Shakespeare RAW: The Birth of Merlin

Name: Shakespeare RAW: The Birth of Merlin
Start: 2026-08-10T19:00:00-05:00
End: 2026-08-10T22:00:00-05:00
Location: Best Place at the Historic Pabst Brewery

Date & Time

Mon Aug 10 2026 at 07:00 pm to 10:00 pm

UTC-05:00

Location

Best Place at the Historic Pabst Brewery | Milwaukee, WI

Details

"Knowest thou what pendulous mischief roofs thy head?"
Nope! And neither does anyone else! That's the advantage of doing these lesser known ones
You say that you don’t recognize the title of this play as one of Shakespeare’s plays? Well, there’s a reason for that. For those who don't know, there are 37 plays generally attributed to Shakespeare which are referred to as "The Canon". Problem is, intellectual property laws were a bit...loosey-goosey at that period in history as was record keeping so we also have a whole bunch of other ones that *do* have his name on them but we're not sure if he *actually* wrote them or if someone slapped his name on them to boost ticket sales. These plays are known as "The Apocrypha". The first ever one we decided to give a whirl at is the (possibly, maybe, probably not) Shakespearean take on Arthurian legend, "The Birth of Merlin"! And while it may not be true Shakespeare, it will most DEFINITELY be Raw!
How does it work? I'm glad you asked.
A group of actors arrive the day of the show having read (or at least skimmed) the script so they are at passingly familiar with the text. Then, they pull a character name from the casting director (aka the Hat) to learn who they will be playing that night. They then have approximately 10 minutes to get into character (read: grab a drink) and get ready for their first scene. And the next one. And the one after that. You get the idea.
"But I'm not familiar with the play" you say, well, you aren't alone, here's the gist:
The British are flush with a recent victory over the invading Saxons—though they are troubled by the fact that the king's brother Uther is missing. Saxon emissaries arrive at court to negotiate a peace; they are led by the Saxon princess Artesia. Aurelius instantly falls in love with Artesia, and in his infatuation grants the Saxons very generous peace terms—despite the objections of his courtiers and the criticism of a holy hermit who interjects his own opposition. Meanwhile, a clown and his sister are roaming the forest? The Clown's sister has gotten herself pregnant by yielding to the advances of a mysterious stranger; she and the Clown are now wandering through the forest, searching for the father of the child, or at least a father for the child. They stumble upon Prince Uther, who is wandering through the same forest, distracted and disconsolate after catching sight of a woman with whom he has instantly fallen in love. Overhearing this, the Clown solicits Uther as a potential husband for Joan, much to the prince's outrage. As he beats him, their cries are heard by courtiers searching for the prince, who interrupt the scene and carry Uther back to court. The Clown and Joan are left to continue their search.
"But when does Merlin show up?" Well, who do you think that baby is? "But then he's just a baby?" No, he's a full grown wizard. "Wha?!" MAGIC!!!
You'll have three opportunities to catch this spectacle, August 10th, 11th and 12th, doors at 7, show at 7:30.
The location? Best Place at the Historic Pabst Brewery. Yeah, the one that looks like a castle. A castle with plenty of on-street parking. Sometimes. Hoping that this is one of those times.
Cost is $10 at the door or $5 if you "dress like magic". What does that mean? Well I don't know, what do you think it means? You can reuse a Halloween costume of a wizard, bring a wand you purchased at great cost from a theme park, or just ask the person at the door to 'pick a card, any card'. But you better have a decent trick behind that card request. C'mon, put a 'little' effort into that trick, bardflies. Options...
And be sure not to upset the Wizard "You know his humor will endure no check, Not if the King oppose it,"