Milwaukee Rep Spearheads Mask Making Efforts To Aid Frontline Workers

With no sets to build and no costumes to construct, Milwaukee Rep has partnered with First Stage and Milwaukee Ballet to leverage resources to make masks and face shields for frontline workers at Children’s Hospital, Froedert and the Medical College of Wisconsin.  To date the organizations have donated over 10,000 pieces of PPE with weekly deliveries ongoing thanks in part to funding from the Northwestern Mutual Foundation.

Ten Milwaukee Rep employees, working in conjunction with First Stage and Milwaukee Ballet are producing 700-800 masks per week for Children’s Hospital with an additional 100 masks going to Froedert every week.  Twelve other employees, with the help of their families, are creating over 8,000 paper surgical masks per week for the Medical College of Wisconsin as long as mask-making kits are available.  Additionally, Children’s Hospital and Froedert will receive 200 face shields over the next 3 weeks that Milwaukee Rep was able to construct with materials found onsite.

“Jared Clarkin, our Director of Production at Milwaukee Rep is used to coordinating hundreds of talented people to bring a vision to life on stage,” said Artistic Director Mark Clements.  “That is why it is of no surprise to me that he proposed this effort and has worked tirelessly to utilize our resources and the resources of other performing arts groups for a common goal of protecting our frontline workers.  As theater makers we are not used to sitting idle and while this may only be a small effort in the grand scheme of things, I’m glad our talented employees are stepping in to lend a hand.”

Milwaukee Rep is the largest performing arts organization in Wisconsin welcoming nearly 300,000 people at 700 performances of 15 productions a season in the Patty & Jay Baker Theater Complex featuring three unique performance venues– the Quadracci Powerhouse, Stiemke Studio and Stackner Cabaret. For over six decades, Milwaukee Rep has been a centerpiece of Milwaukee’s vibrant arts and cultural scene with productions ranging from Broadway musicals to Shakespeare to American Classics and New Works that are entertaining, inclusive and impactful. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Mark Clements and Executive Director Chad Bauman, Milwaukee Repertory Theater ignites positive change in the cultural, social, and economic vitality of its community by creating world-class theater experiences that entertain, provoke, and inspire meaningful dialogue among an audience representative of Milwaukee’s rich diversity.

As a nonprofit arts organization, Milwaukee Rep relies heavily on the support of Donors, Subscribers and Single Ticket buyers. The individual support is crucial to the organization’s existence as Milwaukee Rep and other arts organizations are realizing significant losses due to the impact of COVID-19.  If you are looking for a meaningful way to help, please renew or purchase a Subscription for Milwaukee Rep’s 2020/21 Season and/or donate today.