Doctor Faustus Lights the Lights - Milwaukee Premiere in Milwaukee

Name: Doctor Faustus Lights the Lights - Milwaukee Premiere
Start: 2026-10-30T20:00:00-05:00
End: 2026-10-30T21:15:00-05:00
Location: 935 W Wisconsin Avenue , Milwaukee, WI, United States, Wisconsin 53233

Know before you go

When: Friday, October 30, 2026, 8 PM to 9:15 PM (the night before Halloween)
Where: 935 W Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee, WI, United States, Wisconsin 53233
Length: About 1.3 hours
Type: Halloween Show
Dress code: Costumes encouraged

Details

𝗪𝗜𝗦𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗦𝗜𝗡 𝗖𝗟𝗔𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗖 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗚𝗘 𝗘𝗟𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗥𝗜𝗙𝗜𝗘𝗦 𝗛𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗢𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗡 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗠𝗜𝗟𝗪𝗔𝗨𝗞𝗘𝗘 𝗣𝗥𝗘𝗠𝗜𝗘𝗥𝗘 𝗢𝗙 𝗚𝗘𝗥𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗗𝗘 𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗜𝗡'𝗦 𝗗𝗢𝗖𝗧𝗢𝗥 𝗙𝗔𝗨𝗦𝗧𝗨𝗦 𝗟𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧𝗦 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗟𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧𝗦
An ensemble of twelve Milwaukee artists illuminates the historic Calvary Presbyterian Church Gothic this Halloween for the professional premiere of Gertrude Stein's rarely performed Doctor Faustus Lights the Lights.
Stein wrote this operetta of spoken word and music in 1938 with no music at all. The text sat for nearly ninety years, unplayable, because nobody had given it a score. Young composer Lincoln Donner, from Muskego, Wisconsin, has now written a dynamic score, a monophonic voice so direct you'll be handed sheet music at the door and sing it, because community is what this show is built for.
Directed, designed, and illuminated by WCS Artistic Director, Cole Castine, the show runs a single unbroken hour, with no blackout and no intermission, inside the 360-degree ritual space of Calvary Presbyterian Church's Sanctuary Hall.
The room holds 75 people a night. 25 reserved seats. 50 spots to roam free through five zones of light and sound as the story closes in around you.
October 30 to November 8 at Calvary Presbyterian Church, 935 W. Wisconsin Ave. Eight nights, then it's gone.
WITH
Antonio Parra Jr. as Faustus
Evan Smolik as Mephisto
Dylana Bauduin and Esther Akinsanya as Marguerite Ida and Helena Annabel
Tyler Stauffacher as the Man From Overseas
Marty Alivo as the Dog
Austin Bock as the Little Boy
Nessiah Grace as the Little Girl
Deborah Stencel as the Old Woman
Duleon Schneider, Ryan Holifield, and William Molitor complete the ensemble
DIRECTED, DESIGNED, AND ILLUMINATED BY
Cole Castine
COSTUMES by Katherine Zeimann
Reserved seating $25. Standing room $10. Recommended for ages 13 and up, with reserved seating available for accessibility needs.
Tickets are on sale now. ---> https://tinyurl.com/3k2r2b8c