For forty years, Milwaukee Public Theatre has taken its art to the streets. And the neighborhoods. And the schools.
The company was founded by Barbara Leigh, and has a distinctive niche in the Milwaukee arts community.
It incorporates mime, puppetry, dance, martial arts and even circus performance in an effort to make a difference through artistic engagement.
This Friday, the company marks its 40th anniversary with a performance extravaganza, calledThe Steampunk Circus of Metamorphosis, at their workspace in the Grand Avenue Mall.
Founder Barbara Leigh and collaborators Susan and Ron Scot Fry, of Milwaukee’s Optimist Theatre, joined Lake Effect’s Bonnie North to talk about the theater's history and its growth.
"We wanted to change the world. We thought 'well...theater, what else? what better way?' And we just kind of started and never stopped," says Leigh.
