BACK IN ACTION

After an early June lull, the local theatre scene bursts back to life this month as seven shows open in the greater Milwaukee area – five of them on the same weekend. Possibly the busiest DIY company in town this summer, Insurgent Theatre, debuts two original shows as they prepare for touring gigs around the country in August. Theater in Madison is bustling; the Mercury Players perform their ninth annual staging of a 24-hour play, as well as a host of children’s shows. In ever-delightful Door County, Door Shakespeare opens its season’s offerings with Cyrano and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and in musical theater, Steven Sondheim is everywhere this month with three separate productions across the state, most notably Off The Wall's production of The Frogs — a Midwest premiere event which should be a major boon for the classically underground company. Productions of Into The Woods and Side By Side By Sondheim are also opening this month in other corners of the state. In dance, Danceworks welcomes Rebecca Stenn this month while UWM hosts its ninth annual look at new works by graduate choreographers.