Milwaukee, WI
Scholarship seeks to bring ‘new voices’ to Milwaukee’s improv scene | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Those historically left out of the world of improv comedy have a new opportunity to get involved in Milwaukee’s growing scene.
The Interchange Theater Co-op, a community-run improvisation theater and school, has established a scholarship for classes, specifically encouraging people of color, people with disabilities and LGBTQ+ people to apply.
“Milwaukee is unfortunately very segregated, and there is a large white population at our theater and other theaters in the area,” said Vince Figueroa, education director at the Interchange, located at 628 N. 10th St. “So the challenge is: How do we reach out to those other communities to get them to come perform with us and see and learn and embrace the thing that we love?”
The scholarship aims to address this challenge.
‘A really valuable art form’
Figueroa gives all the credit for the scholarship, called the New Voices Improv Comedy Scholarship, to his colleague, Mia Serafina, the Interchange’s community and culture director.
Serafina grew up in Milwaukee but performed on improv teams in less-diverse parts of the state. After returning to Milwaukee after college in 2021, she reconnected with Latinx performers and was reminded of how isolating a lack of diversity can be for an improv performer of color
“I think accessibility to improv helps with people recognizing that it’s not just for one group of people. It’s a really valuable art form, but without points of accessibility, it’s hard to find your way there,” said Serafina.
“We just want a fuller presence at our theater,” she added.
The scholarship covers the $200 cost of a class, removing a financial barrier to entry.
“I know people who want to take classes in the scene at various theaters but unfortunately can’t, just because of the cost,” said Michael Kittelson, an LGBTQ+ comedian who performs at the Interchange.
A more diverse group of performers also reduces other barriers, Kittelson added.
“As a gay man, going into maybe a group elsewhere that might mostly be straight, that could be intimidating for me – not just talking about an improv group but just like a group that I’m not used to,” he said.
All about improv
The Interchange offers five core courses to help individuals learn different aspects of long-form improv.
Improv, short for “improvisation,” is where performers create characters and dialogue on the spot.
People may be familiar with improv from popular television shows like “Whose Line Is It Anyway,” which debuted in the U.S. in 1998 and ended its most recent run in February.
But there are different types of improv.
While “Whose Line” features short-form improv – quick, one-off scenes often based on audience suggestions – many improv classes, including those at the Interchange, provide training in long-form improv.
Long-form improv involves performers creating a series of interconnected scenes, which allow for richer characters and more sustained narratives.
“There’s just something so freeing and exciting about walking onto the stage and discovering what the scene is going to be, discovering who your character is going to be, helping your scene partner discover who they are,” said Figueroa. “So it’s its own unique art form.”
A more diverse group of performers creates stronger comedy in general, he added.
“You say ‘improv’ and some people have this standard image of four middle-aged white guys in flannel doing improv,” Figueroa said. “So when you get other people who don’t look like that … there might be some other references that you wouldn’t think of or connections you wouldn’t necessarily make.”
For more information
People interested in the scholarship can apply online.
The next deadline to apply is Dec. 20, with classes beginning on Jan. 13.
Those with questions can email education@interchangetheater.com.
MILWAUKEE — Five teenagers were arrested on Thursday following a police pursuit that started on the 5500 block of W. Silver Spring Drive at around 10 a.m.
The teenagers were seen by the Milwaukee Police Department in a wanted vehicle that was involved in an armed robbery, and attempted to stop the vehicle.
The driver refused to stop, starting the police pursuit.
TMJ4
The pursuit ended when the suspect exited the vehicle and started to run on foot on W. Appleton Place, according to MPD.
MPD then arrested a 16-year-old female, a 16-year-old male, two 17-year-old females, and a 15-year-old male.
Criminal charges will be referred to the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office.
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BY ALEXANDRA G STAHL AND AMRITA THAKKAR
Every year, Milwaukee Riverkeeper organizes one of the biggest volunteer-led cleanups in the city – a gargantuan effort that has Milwaukeeans out in droves to clean up the Milwaukee, Menomonee and Kinnickinnic rivers after the first of the spring rains. The science-based advocacy organization works for clean, swimmable, fishable and drinkable water in the Milwaukee River Basin year-round, but April is their biggest push, as they set up what is likely the largest volunteer-led event in the state.
For their 31st annual cleanup on April 25, however, the Riverkeepers had a goal that dwarfed every previous year – they wanted to break the world record for the world’s biggest river cleanup. With 124 clean-up sites this year (versus last year’s 100), they were confident that they had a good chance at the title.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
“The people’s power is something pretty spectacular,” says Jennifer Bolger Breceda, executive director of Milwaukee Riverkeeper. “Our spring cleanup is really kind of a kickoff of spring to a lot of people. We have a lot of nuisance pollution in Milwaukee because of our winters, and the snow covers up a lot of the trash for a significant period of time. When it melts it becomes pretty noticeable, so it’s a perfect time to get out there and do the cleanup.”
Tru Earth, the presenting sponsor of the cleanup, originally approached Riverkeeper with the idea of breaking a world record, aiming to see if the title already existed or if they could create one. The organizations reached out to Guinness World Records, and it turned out there was already an existing world record for “Most Participants in a River Clean-up (multiple locations).” The record had previously been set at a cleanup of the Taff River in the United Kingdom, with 1,327 participants.
But applying to break the record was the easy part – once Guinness was on board, the real work began. The record had to be judged against the previous record, and it had to be done exactly the same way.
“We had to train more volunteers to support our other volunteers, to watch, witness and adjudicate them,” explains Bolger Breceda. “We also had an adjudicator from Guinness present on the day of the event.”
The extra layer caused some logistical challenges. While previous events were more casual, with volunteers showing up in their own time, Riverkeeper requested that volunteers show up early this year so everyone could start at 9 a.m. Every site captain was added to a text message chain, so that all sites started work at the same time.
The event drew over 4,923 volunteers and ended up with approximately 111,452 pounds of trash collected. While Guinness only counted 2,082 people due to their own adjudication standards, it still easily surpassed the previous record.
While Riverkeeper called for pre-registrations well in advance so they could organize for supplies, Bolger Breceda says that they didn’t put in any extra effort into recruiting the record-breaking number. “With the flooding and the rains a couple weeks before the clean-up, as well as the storm last August, people really wanted to clean up the river,” she explains. “There was a lot of trash, debris and litter, and the demand to clean, so to speak, was high.”
As always, the clean-up resulted in a number of strange finds – three toilets, two mattresses, five fire extinguishers, 39 tires, 11 construction barrels, six construction signs, six shopping carts, a golf bag with clubs and even a wheelchair.
The record was announced at Rock the Green at the Harley-Davidson Museum later that day. “It was a lot of work, but it was worth it to put Milwaukee on the map,” says Bolger Breceda.
MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee’s Festival of Flowers is returning to Riverwalk Commons at the Milwaukee Public Market this Saturday, running from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The free event features a flower market with vendors selling fresh flowers, art, and handmade goods, along with live music on the Riverwalk Common stage.
Milwaukee Public Market
A new floral art installation from Botanical Collective will also be on display, serving as a photo opportunity for attendees. The installation builds on a similar display from last year’s event.
WATCH: Milwaukee’s Festival of Flowers returns for a second year with new additions
Milwaukee’s Festival of Flowers returns for second year with new additions
“So things that you might have seen last year are absolutely coming back. We have free live music on the Riverwalk Common stage. We have a flower market with vendors selling fresh flowers, art, handmade goods, all of that really fun stuff. Then we also have Botanical Collective last year made this beautiful floral art installation that also acted as a photo op. This year it’s going to look a little different, so we’re really excited to see what they put together,” said Paige Hammond with the Milwaukee Public Market.
Milwaukee Public Market
Also new this year, the festival will kick off with a free yoga class at 11 a.m. Attendees are asked to bring their own mat.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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