Tag Archives: South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center

July 31, 2014 · 8:20 pm

New Leadership For South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center

Farewell, Chad Piechocki. Welcome, Rachel Sorce.

Rachel is taking over for Chad as director of the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center, the SMPAC announced this week.

Chad will be missed, as he becomes the managing director of Present Music, an ensemble performance group. He was a visionary, focused on big ideas that have helped the SMPAC grow into the community treasure it is today. I was impressed with him from the start, and his passion, dedication, hard work and creativity were always evident.

Rachel – most recently the SMPAC’s marketing director and box office manager — brings those same qualities into the role, and she will build on the strong foundation to make the facility and its performances that much better.

I’m excited for the future of the SMPAC. I hope you are too.

From Chad’s farewell statement …

It has truly been an honor and pleasure to lead SMPAC over the past four years and with your support help facilitate its continued growth. Thank you to the many patrons, subscribers, donors, sponsors, volunteers, students, families, teachers, administrative staff, technicians, community members and SMPAC Council who supported me and SMPAC along the way. My fondest memories are those moments right before the curtain went up when the audience and artists were hanging in anticipation of what was about to happen on stage. That energy is something that I believe can only happen with a live performance. It has been an inspiration to witness the responses of thousands of patrons over the years and to bring the brilliance of the performing arts to students and community members of various walks of life. The success of the past 10 years is a testament to what can happen when a community of people works together to fulfill a dream of many generations. South Milwaukee will always have a special place in my life. I hope to see you at an upcoming show during the 10th anniversary season! 

From Rachel’s statement …

I’m excited about this opportunity to serve SMPAC in an expanded role as Director and work towards helping SMPAC reach its greatest potential for enriching lives with performing arts. I look forward to our 10th Anniversary season and all of the wonderful experiences that will be brought to life on and off our stage.

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July 14, 2014 · 6:14 pm

Three Nights Of Drama At The Depot

Depot-in-SpringAs if Heritage Week wasn’t special enough … now comes this unique special event at perhaps the city’s most iconic structure.

Here is the lineup for Drama at the Depot, with outdoor performances planned for 7:30 p.m. each night July 24-26 at the 121-year-old depot at 11th and Madison Avenues.

The performers …

Mississippi Sawyer is a band featuring conventional and improvised acoustic instruments.  To the delight of the listeners, Mississippi Sawyer brings together the sounds of the banjo, kick-drum suitcase, guitar, washtub bass, washboard, singing saw, Irish whistle, kazoos and other homemade instruments.

Cadance Collective will perform a Folk Suite of works inspired by several folk songs of the 19th century including ‘Oh My Darling, Clementine’ and ‘I’ve Been Working on the Railroad.’  The third song, ‘Wayfaring Stranger’ deals with the theme of wandering along life’s path, as so many drifters did following the birth of the U.S. railroad system.  Cadance Collective uses flute, cello, ukulele, voice, and dance, to translate these old familiar songs into a modern language.

Dance Revolution Milwaukee (DRM) performance explores how we make and maintain relationships in a world filled with hustle and bustle.  The work incorporates the theme of interconnectedness between people and places as well as the history of South Milwaukee and the South Milwaukee Railroad Depot.  The piece, Threefold, “physicalizes” the need to keep changing and also the importance of staying connected to people and places most important to us.

Kath Vandenberg’s theatre piece about a woman in her mid-20’s remembering how she used to come and play on the platform and in the area surrounding the depot.  This fictional woman grew up in the neighborhood of the depot and will act out brief encounters with the mysterious and interesting passengers that she meets on the train.

These performances are free, open to the public and appropriate for all ages. I am really looking forward to this, and I hope you are too. What a great way to show off a beautifully restored building.

The performances are presented by the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center and The Battery Factory.

Here is the press release.

Learn more about the history of the depot here.

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May 21, 2014 · 10:57 pm

What A Year At The South Milwaukee PAC

Chad and his team have a terrific recap of the year that was at the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center … and some information on what’s to come, including a June 10 10th anniversary season announcement.

(Hard to believe it’s already been 10 years, right?)

Check out the newsletter here, and please continue supporting this community treasure.

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October 23, 2013 · 10:27 pm

Halloween In South Milwaukee: Frankenstein At The PAC, Human Concerns Haunted House, Trick-Or-Treating And More

As the parent of two young kids, I’m starting to enjoy Halloween more and more. And there’s a number of ways to have some frightful fun around town in coming days …

  • Friday and Saturday: There is a kid-friendly haunted house benefiting Human Concerns at 821 Marion Ave. Hours are 7 to 10 p.m. Cost is a $2 donation or two (or more) non-perishable food items at the door.
  • Saturday: St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, next to Rawson Park, is hosting a family-friendly Halloween event from 2 to 4 p.m. featuring candy, games and more. Learn more here.
  • Saturday: The South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center is bringing “500 Clown Frankenstein” to town for a show starting at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are still available. Here is the description from the PAC website — sounds like a great time. 500 Clown uses action-based performance, improvisation, and circus arts to enact long-form dramatic stories that involve both physical and emotional risk. “ Frankenstein” features three performers who are charged with a task: “make monster.” Bound in elaborate Edwardian costumes, the trio embarks on a journey to construct Dr. Frankenstein’s laboratory while they struggle and battle through acrobatic feats. A tale of Doctor and Monster is told from scraps of the classic novel and Hollywood versions, inviting audience involvement throughout.
  • Thursday, Oct. 31 (Halloween): Don’t forget … the city is again holding its official trick-or-treating from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Be sure to leave your porch lights on if you are handing out candy. Learn more in my previous post.

Did I miss anything? Let me know!

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July 15, 2013 · 4:46 pm

“Jungle Book” Comes To Town

Putting in a quick plug for this Saturday’s South Milwaukee Youth Theatre presentation of “The Jungle Book” at the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center.

Show times are 1 and 6 p.m.

Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for children ages 5-17  (under 5 are free), and they can be purchased at the show or at the PAC box office this week from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

I hope to see you there — because my five-year-old is the Baby Elephant!

(Also, the SMYT seniors put on the “Little Mermaid” July 26-28.)

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June 4, 2013 · 5:15 pm

South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center Announces 2013-14 Season Lineup

It promises to be another great season at the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center.

The PAC has announced its 2013-14 season schedule, and it includes a unique mix of performances that cities our size simply don’t get too often. Here is the lineup …

2013 Shows

  • Oct. 26: 500 Clown — Frankenstein
  • Nov. 16-17: Flamenco Vivo/Carlotta Santana
  • Dec. 12: Calmus — Christmas A Cappella

2014 Shows

  • Jan. 25: Milwaukee Ballet II World Premiere feat. Music of Cole Porter
  • Feb. 8: Baby Wants Candy
  • March 13: ACME — Songs Still Sung feat. Weinberg Op. 18
  • April 25: I’m Not a Pilot and Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra
  • April 26: Jason Moran — Fats Waller Dance Party

Learn more here … and consider buying a season ticket to support this terrific local treasure. They make great Father’s Day gifts.

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March 20, 2013 · 3:51 pm

Swimming And Singing Through Time: Beatles Tribute Band Concert To Benefit South Milwaukee Swim Team

Here’s a unique sports team fundraiser — a Beatles concert.

OK, it’s not the Beatles. It’s a local Beatles tribute band called Liverpool ’64, and it promises to be a fun night when they play on Saturday, April 6, at the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center. Showtime is 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are $13 for adults and $9 for high schoolers and younger. A bake sale, raffles and performances from the South Milwaukee High School swim team are also planned.

Learn more in this flyer. Here is the band’s website.

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March 6, 2013 · 6:35 am

South Milwaukee High School Students Present “Hairspray”

Got this from Leslie Henry …

This weekend the students from School District of South Milwaukee High School will be presenting the blockbuster hit Hairspray at the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center.

The production will be Friday, March 8 at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, March 9th at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, March 10, at 2 p.m. Tickets are $11 for adult admission, $9 for students and seniors, $33 for a four pack of tickets.

For information for tickets call the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center box office 766-5049 or through their website
http://www.southmilwaukeepac.org/.

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November 26, 2012 · 9:30 pm

12 Days Of South Milwaukee Christmas: South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center

Shop local this Christmas season … and why not give the gift of performance art?

I write a lot about the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center, and with a first-class director and a strong lineup of performances, the center is worth the digital ink.

If you haven’t checked it out yet — and shows like Friday’s performance by the Vienna Boys Choir — you are missing out. And if you have, why not spread the word about the PAC with some stocking-stuffer gift certificates?

Some upcoming performances of note: the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra on Dec. 6, the Cantare Chorale on Dec. 8 and the Grant Park Players (presenting “Christmas Belles”) on Dec. 14-15 and 21-22.

Then there is the SMPAC’s Performing Arts Series, which resumes in January with Avner Eisenberg.

South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center

  • Location: 901 15th Ave.
  • Phone: 766-5049
  • On the web: http://www.southmilwaukeepac.org/index.htm

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November 25, 2012 · 3:43 pm

Lucky To Have Him: Get To Know South Milwaukee PAC Director Chad Piechocki

Urban Milwaukee has a great feature on Chad Piechocki, the West Point graduate turned Army veteran turned writer turned director of the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center.

See it here … and let’s be thankful we have people like Chad committed to making South Milwaukee a better place to live, work and play.

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November 15, 2012 · 10:08 pm

Embracing The South Milwaukee PAC: Big Shows Coming Up

We should celebrate the South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center. Few communities our size have a venue like this — and certainly don’t have the quality of performances it does.

That is certainly the case the next few weeks. Here’s what’s coming up:

  • Saturday: Lindsey Buckingham, of Fleetwood Mac fame
  • Nov. 23: Vienna Boys Choir
  • Dec. 6: Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra presents “Holiday Pops, Too!”

Learn more at the SMPAC website, and please support this community treasure.

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September 7, 2012 · 11:41 pm

South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center Season Opens Sunday With John Gurda

Check out the first event of the 2012-13 South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center Performing Arts Series on Sunday, as local historian John Gurda returns to the SMPAC for a presentation called “History of the South Shore.”

Here’s the description from the SMPAC website:

Take a journey with local historian, John Gurda, as he describes the history of the region from Walker’s Point stretching south to South Milwaukee and into Oak Creek. The evening will include light refreshments after the presentation for a chance to reminisce about the days gone by!

Showtime is 6:30 p.m., and tickets are a bargain … just $5 or $10.

I’m looking forward to the event and to the rest of the strong lineup the center is bringing to South Milwaukee this year. The SMPAC is something we should all be proud of.

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August 29, 2012 · 10:21 pm

Enjoy Some Great Music At The Market: Country Trio The WhiskeyBelles To Perform Thursday

Show of Whiskey, anyone?

The last of three South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center concerts at the South Milwaukee Downtown Market is Thursday, as female country trio The WhiskeyBelles perform starting around 5:30 p.m.

Bring your lawn chairs. It promises to be a great show!

And mark your calendars for next week’s market (Sept. 6), as South Shore Family Chiropractic presents a Health Fair at the event. More than 20 health-related vendors are planned, in addition to the dozens of other market regulars selling produce, organics, arts, crafts, baked goods, prepared foods and more. Check out the press release here.

And here is The WhiskeyBelles website.

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September 28, 2011 · 9:55 am

The Future Of Jazz: Workshop Welcomes Local Students At SMPAC

The South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center certainly has a strong lineup of performers, one that separates it from other community arts centers. It also has a strong educational component — giving local students chances to get an inside look at the musicians that perform there.

That was the case again this week, as more than 100 local students attended a jazz workshop by the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, which performed to rave reviews at the SMPAC on Sunday night.

Check out the Fox 6 story here.

And here is my posting about the visit by Alpin Hong in the spring.

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September 22, 2011 · 2:41 pm

Local Arts: Preservation Hall Jazz Band Kicks Off SMPAC Season On Sunday

The South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center is something for the city to cherish — a point of difference that few communities our size can boast.

From its annual performance series to its jazz concerts at the farmers’ market, the SMPAC is terrific attraction that is only getting bigger and better as its offerings improve.

See for yourself Sunday, as the center’s 2011-12 season kicks off with a performance by the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, a popular group and “good get” for the SMPAC out of New Orleans. Tickets are still available for the show, which starts at 7:30 p.m. at the high school.

Learn more at the new SMPAC website.

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