| Company History
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1987-2008
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| Founded
in 1987 by Artistic Director Isabelle Kralj, Theatre Gigante (former
Milwaukee Dance Theatre) is a performing arts organization dedicated
to the
creation
and
presentation of performance work that integrates theater, dance, text,
and music, through which Theatre Gigante fosters inter-disciplinary collaborations
and original work. To further promote and support its artistic mission,
Theatre Gigante creates and engages in outreach/educational activities
in the community. Recently completing its 20th season, Theatre Gigante
has a history of critical acclaim
and is
known for its consistency in high-quality productions.
Theatre Gigante has an eclectic range of artistic achievements, from evening-long performance pieces to evenings of shorter works. Some of the company's more memorable productions include Kralj's Escapades of Kurent, A Soldier's Tale, It's A Wonderful Life, 10 Minutes Till Bedtime, and Petrushka. Kralj began working with writer and performance artist Mark Anderson in 1996, beginning with Theatre Gigante's premiere of their holiday production It's A Wonderful Life. The performance received great critical acclaim. Their artistic partnership was so successful that they continued to collaborate on other projects, and in 1999 Anderson joined the company as Associate Director. Besides presenting its own productions, the company has collaborated and/or worked with many other arts organizations, such as Theatre X, the John Michael Kohler Arts Center, the Pabst Theater, Rosalind Newman and Dancers, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Florentine Opera, Bel Canto Chorus, and First Stage Milwaukee. Theatre Gigante has also appeared at Dance Theatre Workshop in New York City. To further promote its commitment to multi-disciplinary performance work, and to promote the arts in general, Theatre Gigante engages in educational outreach activities. In the past and/or currently, Theatre Gigante has worked with the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, the Foster Care Board, Milwaukee Public Schools, senior citizens, Pettit Ice Center, and students of all ages, among others. Theatre Gigante has offered workshops and classes in solo performance, dance technique, theater and/or dance improvisational work, and performance creation. Theatre Gigante is, for a negoatiable fee, available for: 2007 Down and Personal Mrs.
Shakespeare Dishes the Dirt by Gillian Eaton 2005 Museum of Life or Death 2004 Fair
and Balanced 2003 Piaf 1996 It's a Wonderful Life
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