September’s MKE Creatives had a dramatic lean to it – no surprise there, as our guest was Mark Bucher, founder and artistic director of the Boulevard Theatre. Mark has been a fixture of the MKE theatre scene for over three decades and came to share with us some of the knowledge he’s learned in that time. Besides Mark (a theatre director, actor, acting coach, bon vivant) and me (commercial/editorial photographer), there were, as every month, a nice variety of professionals gathered at Anodyne Coffee in Walker’s Point. There was Michelle – a video editor, voice-over actor, and Jumbotron operator; Liz – a romance novelist and copy editor (who’s looking for more work, if you know of anyone!); and Mark, who’s “working to launch a new business while continuing his current biz”, he’s a web/tech consultant and time/balance/productivity consultant. There was also the ever-jovial, Paul – a storyteller/toymaker/real-bearded Santa; Robin – a writer/editor and musician in the alt-country-punk band, The CowPonies; and John, a CPA and investment advisor!
Much of what Mark had to share with us dwelt on the ability of a local theatre company to bring about change in a community. The Boulevard (BLVD) has spent thirty-one years putting on shows (many WI premieres), inspiring emerging actors AND other theatre companies, and sharing with many, many audience members the magic that can only come from a live theatre experience.
Mark talked about how, when the BLVD began in its former space on Kinnickinnic, the storefront had formerly been an adult bookstore and the neighborhood was a bit on the rougher side. The persistent theatre though, year after year, kept putting on plays of all kinds, bringing all kinds of people to Bay View – and equally important, in time, more businesses to Bay View. The theatre has been a “petri dish of culture” and as the theatre kept on, the neighborhood got better – restaurants, small businesses moved in, too.
The Boulevard has, for much of its life, been a “struggling” theatre – due in part, Mark thinks, to some of the plays they choose to put on and the changing nature of audiences. “…we do things like Moliere, Shakespeare, Beckett…there can be a challenge to find audiences. Nowadays we need to pick pieces that are 70-90 min, whereas in the 1940s, if a play wasn’t three acts, the audience would feel cheated! So, now we need to choose shorter pieces, preferably comedies…”
Mark also stressed the importance of casting from the local pool of actors. “Certain big companies are now choosing actors from out of town, and that’s wrong – because now there’s that many less actors in Milwaukee who can afford a mortgage and to make a living.”
Ultimately, Mark made the good point we all could agree with – the arts – be they visual or performing – contribute a lot to the stability and vitality of a community. If we want our communities to thrive, we HAVE to support our artists as much as we can!
Find out more about the Boulevard HERE.
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In October, the MKE Creatives did not have a regular meetup, but did have a small chit-chat at Bounce Milwaukee (a place as good for entertaining kids, as for adults!). Kristine Hansen (travel/food/wine writer), Michael Timm (writer, editor, and game-creator), and I had a beer and a good time talking shop against a backdrop of the impending second presidential debate and the hollers of children in bouncy houses!
See past MKE Creatives meetups HERE.
