The Milwaukee Rep’s latest production Eclipsed is an homage to brave and resilient women living through the Liberian Civil War. It's an intimate portrayal of women banding together to lift up their community. It’s with that in mind that Milwaukee Rep launched its “SHEroes” project, which is recognizing 12 women of color who are working to create a better Milwaukee.
The project is spearheaded by Leah Harris, the director of community engagement at the Rep, and she says there's a natural connection between SHEroes and Eclipsed.
“These are women that are resilient, these are women that show sisterhood, that are leaders, that exemplify solidarity and collaboration,” Harris says. “And so those were just kind of the words that kept popping up into my head and those are also the words that I think of when I think of our SHEroes and women that are here in Milwaukee.”
One of the recipients is Katie Avila Loughmiller, a co-founder of LUNA - a local artist collection that works to support Latinx artists in Milwaukee.
Avila Loughmiller thinks of SHEroes as “the women who are taking action and making space and room for everybody else. And making space at the top.” She moved to Milwaukee four years ago and started LUNA with artist Gabriela Riveros after six months of struggling to find her community. “LUNA came out of necessity,” she says.
“I felt like if there was one show in our entire season to have a campaign that was dedicated to uplifting the work of women of color I felt like Eclipsed was the best play and has some really beautiful alignment,” Harris says.
Written by actress-playwright Danai Gurira (Black Panther, The Walking Dead), Eclipsed runs at the Milwaukee Rep's Quadracci Powerhouse March 3-29, 2020. Tickets and more information can befound here.
