentencing pro- police, and the deep-seated issues that cedures that he says disproportionately have trapped many of the 45 million imprison low-income black men. He has people who live in poverty in the United promoted “economic freedom zones” States. where taxes would be lowered in areas But addressing the long-running eco- with high long-term unemployment in nomic, education and security troubles order to stimulate growth and develop- in underprivileged neighborhoods is a ment. challenge with few easily agreed upon Paul, who has made a point of reach- solutions. ing out to black communities, has drawn A frustrated President Barack Obama criticism for comments he made during challenged the nation to do “some soul- the Baltimore unrest. In a radio interview, searching” after riots in Baltimore fol- Paul said he had been on a train that went lowed the death of 25-year-old Freddie through the city and was “glad the train Gray in police custody. There have been didn’t stop.” other deadly altercations between police U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida also and black men or boys in Ferguson, New has talked frequently about the poor. His York’s Staten Island, Cleveland and North anti-poverty proposals include consoli- Charleston, South Carolina. dating many federal programs to help the “I’m under no illusion that out of poor into a “flex fund” that states would this Congress we’re going to get mas- then manage. sive investments in urban communities,” Democrats, too, are trying to incor- Obama said. “But if we really want to porate plans for tackling poverty into solve the problem, if our society really economic campaign messages that oth- wanted to solve the problem, we could.” erwise center on the middle class. To some of the Republicans running Following the Baltimore turmoil, Hillary to replace Obama, his call for spending Rodham Clinton made a plea for crimi- more money in poor areas underscores nal justice changes that could aid urban the problem with many current anti-pov- communities. Among her ideas: equip- erty programs. The GOP largely opposes ping every police department with body new domestic spending and party offi- cameras for officers. She said the unrest cials often say federally run programs are was a “symptom, not a cause” of what bloated and inefficient. ails poor communities and she called for “At what point do you have to conclude a broader discussion of the issues. that the top-down government poverty Former Maryland Gov. Martin programs have failed?” said Jeb Bush, O’Malley, who is expected to challenge the former Florida governor and expected Clinton for the party nomination, has presidential candidate. “I think we need been at the center of the discussions to be engaged in this debate as conserva- about Baltimore’s issues. He was mayor tives and say that there’s a bottom-up from 1999 to 2007 and enacted tough- approach.” on-crime policies. Republicans have struggled in recent While O’Malley is not backing away years to overcome the perception that from those practices, he is trying to put the party has little interest in the plight criminal justice issues in a larger context. of the poor. He wrote in an op-ed that the problem Mitt Romney, the GOP presidential in Baltimore and elsewhere is as much nominee in 2012, was criticized for say- about policing and race as it has about ing he was “not concerned about the very “declining wages and the lack of opportu- poor” and that it was not his job to worry nity in our country today.” about the 47 percent of Americans who In some places that have dealt with he said “believe that government has a recent unrest, residents say they wel- responsibility to care for them.” come the campaign discussions on pov- More than 60 percent of voters who erty and policing, but hope the issues made less than $30,000 per year backed will not fade away when the next big Obama over Romney in that campaign, campaign focus arises. according to exit polls. Bush has been among the most vocal Republicans discussing the need to 6 WISCONSINGAZETTE.COM | May 7, 2015 Demonstrators deliver distress call on May Day By Lisa Neff This year, with the unrest in Baltimore Staff writer and solidarity protests in other cities, the Marchers in Milwaukee marked May marchers broadened the message and the Day by delivering a distress call — strong demands still farther. and loud — in the voices of thousands “Man, it’s all related,” said marcher raised outside the Milwaukee County Deacon Davis of Milwaukee. “We cannot Courthouse. divorce the brutalities of our police depart- The May Day rally and march, coordi- ment from the brutalities of our governor nated annually by the immigrant rights and Congress and the brutalities of big group Voces de la Frontera, took place on business.” May 1, beginning at the nonprofit’s head- In the days before the May Day actions, quarters on South Fifth Street. From there, Wisconsinites held other labor-related marchers went to the courthouse. tributes, including organizing Workers’ They demanded nationwide immigra- Memorial Day gatherings on April 28 in La tion reform and called on Republican Gov. Crosse and Madison. Scott Walker to withdraw from a 26-state And two days after the May Day march- federal suit blocking executive-branch PHOTO: AP/Mark Hoffman es, another traditional observance took immigration relief. Dontre Hamilton’s mother, Maria Hamilton, center, and people associated with the place in Milwaukee commemorating the They demanded fair and equal pay and Coalition for Justice march on April 30. The march was on the eve of the May Day events. anniversary of the Bay View Massacre on the right to organize on what has long been May 5, 1886. That morning, after four days celebrated as a worker’s memorial day. to citizenship.” Hamilton, an unarmed black man killed by of massive worker demonstrations for an And, with the march taking place just Walker has recently referred to such a a Milwaukee police officer one year ago eight-hour workday, about 1,500 workers days after rioting in Baltimore following path as “amnesty,” which he opposes. in Red Arrow Park. He was shot 14 times, marched toward the Bay View Rolling Mills the death a black man in police custody, Christine Neumann-Ortiz, now Voces’ including in the back, during a scuffle that and came upon the State Militia, called they demanded an end to police violence executive director, addressed the crowd, followed a pat down that violated MPD out by the governor and armed with guns and action to address the lack of opportu- rallying the marchers to demand racial procedure. ready to fire. The marchers were ordered nity in the nation’s poorest neighborhoods. and economic justice. “We have seen in Maria Hamilton told the marchers, “It’s to stop about 200 yards from the mill, and, They marched in solidarity, shouldering Milwaukee and Baltimore and other cities so beautiful to see people of so many when they did not, the militia killed seven banners and sharing causes. African-Americans and their allies rising nationalities here together.” and wounded others. “I’m marching for my family,” said José up against racist police violence, and we Arellano, an immigrant rights leader The memorial took place on May 3 at Flores, a longtime member of Voces de are proud to stand with their struggle. We with an international reputation, told the State Historical Marker for the mills la Frontera. “We are here to tell Gov. are proud to stand with Maria Hamilton marchers, “I want to say thank you to the at South Superior Street and East Russell Walker to stop blocking executive action and Elvira Arellano, two mothers fighting U.S. citizens who are here with us today Avenue on the lakefront, with historians, on immigration and to let him know that for justice for all families.” fighting deportations.” labor activists, artists, entertainers and we want immigration reform with a path Maria Hamilton is the mother of Dontre community members remembering those May Day tradition shot by a state militia called out to squash The Milwaukee May Day Solidarity a workers campaign. March for Immigrant and Worker Rights The Wisconsin Labor History Society coincided with more than 20 other march- offered a remembrance and the Milwaukee es on May 1, which is International Work- Public Theatre and Milwaukee Mask and ers’ Day and the anniversary of the bloody Puppet Theatre staged a re-enactment. 1886 Haymarket Riot in Chicago. Wisconsin Jobs Now also had a pres- May Day marches have been held for ence at the ceremony, where speakers more than a century, but the focus broad- talked about challenges working people ened in the mid-2000s to include demands face and musicians offered a tribute to the for immigrant rights. In 2006, hundreds of late Larry Penn, a folk singer and longtime thousands of demonstrators joined in pro- Bay View resident who regularly attended tests across the United States. the event. WISCONSINGAZETTE.COM | May 7, 2015 7 GOP resists efforts to protect sage-grouse habitat By Lisa Neff Staff writer Political animals in late April gave priority to the oil Endangered Species Day and gas industry over a species threatened by dramatic Endangered Species Day is decline. observed nationwide on May 15. The U.S. House Armed Services Committee on April 29 voted to maintain a sweeping provision in defense spend- Federally protected species in ing that delays for at least a decade any effort to provide Wisconsin include the Northern federal protections for the greater sage-grouse. long-eared bat, the Kirtland’s Environmentalists said the congressional move would warbler, piping plover, Rufa red undermine federal efforts to protect the bird’s habitat knot, whooping crane, Eastern across the West. massasauga, Higgins eye However, the Defense Department did not request pearlymussel, Hine’s emerald the GOP-backed provision and environmentalists allege dragonfly, Karner blue butterfly, Republicans’ motivation has more to do with economics the Eastern prairie fringed orchid and the influence of the oil and gas lobby than with the and Mead’s milkweed. national defense. Source: Fish and Wildlife Service Included in the National Defense Authorization Act that should reach a floor vote in the next month is a provision from U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop, a Republican from Utah, to prevent the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from PHOTO: USFWS protecting Sage-grouse under the Endangered Species Act until 2025. The provision also would allow governors to veto any federal land management changes designed to protect the birds. Sage-grouse populations — currently under the man- agement of state fish and game agencies — are at a frac- tion of their historic numbers. The species has declined by more than 50 percent between 2007 and 2013 as its sagebrush habitat has diminished. Bishop and other Republicans maintain that feder- ally protecting the birds threatens military readiness and national defense because the bird’s habitat can be found at the Yakima Training Center in Washington state, Haw- thorne Army Depot in Nevada and Tooele Army Depot and Dugway Proving Ground in Utah. “The military didn’t ask for this exemption,” Defenders of Wildlife said in a prepared statement. “In fact, military installations across the west have been doing an admi- rable job conserving sage-grouse without compromising military readiness. “We hope the Senate will reject this destructive pro- posal in its bill later this year. Sage-grouse are certainly no threat to national security and should not be used as an excuse to give the states control over millions of acres of federal lands.” The House committee rejected a proposal from Mas- sachusetts Democrat Niki Tsongas, who sought to delete the provision from the spending bill. Environmentalists said Bishop’s rider essentially would turn over management authority on about 60 million acres of public lands to individual states and condemn the Sage-grouse to extinction. “The tea party rider takes away the public’s right to participate in land-management decisions and simply hands the keys to our public lands to industry,” said Randi Spivak, public lands director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “It’s an unprecedented giveaway to corporate polluters that’s completely out of step with public opin- ion on the importance of protecting the people’s lands. Poll after poll shows that an overwhelming majority opposes transferring or selling public lands to states.”

FIND US ON TWITTER! @wigazette 8 WISCONSINGAZETTE.COM | May 7, 2015 Walking with my mother in her heart-breaking decline By Michael Muckian for elderly parents. Milwaukee’s east side. Large families often > > > Contributing writer A disproportionate number of boom- have the hardest time agreeing on what Mom spent two weeks in the nursing All life cycles have watershed moments, ers caring for parents are gay and les- should be done with an elderly parent. home, eventually returning to a variant of times when another bridge has been irre- bian, according to John George, health “When there’s more than one child, her former self. But we knew that bridges vocably crossed. In the life of a child, that care administrator for Saint John’s On The there’s always more than one opinion,” had been crossed and things would never moment is often a joyful one. But for an Lake, a retirement community of 330 resi- Dyer says. “As caregivers, we need a point be the same again. elderly parent, life proceeds in reverse, dents on Milwaukee’s east side. person whose guidance we can rely on, During my mother’s nursing home stay, leading often to sorrowful conclusions. and that person needs to be the patient’s we found her an assisted living facility My mother Liz, who is 93 years old, > > > health care power of attorney in order to on Madison’s west side. We moved her reached one of those watershed moments Upon reaching the hospital that Sun- make the right decisions.” out of her senior apartment, disposing of one night three years ago. day night, my mother was diagnosed with Dyer’s own mother was a resident at the furniture and other things she no longer We had moved my mother from Mil- dehydration and a urinary tract infection, Jewish Home until she passed away from needed. During the grueling two-week pro- waukee to a senior housing complex near both of which accounted for her confu- Alzheimer’s disease last October, and the cess, we discovered clues to her cognitive our Madison home five years earlier. My sion. But we would soon discover she also administrator is acutely aware of how hard failure that weren’t previously apparent. wife Jean and I had visited her twice that suffered from transient ischemic attacks, the “little losses” of cognitive decline can Dozens of unopened bottles of generic Sunday to address various issues. She often called TIAs or “mini-strokes.” be on family members. acetaminophen and countless file cards seemed strange, but we weren’t yet sea- Those would lead to more “Watching cognitive decline and paper scraps with duplicate addresses soned enough to understand what was dire consequences. is harder than watching and phone numbers she didn’t want to wrong. TIAs are caused physical decline,” Dyer forget filled nooks and crannies. We dis- After her third call, we returned to find by blood clots that says. “The elderly covered boxes of junk mail — her “bills” as Mom sitting in her nightgown on her bed, come and go in begin to lose the she called them — including some stored with three television and cable system the brain. Some abilities you gain in the unused dishwasher. We found cash remotes and three cordless telephones are relatively as a child, includ- in the refrigerator. alongside her. We realized that something harmless, ing swallowing, Mom appeared to be settling in nicely was happening. while others talking, walking, to her assisted living facility, making new Jean began to remove the clutter, which can be pre- bowl and blad- friends and regularly eating a healthy diet, snapped Mother out of her stupor, cursors to der control.” something she had also stopped doing in “Don’t touch those,” she said anxiously. larger, fatal In terms of her apartment. There were even activities “Those are my phones!” strokes. A providing care, and outings, but over the course of two Some were her phones, and some series of TIAs Wisconsin’s 323 years we could see that she had started weren’t. Due to their similar shape and followed by nursing homes slowing down. color, she could no longer tell the differ- a large stroke serve only about 5 When construction began on the facil- ence. We bundled her up and took her to killed Mom’s percent of the state’s ity’s new addition, we saw her confusion the nearest emergency room. older brother Harold population over 65, and anxiety increase. A series of three > > > decades earlier. We Dyer says. The surpris- UTIs in as many months seemed to send felt that a similar outcome ing statistic is mostly due to her to the moon and back again — not to More than 10 million adult children over was possible, if not imminent, finances. Owing to the recent finan- mention the hospital — on a regular basis. 50 care for aging parents, according to a for her. cial recession, admissions to skilled care George notes that a change in a senior’s 2011 study by the MetLife Mature Mar- While doctors worked to get her situa- facilities have declined over the past four environment can result in “transfer trau- ket Institute. Baby Boomers comprise the tion under control, we made arrangements to five years, because too many families ma” and a large percentage of sufferers majority of caregivers. The number of par- to move Mom temporarily to a nursing need their parents’ Social Security checks are usually dead within a year. When her ents cared for both physically and finan- home for rehabilitation. A former RN, my to make ends meet. strange behavior continued, we began to cially by their kids has more than tripled mother had worked at Sunrise Care Center And then there’s the cost of putting wonder just how long her future would be. over the past 15 years. on Milwaukee’s south side until she was those parents in a skilled care facility. My mother called me on the telephone Not surprisingly, daughters tend to pro- almost 86. We thought she’d be comfort- “The cost for nursing home care is last week. vide more care than sons and suffer more able with the transition. $8,000 to $10,000 a month, and even “Mike? This is Grandma,” she said. “If financially because of it. On average, the the wealthiest person who has saved for you are out can you stop by? I haven’t had amount of lost wages, pension dollars and > > > it could one day run out of money,” Dyer a working phone all day.” Social Security benefits for women forced Transitions to some level of assisted liv- says. And so, once again, it begins. I don’t to leave the workforce early to provide ing are often the most difficult things for But before that happens, adult children want to spend Mothers’ Day at the hos- care totals $324,044, according to the families to cope with, according to Elaine should make sure they understand what pital this year, but maybe just having one study. Men suffer less financially, but it Dyer, a registered nurse and administra- their aging parents want and then make more Mother’s Day anywhere is the best I still costs them an average of $283,716 in tor for the Jewish Home and Care Center, those ultimate decisions based on that can hope for. aggregate salary and benefit losses to care a 160-bed retirement community also on guidance, she adds. WISCONSINGAZETTE.COM | May 7, 2015 9 10 WISCONSINGAZETTE.COM | May 7, 2015 As Walker goes presidential, Rebecca Kleefisch is emerging from the shadows of an administration that didn’t want her By Louis Weisberg questions we emailed her. Instead, we have been influenced by her medical con- Staff writer relied on previously published statements dition. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch. and Capitol observers, including some who That name with that title prompts deri- asked not to be identified, to look at her Colorful couple sive chortles and exclamations of “God trajectory. Many political insiders contend that forbid” from progressive leaders. It’s well known that Kleefisch was not Rebecca Kleefisch and her husband, state Or outright dismissal. “The chances of on Walker’s short list of running mates. Rep. Joel Kleefisch, R-Oconomowoc, are (Kleefisch becoming governor) are infini- Having never held either political office or oddballs any way you look at them. Their tesimal,” said Scot Ross, executive director a management position, she had little to policy positions are fundamentally the of the liberal advocacy group One Wiscon- recommend her for the role of governor- same — and the same as Walker’s: They’re sin Now. in-waiting. But she did have what proved for trickle-down economics, they’re But with Scott Walker on the verge of to be the most important assets — the opposed to marriage equality and choice mounting a vigorous campaign for the approval of Charlie Sykes, the king of and they hate “big” government, which Republican presidential nomination, the Wisconsin right-wing radio, along with the appears to mean government agencies or prospect that Wisconsin’s lieutenant gov- state’s tea party and religious activists. contracts that do not employ or profit their ernor could write the next biennial budget Walker wanted former state Rep. Brett family and friends. is possible even if improbable. Walker Davis on his ticket, and he went to extreme Rebecca Kleefisch frequently toes the might be a long shot for winning the nomi- lengths to push for it. Davis emerged as a party line that lowering taxes is the most nation — and an even longer shot for central figure in the John Doe investiga- reliable economic-growth strategy. When winning the White House — but he might tions that led to indictments of former she meets with business groups, one of more conceivably wind up working in a staffers who served under the governor her go-to lines is, “How can we love you Republican presidential administration. while he was Milwaukee County Executive. more?” — presumably expecting them to And that, according to the state Consti- In 2010, Davis’ home was among those ask for tax breaks. tution, would make Kleefisch the state’s raided by the FBI in connection with the Joel Kleefisch emphasizes the same chief executive. investigation. He was not charged, how- talking point, but he tops his wife in the Wisconsin knows little about how ever, and he was eventually repaid for his “colorful character” category. A man who’s Kleefisch would govern. The lieutenant loyalty when he was appointed Medicaid met few animals he didn’t want to shoot, governor has no real constitutional duties director in Walker’s administration. Kleefisch proposed a bill in 2012 to cre- except to fill in if the governor dies or Walker operative Kelly Rindfleisch also ate a hunting season for sandhill cranes. becomes incapacitated, so Wisconsinites preferred Davis, but she was not as lucky. “Many call (sandhill cranes) the rib-eye have had few opportunities to see her in She was sentenced to jail time after pros- of the sky,” Kleefisch told the Wisconsin action. The public tends to fill in the blanks ecutors charged her with illegally fund- State Journal in pushing for supportive leg- with some of her more outrageous behav- raising for Davis on taxpayer time via a islation. It died in committee but has since ior, such as the 2010 radio interview in secret Wi-Fi system in the county execu- resurfaced. which she compared same-sex marriages tive’s office. Emails that she and other Joel Kleefisch often appears at the Capi- to unions between humans and inanimate Walker supporters traded about Kleefisch tol wearing various articles of camo cloth- objects, including clocks and tables. were confiscated and later shared with the ing. Democratic strategist Patrick Guarasci That statement drew national headlines media under the Freedom of Information said that during his time working in Madi- and prompted her gay uncle Chris Pfauser Act. son, he and others viewed the Kleefisches to donate $500 to Milwaukee Mayor Tom “We are not touching anything to do as whackos. Barrett’s campaign against Walker. Speak- with Kleefisch — she is radioactive and not In addition to hunting, Kleefisch was ing with reporters at the time, Pfauser worth the time,” wrote Walker campaign obsessed with sex offenders, according blamed his niece’s anti-gay putdown on manager Keith Gilkes in an email that to Guarasci. “He fashioned himself as an her newfound religious fundamentalism. typifies the Walker camp’s attitude toward expert on the subject,” Guarasci said. “He (Pfauser did not respond to a message Kleefisch. was always trying to come up with stricter WiG left for him.) “I cannot see how anyone can take this and stricter rules for the placement of sex By her own account, Christian orthodoxy woman seriously,” wrote one of Davis’ offenders.” guides Kleefisch’s life. Speaking to a tea aides. One of his proposals was to force sex party group during the 2010 campaign, Walker’s county spokesperson referred offenders to drive with chartreuse license she said, “My qualifications for a governor to Kleefisch as “fluff,” and Rindfleisch plates on their cars for easy identification, are a Christian man who can actually right wrote, “I can’t stand Becky.” Guarasci remembered. our financial ship.” In a campaign flier, she It’s not clear whether Kleefisch was More recently, Joel Kleefisch landed in pledged to make decisions by “relying on aware of the disdain that Walker’s camp hot water after records surfaced show- the wisdom and faith she has in Jesus.” had for her prior to the email release. If ing that he’d allowed one of his wealthy The rhetoric is identical to what Repub- not, it must have been a crushing blow. donors to help him draft a bill that would licans in Iowa are hearing from Walker. It’s also unclear whether Walker’s peo- have substantially reduced the donor’s Given her record — or lack thereof — it ple knew Kleefisch was battling Stage 2 child support payments. would be easy to dismiss Kleefisch as colon cancer in August 2010, at the height Ross criticized Rebecca Kleefisch for a fringe character who landed in a do- of the campaign. At the same time she never commenting on her husband’s nothing office on a fluke. But some people was campaigning tirelessly on behalf of behavior. who are familiar with her maintain that she the ticket and helping to win over women Like his wife, Joel Kleefisch is a former has developed more substance and proven voters, Kleefisch was undergoing chemo- broadcast news reporter. But otherwise, more capable than detractors think. therapy and fighting for her life. they make for a rather odd couple, which In retrospect, it’s possible that some of is obvious just seeing them together. She’s ‘Not worth the time’ her stranger public moments, the spacey fastidiously groomed, while he’s a rather Kleefisch turned down WiG’s request ones that have drawn comparisons to for- to be interviewed and declined to answer mer U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, might KLEEFISCH next page WISCONSINGAZETTE.COM | May 7, 2015 11

KLEEFISCH from prior page slouchy man who treats hunting garb as formal wear (see photo). In her early and inexperienced days, Kleefisch had to rely on physical style over substance. She didn’t have time to develop the kind of inside knowledge and engaging political persona that Walker has perfect- ed. So she used the familiar newscasters’ tools — heavy makeup and reading words written by someone else. The results were poor but largely over- looked by voters. An insider who asked not to be identified said people working on her 2010 campaign considered her “like a political android. She was wooden and had no substance. It was just all talking points.” The Walker administration didn’t help her much. Campaign advisers seemed determined to keep her away from the press and the Walker administration initially kept her under wraps. Walker never made a campaign commercial with Kleefisch. But she seems to be proving more capa- ble and determined than her detractors had figured.

Growing into the role Despite not having specified constitu- tional duties, Kleefisch has managed to carve out a role for herself in the Walker administration as “the marketing guy.” PHOTO: Facebook Duck Dynasty’s Phil Robertson, his wife Kay Robertson, Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch, her husband state Rep. Joel Kleefisch, Tonette That’s how she described herself to Walker and Gov. Scott Walker at an Oct. 3 fundraiser for “Teen Challenge Wisconsin,” a Milwaukee faith-based addiction recovery the Wisconsin State Journal in a recent program. interview. She’s lived up to the title, reach- ing out to recruit businesses from other states, attending new business openings throughout the state and even participat- Huebsch told the Wisconsin State Jour- Kleefisch are going to be surprised as they be on reducing government regulations, ing in an important trade mission to China. nal that he’s seen Kleefisch go from sit- become more familiar with her in coming privatization of government functions and Today, Kleefisch seems to fit smoothly in ting quietly at meetings to asking ques- months. There’s more to her than has met selling off the state’s natural resources. Walker’s groove. She’s not basking in the tions to participating in policy discussions their eyes so far, he says. But she’s not the punch line that pro- spotlight, but she’s clearly in the loop and about transportation, Medicaid and taxes. Even Guarasci concedes: “I would not be gressives think she is. She’s proven to be acting as an effective surrogate for Walker Her former political rival Brett Davis also surprised if I’ve underestimated her.” tenacious, committed and a fast learner. at local events as he ramps up his White praised her, telling WSJ that she’s “really Ultimately, Kleefisch’s positions are as Liberals dismiss her at their own peril. House run. grown into the role.” out-of-synch with the progressive agenda Demonstrating how much her status Kleefisch has begun to stake out opin- as Walker’s. She’s a religious conservative Cover photo illustration by Maureen M. Kane Using photo by AP. within the Walker administration has ions of her own. In a March radio interview who still believes that tax breaks for the advanced, Kleefisch toured the state with Sykes, she acknowledged that states rich will create jobs. Her focus would likely last fall with Secretary of the Wisconsin developing clean, renewable energy sourc- Department of Revenue Rick Chandler to es have a “competitive advantage” over host listening sessions on tax reform in states like Wisconsin that don’t. advance of the 2015–17 biennial budget. “When I’m talking to my colleagues in “That was something that some of us the National Lieutenant Governors Asso- looked at and thought, ‘This is kind of an ciation and they have already gotten online attempt to give her a kind of a role,’” said to different (carbon emissions) standards Colin Roth, editor of Right Wisconsin, Char- than what is traditional in our state, all of lie Syke’s daily e-newsletter. “I thought a sudden they have a competitive advan- that was something (that positioned her) tage,” Kleefisch said. more in a substantive policy realm.” The Walker administration seems to Even Democrats were impressed with have done everything in its power to dis- her appearance in January at a ground- courage if not outright halt wind and solar breaking event for a Walnut Way Con- projects in the state. Critics charge that servation Corp. project in Milwaukee. She his anti-renewable position is a way of demonstrated far more polished retail supporting Koch Industries and other fos- political skills than she possessed in 2010, sil fuel businesses that have contributed generating some positive buzz. heavily to his campaigns. “I’ve been very impressed with how far Whether Kleefisch’s statement on clean she’s come in the past few years,” Roth energy was a faux pas or an indication said. “I think she’s proven herself capable of forward thinking on her part remains and up to the task. If you look around, she to be seen. But it’s clear she’s used her makes some of these short lists of rising three campaigns and four years in office to stars. I very much think she is a frontrun- develop a knowledge base of the issues as ner — if not the frontrunner — in 2018.” well as communication skills. Walker administration Secretary Mike Roth said people who have tuned out 12 WISCONSINGAZETTE.COM | May 7, 2015 Cats speak with meows, blinks, tails and whiskers The Associated Press equates to a human handshake, he said. When it comes to cats, those meows A cat perks up that appendage as it mean … well, a lot of things. approaches to show it’s happy to see you. With each purr, yowl or even blink, Susan McMinn, 55, of Tryon, North Car- felines are saying, “Hello,” “Let’s snuggle” olina, was eager to try the slow-blinking or “Beat it, Dad.” exercise with her Siamese cat, Jade, after For the increasing number of pet owners reading the book. who want to connect with their often-aloof “I sat and blinked slowly at my cat and fur babies, experts say there’s something she blinked right back. I know she loves to gain from those attempts at communi- me, of course, but now I feel I understand cation. her communication even more,” McMinn Cats are independent, and so they said. are easily misunderstood, said Dr. Gary McMinn has owned Jade for 10 years Weitzman, president and CEO of the San and has had six cats over her lifetime, Diego Humane Society and SPCA and but she says it’s clear she still has a lot to author of the new National Geographic learn. book How to Speak Cat. “And I thought I was an expert!” she He aims to unravel the mystery by help- said. ing people discern what cats are trying to Even ear and whisker movements signify convey. something worth listening to. If a cat’s ears Crafty kitties can make 16 meow sounds are flat, don’t get close because it’s scared and usually only unleash them when peo- or facing a fight, Weitzman said. ple are around, he said. A kitty is happy, calm or friendly when Meows can be their way of saying feed its whiskers are naturally out to the side. me, pet me or let me out, and hardly ever Twice as thick as a human hair and rooted get exchanged between cats. three times as deep, the whiskers guide That’s because cats learn they can get them, help them with prey and show how something desirable from people if they they are feeling. meow, said Dr. Bonnie Beaver, executive Learning to communicate with cats director of the American College of Veteri- becomes even important for those who nary Behaviorists and a professor at Texas adopt a pet based only on the color or A&M University’s College of Veterinary breed they want versus a connection with Medicine. She wrote the 2003 textbook the animal. Feline Behavior. At Happy Cats Sanctuary in Medford, The meaning of a scratch or a hiss is New York, a potential owner might ask for pretty clear, but cats can talk in more a “white cat with fluffy fur,” said Melis- subtle ways — with their eyes and tails. sa Cox, director of communications and A slow blink from a feline, for example, development. is like a wink between friends, Weitzman She tells them not to go by looks alone said. because the true indicator of compatibility “Blinking is like a kitty kiss,” he said. is spending time with a cat and getting to And extending their tails straight up know it. CATS next page WISCONSINGAZETTE.COM | May 7, 2015 13

CATS from prior page For McMinn, she says she isn’t done with the book and plans to use some of its PHOTO: AP/Lenny Ignelzi training tips. Dr. Gary Weitzman, president and CEO of the San Diego Humane But now she knows “what to look for in Society and SPCA and author of the new National Geographic book her (cat’s) tail and ear movement, whisker How to Speak Cat, has a word with Wesley. positions and in her eyes.” 14 WISCONSINGAZETTE.COM | May 7, 2015 Pocan sponsors anti-fracking bill Budget threatens AMBER alerts By Lisa Neff said fracking has wrought widespread Staff writer environmental damage, polluting water- and emergency warnings Fracking generates enough dirty ways, increasing air pollution and dis- By Jay Rath ture costs. (ECB) also delivers emergency wastewater a year to flood Washington, rupting wildlife. The process generates Contributing writer alerts, National Weather Service program- D.C., turning the U.S. capital into a toxic millions of gallons of toxic wastewater In cutting state support for public broad- ming, AMBER alerts — those sorts of lagoon 22 feet deep. laced with benzene, caustic salts and casting in his proposed biennial budget, things,” for all state broadcast media to On Earth Day in the capital, Demo- radioactive material. Gov. Scott Walker threatens transmission relay. cratic U.S. Reps. Mark Pocan of Madison In early April, after years of skepti- of severe weather warnings and AMBER While the budget contains language and Jan Schakowsky of Chicago marked cism, authorities confirmed that fracking child abduction alerts on state radio and intending to preserve emergency broad- the holiday with the introduction of the can also be linked to seismic activity in television outlets, both public and com- casts, “There’s no difference between Protect Our Public Lands Act, a measure Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, mercial. the system that interconnects us to the intended to bar the oil and gas industry New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma and Texas. The proposed cuts also will strongly AMBER alerts and the interconnects that from fracking on federal land. The Protect our Public Lands Act, H.R. impact educational media provided to kin- we use to deliver WPT and WPR,” says “Our national parks, forests and public 1902, would prohibit fracking, the use dergarten through 12th grade classrooms Purcell. In other words, the cuts to public lands are some of our most treasured of fracking fluid and acidization for the in Wisconsin. radio and television will inherently hurt the places and need to be protected for extraction of oil and gas on public lands In total, public broadcasting in Wiscon- infrastructure that makes emergency alert future generations,” said Pocan. for any lease issued, renewed or read- sin faces an estimated loss of $3 million a systems possible. About 90 percent of federally man- justed. year each of the next two years. “It’s a fiber-based/microwave-type sys- aged lands are available for oil and The Food and Water Watch, the “I think $3 million is probably on the tem,” he says. “It doesn’t make any sense gas leasing, while only 10 percent are American Sustainable Business Coun- conservative side,” says Gene Purcell, to have two of them. AMBER and Emergen- reserved for conservation, recreation, cil, Environment America, Friends of the executive director of the Educational cy Alert Systems, National Weather Ser- wildlife and cultural heritage, according Earth, Center for Biological Diversity Communications Board, a state agency. vice — they don’t take up a lot of capacity, to Pocan’s office. and Progressive Democrats of America An exact number is difficult to calculate, so it just rides on the back of that network. Oil and gas companies already pos- endorsed the bill. owing to the complex funding structure of If you damage part of that infrastructure, sess leases for fracking operations on “Our public lands are a shared nation- public broadcasting in Wisconsin. you damage it all.” 36 million acres of public lands and have al heritage and shouldn’t be polluted, Along with viewers and listeners, the ECB also receives around $1.8 million expressed interest in fracking 12 million destroyed and fracked to enrich the oil University of Wisconsin Extension funds in federal funds from the Corporation for more acres of public parks and forests. and gas industry,” said Wenonah Hauter programming for the statewide networks Public Broadcasting, which proportionally Reports have shown that fracking of Food and Water Watch. “Congress of Wisconsin Public Television and Wis- matches state funding. Essentially, by cut- wells on those public lands aren’t being must follow Congressman Pocan and consin Public Radio (WPT and WPR, ting state aid, Wisconsin will be sacrificing adequately inspected, creating greater Congresswoman Schakowsky’s bold respectively). The UW system is facing federal aid. potential for disaster. leadership and ban fracking on these its own cut of $300 million over the next Purcell says the best way to fix the Rachel Richardson, director of Environ- lands, so that future generations can two years. problem is for concerned citizens to con- ment America’s Stop Drilling Program, enjoy these special places.” The governor also proposes cutting sup- tact legislators, especially if they are one port to the Madison-based ECB by about of the 16 members of the state’s Joint 35 percent. Its Wisconsin Media Lab pro- Committee on Finance, including co-chairs vides educational programming direct to Sen. Alberta Darling, R–River Hills, and classrooms. Rural and poorer school dis- Rep. John Nygren, R–Marinette. “It sounds tricts in particular rely on it. ECB also pro- corny, it sounds idealistic, but making your vides about $200,000 to Milwaukee pub- voice heard can still make a difference,” lic television. While ECB does not program says Purcell. WPT or WPR, it does provide the means of “Now is the time to do it,” he says. “They delivering that programming. hope to have their work completed by the “I certainly understand the sensitivity Memorial Day holiday.” that some legislators have in terms of, ‘We On the Web … don’t want the government to pay for radio A list of Joint Committee on Finance or television programming,’” says Purcell. members can be found at legis.wisconsin. “Well, it doesn’t. It pays for infrastruc- gov/lfb/jfc.

535 Southing Grange Cottage Grove WI 53527 (608) 839–5327 deergrovevet.com • • • • WISCONSINGAZETTE.COM | May 7, 2015 15 16 WISCONSINGAZETTE.COM | May 7, 2015 ARCW donates its archives to UWM Libraries By Louis Weisberg faced by people living with AIDS in obtain- tion, (but) in Wisconsin we were blessed, Staff writer ing physical, mental and dental care, as (because) AIDS became an opportunity In the early 1980s, as a deadly new dis- well as food and case management ser- for building bridges. ease began devastating gay communities vices. “This is a community response to a in New York and California, the Midwest The libraries’ archives will maintain disease that really formed one of the first braced for what Mike Gifford calls “a tsu- the collection for students, researchers, ever community responses to a disease,” nami headed here from both coasts.” documentarians and everyone else who Giffords continues, pointing toward a table Amid panic and ignorance — and with- is interested in the history of Milwaukee’s displaying everything from official-looking out the benefit of medical knowledge or unique and ongoing response to the pan- annual reports to glossy fundraising bro- an organized health-care response plan demic, says Michael Doylen, who’s head of chures to baseball-style trading cards that — activists in the heartland began prepar- archives at UWM Libraries. were passed out in gay bars as part of a ing as best they could for the onslaught of “I was inspired to reach out to ARCW safer sex campaign. “If you think back to what became known as AIDS, says Gifford, because of recent history projects and the 1970s, there weren’t breast cancer the CEO and president of AIDS Resource great documentary projects (about walks or walks for Alzheimer’s or other Center of Wisconsin. AIDS),” Doylen says. “Filmmakers can’t kinds of health care advocacy. It was the Those grim, early days of the HIV/AIDS tell those stories unless they have the raw gay community that led the advocacy … epidemic in Milwaukee were documented materials and that’s what archives do.” because we were fighting for the lives of in meeting minutes from incipient organiz- “The story of how (AIDS) unfolded in people we cared so much about. It set ing efforts as well as informational bro- the Midwest is really different from the the template for how advocacy can work chures and booklets, posters promoting coasts,” he adds. “This tells our unique effectively when it comes to health-care safer sex, photographs and videos — all story.” issues.” preserved by ARCW. The organization also Going through ARCW’s collection is not That advocacy crossed party lines. kept the materials of its precursors, includ- only an experience of reliving the misery of Today ARCW is the only AIDS service ing BESTD and Milwaukee AIDS Project. the past but also of witnessing the uplift- organization in the country designated Now, in an unusual and generous ges- ing way that Wisconsin created new insti- by the federal government as a “medi- ture, ARCW recently donated 20 boxes of tutions and networks of support. cal home” for people with HIV/AIDS, due the historical treasures — its entire collec- “This really is a story about how a com- to the comprehensive support it offers tion — to the UWM Libraries. munity came together among the serious patients in every facet of life. When he The historical materials demonstrate challenges of death, discrimination, igno- served as Milwaukee County executive, many of the challenges that ARCW and rance and poverty to overcome the great- Gov. Scott Walker was instrumental in its predecessors faced in their advocacy, est public health crisis of our time,” Gifford helping ARCW obtain the designation, including initial opposition to needle- says. “In so many communities around the which brought with it new Medicaid dol- exchange programs and the obstacles country, AIDS became an issue of conten- ARCW next page WISCONSINGAZETTE.COM | May 7, 2015 17

ARCW from prior page lars into the state. Gifford says Walker’s support typifies Wiscon- sin’s AIDS history, which has united people across partisan, geographic, bureaucratic and other lines. ARCW’s collection, in addition to being avail- able in the library’s physi- cal archives, will also be accesible online for perusal and study, Doylen says. “I would hope the aver- age person leaves more informed about the history and the continuing history of AIDS in Wisconsin and the significant progress that ARCW has made over the years,” Doylen says. “I work largely with On the calendar an undergraduate student population … and they A benefit to be held in con- don’t remember that time when we didn’t know junction with UWM Librar- what caused AIDs. We didn’t always have the ies’ acquisition of ARCW’s concept of safer-sex practices. When I talk to archives is 5:30–7:30 p.m. on young people, I use this material to historicize May 19 at the UWM Librar- HIV/AIDS, so they understand that we had to ies Conference Center. The organize and struggle to get to where we are event includes an opening today. This is a testament to all that’s come reception for the exhibit before. It shows a tremendous amount of courage “ARCW at 30,” which runs and vision and resilience.” through June 30. Doug Nel- photos: couresty arcw ARCW’s online archives will be presented in son, ARCW president and From left, a picture from an ACT UP demonstration in downtown Milwaukee and flyers a way that puts the story of AIDS in Wisconsin CEO from 1988 to 2012, is from the 1990s promoting two fundraising events. in its historical context. The holdings will be the featured speaker. RSVP displayed chronologically for the exhibit “ARCW by phoning Amber Cmelak at at 30,” which opens with a May 19 fundraisers at 414-225-1543 or emailing her the UWM Libraries Conference Center (see On at [email protected]. the Calendar, this page) and continues through To make a contribution, con- June 20. tact Susan Modder of UWM Gifford says that in addition to enlightening a Libraries at semodder@uwm. new generation about the history of HIV/AIDS edu or Dan Mueller of ARCW in the state, ARCW’s archives could be a vital at [email protected]. resource for people in the future. “Maybe this can be a roadmap for how people will face the next challenges,” he says. 18 WISCONSINGAZETTE.COM | May 7, 2015 Editorial Please recirculate & recycle this publication. Thank the GOP for resisting Walker’s budget We often use this space to criticize the Republican Party support it. The poll found 78 percent oppose Walker’s plan of Wisconsin for putting the interests of its wealthy sup- to reduce funding for K-12 schools by another $127 million. porters above those of voters. So it’s with pleasure that Sixty percent of those polled oppose Walker’s plan to make P r o g r e s s i v e . A l t e r n a t i v e . we acknowledge the integrity a number of GOP lawmakers the Department of Natural Resources an advisory board have shown in standing up to Gov. Scott Walker’s wrecking- — a plan that Republicans in the Legislature have already The Wisconsin Gazette is published every other ball of a budget. stripped from the budget. week and distributed throughout the Milwaukee To clarify, WiG does not support the budget in its current And 54 percent of voters oppose Walker’s plan eliminat- area, Madison, Racine, Kenosha, and 40 other ing enrollment limits in the private school voucher pro- cities statewide. To have WiG delivered to your state, and no one knows exactly what the final budget will gram, another item that GOP lawmakers have already said address, contact [email protected] or look like when it comes to a vote in early June. Between call 414-961-3240, ext. 101. now and then, there will be a lot of horse-trading on bud- will not be adopted as proposed. getary items. To their credit and the state’s benefit, GOP legislative WiG Publishing, LLC. © 2015 But we applaud the wrangling. In 2011, Walker presented leaders have indicated that none of these proposals will 3956 N. Murray Ave. Shorewood, WI 53211 a drastic budget that his Republican majority rubber- be enacted as proposed. And they will succeed: Walker is stamped without debate or analysis. The results were eager to move forward with his presidential campaign and CEO/Principal disastrous. he’s not likely to risk a protracted, high-profile battle over Leonard Sobczak This year, confronted with a budget that’s even more positions that appeal only to fringe-right Republican Iowa [email protected] destructive, GOP leaders have balked. They’ve listened to caucus voters. publisher/Editor in Chief thousands of Wisconsinites who’ve turned out for public In an aside, GOP legislators also appear poised to pre- Louis Weisberg hearings and listening sessions on the budget and they’ve vent a repeal of the state’s “prevailing wage” law. Enacted [email protected] concluded that some of its key proposals would cause great in 1931, the law ensures that government contractors must harm to the state without providing in return a sustainable pay standard wages to workers, which prevents underbid- Senior Editor ding on projects by businesses that don’t pay for skilled Lisa Neff, [email protected] solution for resolving Walker’s self-created budget crisis. GOP lawmakers have learned a lot by listening: that labor. The result is shoddy public works, fewer consumer ARTS EDITOR Wisconsinites value education over tax rebates for already dollars circulating in the economy and downward pressure Matthew Reddin profitable corporations; that citizens treasure our natural on the pay scale for everyone. [email protected] resources and want them maintained for future gen- For the first time since Walker took office, we see mean- Business development erations; that people across the political spectrum are ingful bipartisan dialogue occurring in Madison. It appears Manager outraged over Walker’s proposal to eliminate popular that Republican lawmakers are seriously considering input Mark Richards grassroots programs enabling the elderly and disabled to from the other of the aisle. [email protected] remain in their homes. (That last proposal will not save the To be sure, the state has far to go in bridging the political divide created by Walker’s self-professed “divide-and-con- Business manager/ state a dollar and has already cost Wisconsin 700 jobs, Production coordinator but it frees up millions for Walker to award to his for-profit quer” strategy. Gerrymandering has given the Republicans Kaity Weisensel insurance industry cronies.) an ironclad majority, an unhealthy political situation that [email protected] Polling has confirmed voter resistance to key budget enables autocratic rule. proposals. A Marquette University Law School poll found But just as we’re experiencing the first mild breezes of Graphic Designers 70 percent oppose Walker’s plan to cut University of spring, we can sense something of a thaw in Madison that Eric Van Egeren, Maureen M. Kane Wisconsin funding by $300 million, while only 26 percent gives us hope. COPY EDITOR Stephen DeLeers SALES information [email protected] or call 414.961.3240 Account executives Kim Jackson, [email protected] WiG’s WEB PICKS Jeff Kerr, [email protected] Logan McDermott, Some of our favorite recent [email protected] pictorials from cyberspace Laurie Verrier, [email protected] Larry Zamba, [email protected] Circulation MANAGER Jake Case, [email protected] Distribution Andy Augustyn, Shaunna Boswell, Shawanda Collins, Thomas Now, Robert Wright CONTRIBUTORS Maddy Hughes, Jamakaya, Bill Lamb, Mike Muckian, Kat Murrell, Jay Rath, Kirstin Roble, Anne Siegel, Gregg Shapiro, Julie Steinbach WISCONSINGAZETTE.COM | May 7, 2015 19 ON THE RECORD The fruits of ‘divide-and-conquer’ politics “Something came over me much time in the com- Scorn is aimed at fast consin’s “prevailing wage” emotionally, and I said ‘Well, I ment sections of Wiscon- food workers organizing to law, which sets wages for owe you an apology.’ I’ve never Opinion sin newspapers. Many par- raise their minimum wage workers on public works in a million years apologized for tisans gather there, armed to $15. How anyone can pos- projects. Meanwhile, some anything I’ve said. F**k anyone JAMAKAYA with their keyboards, some- sibly survive on wages of members of Congress are else who is offended. I don’t give a shit.” times arguing reasonably, $7.25, $8 — or even $10 an talking about repealing the — LOUIS C.K. telling Howard Stern that he Conservatives have more often descending into hour — is beyond me. It’s federal minimum wage law apologized to Sarah Palin at February’s Saturday turned middle and lower slurs like “idiot,” “wingnut” impossible to raise children entirely. Night Live 40th Anniversary Special for his nasty classes against themselves. and “libtard.” on that pittance. This wage-cutting, anti- tweets about her. The right wing is on a Within this hateful stew, Fast-food employment is worker, divide-and-conquer roll in this country and most what stands out for me is no longer just an entry-lev- strategy is bad for all Wis- “To transport picture-goers to a unique place certainly in Wisconsin, the persistent criticism by el field. Given the collapse consinites and our state’s in the glare of the earth, in the darkness of the where divide-and-conquer many conservatives toward of our manufacturing sec- economy. People with low heart — this, you realize with a gasp of joy, is what tactics are working effec- working people — seeming- tor, outsourcing of jobs and incomes cannot afford to movies can do.” tively to alienate citizens ly any working people who crooked trade deals, they buy goods. Merchants and — Famous words by RICHARD CORLISS, who from each other. are not them. are the only jobs available manufacturers who cannot was Time magazine’s film critic for 35 years. Tyrants have promoted We’ve seen the near for many Americans. Why sell goods go broke. Poor When Corliss died April 24 at age 71, these words resentment and turned peo- destruction of public sector begrudge our fellow citizens people need public assis- were tweeted by fans all over the world in remem- ple against each other from unions through Gov. Scott a chance to have a better tance, which requires more brance. ancient times through mod- Walker’s Act 10, which con- wage to support themselves taxes. ern capitalism and fascism. servatives actively promot- and their families? This is not a growth strat- “I’ve spent the past 24 hours reviewing videos Divide-and-conquer tactics ed and celebrated. Teachers Besides, studies show that egy. In 1914, Henry Ford paid of (Sen. Ted) Cruz’ statements on gay marriage deflect criticism away from in particular were spoken people earning minimum his workers an unheard-of and I am shocked and angry. I sincerely apologize those in power and distract of with contempt, their and near to minimum wages $5 a day. It reduced turn- for hurting the gay community and so many of our people from the real sourc- employment rights stripped at places like McDonald’s over and enabled workers friends, family, allies, customers and employees. es of their problems. away. That same derision and Walmart have to obtain to purchase their own autos, I will try my best to make up for my poor judg- When people are busy is evident in the way those food stamps and other gov- boosting the auto industry. ment.” sniping at each other and on the right are anxious, ernment support to sustain People who engage in — IAN REISNER, a gay businessman, apologiz- fighting among themselves, even gleeful, about seeing themselves and their fami- horizontal hostility, who ing for hosting an event for presidential hopeful they are less likely to ques- thousands of professors lies. Where’s the outrage revel in attacks on their fel- Sen. Ted Cruz. Resiner and his longtime gay busi- tion authority or work and researchers throughout against Walmart, whose low citizens, are forgetting ness partner Mati Weiderpass own 80 percent of together to bring about our University of Wisconsin Scrooge-like ways require an important lesson of his- the commercial property on Fire Island. Gay activ- change for the common system forcibly retired or taxpayers to provide $6.2 tory. ists called for a boycott of their properties after good. They can be con- laid off, despite the fact that billion in public assistance When your own liveli- photos of Cruz at Weiderpass’ South Central Park trolled and dominated. those positions represent for its employees annually? hood or rights are threat- penthouse appeared on Facebook. I got to obsessing about solid, family-supporting, The newest attack by ened someday, who will be this after spending too middle-class jobs. conservatives is on Wis- there to stand up for you? “What the court rightly finds untenable in the judicial context — responsiveness to campaign donors — it would tolerate for legislative and executive candidates.” — THE CAMPAIGN LEGAL CENTER in a state- Rubio’s race to embrace inequality ment both praising the U.S. Supreme Court’s defense, Rubio writes. He all the same-sex families expanded marriage to more decision upholding limits on donations to judi- tells readers, “I continue in Florida and in Washing- families, same-sex mar- cial campaigns and lamenting the court’s 2010 Opinion to believe marriage should ton D.C., why doesn’t Rubio riage and straight marriage Citizens United decision freeing corporations from be defined as one man and talk to some about child are now just marriage. limits on political campaign spending. Jim Patterson one woman.” He says a rearing and conveying val- Traditional has nothing to child needs a mother and ues? Maybe some same- do with marriage, as it as an U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio is “There is a liberal fascism that is dedicated to a father as his reasoning sex families should visit his institution has been chang- officially in the 2016 race going after believing Christians.” for supporting marriage Washington office. He’s in ing for decades due to laws for the GOP presidential — U.S. Sen. TED CRUZ campaigning in Iowa. inequality and writes that Russell 284. regarding divorce, non- nomination. The inevitable marriage between a man While Rubio doesn’t married couples, domestic campaign book has also hit “I’ve twice run against women opponents, and and a woman “should hold a support marriage equal- partners, etc. Has, Rubio, a the market. it’s a very different kind of approach. For those of special status in our laws.” ity, he claims he does not Catholic, been conditioned My copy of Rubio’s us who have some chivalry left, there’s a level of Why? He says, “At a time support discrimination. “I to condemn these relation- American Dreams: Restor- respect. … You treat some things as a special trea- when the American fam- also oppose discrimination, ships as well as same-sex ing Economic Opportunity sure; you treat other things as common.” ily is threatened as never harassment, and violence relationships? for Everyone arrived a few — MIKE HUCKABEE, former Arkansas gover- before, redefining it away against anyone because In recent days, Rubio weeks ago. Rubio, in his nor, sharing with reporters his interesting take on from the union of one man of his or her sexual iden- reportedly told supporters, first term in the U.S. Sen- gender.. and one woman only prom- tity.” That ought to make “The Republican party, for ate, is also author of The ises to weaken it as a child- same-sex couples wanting the first time in a long time, New York Times bestseller “There is no federal constitutional right to same rearing, values-conveying to marry happy. has a chance in this elec- An American Son. sex-marriage. There isn’t such a right. You would institution.” Who or what “The trend that I will not tion to be the party of the As far as campaign books have to really have a ridiculous and absurd read- threatens the family, Rubio accept … is the growing future.” But not the political go, Rubio’s American Dreams ing of the U.S. Constitution to reach the conclu- does not say. attitude that belief in tradi- party with an LGBTQ future is slim in several ways. It is sion that people have a right to marry someone of In other words, Rubio tional marriage equates to unless Rubio evolves on our a scant seven chapters on the same sex.” believes same-sex fami- bigotry and hatred,” Rubio issues quickly. such safe subjects as the — U.S. SEN. MARCO RUBIO, lies cannot “properly” rear writes. He suggests Califor- Jim Patterson is a writer, American Dream of oppor- R-Florida, speaking on the Christian children and cannot effec- nia does this while Florida speaker and human rights tunity, work dignity, a good Broadcasting Network’s The Brody tively convey values to their will not. Has he been to Cal- advocate. Learn more at education, retirement secu- File. children. This raises an ifornia lately? He needs to www.HumanRightsIssues. rity and family values. important question: With see that since Californians com. Marriage is in need of 20 WISCONSINGAZETTE.COM | May 7, 2015

NATIONAL Briefs

Number of married girls at heavily white schools. At mostly same-sex couples triples minority schools, girls have only 67 per- The number of legally married same-sex cent of the opportunities to play sports couples in the United States tripled during that boys have. the past year, according to a recent Gallop Poll. In other national news … The survey estimates that 390,000 out • DIVESTMENT DEMO: A group of Tufts of nearly 1 million same-sex couples in University students occupied the school the United States are married. By com- president’s office for 55 hours in April. parison, estimates from the 2013 National The 33 students protested Tufts’ invest- Health Interview Survey had the number ments in fossil fuel companies and may at 130,000. face disciplinary action. Similar protests The poll found that 60,000 married have been held at other universities. same-sex couples live in the 13 states that do not allow same-sex couples to marry. • DON’T MESS WITH TEXAS: Texas Gov. The Gallup Poll was co-authored by Greg Abbott asked the State Guard to Gary J. Gates, Blachford-Cooper research monitor a U.S. military training exercise director at the Williams Institute at UCLA in his state dubbed “Jade Helm 15” amid School of Law and Frank Newport, editor in Internet-fueled conspiracy theories that chief of Gallup. the war simulation is really part of an “As the Supreme Court considers … if effort by President Barack Obama to take same-sex couples have a constitutional over the state and force people to give up right to marry, these data demonstrate their guns. that marriage is already widespread • GRAND CANYON COMMERCE: The U.S. among same-sex couples,” Gates said. Forest Service is clearing the way for a sprawling urban development near the Study: Fewer athletic southern edge of the Grand Canyon. The opportunities for girls development involves more than 2,100 of color housing units, 3 million square feet of Girls of color are finishing last when it retail space plus hotels, a spa and confer- comes to the opportunity to play sports in ence center. The superintendent of Grand high school, according to a recent report Canyon National Park has said the project from the National Women’s Law Center is one of the greatest threats in the park’s and the Poverty and Race Research Action 96-year history. Council. Finishing Last: Girls of Color and School • SERIES TO FOCUS ON JENNER: The E! Sports Opportunities shows that heavily Entertainment network announced that minority schools typically provide fewer Bruce Jenner would be part of a docu- team sports opportunities compared to mentary series about transitioning from heavily white schools. male to female. The series begins on July And schools with large student bodies 26. Jenner came out in a two-hour ABC of color allocate team positions to boys interview with Diane Sawyer, saying “for more frequently than girls, leaving girls of all intents and purposes, I am a woman.” color especially shortchanged. The report reveals that girls at minority- dominated high schools have 39 percent — from WiG reports fewer opportunities to play sports than

Photo: Courtesy Justice Department OVERDUE CONFIRMATION: The U.S. Senate on April 23 confirmed Loretta Lynch as U.S. attorney general. She becomes the first African-American woman to hold the post. U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Milwaukee, said, “Today’s long overdue confirmation of Loret- ta Lynch is a victory for our country, the civil rights movement and our system of law.” WISCONSINGAZETTE.COM | May 7, 2015 21 REGIONAL Briefs

Study: Wisconsin roads • MAJORITY FOR MORATORIUM: Baldwin unfairly faulted her for mishan- true profit creators for our economy but are nation’s 3rd worst Attendees at the annual statewide Con- dling reports of problems at a Depart- barely make enough to make ends meet,” Wisconsin’s roads are the third-worst servation Congress on April 13 expressed ment of Veterans Affairs medical center. said Sargent in a news release. in the nation and the potholes and other significant support for mining safeguards • POWERING UP: Madison-based Alliant • RETURN ON INVESTMENT? After out- problems that plague them cost drivers and an environmental review of proposed Energy Corp. wants to build a $750 mil- sourcing 163 Wisconsin jobs to Mexico in in some cities almost twice the national tar sands pipelines. The Sierra Club-John lion gas-fired plant near Beloit. The utility 2013, The Eaton Corporation in Pewaukee average in repairs and associated costs, Muir Chapter reported overwhelming company filed an application with the received $370,000 in taxpayer subsidies according to a new study of the highway support for resolutions to repeal the law state Public Service Commission to build from the Wisconsin Economic Develop- system. written by Gogebic Taconite for its now- a plant it says will provide cleaner power ment Corporation, chaired by Gov. Scott The numbers reflect massive state bud- abandoned iron mine proposal; enact a than the coal plants it’s shutting down. Walker. New reports reveal that the get cuts for efforts to repair state highways statewide moratorium on new frac sand Alliant also wants to build a solar-gener- company now plans to cut 93 more posi- and local roads. As recently as 11 years mining permits until the state acts to ating facility next to the gas-fueled plant. tions in the state and outsource them to ago, Wisconsin’s roads ranked No. 22 in strengthen state laws; require an envi- Tijuana. the nation and their deterioration affects ronmental impact review of Enbridge’s • NO WAY TO CELEBRATE: On April 22, almost every industry and motorist in the proposed tar sand pipelines; and support Earth Day, 57 workers with the Wiscon- • DAHMER’S KILLER SPEAKS: A for- state, according to the study commis- the Mining Moratorium Law in effect for sin Department of Natural Resources, mer prison warden says the Wisconsin sioned by the Local Government of Wis- metallic mining. including many scientists, were notified Department of Corrections should look they might lose their jobs under cuts anew into the beating death of serial consin Institute. IDENTIFYING ISSUES: • Opponents of proposed by Gov. Scott Walker. The Earth killer Jeffrey Dahmer following allega- Wisconsin’s voter identification law want Day holiday, begun by former Wisconsin tions made by his confessed killer. The a federal court to expand the number of Gov. Gaylord Nelson, was not noted on New York Post IDs that voters can show at the polls. The Walker’s official or presidential campaign reported that legal fight comes in the wake of the U.S. websites or social media. Walker’s two- Christopher Supreme Court in March rejecting a chal- year spending plan would cut 66 posi- Scarver, the lenge to the law’s constitutionality. tions across the DNR. convicted murderer who • DRUNK DRIVING: A Wisconsin lawmak- bludgeoned to Fishing season opens with er is trying again to increase penalties for death Dahmer mercury warnings drunken driving in the nation’s only state and another Anglers across Wisconsin embarked on where first-time offenders face tickets, inmate, said a decades-old environmental tradition on not jail time. Rep. Jim Ott, R-Mequon, he was set May 2, when the state’s annual fishing sea- said he plans to introduce seven bills that up by prison son began. As Wisconsin’s anglers headed would increase punishments for drunken guards to out to cast their lines, Clean Wisconsin driving offenses, including a measure carry out the raised concerns about the risk of mercury that would require first-time offenders to killing. Normally Dahmer was protected pollution in the water and the fish. appear in court. Right now, every inland body of water by guards when he mingled with the has been placed by the Wisconsin Depart- • FIGHT for $15: prison population, but on the day of his ment of Natural Resources under fish con- Wisconsin state death in November 1994, the two guards sumption advisories due to high levels Rep. Melissa assigned to Dahmer left him alone with of mercury contamination. Mercury is a Sargent, D-Mad- Scarver and another prisoner in the gym- chemical toxic to humans, causing brain, ison, on April nasium of the Columbia Correction Insti- kidney and liver issues. Young children and • PETS WELCOME: Amtrak says it has not 28 introduced a tution in Portage. An earlier investigation developing fetuses exposed to mercury are had a single complaint or problem with a measure to raise found the guards innocent. especially in danger of cognitive disabili- pilot project in Illinois allowing customers the minimum ties, including lower IQs, reduced memory to travel with small pets. So, it’s making wage to $15 an and reduced language skills. the program permanent around the state. hour. “Wisconsin —from WIG and AP reports Coal-fired power plants are a significant About 200 animals have accompanied workers are the source of mercury pollution. Last year, the passengers since the pilot project began EPA issued the Clean Power Plan, a new a year ago. Illinois is the first state to set of rules limiting emission levels from work with Amtrak to offer the service. coal-fired power plants. If implemented • RECREATIONAL REDUCTIONS: Cuts as proposed in Wisconsin, the plan could are being made at some recreation areas reduce mercury emissions from large coal in the 1.5 million-acre Chequamegon- plants by 22 percent. Nicolet National Forest in northern and northwest Wisconsin. WLUK-TV recently reported reductions in services to 11 per- In other regional news … cent of the sites in the forest. Some sites • COMMUNITY will see reduced services, while others EDUCATION: will have their gates shuttered. State Rep. Man- • COURT CHALLENGE: State attorneys are dela Barnes asking a judge to toss out a lawsuit chal- and state Sen. lenging Wisconsin’s right-to-work law. Chris Larson Labor organizations filed a suit in May in introduced the Dane County Circuit Court alleging that Sustainable Com- the law amounts to an unconstitutional munity School seizure of union property since unions Act to establish now must extend benefits to workers community who don’t pay dues. schools in rural and high-poverty • ETHICS COMPLAINT: A former deputy school districts. The announcement was state director for U.S. Sen. Tammy Bald- made on April 24 in Milwaukee. win has filed an ethics complaint against the Wisconsin Democrat, alleging that 22 WISCONSINGAZETTE.COM | May 7, 2015 Walker Watch COMMUNITY Bulletins

Photo: Pixabay.com PHOTO: AP/Nati Harnik BLITZ BEGINS: Hundreds of volunteers enlisted in the effort to green Milwaukee with Gov. Scott Walker speaks at the Iowa Faith & Freedom 15th Annual Spring Kick Off, in the Victory Garden Initiative’s Victory Garden Blitz, which is set to begin on May 9 and Waukee, Iowa, on April 25. continue through May 23. Volunteers will build 500 raised beds, fill them with organic Security costs HAVE followed by Marco Rubio with 13 per- soil and plant gardens. The volunteers gather first at Habitat for Humanity, 3726 N. tripleD under Walker cent, Jeb Bush with 12 percent and Mike Booth St., Milwaukee, for instructions and supplies. For more information, go online to http://www.victorygardeninitiative.org/blitz. Security costs last year for Wiscon- Huckabee and Rand Paul at 10 percent. sin Republican Gov. Scott Walker and Ted Cruz, Ben Carson, Chris Christie and Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch totaled more Rick Perry are in the single digits. MANPOWER JOINS LGBT than three times what it cost to pro- Walker’s favorability is the highest in chamber AS BUSINESS Other community bulletins … tect Walker’s Democratic predecessor the GOP field at 59 percent. Huckabee is AWARDS ARE ANNOUNCED • HOUSING SUMMIT: Dane County Execu- in 2010, according to records released to in second. ManpowerGroup has joined the Wis- The Associated Press. Walker is running strong with voters tive Joe Parisi announced plans to host consin LGBT Chamber of Commerce as its the first Dane County Housing Summit at Walker provided the security detail concerned about electability in the gen- newest gold founding member. Manpow- costs in response to an open records eral election and those concerned about Alliant Energy Center on May 27. Parisi er’s global headquarters is in Milwaukee. said his goal is to “ensure all of our citizens request. They came a day after his politi- conservative credentials. “We are very appreciative to Manpow- cal committee Our American Revival said have access to all that Dane County has erGroup’s commitment to the LGBT and to offer — including affordable housing. it would pick up the tab for Walker’s In other news … allied business community in Wisconsin. security detail when it travels with him to The Dane County Housing Summit will be • WALKER URGES HOSPITALS TO Their support will be instrumental to us purely political events, such as a gather- a good step towards finding solutions to HIRE VETERANS, DISABLED: Walker as we continue to grow a pro-fairness ing of likely Republican presidential can- our current housing challenges. We must is encouraging hospitals to hire veter- business community in Wisconsin,” Jason didates in Iowa. address the housing gap.” ans as well as people with disabilities. Rae, founder and executive director of the Taxpayers will continue to pay for trips Walker made the pitch during a speech chamber, said in a statement to the press. • KICKING FOR A CAUSE: Playworks Wis- categorized as state business, such as to more than 1,000 people at the Wis- The chamber also announced the win- consin hosts its fourth annual Corporate Walker’s recent trade missions to Europe, consin Hospital Association’s Advocacy ners of its annual awards. Kickball Tournament on June 19 at Brown said Our American Revival spokeswoman Day event in Madison. Walker says as “The Wisconsin LGBT Chamber of Com- Deer Park in Milwaukee. This tournament AshLee Strong. the state’s unemployment rate drops, merce is proud to honor these businesses is the annual fundraiser for Playworks, In 2014, when Walker was traveling in it becomes harder to fill vacant posi- and individuals who have worked hard to whose mission is to improve the health Wisconsin while running for re-election, tions. He says hospitals should do the build a more diverse business commu- and well-being of children by increasing security costs for him, first lady Tonette patriotic thing and hire veterans, who nity in every part of our state,” Rae said. opportunities for physical activity and safe, Walker and Kleefisch totaled $2.3 million. he says are loyal workers, and people “These winners represent the creativity, meaningful play. For more, go online to That was up 47 percent from Walker’s with mental and physical disabilities. the determination, and the diversity of the playworks.org/wisconsin. first year in office, when costs were nearly “We can’t afford to have anybody on the Wisconsin business community and they • FOR LIBERTY: The ACLU of Wisconsin $1.6 million. sidelines,” he said. are committed to building a pro-fairness holds its Bill of Rights Celebration on May The 2011 costs were more than double business community in Wisconsin.” 11 at the Concourse Hotel in Madison. what it took to protect Walker’s pre- • WALKER BLAMES DOYLE FOR Awards — to be presented on May 19 at The League of Women Voters will receive decessor Jim Doyle in 2010, before the STATE’S LAGGING ECONOMY: Visiting the chamber awards and expo — include: a lifetime achievement award during the lieutenant governor also had protection. with Minnesota Republicans, Walker • Corporate Partner of the Year: Foley & gala. The Civil Libertarians of the Year are That year, taxpayers spent $657,000 on blamed Wisconsin’s lagging economy Lardner LLP. the eight couples that served as plaintiffs security for Doyle. on former Gov. Jim Doyle. On the other • LGBT Business of the Year: Belwah in the marriage equality case: Virginia Wolf Security costs for Walker were more hand, he credited Minnesota’s boom- Media in Beloit. and Carol Schumacher, Katy Heyning and than quadrupled since 2009. ing economy to former Republican Gov. • Allied Business of the Year: Le Dame Judi Trampf, Pam Kleiss and Salud Garcia, “He’s buying an entourage and the tax- Tim Pawlenty, who preceded Democrat Footwear in Verona. Karina Willes and Kami Young, Keith Bor- payers are paying for it,” said Democratic Mark Dayton. “You’ve had the advan- • Business Leader of the Year: Ed Sea- den and Johannes Wallman, Charvonne state Sen. Jon Erpenbach, of Middleton. tage of other than a two-year period of berg of Rockwell Automation in Milwau- Kemp and Marie Carlson, Roy and Garth Walker spokesman Cullen Werwie had having Republicans in charge of at least kee. Badger, and Bill Hurtubise and Dean Palm- no comment on the increase in costs. one part of government for some time. The recipients of this year’s awards er. Kavon Jones is the Youth Civil Libertar- Before we came into office for many were selected by a committee of cham- Walker polls 1st in Iowa years, there was a Democrat governor, ian of the Year. Volunteer attorneys of the ber members based on nominations from year are Dechert LLP lawyers Neil Steiner, A late April survey of Iowa voters from a Democrat assembly and a Democrat other members and the public. Angela Liu, Craig Falls and Diane Princ. For Public Policy Polling finds Wisconsin Gov. Senate,” Walker told reporters after the The celebration is at the InterContinen- more, go to www.aclu-wi.org. Scott Walker well ahead of the rest of the closed-door meeting. POLITIFACT Wis- tal Hotel in downtown Milwaukee. field of Republican presidential hopefuls. consin rated that statement as “false.” For more, go to www.wislgbtchamber. — from WiG reports Walker has 23 percent of the GOP vote, — from AP and WiG reports com. WISCONSINGAZETTE.COM | May 7, 2015 23 ut on the town May 7 – 21 A curated calendar of upcoming events

Photo: Robyn Von Swank ‘Extremities’ May 8 to May 23 Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally 7 and 10:30 p.m. May 8 William Mastrosimone wrote Extremities more than 30 years ago, but it doesn’t sound Sure, Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally embodied two of the most iconic, like it from the subject matter. The drama hilarious characters in TV comedy history (Ron Swanson of Parks and Recre- depicts an attempted rape, and what hap- ation; Karen Walker of Will and Grace). But the best thing about this duo is that pens after, when the would-be victim turns they’re married, and willing to turn that marriage into a tag-team comedy act the tables on her attacker. It’s a subject that unmatchable among their contemporaries. In their Summer of 69: No Apos- sounds more ripped from today’s headlines trophe tour, they’ll take it to new levels, with all the songs, banter and “light than 1982’s — perhaps making this play petting” you could hope for. At the Riverside Theater, 116 W. Wisconsin Ave., all the more vital in a society that didn’t Milwaukee. The 7 p.m. show is sold out, but tickets for the 10:30 p.m. show are listen to it the first time. At the Helfaer The- $36 and can be ordered at 414-286-3663 or pabsttheater.com. atre, Studio 013, 525 N. 13th St., Milwaukee. Tickets are $20, $17 for students/seniors, with a $3 online pre-order discount. Visit umbrellagroupmilwaukee.com to order.

Funkyard SparkFest 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 9 Madison Children’s Museum is kicking off a new summer festival series this year, with families invited to visit their upcycled outdoor exhibit the Funkyard for a vari- ety of events. At SparkFest, the emphasis is squarely on stimulating the imagination, via the recurring motif of the four clas- sical elements: fire, earth, air and water. Among the free activities scheduled are a blacksmithing demonstration, fire dance performances by Aylin Dance Troupe and music by the Forward Marching Band. At 100 N. Hamilton St. Admission is free. Visit madisonchildrensmuseum.org for more details.

Chris Hardwick 8 p.m. May 8 For a while after he hit it big, Chris Hardwick wasn’t even recognizable — unless he opened his mouth and started talking about nerd culture. As the host and producer of The Nerdist Podcast, Hardwick targeted the cross-section of nerds and comedy lovers, becom- ing one of the biggest podcasts airing today and expanding to host shows like The Walking Dead aftershow Talking Dead and late-night gameshow @Midnight. On his current Funcom- fortable tour, he’s getting back into the stand-up routine, ramping up for a Comedy Central special airing later this year. At the Pabst Theater, 144 E. Wells St., Milwaukee. Tickets are $35 and can be purchased at 414-286-3663 or pabsttheater.com. 24 WISCONSINGAZETTE.COM | May 7, 2015 ut on the town

‘The Skylight Ring’ May 15 to June 7 If you tried to perform Richard Wagner’s entire Ring Cycle as written in a single night, you’d get out in time for dinner — the next day. The four-opera cycle clocks in at about 15 hours, depending on how fast or slow its 30-odd characters and chorus perform. Skylight, on the other hand, wants to do the whole thing in two hours with four singers. It’s boldly ambitious, but direc- tor Daniel Brylow and Skylight artistic director Viswa Subbara- man think they’ve figured out the trick to doing it right: telling Syttende Mai May 15 to 17 the story from the perspective of antagonist Alberich, who forg- You know how on St. Patrick’s Day, everyone pretends to be Irish? Syttende es the magic ring of the cycle’s Mai is like that, for Norwegians. Stoughton hosts an annual three-day festival title and orchestrates numerous in celebration of the National Day of Norway (on May 17, the literal translation efforts to retrieve it when it is of Syttende Mai), with cultural dancers, canoe races, a 20-mile run and lots of taken from him. At the Broadway bratwurst. New this year: a beer garden featuring among its offerings an as- Theatre Center, 158 N. Broad- yet-unnamed special amber beer and a performance by Cantus, the Norwegian way. Tickets are $38 and can be choir featured in the opening moments of Disney’s Frozen. Visit stoughtonwi. purchased at 414-291-7800 or com/syttendemai for a full schedule of events. skylightmusictheatre.org.

‘Cheyenne Jackson: The Music of the Mad Men Era’ 8 p.m. May 16 Mad Men may be forging steadily into the 1970s as it wraps up its final season, but Broadway and TV actor Cheyenne Jackson’s caba- ret homage to the Mad Men era is sticking to the ’50s and ‘60s. He’ll be applying his four-and-a- half octave range to bossa nova classics, big brass numbers, and intimate, scaled-back versions of tunes from the Great American Songbook. At the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts, 19805 W. Capitol Drive, Brookfield. Tick- ets range from $37 to $67 and can be ordered at 262-781-9520 or wilson-center.com.

Photo: Wilson Center WISCONSINGAZETTE.COM | May 7, 2015 25 A curated calendar of upcoming events May 7 - 21

Frankly Music Season Finale 7 p.m. May 18 In Greek mythology, Aeolus was a god known as the keeper of the four winds. So it makes sense that the Aeolus Quartet would borrow his name, being such a breath of fresh air themselves on the classical music scene. Composed of young musicians who formed the group as students at the Cleveland Institute of Music in 2008, the string quartet has rocketed to prominence, winning a string of prizes at national competitions and coming to rival more established ensembles in their field. They’ll join Frank Almond, founder of Frankly Music and concertmaster of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, and pianist Win- ston Choi for a program of works including a rarely performed concerto by the Romantic composer Ernest Chausson. At Wisconsin Lutheran College, 8815 W. Wisconsin Ave., Wau- watosa. Tickets range from $10 to $35 and can be purchased at franklymusic.org.

Photo: Nathan Russell

‘The Daily Show’ Writers Standup Tour 7 p.m. May 17 Whether it’s Jon Stewart or Trevor Noah in the host’s chair, most of The Daily Show is built behind the scenes, by a team of writers trained in taking our stupid politics and skewering them with pointed wit and humor. Four of those writers — Adam Lowitt, Matt Koff, Travon Free and Zhubin Parang — have banded together for a nationwide comedy tour, talking about their experience on the show and taking turns to shine at the micro- phone. At Turner Hall Ballroom, 1040 N. Fourth St., Milwaukee. Tickets are $24 and can be ordered at 414-286-3663 or pabsttheater.com.

Elsewhere in WiGOut… Photo: Ross zentner

‘Suddenly Last Summer’: Uprooted Theatre will dissolve at the end of the ‘The Book of Mormon’ May 19 to 31 month, but it goes out with a bang via this Tennessee Williams one-act about The Book of Mormon got headlines for its decidedly un-Broadway creators (the brains a grieving, manipulative mother trying behind South Park) and its decidedly un-PC storyline (two Mormon missionaries expecting to keep her niece from spoiling her a cushy two-year vacation end up proselytizing in AIDS-striken, warlord-ruled Uganda). It memories of her deceased son. May 14 got Tonys, critical acclaim and a boatload of money for being one of the best musicals to hit to 24. See page 31. New York in years, satirizing its subjects and other Broadway musicals while never letting a good joke betray the show’s fundamental premise: “an atheist’s love letter to religion.” At ‘Cinderella’: The Milwaukee Ballet the Marcus Center, 929 N. Water St. Tickets range from $41 to $132 before ticket fees and restages Michael Pink’s version of this can be ordered at 414-273-7206 or marcuscenter.org. rags-to-riches tale, complete with ele- gant costumes and the young company of the Milwaukee Ballet School and Academy. May 14 to 17. See page 33. ‘Modern American Choral Masters’ 7 p.m. May 20 ‘Giraffe on Fire’: Quasimondo Physi- Many of Bel Canto’s choral concerts focus cal Theatre concludes its third season on works that have become classics after with this personal, surrealist explo- years or centuries. For this season-ending ration that blends dance with visual, concert, the company is looking at works audial and theatrical art forms. May 21 a lot closer to the present day. With Mod- to 31. See page 34. ern American Choral Masters, music direc- tor Richard Hynson assembles music from Beethoven in Wisconsin: Ensembles choral composers who’ve managed to make across the state have Ludvig on the their mark on the canon in record time — brain, with his Fifth, Eighth and Ninth Grammy winner Eric Whitacre and rising Symphonies scheduled for perfor- stars like Paul Fowler and Jake Runestad mance by either the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra or the Madison Symphony — as well as artists from popular music Orchestra before the end of May. Weekends May 8 to 24. See page 41. worthy of addition, including Billy Joel, Duke Ellington and Toto. At 1451 N. Prospect Ave., ‘Big Fish’: This stage musical adaptation of the David Wallace novel and Tim Milwaukee. Tickets are $32 or $37, $29 or Burton film Big Fish gets an extra-family-friendly tweak for First Stage’s produc- Photo: Courtesy $34 students/seniors. Visit belcanto.org for tion, their last this year. Through May 31. See page 44. Jake Runestad is one of the up-and-coming more details. composers featured in Bel Canto’s Modern American Choral Masters concert. 26 WISCONSINGAZETTE.COM | May 7, 2015 WISCONSINGAZETTE.COM | May 7, 2015 27

Have fork, will travel to Wisconsin food festivals By Michael Muckian Day weekend by visiting broilerdays.com. Contributing writer That same weekend, you can indulge Summer in Wisconsin is “Outdoor Every- your sweet tooth at the Burlington Choco- thing Season,” and that includes eating and lateFest, an annual event that brings locals drinking. After wearying winters and sloppy together with the finest cocoa bean products springs, Wisconsinites want to get out and nature has to offer. Chocolate in many forms, play. If there’s food, so much the better. plus a carnival, music and fireworks fill the Although May is not officially summer, weekend in the city about 35 miles south you can bet on having at least a few warmer of Milwaukee. Get your sweet tooth on and weekends. And somewhere in the Badger join an estimated 35,000 chocolate-lovers. State, enthusiastic cooks will be looking to Tickets are $8, $4 for kids 5 to 12. For details, fill your plate and top off your glass at a vari- visit chocolatefest.com. ety of festivals, each one more unique than It wouldn’t be Memorial Day weekend in the other. Here is an unofficial guide to help Madison without the World’s Largest Brat you find your outdoor dining destination of Fest. What started in 1983 in a parking lot choice: outside of Metcalfe’s Hilldale location has blossomed into a four-day mega-event at the THROUGH MAY 10 Alliant Energy Center’s Willow Island. We’ve mentioned it in an earlier issue, but The annual fundraiser has sold more than you still have a few days to catch the fifth 3.5 million brats and raised $1.4 million for PHOTO: Courtesy annual Madison Craft Beer Week, held at local charities since its inception. This year’s Burlington’s ChocolateFest offers your sweet tooth a taste of sugary goodness. various locations around the Capital City. At free music stages will feature former Poison last count, more than 80 Madison restau- frontman Bret Michaels, country rockers The rants, pubs, taverns and retail shops were Charlie Daniels Band and dozens of local and hosting more than 350 different events. regional acts. Find out more at bratfest.com. Everything wraps up on May 10, but there is still a little time to wet your whistle and get MAY 29–JUNE 1 a month’s worth of consumption underway. Honor Wisconsin’s dairy industry at Visit madbeerweek.com for details. Marshfield’s Dairyfest: Dancing with the May 10 also is Mother’s Day, and just Steers. In addition to plenty of bovine prod- about every restaurant in the state is offer- ucts, the Wood County event will offer arts ing special meals and events. So if you’re and crafts, a Dairyfest parade, the annu- both local, you have no excuse not to take al Cheese Chase and, if you can believe your mom out for a nice dinner or brunch. It’s it, a cornhole tournament. Learn more at really the least you can do. marshfieldchamber.com/events. Drink beer, eat burgers and raise money MAY 16–17 for REAP Food Group at Burgers & Brew, a Friends of the fungi won’t want to miss fundraiser at Capital Brewery Bier Garten, the 32nd annual Muscoda Morel Mushroom 7734 Terrace Ave., Middleton, on May 30. Festival. Muscoda, a village of about 1,500, The event pairs Madison chefs and brewers straddles the line between Grant and Iowa for creative combinations, with proceeds counties along the lower Wisconsin River supporting REAP’s Buy Fresh Buy Local pro- west of Spring Green. It’s also the center of gram, which helps Wisconsin farmers sell Wisconsin’s morel mushroom country. in-state. Tickets are $30, $33 at the door. For The annual event highlights local food, more information, visit reapfoodgroup.org. crafts, activities and fun in addition to the And of course, in Milwaukee, there’s a way tasty fungi, this year promising a Wirtz to drink your festival calories too. Alpine Morel Mushroom Beer. The taste buds bog- Bierfest will invite more than 100 nano, gle at the possibilities. Visit muscoda.com micro and craft breweries to the Wisconsin for more details. Center, 400 W. Wisconsin Ave., to distribute about 400 different brews from near and far. MAY 22–25 Dropping in gets you a sampling glass, with If seeing North America’s largest chicken which you can taste beers, ciders and sours pit is on your bucket list, check it off at as much as you’d like — just be careful with Arcadia Broiler Dairy Days, just south of all that booze. You’ve still got to be in the Eau Claire in Trempealeau County. A classic festival spirit when it kicks off in earnest in car show, trap shoot, horseshoe tournament, June. Tickets are $45, $65 for a VIP package live music, tractor pull and even a rodeo ($25/$35 for designated drivers, respec- accompany mountains of chicken roasted tively). Visit alpinebeerfestwi.com. in the monumental pit. Plan your Memorial Matthew Reddin contributed to this story. 28 WISCONSINGAZETTE.COM | May 7, 2015 Mother’s Day scrambled eggs don’t require a mad scramble in the kitchen By Sara Moulton Associated Press writer SCRAMBLED EGGS WITH WILD MUSHROOMS As a mom, I know there’s no better gift on Mother’s Day than being served breakfast Start-to-finish: 25-45 minutes | Servings: 4 in bed, complete with the Sunday paper. • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese So the menu I propose here is an extra- • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, special plate of scrambled eggs tossed with divided (if using a rasp-style grater, sauteed wild mushrooms, a little Parmesan • 1/2 pound mixed mushrooms, sliced 1/4 cup using the fine side of a cheese and perhaps a drizzle of truffle oil. • Kosher salt and ground black pepper four-sided grater) It’s special, but it doesn’t require Herculean • 8 large eggs • Chopped fresh chives, to garnish effort by the spouse (and kids) preparing it. • 1/4 cup half-and-half • Truffle oil (optional) But before you start cooking, you’ll need • 1-1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme • Buttered toast, to serve to interview Mom about just how she likes or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme her scrambled eggs: light and fluffy or dense and creamy. In a large nonstick skillet over medium-high, heat 2 tablespoons of the butter. That’s right, there are two distinct styles. Add the mushrooms, a hefty pinch each of salt and pepper, then cook the mush- The light and fluffy guys are made by beat- rooms, stirring occasionally, until they are lightly browned, about 5-7 minutes. ing the eggs with a little half-and-half and Transfer the mushrooms to a bowl and cover them with foil. some salt. The addition of half-and-half In a medium bowl, beat eggs to your desired consistency (see recommendations and the beating aerates the eggs, ensuring below). Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in the skillet over medium that the cooked curds have a light texture. heat. When the butter has completely melted, add in the eggs. Continue cooking The salt, along with the water and fat in as suggested for either light and fluffy American or creamy French. the half-and-half, raises the temperature at which eggs coagulate, making them less Remove the skillet from heat and stir in the mushrooms and cheese. Season with likely to overcook. salt and pepper if needed. Divide between four plates. Sprinkle the chives on Light-and-airy-style scrambled eggs then top, then drizzle with truffle oil if using. Serve each portion with buttered toast. are cooked quickly over medium heat. Using a heatproof rubber spatula, you repeatedly lift and fold the egg mixture over itself until half and salt just until they are mixed. We almost all of the mixture has formed large don’t want any air in them. Then we cook curds. But be sure to stop before the egg is them low and slow, stirring constantly, until fully cooked. That’s when you pull the pan they’re almost set. There will be some very off the heat and continue stirring while the small curds. You then pull the pan off the curds finish forming in the residual heat. heat while there’s still some liquid egg in If you leave these eggs on the burner the pan. Creamy scrambled eggs take 15-20 until the curds are completely formed and minutes to cook. the pan is dry, they’ll end up overcooked. I finished the eggs with sauteed wild Ever seen eggs with tough curds floating mushrooms, freshly grated Parmesan in a watery liquid? That’s how it happened. cheese and truffle oil, but feel free to exper- Light and fluffy scrambled eggs take just a iment with your own garnishes. Making couple minutes to cook. tender and tasty scrambled eggs is all If you want light and fluffy On the other hand, dense and creamy about the technique. The garnish is sec- American-style eggs scrambled eggs are a French thing. For ondary. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs with these, you beat the eggs with the half-and- the half-and-half, thyme and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper until they are light and fluffy. Once butter is melted in the pan, use a heat-proof (silicone) spatula to stir the eggs in, scooping them into the middle of the pan. Fold them gently in on them- selves, until they are almost all set, but there is still a little liquid egg in the pan, about 2 minutes.

If you want creamy custard- like French eggs In a medium bowl, use a fork to beat the eggs with the half-and-half, thyme and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper until just combined (and you can see no more separate whites). Once butter is melted in the pan, use a heat-proof (silicone) spatula to stir the eggs constantly, until they are almost all set, but there is still a little liquid egg in the pan (there will be almost no curds), about 20 minutes. WISCONSINGAZETTE.COM | May 7, 2015 29 30 WISCONSINGAZETTE.COM | May 7, 2015

myART myIDENTITY myPECKSCHOOL

“I came from a high school which ignored its queer population, so being at the Peck School has been wonderful in helping me to feel confident about who I am, in addition to providing a sense of community for me.”

Warren Enstrom, BFA Music Composition & Technology Anticipated graduation Spring 2015 arts.uwm.edu WISCONSINGAZETTE.COM | May 7, 2015 31 WiGOUT! Uprooted ends, but a tradition of promoting diverse theater lives on By Matthew Reddin following the close of our full production of Staff writer Suddenly Last Summer by Tennessee Wil- Uprooted Theatre was born out of a sim- liams.” ple realization: Over decades, Milwaukee But while both Johnson and Gobel, the two had inadvertently developed a longstanding, founders who remain active members of the unofficial tradition of actors, directors and company, are both sad to dissolve Uprooted, designers of color training in the city only to neither of them sees the last six years as leave and make their careers elsewhere. The anything but a success. company’s four founding artists — Marti “Maybe this is me being pompous, but I Gobel, Dennis Johnson, Travis Knight and don’t think there’s any other way to look at Tiffany Yvonne Cox — made it their job not it,” Johnson says. “We achieved what we just to break that tradition themselves, but were trying to do. We’re going out on top. … make it easier for other artists of color to do I think we had a good run.” the same. Gobel, speaking via email, is more suc- The fact that Uprooted did such a phe- cinct: “We did great things and we helped so was also directed by an African-American nomenal job over the last six years made many people. I’d do it all again. Truth.” (Timothy Douglas). As they continued the announcement that the company was to discuss and analyze that lapse, they closing all the more disappointing. From PUTTING DOWN ROOTS included Johnson in the conversation and 2009 to 2015, the company gave numerous Every theater company starts with a con- began to realize that the four of them artists of color their first professional roles in versation, but it took two different plays to could contribute to the solution, all by the city, developed the well-received Against spark Uprooted’s. Gobel and Knight, both starting an African-American-run theater Type fundraiser and launched the Milwau- Milwaukee Rep interns, connected with company of their own. kee Diversity Generals, which drew more Johnson while performing in a production That company started small and picked than a dozen companies from Chicago and of ancient Greek playwright Aeschylus’ The up steam fast. Uprooted’s first production, across Wisconsin to see actors’ auditions Persians at Renaissance Theaterworks. The a one-woman show by Dael Orlander- last year. And, perhaps most importantly, the two then worked with fellow understudy smith called Beauty’s Daughter, didn’t even company helped spark a conversation in the Cox on Trouble in Mind, depicting the back- include Knight and Cox, as both were theater community about race and ethnicity, stage drama of a mixed-race cast tackling a under contract with summer stock the- PHOTOs: Ross Zentner both in the plays that are staged and the art- problematic anti-lynching play in the 1950s, aters elsewhere. Director Johnson and Suddenly Last Summer’s all-local, all-Afri- ists chosen to create them. at the Rep. actor Gobel produced the show without can-American cast, including Marti Gobel But nonetheless, there the announce- As rehearsals for that second show pro- them, each contributing $500 for the (above, seated left) as Violet, will perform ment was, in a Facebook post published by gressed, Gobel says, the three of them real- Broadway Theatre Center’s rental fee and Uprooted’s final show, under the direction of the group on March 23: “After much soul- ized how strange it was that this was the first hoping for success — knowing that, if they Dennis Johnson (far left). searching and looking at the budget, we time any of them had worked on a play root- didn’t sell seats, they’d lost $1,000 before have decided to dissolve Uprooted Theatre ed in the African-American experience that they even started. UPROOTED next page

overbearing maternal figure (like Williams’ tant references to it,” Johnson says. ‘Suddenly Last Summer’ a fortuitous final own mother) named Violet, who is plotting While many of Uprooted’s shows have to have her niece Catherine lobotomized been hybrid staged readings, this last pro- bow that completes a Tennessee trilogy (as happened to Williams’ sister Rose). duction will be fully produced, with a set Her rationale: Catherine has been defiling that isn’t confined to Next Act’s stage. John- Neither Marti Gobel nor Dennis Johnson But Johnson says Suddenly Last Summer her memories of her son, Sebastian, whom son says the whole play takes place in the knew when they planned out their sea- goes back to Uprooted’s beginnings. “Other Catherine watched die while vacationing in family garden, a tropical, even “prehistoric” son that Tennessee Williams’ Suddenly Last than Beauty’s Daughter, it’s literally the first Spain the summer before. setting. “I’m wanting the audience to walk in Summer would be the final show Uprooted show that I pushed for and suggested. So, Johnson says the play deals heavily with and not see a garden on the stage but walk would produce. But there’s a certain ser- as far as that’s concerned it’s coming full the perception of mental illness — an issue up into a garden. … It’ll be overwhelming in endipity to the choice. The play creates an circle,” Johnson says. He will direct the close to Williams’ heart, due to his sis- a positive way.” accidental bookend to a Tennessee trilogy: production, running May 14 to 24 at Next ter’s institutionalization. Out of all the gay Suddenly Last Summer will run May 14 Uprooted’s first production after debut- Act Theatre. writer’s plays, he says, it’s also the one that to 24 at Next Act Theatre, 255 S. Water ing with Beauty’s Daughter was A Streetcar A one-act play that premiered near deals the most head-on with homosexual- St., Milwaukee. Performances are at 7 p.m. Named Desire, and they also held a staged the end of Williams’ most fruitful artis- ity, as many of Catherine’s incoherent mut- Wednesdays through Saturdays, with 2 p.m. reading of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof in October tic period, in 1958, Suddenly Last Summer terings reveal Sebastian’s concealed sexual matinees on Saturdays and Sundays. Tick- 2012, about halfway through their six-year is one of Williams’ most autobiographical orientation. “It’s alluded to a lot in other ets are $12-$28 and can be purchased at tenure. shows, according to Johnson. It features an shows, but this has probably the most bla- uprootedmke.com. — Matthew Reddin 32 WISCONSINGAZETTE.COM | May 7, 2015

UPROOTED from prior page ally and as a wife and mother the 50-odd actors auditioning were seen Just the opposite occurred. The show of four. by representatives from 13 Milwaukee the- received rave reviews and practically sold The ideal solution, John- aters, including the Milwaukee Rep, Ameri- out, giving the company the momentum son and Gobel say, would can Players Theatre and Forward Theatre, to launch the Against Type fundraiser (in have been to hire a managing as well as Chicago’s acclaimed Goodman which artists perform scenes from roles they director, but there was no way Theatre and a Chicago film and television wouldn’t normally be cast in for reasons of for the company to afford it agency casting for Chicago Fire and Chicago gender, race or age) in the fall, and produc- at this point and no way to PD, among others. tions of A Streetcar Named Desire and Crumbs grow without stretching Gobel Johnson hopes that he and Gobel can help from the Table of Joy (in partnership with past her limits. Ironically, the coordinate next year’s Milwaukee Diversity Renaissance) early the next year. only way for the members of Generals and keep it going biennially. “It was Six years gave Gobel and Johnson a lot Uprooted to be free to do the a necessity that hadn’t been filled before. of time to determine what sort of company work they started the com- Companies may think the talent isn’t here to Uprooted was going to be. Initially, the com- pany for was to close the com- fill minority roles … but they are here. They pany started to focus on stories of African- pany. “I personally felt that I just haven’t been seen.” American culture and black playwrights. But could donate my time to up- Johnson and Gobel have no intention of as time passed, Johnson says, their objec- and-coming theater organiza- ending their efforts to improve that visibil- tives began to broaden. “We realized that tions and still focus on my own ity. “Milwaukee is not fixed. It’s just better,” we were sort of limiting others the way we career with the dissolving of Gobel says. After all, seeing actors of color felt limited, so then we wanted to include all Uprooted,” Gobel says. audition is only the first step, she adds — people of color — and not even just of color, Johnson says Uprooted PHOTO: JEAN Bernstein there are administrative offices still lack- people that weren’t really working in other Theatre will officially cease Uprooted often partnered with more established compa- ing diversity in their staffing and directors houses who should be,” Johnson says. to exist on May 25, after the nies like Renaissance Theaterworks, with whom they co- of color who are not hired to direct plays final show, Suddenly Last Sum- produced Crumbs from the Table of Joy (featuring found- revolving around the Caucasian community LEAVING A LEGACY mer, closes (see sidebar, prior ers Tiffany Yvonne Cox (left) and Marti Gobel) in 2011. while Caucasian directors take on stories But as wonderful as Uprooted’s success page). But the most impor- about the African-American experience. was for its artists and the Milwaukee theater tant elements of the compa- And while Uprooted may have done more community at large, that success would ulti- ny will continue on. They will legacy: the Milwaukee Diversity Generals. than any company before it to shatter that mately lead to its end. As the company grew, continue to stage Against Type every year, Modeled after traditional general audi- unofficial tradition of artists of color leaving so too did the administrative and financial donating the proceeds to a local charity. tions, where aspiring, non-union actors audi- Milwaukee and Wisconsin for cities that pro- responsibilities. Once Knight and Cox left And Johnson would like to continue staging tion for a panel of casting directors from vide them better opportunities, one compa- active participation in the company, Gobel a cabaret series the company recently start- multiple theaters in a city or region, Uproot- ny can’t erase that migration all on its own. became the only member of the team work- ed, although installments will be irregularly ed originally conceived the Diversity Gener- Gobel, Johnson and Uprooted have ing as a full-time theater artist, and many scheduled for the time being. als as a way to cast actors of color for their taught the theater community what can be of those administrative duties fell to her And Johnson and Gobel still hope to col- 2014–15 season. But as news spread, more achieved. It’s up to that community to carry by necessity, compromising her ability to laborate on the initiative that has the poten- and more companies, of increasing stature, on their new tradition and erase the old. fulfill other responsibilities both profession- tial to be the biggest piece of Uprooted’s asked to join the auditions. By the day of, WISCONSINGAZETTE.COM | May 7, 2015 33 Michael Pink tells Cinderella’s story once again By Julie Steinbach As for Cinderella’s stepsisters, Pink says Contributing writer it’s a little-known tradition that the roles The beauty of Sergei Prokofiev’s narra- are often played by men when danced tive score and Milwaukee Ballet artistic to Prokofiev’s score. Patrick Howel and director Michael Pink’s enchanting vision Timothy O’Donnell have the roles in this will unite later this month, to wrap up the year’s production, and Pink says the duo ballet’s 2014–15 season with the timeless are providing the studio with many hours tale of Cinderella. of laughter already in rehearsal. But while Pink knows his audiences will Cinderella is perhaps one of the most be captivated by the servant-turned-prin- classic fairy tales imaginable, with its cess, he has high hopes they’ll be equally enchanted pumpkins, sparkling carriages fascinated by the personalities and strug- and glass slippers. But Pink says it’s impor- gles of the story’s supporting roles, which tant that there’s always more than meets his production will bring to life. the eye when translating folk tales into fine “Cinderella, in terms of what it is as art and theatre. a ballet, it is wall to wall dancing,” says “By the nature of its title, people assume Pink. “There’s comedy with the sisters, (Cinderella) is a fairy story for little chil- the Cinderella aspect, the character of her dren, in particular little girls,” says Pink. mother and the stepmother — everybody “But at the same time Cinderella is possibly has stories.” one of the oldest folk tales around, (and) This year’s production marks a remount it deals with underlying themes like aban- of Pink’s version of the ballet, which pre- donment and loss and, in some respects, miered in 2009 as the opener of the com- child abuse.” PHOTO: Michael S. Levine pany’s 40th anniversary season. The ballet To help Cinderella wade through the Michael Pink’s adaptation of Cinderella made its premiere with the Milwaukee Ballet in was a success then, but Pink expects even darker underlying themes of her story, Pink 2009. The company will reprise the work this year, in a modified and improved form. more this time around. “The great thing has added the role of Jack, a houseboy who about bringing something like this produc- serves as Cinderella’s guardian angel, who tion of Cinderella back is that I get a chance will be danced by Marc Petrocci. Pink. “The scenes are written as if they’re design, Pink says this year’s production to rework it,” Pink says. “The timeframe is While Pink keeps his eyes on the stage, narrative scenes. The riddle for me was to of Cinderella at the Milwaukee Ballet will very limited (the first time) so you make he also has his ears on Prokofiev’s score, spend time deciphering what I thought he not disappoint. “The main thing, it’s about choices and you know that when it comes which he says is as much part of telling the was saying with the music.” integrity and innovation,” he says. “What back next time you’ll get to finish it. That story as his dancers’ work. With the ballet’s long-standing reputa- is innovation? We’re not inventing any- is the beauty of our profession: You get “When Prokofiev wrote the score, unlike tion for fine classical dance, amid daz- thing new, it’s about how we are putting it to reinvent yourself and it’s constantly Romeo and Juliet, he really wanted to tell zling period costuming and engaging set all together.” evolving.” the story, so the music for this is really nar- One of the hallmarks of Pink’s tenure rative in as much as it is complex,” explains at the Milwaukee Ballet is an increased emphasis on the company as storytellers ON STAGE and actors, in addition to talented dancers. Cinderella runs May 14 to 17 at the Pink says in all his ballets, his emphasis is Marcus Center for the Performing Arts. on making sure all the choreography works Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Thurs- in relation to the ever-evolving story. day, Friday and Saturday evenings, with This year, the title role of Cinderella will 1:30 p.m. matinees Saturday and Sun- be danced by Luz San Miguel, while the day afternoons. Tickets are $32-$97 prince will be performed by Alexandre and can be ordered at 414-902-2103 or Ferreira (Annia Hidalgo and Davit Hovhan- milwaukeeballet.org. nisyan will take the roles for matinees). 34 WISCONSINGAZETTE.COM | May 7, 2015 WISCONSINGAZETTE.COM | May 7, 2015 35 Quasimondo explores itself with ‘Giraffe on Fire’

By Matthew Reddin ON STAGE Staff writer Giraffe on Fire will run May Think of the last 21 to 31 at Studio G in Grand dream you remember. Avenue Mall (across from the TJ Try to move your body Maxx), 161 W. Wisconsin Ave., the way it moved then, Milwaukee. The final matinee, fluid and faster than on May 31, will be followed by a your mind. Imagine Season 3 Closing Gala, featuring the landscapes too performances and work by many strange to be real. of the show’s collaborators, as Take stock of the well as additional Quasimondo images and motifs artists. All tickets are pay-what- that mean nothing to you-can and can be reserved at any soul but you. thequasimondo.com. Do that, and you might be prepared for Giraffe on Fire, the final show of Quasimondo’s third season in Mil- his body of waukee. Inspired by the surrealist works of work, either Salvador Dali but built from the imagina- as subjects tions of many collaborators from across the or just in the spectrum of visual and performing arts, the background. piece is a celebration of the physical theater It’s choreographer and performer Jessi company’s unique aesthetic and their bold- Miller’s hope that filling this piece with est effort yet to introduce themselves to those signifiers will help the audience draw their potential audience. their own meanings out of the work, per- As a physical theater company, Qua- haps even meanings not explicitly intended simondo blends attributes of dance and by her and her fellow collaborators. theater troupes, producing pieces that tell “A lot of choreographers say, ‘I just like to PHOTOs: Courtesy stories via an indirect, non-linear fashion. put interesting stuff together,’” Miller says. Quasimondo’s Giraffe on Fire takes its name from the recurring image used by Salvador The stories they tell emphasize the use of “But if you’re just putting interesting things Dali in such paintings as “The Burning Giraffe” (left) and B“ urning Giraffes and physical motion (be it traditional dance or together, then there’s a hollowness to it. Telephones.” The physical theater show is inspired by Dali’s use of personal, dreamlike otherwise) over language. … The fact that there is something there motifs. What that means for each particular allows for something to be interpreted. If show is different, and dependent on whom there’s nothing there, I think that’s sensed.” Quasimondo casts in a particular show. Asking so much from an audience has Unlike traditional theater or dance, where its disadvantages, but both Rott and Miller performers are provided with either a have faith in the intelligence of their current script or choreography at the beginning of followers, as well as those who haven’t yet a rehearsal period, Quasimondo shows are encountered their work. developed during that rehearsal process. That’s part of the reason the company Directors show up at the start with a series has boldly decided to make this production of themes they want to address and flesh entirely pay-what-you-can, inviting patrons them out through improvisation and discus- to come see their work regardless of their sion with the ensemble. ability to financially justify it. It’s a gift and The idea of a show’s content decided experiment all in one, and if it works out for by its ensemble will get one of its most the company, Rott says, it might become direct executions with Giraffe on Fire. There their policy for all shows in the future. are numerous collaborators involved: seven But the only reason they can offer this choreographers, seven visual artists and sort of material, Rott says, is because of seven composers working together with how much the ensemble has developed nine performers to form a collage of music, since setting up shop in Milwaukee three poetry, dance, puppetry and art. seasons ago. Quasimondo founder Brian Rott has “In the beginning,” Rott says, “before we asked each of them to tap into their dreams had this solid base, (actors) weren’t familiar and personal motifs for the show, work- with the process and would freak out.” shopping how they all fit together through He and Miller say the biggest hurdle was improvisation. He says his stance has been getting past the idea that the ensemble that “‘There is no wrong or right. Whatever work they were doing in rehearsals was you want to get into, wherever this explora- merely a “team-building exercise,” instead tion leads, just go there and don’t even think of what it truly was: training in the ability to about it.’ … This is a very personal show to sense each other on stage without having to the ensemble.” look at each other or think about it. The idea of personal motifs, each with As they finish preparing for Giraffe on significance to the performer not explic- Fire, they finally have that trust, and their itly relayed to the audience, comes directly ensemble members new and old are pre- from Dali’s works, Rott says. The surrealist pared to seek and find the heart of this painter created multiple recurring images, show together — and, more importantly, like drawers coming out of people’s bodies lead audience members on their own explo- or the flaming giraffes referenced in the rations. show’s title. These motifs crop up across 36 WISCONSINGAZETTE.COM | May 7, 2015 Lightning strikes yet again for Chris Hemsworth By Jan Janssen Whedon) has managed to bring all of the Hemsworth, 31, grew up in Australia and The Interview Feed Avengers back in and give them a relevant moved to Los Angeles in 2007 after first Chris Hemsworth is about as ideal a reason to be there.” achieving fame in the Australian soap, Home choice to play a Norse god as you could According to Hemsworth, some interest- and Away. He lives in Malibu with his wife, imagine. The strapping 6’3” Aussie has the ing new layers have been added to Thor. Spanish actress Elsa Patacky (Fast Five, Fast sandy hair and sculpted features that are “Thor gets to loosen up. … This time & Furious 6) and their three young children: perfectly suited to the role of Thor, one of the there’s more humor in Thor, because he’s 2-year-old India Rose and year-old twins Avengers dedicated to saving the earth from been on Earth, (and he’s) a little more acces- Tristan and Sasha. the forces of evil. sible,” Hemsworth says. “He’s off Asgard He’s not the only actor in his family — Those features are back on screen, as now, so he doesn’t have to be as regal and both older brother Luke, 33, and younger Thor returns for Avengers: Age of Ultron, kingly as he is in that world, which is nice. brother Liam, 25, are in the business, with Marvel Studios’ blockbuster sequel to 2012’s I enjoy that more. Here you can have a gag Liam holding down his own franchise role as The Avengers. with the guys and he can throw away lines Gale Hawthorne in the Hunger Games series. The original Avengers ranks as the third and be in a party scene with them in civilian Apart from his several turns as the man- highest-grossing film of all time, with a glob- clothes.” with-the-hammer in Thor, Thor: The Dark al box-office take of $1.5 billion, and many Avengers: Age of Ultron sees Hemsworth World and The Avengers, Hemsworth turned Hollywood insiders are predicting that Age re-joined by familiar castmates Robert in performances as race car driver James of Ultron could do as well if not better. In its Downey Jr. (Tony Stark/Iron Man), Chris Hunt in Rush (2013) and as a master hacker opening weekend, the film took in an esti- Evans (Captain America), Scarlett Johans- in the thriller Blackhat, released in January. mated $187.7 million, an astounding number son (Black Widow), Mark Ruffalo (The Hulk) Later this year, Hemsworth re-teams with topped only by The Avengers’ opening week- and Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye). In addition, Rush director Ron Howard in the action/ end ($207.4 million). several new players join the Marvel/Disney adventure film In the Heart of the Sea, about Hemsworth has few doubts that the superhero extravaganza: Aaron Taylor-John- a 19th century whaling ship attacked by a sequel will deliver the goods. son and Elizabeth Olsen as the twin antago- sperm whale that leaves its crew adrift. “I just loved how (Age of Ultron) upped it nists Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch, Paul We spoke to Hemsworth about his role in a way that wasn’t just bigger and flashier,” Bettany as the mysterious Vision and James in the latest Avengers movie, balancing big- Hemsworth says. “I mean, everything had Spader as the voice of Ultron. budget films with passion projects and keep- PHOTO: Marvel been amplified, but in an intelligent way. All Age of Ultron centers on Tony Stark’s ing his family central in his life. Chris Hemsworth reprises his role as Thor the stories are relevant to what’s going on in attempt to jumpstart a dormant peacekeep- this summer in Marvel Studio’s Avengers: the world, as far as the exponential growth ing program, only to see things go awry. As Chris, the original Avengers film was a Age of Ultron, but he hopes to be seen as of technology and artificial intelligence. … a result, the Avengers crew joins Iron Man in colossal success. Would you say Marvel more than an action star. They’re obviously heavily influenced by that trying to save all of humanity from destruc- Studios has found the right way to approach tone and that debate. (Director/writer Joss tion by the evil artificial intelligence Ultron. these stories and give a place for all these him. When I began preparing to play Thor characters? It’s mind-blowing. But apart the first thing I wanted to work out was how from the action and special effects sequenc- the guy postured, how he held the hammer es, Joss (Whedon) is a man of incredible (Thor’s iconic weapon Mjolnir), and what detail about what those guys are going would happen if he hit someone with it! through and it’s incredible to be able to add layers to the characters as they come With the kind of global recognition you’ve together again in Age of Ultron. received from playing Thor, do you feel that you’ve secured your place in Hollywood? Were you a Thor fan before you started I’m not as worried I used to be about not playing the character? No, I knew nothing finding good work or ending up forgotten. about Thor before I started work on these My wife and my manager are very support- films. But it was exciting to start reading the comics and exploring the lore surrounding HEMSWORTH next page WISCONSINGAZETTE.COM | May 7, 2015 37

HEMSWORTH from prior page ive and they help maintain my confidence, but there’s always a little fear factor there. Anthony Hopkins told me that at the end of each film he wonders if he will ever do another. There is something Join WiG unhealthy about that state of mind, but fear can also be a great motivator. If you think you’ve arrived and you’ve got on it made, you stop wanting to push yourself and grow as an actor. You’re finished if you have that attitude. Facebook So how do you see your career evolving these days? I’m reaching the point where I can do both, the big superhero and films as well as dramas and other types of stories. Rush made people take me more seriously as an actor and I want to be follow able to continue to do work like that. I only got the role in Blackhat after Ron Howard showed (director) Michael Mann the first 45 minutes of Rush before the film was released. us I love playing Thor, and the Avengers films have given me a huge standing in the business, but they’re big action films on Twitter. where audiences are drawn mainly to the massive spectacle of it all. I feel I’ve also begun to show that I can do more than be the guy with the muscles in the superhero suit.

With respect to your bulked-up physique as Thor, is it hard to maintain? Yes! (Laughs) It requires lifting huge amounts of weights and doing lots of reps to get that kind of massive build. But each time I finish playing Thor, I get rid of that bulk and that size, because that’s just for the screen for that character. For Blackhat, I trained in a completely differ- ent way. I did a lot of martial arts. Do you think people will continue to identify with you because of the work you’ve done as Thor over the course of all the Marvel films? I would like to bring them over to my other films. I’ve enjoyed doing films like Snow White and The Huntsman and we’re going to be doing another one soon. I love the worlds of fantasy and action and I’ve learnt so much from working with directors like Joss and also Kenneth Branagh (who directed Hemsworth in Thor).

Did Branagh ever suggest you try your hand at Shake- speare? (Laughs) Not exactly. But he also knew how anxious I was at that point in my career to prove that I had other qual- ities other than being regarded as this very physical actor. So one day Kenneth, as a pure exercise, made me memorize a monologue from Shakespeare’s Henry V and filmed me. I had such a cold sweat doing it. I never realized how much I liked being a guy who works in action films!

How do you manage to work as much as you have lately while raising a family with three young children? My wife is the real superhero in our family. She’s been really sup- portive and allowed me to feel free to go out and pursue my career even though that means being away from home a lot. I couldn’t have done that without her blessing.

What counts most for you in life? Being a good father and a good husband. When I was younger I dreamed about hav- ing this kind of life and that’s exactly what I’m living now. In terms of work, a few years ago I would have settled for much less than what I’ve been able to achieve — I never imagined getting to this point in my career. But now I see work as something I do for my family and so that they can enjoy all the advantages and benefits of whatever success I have.

You have to keep transforming your physique from a film like Thor to a film like Blackhat and now with your new film with Ron Howard, In The Heart of the Sea. Is this one of the hardest aspects of your life as an actor? It’s the accordion effect which is the worst part. First I had to gain 20 pounds of muscle mass for Thor and then I had to lose all that and then lose another 20 pounds to play my character in Heart of the Sea. After all that dieting, if I see one more serving of chicken breast with biologically grown broccoli, I swear that I’m going to take Thor’s hammer to the plate. 38 WISCONSINGAZETTE.COM | May 7, 2015 The Harlem Renaissance revived in Madison museum By Michael Muckian Museum to do just that, and to Locke’s book of the same name, ran with new and exciting art forms. Contributing writer highlight the Madison connections from 1918 to about 1934. In part the This discourse is something the The Harlem Renaissance, the of several leaders in the movement. result of the great African-Amer- new museum hopes to replicate in rich period of African-American The museum, which opened its ican migration from the South, its the facility’s performance space, cultural, artistic and social growth doors on March 28, has just 500 impact stretched throughout the says Brooks. in one of New York City’s most square feet of gallery space at 1444 Northeast and Midwest. “Along with giving African- famous neighborhoods during the E. Washington Ave. to house its 14 Literature was a key compo- Americans of the day an identity 1920s, seems miles and decades pieces of art, plus the mounted let- nent of the movement, with writ- and voice, the politicizing of art removed from Madison in 2015. ters of Jean Toomer, an early 20th- ers including Toomer, Langston was one of the Harlem Renais- But don’t tell that to the found- century African-American author Hughes and James Baldwin rising sance’s greatest contributions,” ers of the new Harlem Renaissance who spent time at UW-Madison. to prominence. New music also Brooks says. “Langston Hughes’ Museum, on Madison’s east side. In true reflection of the period emerged, from jazz artists like poem ‘Ku Klux’ mocks the rhetoric They argue there’s no better time it honors, there is corresponding Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn of the KKK and shows you how or place to tell the tale of one of the performance space so that dif- and Thelonious Monk. Drama, art, much of hate really is stupid. Mix- richest periods of social growth in ferent types of arts can mix and fashion and dance also blossomed. ing politics and art makes you think PHOTO: Wikimedia commons Harlem Renaissance poet Alain American history and illuminate its mingle in an offering as diverse as The connections between the twice about what’s going on.” Lock spent time teaching in connections to Madison. the Harlem Renaissance itself, says Harlem Renaissance and Madison The museum founders would Madison, where a museum “Madison has a vibrant arts poet Peter Brooks, a UW-Milwau- are many, Hart says. Locke also like to see that discourse continue dedicated to the movement has community, has a diverse arts cul- kee Ph.D. candidate in rhetoric and spent time teaching at UW-Mad- in a nonthreatening way, especially opened. ture and is located in America’s composition who acts as the muse- ison, and the late Nellie McKay, given the racial politics and tragic heartland,” says attorney and um’s unofficial academic adviser. a chaired professor there, is best deaths taking place in cities like Methodist minister David Hart, “The Harlem Renaissance was known as co-editor of The Norton Baltimore, Ferguson, and even ON DISPLAY who helped co-found the museum. a convergence of identities, best Anthology of African-American Lit- Madison. The Harlem Renaissance “We wanted to play homage to a known for African-American art- erature. “The museum is an open and Museum is at 1444 E. Wash- fertile time in the history of arts’ ists who tried to carve out their The university even awarded affirming space in which we’re ington Ave. in Madison. It creation and development. What own niches,” Brooks says. “We had Duke Ellington an honorary doc- looking to do something innovative is open noon-1:30 p.m. on better place than Madison?” a concept that, thanks to the Inter- torate in the ‘70s and mounted and showcase all the various Har- Wednesdays and Thursdays, Hart, who also is a spoken-word net, this (era) is sort of the new a weeklong festival of his music, lem Renaissance art forms,” Hart on weekends by appointment artist, is part of a Madison arts Harlem Renaissance in which we’re an effort for which the jazz great says. “We’re looking for thought- and during live performances. collective whose members decided all trying to find creative avenues wrote his one and only polka. ful discussion about issues in a For more information, visit 12 years ago that they wanted to to talk about our lives.” But the true highlights of the nonthreatening environment that the museum’s Facebook page. leave a more lasting impression The Harlem Renaissance, known Harlem Renaissance were the allows us to have fun.” Donations can be sent to P.O. on the community. They decided at the time as the “New Negro intellectual discussions and politi- Box 762, Madison, WI, 53701. to establish a Harlem Renaissance Movement” after out poet Alain cal discourse that emerged along WISCONSINGAZETTE.COM | May 7, 2015 39 MOWA puts photographer duo in the viewfinder By Kat Murrell The juxtaposition of her formal attire and Contributing writer bovine companion may sound improbable There is a familiar, strange and dark or even ironic, but it speaks deeply to the beauty in the lives drawn out by photog- complex aspects of life that exist simulta- rapher duo J. Shimon & J. Lindemann. You neously. Shimon and Lindemann compress know these people, you know these places. these into a single moment. In the clarity They are particular and peculiar, brought of the image and its impressive scale, the together at the Museum of Wisconsin Art detail of the hair raised on Angela’s arm is for the pair’s largest museum show yet: a not lost. It is as though there is a chill in the retrospective of their 30-year career. It is an air but she is resolute and unconcerned. eloquently important exhibition. There is a toughness and acceptance of What is perhaps most fascinating about conditions, whatever they may be. John Shimon and Julie Lindemann’s work is “Debra at Home Revealing Tiger Tat- their ability to reveal parts of the individual too, Sturgeon Bay, WI” (1999) is another self that are always there but often unseen. dismantling of what may seem ordinary. PHOTO: J. Shimon & J. Lindemann Artifice and stereotypes vanish. Their sub- In a field, with a farm silo in the distance, In works like “Self-Portrait in the Garden at Dusk, Whitelaw, WI,” photographers J. jects candidly say what they want to say, the subject opens her shirt dress to show Shimon and J. Lindemann turn the camera on themselves. offering authentic statements about who a naked thigh with an inked cat crawling up they are, recorded by the photographers’ her hip. In ways overt and discreet, Shimon is low, and she is in control. an illuminated lamp trail off to some source lens. and Lindemann reveal that there is much A most stirring image comes in the form of electricity. Much is made, and rightly so, of Shimon in the world either assumed or hidden. of “Self-Portrait in the Garden at Dusk, This is the place. Connected to the rest of and Lindemann’s identity as Wisconsin art- The photographers document from within, Whitelaw, WI” (1998). The title aptly uses the world like that black cord bringing light ists. They have long been based in the capturing a realness and beauty as though the singular form for the collaborative pair. to this patch of the country, they inhabit it Manitowoc area, away from the clamoring digging through topsoil to reveal rich earth Shimon holds a heavy box camera while freely and easily, documenting and illumi- crush and fashion parade of a glossy con- beneath. Lindemann stands stoically and sculpturally nating it and themselves, framed proudly temporary art world where much can be The exhibition covers a variety of sub- in a gauzy black dress. The location appears against the horizon. made of trends. jects, also illustrated in the exhibition cata- wild, barely tamed as the tall grasses and There’s a Place: Photographs by J. Shimon & Shimon and Lindemann’s depth is sourced log which is available in print and as a free prairie flowers flourish under an overcast J. Lindemann continues through June 7 at the from their astute aesthetic, technical rigor download from the Museum of Wisconsin sky. The scene is activated by the artists’ Museum of Wisconsin Art, 205 Veterans and profound connection to a culture. It Art’s website. Categories include Rebellion, presence and their practice. Photography Avenue, West Bend. Visit wisconsinart.org could not be replicated by an outsider and, Machines, Farms, Landscape, and Sages, gear has been hauled out, and the cords of for more details. in the transient nature of contemporary life, and the catalog (and exhibition) closes with this gleams like a rare jewel. In this place, the exquisite series Decay Utopia Decay. they have found freedom in the absence of In this last series, the camera is turned, the external. transforming the creators into protagonists. The exhibition opens with the monumen- Lindemann is an extraordinary subject as tal photograph, “Angela with Kit (Blue Vel- well as artist, pictured in the kitchen chop- vet Prom Dress), Reedsville, WI” (1997). ping vegetables or drying dishes. She is Angela’s biography is deeply rooted in rural poised, cool and statuesque and turns the concerns as a student of dairy science at tables on domestic cliches. She is outfitted the University of Wisconsin-Madison, par- in black vinyl shorts and a lacy bustier with a ticipation in groups such as 4-H and Future demure apron printed with flowers. Sweep- Farmers of America and the award of the ing the floor, Lindemann is nonchalant in a titles such as County Farm Bureau Queen. sheer negligée and heels. The camera angle 40 WISCONSINGAZETTE.COM | May 7, 2015 Early Music Now teaches a clarinet history lesson By Kirstin Roble dating from the early 20th century, though. Contributing writer That is just one of a wide variety of clari- In September 2013, Milwaukee’s Early nets Hoeprich plays throughout the year. He Music Now offered audiences a unique his- estimates that he owns about 100 of them tory lesson. The subject: the clarinet and and many look much different than anything how the woodwind instrument evolved over you would see in a modern orchestra. several centuries. Hoeprich builds many of his instruments, But if you missed it, don’t worry. Early often as a way to replace historic ones that Music Now has put the class back on the cur- are now lost or unplayable. For example, riculum and re-invited its de facto instructor, he recently reproduced a basset clarinet, Eric Hoeprich, to teach us about the instru- modeled after those that would have been ment through a wide sampling of music. required by 18th-century composers such as Hoeprich is one of the world’s foremost Antonio Salieri or Mozart. clarinet scholars and musicians. He main- In an interview with Indiana Public Media a tains a busy teaching schedule at Indiana few years ago, Hoeprich discussed the great- University, as well as London’s Royal Acad- est differences between more classical clari- emy of Music and conservatories in Paris nets and the type played by musicians today. and The Hague. Having published a book “The greatest difference between a mod- on 2008 on the clarinet (called simply The ern clarinet and one from the 19th century is Clarinet), Hoeprich continues to publish the number of keys and wood use to make journal articles on a regular basis. His other the clarinet,” Hoeperich explained. “For research includes a collaborative project instance, a typical Viennese school clari- with Indiana University to set up a website net only had five keys. A modern clarinet featuring translations of French and Ger- often has 18 keys, making it longer. Also the man methods for the clarinet from the 18th instrument body from the 18th century was century. usually made from boxwood, a lighter wood With that schedule, he’s excited to have than the usual ebony or granadilla of today’s an opportunity to again visit Milwaukee. clarinets.” “There’s a lot that I enjoy about this lovely A performance of these works is reason city,” he says. “I love the Calatrava-designed enough to attend the concert. Having some- art museum, the wonderful German food one with Hoeprich’s experience running the and the older residential neighborhoods show is like getting extra credit. with their architecture.” The concert on May 9 is less about the history of the clarinet and more about show- ON STAGE ing how the instrument was best used in dif- Celebrating the Clarinet, a post-sea- ferent periods. He says the concert’s open- son Early Music Now event, is at 7:30 ing piece, a Beethoven trio, would have been p.m. on May 9 at Wisconsin Lutheran performed on a more classical version of the College, 8815 W. Wisconsin Ave. Tick- clarinet, from the late 18th century, while ets are $28 or $44 for preferred seat- its final piece, a Brahms trio, would feature ing; student tickets are $10 and $15, a more contemporary instrument. He will respectively. Call 414-225-3113 or visit perform all the pieces on a German clarinet earlymusicnow.org to order. WISCONSINGAZETTE.COM | May 7, 2015 41 Orchestras welcome a month of ‘May-thoven’

By Julie Steinbach works by modern composers who share Photo: Benjamin Ealovega Contributing writer Beethoven’s progressive spirit and flare for ON STAGE Something classical must be in the Wis- innovation. He says the Pabst’s intimate The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra consin water supply. This May, Beethoven- atmosphere is arguably one of the most ideal will perform Beethoven’s Eighth May 14 lovers practically can’t walk out of the house locations to experience contemporary works to 17 and Beethoven’s Fifth May 21-24 at on a given weekend without stumbling on an like these. the Pabst Theater, 144 E. Wells St. Per- orchestra performing one of the composer’s “Acoustically you feel very close to the formances are at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, epic, groundbreaking symphonies. performance,” says Lecce-Chong, “and I 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2:30 The Madison Symphony Orchestra and think that is a great way to experience newer p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $25-$90 and Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra will take up music. It helps bring the audience closer to can be ordered at either pabsttheater. programs featuring Beethoven symphonies the music.” org or mso.org. in the weeks to come. Madison’s single con- Newer compositions by the composers cert series, running May 8-10, will highlight sharing the bill with Beethoven will include his Ninth Symphony, and serve simultane- Vivian Fung’s Violin Concerto (May 14-17); Fung’s concerto Photo: Courtesy ously as a tribute to the 10th anniversary These Particular Circumstances, a set of seven is heavily influ- season of their performance venue, Overture small pieces by Sean Shepard; Nico Muhly’s enced by Bali- Center (see sidebar). So Far So Good and the short work Madame nese Gamelan Milwaukee’s orchestra, on the other hand, Press Died Last Week by Morton Feldmen, music, which will be performing in a distinctly different written in memory of one of his earliest and she incorpo- location than usual. In two concert series most influential teachers (all for May 21-24). rated into the running May 14-17 and May 21-24 (featuring “Vivian Fung, Sean Shepard, Nico Muhly, concerto while Beethoven’s Eighth and Fifth Symphonies, Morten Feldmen … they are really the com- on tour in Indo- respectively), the company will leave their posers of today,” says Lecce-Chong. “If you nesia. Through- home at the Marcus Center’s Uihlein Hall come over these two weeks you’re going to out this insanely and perform down the street at the historic hear how the sounds of the orchestra are virtuosic work, Three conductors will tackle Pabst Theatre. being dealt with today.” Fung combines Beethoven for local orchestras It’s a venue audiences have seen the MSO In many ways, despite hundreds of years the percussive this May: (from top) Daniel traveling to more frequently of late and asso- of historical displacement, the composers presence of the Cohen, Edwin Outwater and ciate conductor Francesco Lecce-Chong says whose works will be performed across these Gamelan tradi- John DeMain. it’s perfect for programs like these two. weekends represent the fearlessness of cre- tion with all of

“The Pabst is this unique space, and these ators who push the limits of sound design the virtuosity Photo: Courtesy concerts are a chance to really try it out,” and find success in their willingness to go available to the he says. “Every hall has its quirks and every where others might not. violinist, result- hall brings out things in the music. One of “Beethoven stood out because he was ing in a highly the things we knew right away was that always pushing the boundaries of what peo- colorful showpiece for the violin. any smaller-scale, Classical-era stuff would ple thought he was going to do,” explains Kristin Lee will not be the only guest on sound great in the Pabst.” Lecce-Chong. “Every time they tried to pin the stage. The MSO will be led each week- Each of the two symphonies has its own him down to something, he was off to the end by a different guest conductor. Daniel character. Beethoven’s Eighth is short and races, onto the next idea. You’re hearing Cohen will be on the podium for concerts simple, with a buoyancy to its four move- music that was incredibly edgy when it first featuring Beethoven’s Eight Symphony, fol- ments. The Fifth, on the other hand, is known came out, paired with music now that we lowed by Edwin Outwater at the baton for for its powerful, forceful energy. probably consider very edgy.” the program featuring Beethoven’s Fifth. While both concerts will culminate with Featured soloist Kristin Lee, who will “My great hope is that over these two the Beethoven works, Lecce-Chong says it appear over the first concert weekend, weeks that this very adventurous program- was equally important to precede them with will perform Vivian Fung’s Violin Concerto. ming around the Beethovens will heighten the senses because you’re going to be so close to the colors, the sounds of these con- MEANWHILE IN MADISON… History has proven those early cri- temporary composers,” says Lecce-Chong. Milwaukee isn’t the only city getting tiques off-target. In addition to being a “It will be a way to experience them up close, in on the Beethoven action. The Madi- dynamic, captivating work in its own right, there’s an extra chance to really connect son Symphony Orchestra will conclude its Beethoven’s introduction of choral ele- with this music.” season with Beethoven’s own concluding ments to the symphony form (as he does masterpiece, his Ninth Symphony. in the fourth movement, with the poem The “Ode to Joy” concert, conducted “Ode to Joy” made famous by its inclu- by John DeMain, will feature a full per- sion) and its dynamic evolution over the formance of the choral symphony, with course of the four movements served as four guest artists singing alongside the an inspiration to artists of the subsequent Madison Symphony Chorus. Also on tap is Romantic period and beyond. Leonard Bernstein’s Serenade, considered In this case, its selection is as much a one of Bernstein’s own best works. Con- tribute to the venue as it is the composer. certmaster Naha Greenholtz will perform In 2004, the Madison Symphony Orches- the violin solos of the latter. tra ended its first season in Overture Hall Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony is con- with a performance of the work, which it sidered one of the greatest works ever to hasn’t touched since. This time around, the come out of Western culture, but it took symphony will conclude the MSO’s tenth a bit of time to be recognized as such. season at Overture Center. As program annotator J. Michael Allsen The program will be performed three writes, several reviewers who attended the times, at 7:30 p.m. May 8, 8 p.m. May 9 1824 premiere openly questioned whether and 2:30 p.m. May 10. Tickets are $16-$84 Beethoven was too old and deaf to pro- and can be purchased at 608-258-4141. duce quality work, and the musicians were — Matthew Reddin under-rehearsed on the day of the event. 42 WISCONSINGAZETTE.COM | May 7, 2015 Big brass, big legacy: Chicago co-founder Robert Lamm says ‘Now’ isn’t the time to slow down By Bill Lamb debuts of all time. It was a sprawling double Contributing writer album — unusual for an untested act, espe- When the band Chicago hits the stage at cially one on industry leading label Columbia Milwaukee’s Riverside Theater May 18, it will Records. But it was such a success the band be the latest opportunity to see one of the quickly recorded a second double album, titled most successful pop-rock bands of all time. Chicago in reference to the band’s newly short- The group’s second only to the Beach Boys ened name. among American bands on the pop charts, Debuting with two double albums was bold, selling more than 100 million records and reg- but a gamble designed to benefit the con- istering 21 Top 10 singles. sumer. “It was the concept of our producer Jim More impressive is the band’s longevity. The Guercio, who always thought that the record band has been performing consistently since company was the enemy,” Lamm says. “The 1967, a 48-year stretch, and still has four of idea was to give the audience more bang for its original co-founders playing. One of them their buck.” is keyboardist Robert Lamm, one of Chicago’s Most artists would have called it quits a lead singers and songwriters. We can credit long time before, but at 70, Lamm says he’s him with such classics as “Saturday In the still as engaged as ever in the strenuous life Park,” “Does Anybody Really Know What Time of a touring band, playing more than 100 live It Is?” and “25 or 6 to 4.” shows a year. “We really enjoy playing … lis- PHOTO: Courtesy Chicago first came together as a band of tening to recorded music is fine, but the real Robert Lamm (second from right) has been with Chicago for all 48 of its years. college students recording as Chicago Transit magic in any kind of music is playing live for an Authority. At the time, Lamm says, he had audience,” he says. no idea what heights the band would reach. With such a large repertoire, Lamm has to fans. vibe and shows that side of the band. Even the “I didn’t know anything,” he recalls. “I didn’t his pick of favorite songs to perform with the Among the classics, Lamm has two par- one we did with the big band called Night and know anything about recording. I didn’t know band, but he says the favorites tend to be the ticular favorites: the 1973 hit “Just You ‘N’ Me” Day. All of those will give a young listener the anything about where this was headed. I, like ones written most recently. In this particular and his own composition “Saturday in the idea that a band like Chicago can successfully most young musicians, dreamed of someday case, that happens to be “Now,” the lead Park,” released in 1972. He loves “Just You ‘N’ do a broad spectrum of music.” recording an album.” single and title track from the band’s 36th Me” for its opportunities for improvisation on Chicago will celebrate its 50th anniversary As it turned out, that album, Chicago Transit album, released last summer. The song has a keyboard, as well as because “it’s just a gem in 2017, but Lamm doesn’t have any interest in Authority, was one of the most auspicious big, brassy feel that will be instantly familiar of a composition.” “Saturday in the Park” is taking a break to reflect on the achievement. all about the audience reaction, all around the “I’m the guy that’s gonna be somewhere else world. “Regardless of the language, the audi- if anything like that is planned,” he says. “I’m ence speaks and seems to know all the lyrics.” the guy that doesn’t like to look back. I like to Chicago’s sound is so distinctive that any- look forward.” Join us for our one who grew up with the band’s music on the radio needs no introduction. But younger fans Mother’s Day Brunch who face a daunting 36 albums might need ON STAGE 10 am - 3 pm some guidance. Lamm is happy to oblige, with Chicago will perform at 8 p.m. May six significant selections: “I would say listen 18 at the Riverside Theater, 116 W. to the first album, the fifth album, the seventh Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee. Tickets are album, definitely listen to the new album Chi- $65 or $50 and can be ordered at 414- Our special menu includes: cago XXXVI (Now), and I think also listen to 286-3663 or pabsttheater.org. Eggs Benedict, Smoked Bacon, Adults $38 Chicago 17. It has the whole ‘80s power ballad Children 12 & under $18 Breakfast Sausages, Call for Reservations French Toast Bake, 414.225.3270 Coq au vin Poulet, Pork Tenderloin Forestiere, Pacific Cod Bercy, Fettuccini ala Puttanesca, Ratatouille, Potatoes Gratinee, Smoked Fish, Lox, Crab Legs, Garden Fresh Salads, Artisan Breads, Fresh Baked Pastries and Cakes, Chef Prepared Cherries Jubilee AND MORE...

Classic • Urban • Sophisticated 411 East Mason Street • Milwaukee Corner of Milwaukee & Mason Street 414.272.1937 • hotelmetro.com WISCONSINGAZETTE.COMWISCONSINGAZETTE.COM | March| May 12,7, 2015 2015 43 The Sets List Music reviews Bob Dylan and His Band Hullabrew Josh Groban :: ‘Stages’ 8 p.m. May 13 at the Riverside Theater, Milwaukee. pabsttheater.org. 12 to 6 p.m. May 9 at High Stages is what Josh Groban’s most devoted fans have been waiting for. There’s nothing experimental: no songs in Por- Yes, we know this show has been sold out forever. But if you’re a fan of Noon Saloon, Madison. $20. tuguese like “Voce Existe Em Mim” on Dylan who missed your chance to get in, take solace in the knowledge that high-noon.com. Illuminations or strange cover choices one of the greatest folk musicians of our time will be in the same state as What’s the best way to like “The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress” on you, perhaps even the same city or the same ZIP code, for the duration of welcome the proper arrival All That Echoes. It is simply a collection this concert. That’s not anywhere near as good as hearing the legend perform of spring? With a brew of of beautifully sung and orchestrated songs from his new album of Frank Sinatra covers or classics from his nearly course — a Hullabrew! This songs from Broadway musicals (and 60-year career, but it’s something. conclusion to Madison Craft two movies, but one is a measured Beer Week marks its second take on “Over the Rainbow” so he gets Tame Impala year, with beer tasting from a pass). Sondheim fans will appreciate 8 p.m. May 14 at the Riverside Theater, Mil- top micro and craft breweries. “Finishing the Hat” from Sunday in the waukee. $25. pabsttheater.org. Also on tap: performances Park With George, and Carousel’s “You’ll Never Walk Alone” Each album in Tame Impala’s discogra- by a motley crew of Ameri- allows Groban to enthusiastically indulge all of his musical phy has provided bandleader and produc- cana artists from Wisconsin. excesses. This is his equivalent to Barbra Streisand’s The er Kevin Parker greater and greater license Whether you’re there for The Broadway Album, and a straightforward pleasure. to explore the limits of what his neo-psy- Midwest Beat, Earl Foss & the chedelic band can do. So it’s heartening to Brown Derby or The Mas- The Weepies :: ‘Sirens’ hear that the band’s recently announced cot Theory, you’re bound to Listening to the new Weepies album, it doesn’t take long third album, Currents, may follow that find something to love in the to remember how much this duo’s gentle and quirky songs tradition, with Parker stating in interviews whole shebang. If six hours have been missed. Married duo Deb that the album will continue to focus on of that isn’t enough, you can Talan and Steve Tannen have expe- the electronic elements touched on with even stick around for an older rienced their fair share of upheaval Lonerism and become even more minimal- act — the bluegrass Cork n’ in the five years since Be My Thrill. In ist. There’s no release date set yet, but if Bottle String Band, celebrat- December 2013, Talan was diagnosed you want to see what they’re working on, ing its 19th anniversary with a with breast cancer and much of Sirens the best way is to go to the source, catch- show starting at 6 p.m. was recorded while she was under- ing their Riverside show this month. going surgery and chemotherapy that resulted in the cancer’s remission. The songs include the title track “Sirens” — a dual reference to the mythological creatures and the sounds of ambulances — as well as engaging reflections on the motivations of “Boys Who Want To Be Girls.” Despite its baggage, Sirens sounds charmingly uncluttered and upbeat.

Zac Brown Band :: ‘Jekyll + Hyde’ The Zac Brown Band is at the forefront of crossover coun- try, and it didn’t have to throw their arms completely around pop music a la Taylor Swift to do so. The band ventures far from a country core on songs like big band-influenced “Mango Tree,” featuring Sara Bareilles, and the hard rock/metal “Heavy Is the Head,” featuring Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell. But the best moments on Jekyll + Hyde are when the country roots come out. Celtic instruments, guitar and an uplifting gospel chorus combine to make “Remedy” an affecting highlight. The slow country The Living Statues waltz arrangement of “Dress Blues” deepens the sad tale of 9 p.m. May 8 at Shank Hall, Milwaukee. $5. shankhall.com. Butch Walker a soldier who “never planned on the bombs in the sand.” One If you’re looking for a new, local band to give that push to, 9 p.m. May 23 at the Majestic The- complaint: The album is haphazardly sequenced, with mini- consider trying out The Living Statues. Cooked up by a trio of ater, Madison. $16, $18 day of show. mal cohesion to the otherwise first-rate listening experience. Milwaukeeans in 2012, the group’s been rocking ever since, i d e, S ho re F ire Me a o rl dw majesticmadison.com releasing their first EP, Knockin’, last year and performing on Jenny Lewis :: ‘The Voyager’ Butch Walker has so many songs in stages as far off as LA with artists as established as Tokyo Police Former Rilo Kiley vocalist Jenny Lewis invited Ryan Adams him he can’t keep them all to himself, Club and Walk the Moon. Not convinced? Consider this: The along as the producer on The Voyager, and he’s the one she’s working as a songwriter and producer band describes themselves as a mix between the Beatles circa credited in interviews with purposely for some of the biggest names in alter- Hard Day’s Night and Jack White. At least show up to see if they’re agitating her into the right mindset for native rock. But he keeps more than right. recording these tracks. The Voyager will

a few, and his wildly successful solo d e W a r ad ig m , A-Si appeal to those who remember fondly career gives him the opportunity to Milwaukee Psych Fest a certain style of Los Angeles late-’70s share them with the masses that love op : P May 14 to 17 at the Cactus Club, Milwaukee. Most shows $10, all-day pop-rock. Lewis has plenty to say about Saturday pass $15, all-festival pass $45. cactusclub.dostuff.info. him. He’s currently on the road selling

om T being a 30-something navigating the America on his latest record, Afraid of

If you’re sick of waiting for festival season or just not into fr world of romance as she sings, “I’m just Ghosts, which he spent a year writing mainstream acts, consider taking a trip to the Cactus Club for another lady without a baby” on “Just after the death of his father and record- the third annual Milwaukee Psych Fest. This four-day event brings One of the Guys.” The Voyager amounts ed in only four days with the help of a great sampling of psych, drone and shoegaze bands to Cream to a mature explication of Lewis as a solo performer with her his trusty friend and recent tour buddy City, including the reunited Milwaukee psych band Feck, under- revered wry humor fully intact. Catch her in Milwaukee May Ryan Adams. Don’t miss him when he ground Mexico City band Has A Shadow, reverb-heavy Londoners 19 at Turner Hall Ballroom. breezes through Madison. Ancient River and “psychedelic crusaders” Calliope. — Bill Lamb 44 WISCONSINGAZETTE.COM | May 7, 2015 ‘Big Fish’ director and First Stage change lives through theater By Michael Muckian Contributing writer ‘First Stage experiences It didn’t take long for Jeff Whiting’s mother to realize sports were not his thing. In fact all allow young people Whiting, a New York theater director and choreographer currently directing First Stage opportunities to learn Children’s Theater’s production of Big Fish, about themselves and credits his mother for launching his career. “My mom recalls watching me on the the world around them.’ soccer field like my brothers, but unlike my brothers I was bored out of my mind,” says Whiting, who grew up in Salt Lake City. in the class,” Whiting recalls. “I was told ‘She “Luckily, my intuitive mother said, ‘There doesn’t talk — she just likes to participate — must be something else out there for Jeff.’” so don’t ask her to speak or anything,’ and I Bette Whiting took her son, then age 10, to never did.” audition for a local production of Snow White During the exercise, Whiting instructed and the Seven Dwarves. Whiting won the role his students to pretend they were seeds and of Dopey and was soon hooked on an activity plant themselves in the dirt. They were then that became his life’s work. instructed to grow into trees that swayed in “I came to life and found my calling: to tell the wind. The little girl’s transformation, he stories in the theater,” says Whiting. “The- said, was remarkable. ater saves lives. At least, it saved my life.” “As we all started swaying in the breeze, Since then, Whiting, now 43, has amassed this young girl who had never before said a an impressive resume. His past work includes word, suddenly began to chatter and sing,” numerous roles as an actor, assistant director Whiting says. “All the students, and me, were and choreographer for productions in Orlan- completely shocked to hear her speak. But do and New York. First Stage’s production of there she was, and from that day forward, Big Fish marks a return to familiar material: she spoke as if she had always spoken.” Whiting was the associate director and cho- With an emphasis on performance and reographer for the show’s Broadway produc- education, the troupe isn’t afraid to tackle the tion, based on Daniel Wallace’s 1998 novel classics as a way to expand their older actors’ Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions and the reaches. Those high school-aged actors 2003 film adaptation by director Tim Burton. make up First Stage’s Young Company, which The play, built around the relationship of will tackle Shakespeare’s Hamlet this spring. a father who lives in a world of fantasy and “Our nationally renowned Young Company myth and the son who seeks to understand has a long history of taking on the classics,” who the man truly is, is perfectly suited for Frank says. “It is a great training opportunity children’s theater, Whiting says. for them, and a tremendous opportunity for “Younger audiences will be thrilled to see our teen audiences and their families to the enormous amount of fantastical stories experience these classic shows being per- that come to life right before their eyes,” formed by some of the best young actors this Whiting says. “And along the way they will be nation has to offer.” transported to understand the bond between This season’s production of Hamlet runs parent and child in a way that will surprise May 15 to 17 at the Milwaukee Youth Arts them.” Center. First Stage is both a theater for young audi- But right now, Big Fish is occupying most of ences and an academy for young performers, the company’s time, and Whiting couldn’t be and multiple casts of young actors ensure the happier with his involvement. maximum number of performers can enjoy “First Stage offers a unique environment what is often their first taste of the stage and where young actors are given the opportunity the benefits the experience offers, says First to work side-by-side with the best in the busi- Stage artistic director Jeff Frank. ness creating many original works,” Whiting “First Stage experiences at the theater, in says. “I worked on the original Broadway pro- our academy or in the classroom all allow duction of Big Fish, and to have the opportu- young people opportunities to learn more nity to re-create the show for First Stage has about themselves and the world around been a truly wonderful experience.” them,” Frank says. “It helps promote empa- thy and understanding and urges them to think for themselves, to collaborate, and to ON STAGE be prepared to tackle the obstacles that life First Stage’s production of Big Fish runs inevitably presents.” May 8 to 31 in the Todd Wehr Theater It can also change lives, Whiting says. One at the Marcus Center for the Performing specific instance in which Whiting taught Arts, 929 N. Water St., Milwaukee. For young actors in Harlem had a profound, lin- more information and tickets, call 414- gering effect on the director. 273-7121 or visit firststage.org. “There was a young girl who participated WISCONSINGAZETTE.COM | May 7, 2015 45 G i

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Scott Walker’s security costs are After four years in office, Walker blames state’s sluggish economy on triple those of his predecessor ex-Gov. Jim Doyle and former Democratic leaders Nick Zales: Walker goes out of his way Catherine Hoffman: I didn’t realize how and aggressive maneuvers against middle to upset people. he has called the people powerful Doyle was. … Did Doyle also pre- class jobs and incomes. Mind you this, if our of Wisconsin communists, terrorists and vent Walker from creating all those jobs he border states Illinois and Minnesota weren’t leeches. So some people can bury their head promised? hiring Wisconsinites we’d be in even deeper Feedback from our in the sand and like him, the rest of us resent trouble. digital platforms. all this name calling and hate. Patty Jewett: Maybe he should blame republicans for deregulating Wall Street Robin Van Zeeland: In the beginning, he facebook.com/ Jordan Barahona: Maybe if he didn’t and their credit default swap shenanigans in was fighting the recession like everyone else compare his constituents to Isis it wouldn’t 2008. but when other states started rebounding, we wigazette be an issue. dove for the bottom because of his policies. Henry Blaskowski: That’s an ironically @wigazette Annie Crump: Salary and overtime of funny story from the Dem’s, considering Michael McDonald: After all, Scooter did security team are the most expensive cost to that 7 years later Obama is still blaming reduce our property taxes by $5 a year. We taxpayers, yet no right wing group has volun- Bush for everything on earth, including the should all be spending like crazy! teered to pay. Perhaps the Kochs will step up. poor results of programs that started under After all, Walker does all their bidding. Obama. Margo Allen: Still? If he can’t improve it in two terms, how did Doyle mess it up so bad? Nancy Thorp Swanson: I thought he Jay Askin: Wisconsin is s great example of The straw man keeps getting bigger!!! was “unintimidated” . . . if so, why the need trickle down economics. ... The wages and for all of that security? expendable income for working class Wis- Jim Klabechek: Of course he does They consinites has taken a hit with poor policy never admit fault. WISCONSINGAZETTE.COM | May 7, 2015 47 48 WISCONSINGAZETTE.COM | May 7, 2015