A world premiere on a slightly less grand scale opened Friday night in a space located in the historic Third Ward. MKE Carries is the work of a two-year-old group called Cooperative Performance Milwaukee, and it is born from the improvisation tradition. The script wasn’t written ahead of time, but rather, evolved over the course of rehearsals with input from everyone involved.
The poster for MKE Carries reads "The lives of 5 people told simultaneously. You pick which stories to follow, when and if to interact." The production lets the audience directs where the ultimate outcome will land, "This is your story."
Nevertheless, there is a playwright compiling and refining what audiences will experience. That’s Fly Steffens, who joined Lake Effect's Bonnie North in the studio, along with founder and director Neal Easterling, and performer Juan Blasquez.
"The advantage is that we all get a say, it's not a top-down structure. Those who create the art have an opportunity to build art, to make art. The idea for us is that we want to be a place where people can create something new, try something out," says Esaterling.
MKE Carries is running throughout March from 7 p.m. - 10 p.m., the story resets every hour.
