An Open Letter to YOU:
For a number of years I have found myself in the midst of discussions with theatre artists about why we each are (and, perhaps more pertinently – aren’t) making theatre. Specific reasons are numerous and varied there appear several factors that recur with sufficient frequency to qualify as constants:
1.    Geography/Locus – the difficulty/affordability of creating an “ home”
2.    Energy – the stress that the compressed time frame most productions impose/have imposed upon them to put out that “product” - and the ensuing “let down” – the feeling of “where do I go from here” that accompanies the closing of a production.
3.    Context – the desire for projects that offer meaningful experience for the artists by:
•    Allowing, and indeed goading them to explore the unknown boundaries of their stages and of themselves as artists
•    Providing  a safe place – a combination “gymnasium/laboratory/Santa’s workshop” to fulfill that exploration
•    Inviting each and every participant in the enterprise to full ownership of the work through shared responsibilities, with opportunities to develop and broaden his/her skills in all facets of artistic preparation and production (which is a fancy way of saying that everybody gets to emote and everybody gets to hang lights – no “techie” vs “artistic” camps).
•    Make a theatre that is accessible and affordable - to reach audiences who frequently bypass live performance as “too expensive” or “not for people like them.”
•    Provide the artist with a place to “come home” to – to practice their craft and experience themselves as artists even when they are not in a specific production.

So, we know what we’re looking for...but…WHERE DO WE FIND IT?

The concept of the Floating Repertory Ensemble has evolved over the years as the proverbial “wouldn’t it be great if…?” response:
a.    to create an ensemble made up of individuals of different backgrounds, training, and levels of skill pooling their talents and working together
b.    to produce their best possible work, both individually and collectively, for an appreciative and challenging audience.
c.    to “Expand(Explode?) the canon” – challenging artists and the audiences assumptions through the introduction of seldom performed works by playwrights from a broad spectrum of eras and styles.
Hopefully FRE will become as much a conduit as a cell, drawing on artists outside the ensemble to share their knowledge and skills with the ensemble through special programs and workshops, and constantly refreshing itself with ideas and energy from the artistic community. Ensemble members will not tied exclusively to FRE and will be encouraged to participate in outside projects when not actively working on an ensemble production. Likewise, it is hoped that outside artists will approach us as a vehicle for their work.

If this idea interests and excites you , I invite you to contact me at 414.264.4620, or at floatingrep@bucketworks.org  I look forward to hearing from you...OR - just leave me a comment on here. Hope to hear from you soon!

(Pssst…that’s your cue,)

Peter Mortensen