About the Program
Next Actors is Next Act Theatre’s completely free summer intensive for advanced high school theatre artists and recent graduates. Over four weeks, student actors work alongside professional directors to explore the art of documentary theatre. They learn to conduct interviews, shape transcripts into theatrical storytelling, and bring the real words of community members to life onstage. The program culminates in an original play created entirely by the ensemble and shared with audiences throughout Milwaukee.
About the Piece
Rather than focusing on the divisions that often define conversations about Milwaukee, this year’s ensemble wanted to ask a different question: Where’s the love that’s holding Milwaukee together? The student actors set out to discover where love comes from, how people experience it, and the ways it shapes families, neighborhoods, and communities. They interviewed a remarkable cross-section of Milwaukee – from well-known voices like John McGivern and Christopher Gilbert to little league coaches, religious leaders, music teachers, and other community members from different corners of the city. Using the words from those conversations, they created an original play of monologues and vignettes that blend journalism with performance. The result is a theatrical mosaic of authentic voices that reflects Milwaukee back to itself.
The runtime of small, easy, simple good: The Interview Project is 75 minutes with no intermission.
Interested in supporting the Next Actors program further? We encourage you to donate more than the $5 cost of your ticket. Donations can be made while purchasing tickets online or over the phone, as well as in-person before the performance.
Additional, free, public performances of small, easy, simple good: The Interview Project will take place at:
Thursday, August 6, 2026
11:30 a.m.
Brown Deer Public Library
4301 W Brown Deer Rd, Brown Deer, WI 53223
1:30 p.m.
North Shore Library
711 Grace St, Ste 112, Bayside, WI 53217
Friday, August 7, 2026
2:00 p.m.
Shorewood Public Library/Village Center Meeting Room
3920 N Murray Ave, Shorewood, WI 53211