Oskar Eustis, Tony-Award-Winning Producer of Hamilton Coming to UW-Green Bay Oct 28.

The Artistic Director of The Public Theatre in NYC Will Lead Panel Discussion and Q&A October 28 at The Weidner

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 19, 2024                 

Green Bay, WI. – The Weidner at The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay is proud to welcome acclaimed theatre producer, director, and professor, Oskar Eustis to the Green Bay campus sponsored by the Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership. The Tony-Award-winning Artistic Director of The Public Theater in New York City will present reflective remarks on his 2018 TED Talk Why theater is essential to democracy on Monday, October 28 at 6 PM in Cofrin Family Hall at The Weidner.

Following his presentation, Professor Eustis will join a panel discussion with influential Wisconsin arts leaders to contemplate the ideas expressed as they apply to our region. An audience Q&A will conclude the evening.

Event is free to attend and open to the public – registration required. Please RSVP with this short survey.

Oskar Eustis has served as the artistic director of The Public Theater since 2005, after serving as the artistic director at Trinity Repertory Company in Providence, RI from 1994 to 2005. Throughout his career, Eustis has been dedicated to the development of new work that speaks to the great issues of our time and has worked with countless artists in pursuit of that aim, including Tony Kushner, Suzan-Lori Parks, David Henry Hwang, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Richard Nelson, Rinne Groff, Tarell Alvin McCraney, and Lisa Kron. He is currently a professor at New York University and has held professorships at UCLA, Middlebury College, and Brown University.

The panel discussion will be facilitated by UW-Green Bay Professor, Alan Kopischke.

Panel Participants:

Chad Bauman
Chad Bauman is Executive Director of the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre. Chad was appointed Milwaukee Rep’s Managing Director in 2013. Bauman has overseen a significant period of growth for a company that produces about 700 performances a year, making it “the city’s most prolific performing arts organization (Milwaukee Business Journal)” presenting seasons that can “rival anything in Chicago and beyond (Chicago Tribune).” During his tenure, Milwaukee Rep has eliminated all debt, nearly doubled the endowment, achieved operating surpluses annually, grew net assets from $19 million to $84 million, raised nearly $100 million across three successful capital campaigns, and has started construction on the new Associated Bank Theater Center. He is currently the Board President of the Milwaukee Arts Partners and a Board member of Pathways High School, ImagineMKE and AFS Milwaukee.

Jacob Janssen
Jacob Janssen is the Artistic Director of Third Avenue Playworks in Sturgeon Bay, WI. Previously he has held artistic and administrative positions at theatres in New York, Washington, DC, and Massachusetts. Originally from Kiel, WI, Jacob holds a BFA in acting from UW-Stevens Point and MFA in Directing from The Theatre School at DePaul University.

Barbara Lawton
Barbara Lawton, first woman elected Wisconsin Lt Governor, served from 2003-11. She chaired the Wisconsin Arts Board (2003-13), chaired the National Lieutenant Governors Association, and served on the National Leadership Council of the American Association of Colleges and Universities and the Advisory Board of Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government Public Diplomacy Collaborative. Since leaving public office, Lawton focused on campaign finance reform, serving as president and CEO of Americans for Campaign Reform and co-founding Issue One, launching their bipartisan ReFormers Caucus. Lawton serves on the Advisory Boards for Millennial Action Project and Oxfam America’s Sisters on the Planet, and as trustee to Lawrence University. She is honorary co-chair of Law Forward. A native of Green Bay, Lawton was a founder of the Greater Green Bay Community Foundation and the Green Bay Area Multicultural Center. Lawton holds a BA Summa Cum Laude from Lawrence, MA in Spanish from UW-Madison, and honorary doctorates from Lawrence University and the Milwaukee Institute for Art and Design.

Malkia Stampley
Malkia Stampley is an actor, director and arts leader from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She is the BOLD Artistic Producer at Goodman Theatre since 2021. She co-founded the Milwaukee Black Theater Festival and Bronzeville Arts Ensemble in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Select Goodman producing credits: Toni Stone, The Cherry Orchard, Goodnight Oscar, Gem of the Ocean, Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci, Life After. Select directing credits: Primary Trust (Goodman); Nina Simone: Four Women (KC Rep & Milwaukee Rep); Exit Strategy (Northwestern University); The October Storm (Raven Theatre); Boulevard of Bold Dream (TimeLine Theatre); Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grille (Farmer’s Alley); The Gift of the Magi (American Players); Black Nativity (Black Arts MKE); STEW (Milwaukee Chamber, Shattered Globe); Nunsense (Milwaukee Rep); Five Guys Named Moe (Skylight Music). She is an Ensemble Member of Congo Square Theatre, named a BOLD Associate Artist in 2022 and alum of the LORT EDI Mentee program, Theatre Producers of Color and University of Chicago’s Civic Actor Studio.

Jen Uphoff Gray
Jen Uphoff Gray is the co-founder and artistic director of Forward Theater Company. As a freelance director she’s worked across southern Wisconsin, directed the National Tour of Copenhagen, and in 12 years working On- and Off-Broadway served as Associate Director for Copenhagen, Cabaret, The Blue Room, The Life, and Death-Defying Acts. Jen has a degree in Dramatic Literature & Stage History from Harvard. She led the creation of World Premiere Wisconsin, and in 2025 will be launching the new Wisconsin Directors Lab.

About The Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership 

The Tommy G. Thompson Center on Public Leadership was established to provide a multi-disciplinary, non-partisan environment to study, discuss, and improve leadership. Students, faculty members, policymakers, and other relevant stakeholders come together to share knowledge and learn about successful public leadership. We pledge to pursue leadership, to foster collegiality, and to be problem-solvers. For more information visit thompsoncenter.wisc.edu.

About The Weidner

The Weidner at UW-Green Bay is known for its elegant design and the acoustic excellence of its 2,000-seat main hall, Cofrin Family Hall. It also houses two smaller performance spaces, the Fort Howard recital hall and the Jean Weidner Theatre, along with a dance studio and Grand Foyer. The Weidner has a distinct benefit in being part of a leading institution of higher learning. The Weidner is a home for UW-Green Bay Music and Theatre and Dance programs, community events and productions, and performances by visiting artists and touring companies. Beyond the large-scale touring productions that grace the stage, The Weidner also focuses on scholastic development, programming and an impactful education series — Stage Doors. For more information visit WeidnerCenter.com and sign-up for The Weidner Wire.

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About the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay

The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay is a school of resilient problem solvers who dare to reach higher with the power of education that ignites growth and answers the biggest challenges. Serving 10,300 undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students as well as 67,500 continuing education learners annually, UW-Green Bay offers 200 academic degrees, programs, and certificates. With four campus locations in Northeast Wisconsin, the University’s access mission welcomes all students who want to learn, from every corner of the world. Championing bold thinking since opening its doors in 1965, it is a university on the rise – Wisconsin’s fastest growing UW. For more information, visit www.uwgb.edu.

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