Thursday 8/13/26: Looking ahead to the November election, 'Horsegirls', MKELoveLetter

Support for WUWM Podcasts comes from Johnson Financial Group, helping customers build financial plans around their unique goals for over 55 years. More at Johnson Financial Group.com. Johnson Bank and Johnson Wealth, Inc. are Johnson Financial Group companies. From 89.7, WUWM, Milwaukee's NPR. This is Lake Effect. I'm Audrey Nowakowski. Today we continue our analysis of this week's primary election and look at what's ahead in the general election. Then we'll speak with the producer of Horse Girls, a film about a young woman with autism discovering the world of hobby horsing while trying to prove her independence. Independent film, I think, will always sort of center itself around having voices and stories that are really not in the quote-unquote mainstream be heard and realized. Plus, we'll tell you about one Milwaukee woman sharing random acts of kindness through love letters. The goal is really to bring surprise delight into someone's day and, yeah, unexpected joy. All that's coming up on Lake Effect.

This is Lake Effect from 89.7 WUWM Milwaukee's NPR. I'm Audrey Nowakowski. Thanks for joining us. There was a big upset in the Democratic gubernatorial primary when Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley defeated State Representative Francesca Hong. Hong, a Democratic Socialist, went into Election Day with a big lead in the polls, but Crowley ended up taking the race by about 3,000 votes. Crowley will face Republican nominee Tom Tiffany in the general election in November. Crowley had left the race in July due to low support, but he re-entered about a week later when Lieutenant Governor Sarah Rodriguez dropped out. The race looked extremely close Tuesday evening as results rolled in, demonstrating a high level of voter engagement and a big divide in what Democratic voters are looking for. WUWM's Annalise Hensel chats with UW Madison Politics Professor Barry Burden about what's ahead in the general election. Based on polling, many people expected that Francesca Hong was going to run away with the Democratic gubernatorial bid, but it turned out quite different from that. And I'm wondering what you think about the shift to David Crowley and what was responsible for that shift. Well, Hong did perform about as well as the polls indicated. She got around 40% of the vote. But what was surprising was the movement of Democrats behind Crowley in these final days. It happened in record speed once. Tony Evers endorsed Crowley. Crowley came back into the race, also got endorsements from some other prominent people, raised a lot of money and got on the air advertising so that voters knew who he was and that he was an active candidate again. And it really looks like there was interest among Democrats in finding an alternative to Hong. who didn't have the risks that she might in a general election against Tom Tiffany. There's an opportunity this year for Democrats to potentially win a trifecta to win both chambers of the state legislature as well as the governor's office and Hong. had some upsides, but also put that at some risk. And Crowley was a safer bet, somebody with executive experience from a large county, who had also been in the state legislature endorsed by the sitting governor, who's one of the more popular figures in the state. And that was enough just in time to get Democrats to a place where they prevent Hong for being the nominee. So I think what many people think was so special about Hong was that she represented a real difference. She was putting her progressive views. right out there without any varnish. And she ran a campaign that featured a groundswell of support from everyday people without the benefit of the big spending on TV ads and radio ads that is so common in elections.

And I'm wondering what your thoughts are about what happens to that support and that groundswell that Hong was able to achieve and whether Crowley can tap into that in any way. What does he have to do to try to capture some of that enthusiasm and went over those voters? Yeah, the Hong campaign was remarkable. You know, she was not considered a serious candidate when she entered the race. maybe a novelty candidate, but she slowly built a very serious organization of volunteers, a network of people around the state using social media, not using traditional TV advertising. She didn't run a single TV ad. And she wants that organization and that movement to continue. She's endorsed Crowley as the nominee, and so she's pledged to help him. I assume the Democratic Party is going to learn from her success. The Republicans may learn from her success as well. This is a nonpartisan opportunity to learn about how to run an effective campaign in a different way that brings in a different set of voters, especially young voters, people who are disaffected, people who don't vote that regularly, who are not that engaged in regular party politics, got drawn in by her style and her messaging. And I think both parties have something to learn there. I've even seen in Tom Tiffany's latest add a little bit of influence of the Hong style of direct talk kind of punchiness about issues and being very clear where they stand in a way to engage voters quickly. So I think both parties are going to, we'll pick it up. You know, if the Democrats can unite in a way that brings the Hong people on board, who maybe were skeptical about a traditional candidate, it will be a potent force in the general election. What's intriguing to me is that you can't manufacture that type of magic that Hong was able to generate for her campaign and among her supporters. What do you think David Crowley has in his power to do? I don't mean to disparage him in any way, but she really is a one-of-a-kind candidate. She is a one of a kind candidate and people say similar things about people like Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who are just very effective communicators and have an authenticity about them that people are attracted to. I think Crowley is not a very well-known politician, especially outside the Milwaukee media market. So he's got an opportunity now very quickly. to tell his biographical story about growing up in poverty with a difficult life in Milwaukee and climbing his way into politics and earning a college degree and all the other things, building a family and so on. As he has said, he doesn't think of himself as part of the establishment and he probably wouldn't be cast that way if Hong was not in the race with him compared to some of the other Democrats in the race. So I think there's a chance there. And Crowley seems like someone who is comfortable being himself on the campaign trail. There's not an artifice about him, I think, that we'll turn people off. It may not be possible to recreate the Hong campaign exactly. But I think Crowley has an opportunity to connect with voters in a way by telling his story. Let's talk a little bit more about what you referred to as Crowley being the establishment candidate.

as compared to Hong, and he was often painted in the media as the moderate person or the more mainstream person. Is that label fair? How would you describe him? Well, he's a Democrat, and most of the Democrats in this race agreed on the vast majority of issues. It's some differences on data centers, maybe some differences on how legal they would make marijuana in the state or what they want tax rates to be. But broadly, it's a liberal party left of center, and he's in that camp. But he's also got a job that requires him to run government on a day-to-day basis in Milwaukee County. And he has a managerial style of having to meet budgets and deadlines and hire personnel. It's an executive position. So that requires some practicality. And he has cut deals with Republicans at times in the state legislature, on taxes, on the Brewer Stadium, on other things. that Hong has not had to do or not had the opportunity to do. So it makes him look more moderate because he is sort of operating in the day-to-day world of governance. I think it's good preparation for being a governor that might be part of his appeal to Governor Evers in particular. There is precedence for a Milwaukee County executive to become governor. That's where Governor Walker came from. But there often is an anti-Milwaukee sentiment outstate. And Walker rose to power as governor in an election year where there was recall fever due to the... pension crisis in Milwaukee County government. Crowley is not in that position of riding a big wave of support based on a topic of that size. What does he need to do in terms of addressing outstate skepticism or concerns about a Milwaukee lawmaker? It is a challenge. And for many years, Democrats were wary about nominating candidates from Madison or Milwaukee and being branded as big city liberals out of touch with the rest of the state. You know, Crowley has spent the last year, I suppose, on the campaign trail, traveling the state, getting outside of the county as much as he can while also being county executive day to day. It's been a real tension that he's going to have to continue to balance those two things if he continues to be county executive while running for governor. But, you know, I think the assets he has going for him and connecting with people outside Milwaukee are his personal story and about the day-to-day work of running government, about just being competent and trying to meet the needs of government and the people it serves. He will be labeled as a liberal. This is what parties do. They try to find weaknesses in their opponents. So he will have to answer for crime rates in Milwaukee, traffic problems, construction, budget overages, the health care problem that came up for the employees on the insurance plan and other kinds of things. Tom Tiffany will have things to answer for as well. So it's part of the campaign. I think it's something that he should be prepared for.

We've been focusing largely on Crowley and Hong because the Democratic gubernatorial primary was such a wild ride. But let's spend a little time talking about Tom Tiffany. How do you expect him to shape his message now that he knows who his opponent will be? And how does he balance those attacks on his opponent and selling himself to people who might not be that familiar with him as he is a Northwood's lawmaker and people around the big populated areas might not know him that well? Yeah, Tiffany's had an easy ride so far. He's been raising money. He's got more money than any of the Democrats. He's been able to slowly introduce himself to voters around the state. He's run, I think, four different television ads now that are mostly biographical, introducing him to friends and family, putting him in kind of folksy settings, talking about common sense, Wisconsin ways of doing things. That's going to change now that the primary is over. He has not really been the target of the democratic apparatus. Entirely candidates have gone after him from time to time. But now the Democrats will focus on his connections, especially to Donald Trump. His voting record in Washington, which is closely aligned to the Trump administration, is refusal to accept the 2020 election that Trump lost in the state. And Trump's an unpopular figure nationally in Wisconsin with approval ratings in the high 30s. That's really dangerous territory for Republicans who are certainly going to suffer losses in elections around the country this year. He would have much preferred to have Hong as a nominee. Republicans were supporting her campaign in some ways, hoping that she could be cast as a kind of wild-eyed socialist or communist from Madison, out of touch and unprepared and very culturally distant from the average Wisconsinite. And that didn't come to fruition. So they're not going to be able to use that approach. Crowley, I think, is harder to tag because he has... worked with Republicans in a number of ways because he's an executive running government. That's different than being a bomb throwing legislator or saying things on social media that might get you in trouble. It's not that he has no baggage, but he comes across as a serious government operator and somebody who's open to talking across party lines. And so I think the socialist label is just not going to work with him and they're going to have to find some other ways, maybe connections to the Ivers. tax increases or other kinds of things that they think are unpopular to criticize him. It makes it more complicated for Tiffany in lots of ways. As you mentioned, the control of the legislature is at stake. Given that the control of the governor's office is so huge and so major, will the parties and the big spenders... be spending a lot of time and energy and money on the legislature, or are they going to be pouring everything they've got into the governor's race? I think we'll expect to see money in all of those races, especially now that Crowley is the nominee rather than on. Traditional donors are going to, I think, be more comfortable giving to someone like Crowley.

You know, if he's successful at getting small donations the way Hong did as well, that's an additional benefit. But the legislative races are so important. Wisconsin is one of the few states this year where there's a real opportunity for the minority party to flip not just one, but both chambers of the state legislature. Democrats have a bigger field of candidates than they've had in a while. They're contesting some districts they had not run in before. So I don't think the shortage of funds is going to be a problem on either side of the aisle. Tiffany's already doing very well of fundraising. The Republican Party of Wisconsin has been outraising Democrats in recent months. But now that the primary has settled and in favor of a more establishment, traditional candidate in Crowley, I think the money's going to flow on the Democratic side as well. What do the election results tell you in terms of turnout and voter engagement in this midterm year? Well, we saw very high turnout, not just on the Democratic side where you'd expect it. That was astronomical, but even on the Republican side, where there were not very many serious contests. There were congressional primaries in a couple of districts that drove turnout. There were some races down the ballot and some other places. But the governor's nomination was pretty well settled before. And yet there were something like 450,000 or so Republican votes on that side of the aisle. So both sides are engaged. But I think Democrats, you would say, have the upper hand at the moment. The enthusiasm in reported in the Marquette poll is greater among self-identified Democrats than Republicans. Nationally, there's just more energy on the Democratic side to oppose the Trump administration to maybe flip control of the Congress. We saw that the last time Trump was in office back in 2018 when there was a midterm here in Wisconsin. Democrats did very well and had the enthusiasm edge. It hasn't quite materialized in the financial donations yet. Hopefully for Democrats, those now start flowing that the primary has been settled. I think that's the last piece that needs to come together. But Democrats are, I think, unifying pretty quickly. They're holding a breakfast today, the day after the primary, to have a public show of everyone being on board together, especially to bring those Hong supporters into the operation. And, you know, they need to take advantage of the discontent that so many people have with just the way the country is going, with the way the state is going, and with the Trump administration, and turn that into a democratic wave in the state.

Barry Burden is a professor of political science at UW Madison. He spoke with WUWM's Annalise Hensel. In about 15 minutes, we'll tell you about the American Players' Theater and what it's like to experience setting a show under the stars surrounded by nature. It's just a really interesting feeling to be... under the stars at night and know that the play that could be, you know, hundreds of years old is that the people watching it back in the day were sitting under the same stars. There's a lot of feeling of an ancient kind of experience that comes with being outdoors, I think, and especially the stars. So it's just a very different experience. But first, we'll speak with a producer of Horse Girls. an indie film about a young woman with autism who discovers the world of hobby horsing while trying to prove her independence to her mother, Stick Horse and All. That's coming up on Lake Effect on Milwaukee's NPR.

You're listening to Lake Effect on WUWM. I'm Audrey Nowakowski. Horse Girls is a film centered around a character named Margarita, a 22-year-old autistic woman navigating early adulthood portrayed by Lillian Carrier. As her mother grapples with an uncertain health diagnosis, Margarita reluctantly takes on new responsibilities. While navigating the demands of a new job and her mom's illness, Margarita discovers the world of competitive hobby horsing, and it becomes a surprising lifeline to help her find her footing and grow into her independence. What are you doing here, Red? I want to be in this class. Are you trying to be funny? No, why would that be funny? Well, most people think a room full of gymnastic rejects and dance team wannabes is something to make fun of. No, I wouldn't, no, I don't think. I think that's kind of sad, actually. I want to be in this class. I love horses, but I'm not allowed to ride them, so I thought I would do this. Or whatever. Horse Girls is a dramedy that makes sure authentic representation doesn't just happen on screen, but in its entire filmmaking process. To share more about the film, I'm joined by one of its producers, Alex Madigan. Alex, welcome to Lake Effect. Thanks for being here today. Thank you so much for having me, Audrey. You really appreciate it. So how did you first become aware of horse girls and what motivated you to get involved? You know, it's so interesting that you ask that because scripts come to me in such a variety of ways. And basically what happened was I had a project set up at Amazon and we were looking for a new writer for the next draft of the project. And the executive gave me the script for horse girls and said, you know, I don't know if this is the right. voice for the project, but it's a script that's really making the rounds this year for, it was during the pandemic actually when that was happening. So we were all on Zoom. And she said, this is really making the rounds right now. So you should probably just become acquainted with a writer and maybe she's right for it, maybe not, et cetera. So I read the script and I just, I really fell in love with it. You know, as a parent, I think no matter how our kids turn out, there's always a little bit of that tinge of fear, I think, that, you know, what's going to happen to them when we leave this earth? And sometimes regrettably, that happens way sooner. than we wanted to. And sometimes the kids we leave behind are, I guess, I don't know, fragile would be the right word for it, but need us maybe more than other kids do or other humans do. So long-winded reply, but that's how I came across the script. Yeah, well, and the story is definitely unique. And there's not enough movies through this perspective as well. So it does stand out. So you mentioned

the script. It was written by Mackenzie Breeden, co-writer, and she's also a producer along with you. And the central character of Horse Girls, her name is Margarita, portrayed by Lillian Carrier, and it's based on McKenzie's sister Marguerite. And I understand there's even more interconnectedness in this movie. So let's start with McKenzie's sister Marguerite. Why was sharing her story through this film adaptation so important? Sure. And just as a correction, though, too, a little one is that the story, it was as Lauren Myring, who wrote and directed, shared co-story credit with McKenzie. So Lauren effectively wrote the script. So when she and I were developing it further after the first draft that I read of hers, I was working solely really with Lauren on that. But. Mackenzie and Lauren are best friends. And this story, Hughes very close to life to McKenzie's actual story. Her mother, Sandy, actually passed away, was struggling with cancer for many years and actually did pass away during the shoot of the film, which was incredibly tragic. The character of Margarita is very loosely based on Marguerite. And Marguerite's just a really... a wonderful woman. She's a bullion, has such a positive outlook, is very funny, has a great sense of humor. And, yeah, it was really wonderful getting to know her in this process. But that's sort of how the story originated and how the true life aspects were the underpinnings of the script itself. How did Marguerite feel about having a story centered on her? I think she really liked it. She visited the set and I remained in touch with her and I think she enjoyed it, actually. That's good. And I do want to talk more in depth about the film's lead, Lillian Carrier. She's such an amazing lead. She brings a great grounding authenticity to this role because she intimately knows what it means to live with autism. And actually something she pointed out that I really... love is that the word autism is never said once in this film. So can you talk about that intentional decision and also making sure you made a movie where an autistic actor portrays an autistic character because it's been done in the past where a neurotypical actor portrays an autistic character. It's easy to fall into tropes and other negative things, whether it's intentional or not. So how is this movie done differently? Right. That's such a great question, Audrey. And it's something that we were very, very determined. My co-producer partner on this is a wonderful man named Michael Sherman, who's a terrific producer. And we were very, very determined that we do not fall into that trap. And, you know, the good news is that there has been such a striving for authenticity, you know, throughout really the past, I would say. eight or nine years and it really has extended to so much of the film world in the sense of having people who

you know, really come from the background or race or not so much gender or sexuality, I think, but they really are being tapped to tell their own stories, I think. And I think it's incredibly important. And you see so many sort of cringy examples of when this was not, you know, a pattern or sort of an unwritten rule, I think, in the business. But going back to your question, we, we dealt with a... group called Disability Belongs. and had the script vetted with them, and they gave us very helpful notes. We hired a man named Alex Plank, who was an associate producer and a kind of our consultant, and he himself is autistic. Chloe, who is Lillian's twin, was also on set and served in that capacity as well. And we really only auditioned women who had autism for that role. It never occurred. to us to not hire in that capacity. As you mentioned, it's part of a good positive trend where there's more intentionality behind films. But, you know, I imagine it's really important and probably not quite standard yet to also have that representation behind the camera involved in producing, involved in autism sensitivity coordinating on set as well. So what did you learn from implementing these practices? You know, I learned a lot about autism itself. And, you know, basically how crucial it is to have, for me, it was so crucial to have those people such as Alex and Chloe on set because you're going to make mistakes if you're not from that world and, you know, and assume certain things and just. make errors along the way. I think if you haven't had that personally as part of your background, which I have not really. So it was very much of a learning process for me. So it's key, I think, to be open, but also surround yourself with, it's like all good stories are researched, essentially. And this is just part of that, I think. I love that. And Horse Girls, it's a part of Milwaukee film's larger cinematic sisterhood series, which spotlights female filmmakers. As we've talked about, you're involved, the co-producer, co-writer McKenzie Breeden, and the directorial debut of Lauren Myring. Can you share the insights and takeaways you have from your experience working on a film that was largely led by a team of women? You know, I have to say, as a producer, really most of the films that I've worked on have been female-led. And I love stories about complicated women. I love stories about underdogs. Sometimes regrettably, that goes hand and end with female stories. But largely, you know, for the past five films I've worked on, they've all been first-time directors. And with the exception of one, a gentleman named Walim Munoz on a film called 1982, which was about the...

Israeli invasion of Beirut during that year, all of them have been female directors too. And on this one, we also had a female DP, a production designer. So it was very, yeah, it was very female led for sure. With Horse Girls, I think it does all the good things that independent cinema allows for. Like, I don't think this type of film would be made with, let's say, a heavy-handed production office, shall we say. What do you think are the best parts of working in independent film? And this can be related to Horse Girls or other projects that you've worked on. You know, the thing with independent film is it's always championing unique voices and stories that are maybe not mainstream and are more fringe and are less told, I think. And so independent film, I think, will always sort of center itself around having voices and stories that are really not in the quote unquote mainstream be heard and realized. You know, I love independent film. I worked. on studio films before as well, but my heart is always in helping, you know, because as a producer, you're really the person sort of pushing the rock of a very steep hill, you know, so many times. And it's, I think you just have to have such a deep-seated belief in the story that you're trying to help realize. That's, I think, the main soul of what independent producing is. Absolutely. Well and Horse Girls has so much heart. It was a really great watch, and I'm excited for everyone else to see it here in Milwaukee. But for today, Alex, thank you so much for joining me. Oh, thank you, Audrey. So nice to meet you. And I'm very, very excited to be in Milwaukee next week, and I hear this theater is beautiful. So I'm very excited to be there.

Alex Madigan is a producer of the film Horse Girls. It will be playing Monday night at the Oriental Theater as a part of Milwaukee Film's Cinematic Sisterhood Series. Alex Madigan, along with actor Jared Haynes, will be in attendance for a talkback after the screening. You can find tickets and more information at WUWM.com. For nearly 50 years, the American Players Theatre has offered a unique theater experience for Wisconsinites across the state. Nestled in the woods of the Driftless Region, the theater has two stages, one of which is outside. Each summer, the theater offers a rotation of shows rooted in the traditions of Shakespeare. Earlier this summer, the American Players Theater was recognized with the Tony Award for Best Regional Theater. To learn about the theater and help you plan a trip there, Lake Effects Becky Mortensen is joined by artistic director, Brenda DeVita, and Amanda Weibel with Travel Wisconsin. Brenda, could you start by just describing the American Players Theater campus and the theaters you have there for maybe someone who has never been? Yeah, the campus here is absolutely gorgeous, as you might imagine in the dripless area. It's all hilly. the founder started this theater and this on a hillside so it's about 110 acres of wooded area with some hills so the theater sits the uphill theater which is an 1100 seat theater outdoors sits on the hill set upside of a hillside with amazingly beautiful acoustics which is why this place was chosen specifically and then on our campus we have a second theater which is at the touchdown theater and it is a 200 seat theater indoors and it's nestled inside of a bunch of ash trees. So it's a beautiful area, birch trees. The campus has picnic grounds. Lots of people come in a couple hours before the show. Some people bring their plays and read them and have picnics on the ground. There's picnic places all over and there's also grills and there's trails, beautiful trails to hike around the property. So lots of people bring everything they need to spend a few hours besides being here for the shows. Yeah, I saw that you recommend people. Don't just show up for the shows. You should come a couple hours early, enjoy that 110 acres. Can you talk a little bit about that tradition of the picnicking ahead of a show? Yeah, it's interesting. I think the world is in great need of ritual. And rituals come out of people instinct to do something over and over again. It's meaningful. And I think that that picnicking, and even the event that coming to APT for a lot of folks is a very, it's a tradition in their family. It's a ritual. They bring their grandkids, their kids. And it's generational in a way a lot of times. So one way that people celebrate their summers is by coming to APT, having their family come, they bring a picnic. So my kids always brought a frisbee or always brought a football to toss around. And then they may spend some time. You know, the picnics are, at first I used to think it was a little bit of a competition because I walk around the picnic grounds before the show and laugh because there's people with candles and centerpieces and tablecloths and wines. And then there's other people who just pull up with their backpack and pull out a sandwich. But it's very casual, as casual as you want it to be. But it's also, like I said, a little bit of a ritual. I don't know. I just feel like people are really.

looking forward to having something they can count on and something that is understandable and comforting to them. And I think the picnicking before the shows is part of the part of people's experience here that they've built into their tradition of coming. So you mentioned the Hill Theater. Can you just describe what this experience is like seeing live theater outside in the summer surrounded by nature? what it's like. I think that one of my designers said it best, Takeshikata. He's worked here for 26, 27 years. And he walked up the hills to go to see his designs during our rehearsals. And he said, it's like you shed your critical self when you walk through the woods like that. That at other theaters you have to park your car and deal with traffic and the parking ramp or whatever. And here it's just very much intentionally. And the experience of walking through the woods. from your car through the hillside up to the theater that's at the top of the hill. It does something to people. We all know that feeling when you're within nature and that's something that we got simply by its location. It's just a really interesting feeling to be under the stars at night and know that the play that could be, you know, hundreds of years old is under the same stars that the people watching it back in the day did. We're sitting under. So there's a lot of feeling of... an ancient kind of experience that comes with being outdoors, I think, and especially the stars. So it's just a very different experience. There's bats and there's birds and there's always birdsong, there's cicadas, which we dislike quite a bit. And when they get really loud during the show sometime, you know, all the plays are about life and about living. And many of them are set in, especially Shakespeare's plays, are set in the woods or in the forest or barden and places like that. And so the outdoors really... really a setting, you know, it's what we get for free here is the outdoors, the green greenery, the trees. So it's just all part and parcel the experience. Absolutely. Can you talk about the programming? There's a rotation of plays put on throughout the season. So what can you share about how shows are chosen and how a season of programming comes together? Well, it's a long process. In fact, I was just talking with the director about 2028. So I start with the, um, the fact that Shakespeare is always going to be part of our season. And then I move into what other plays would be surrounding those Shakespeare plays. But always in conversation with the artist, always in conversation with the actors that are in our company. We have a core company of actors that have been many of them here for more than 25 years, 30 years. That piece is always part of the conversation about what's going to be on the hill. And then... especially we start with the hill first because the audience is so large and so loyal and then i talk with directors and i have a list with directors of many many directors that i talk to over years about projects they're excited about artists they're excited to direct in a specific part and then it's a big huge matrix of we want to make sure we have enough comedy we want to make sure we have something that we all believe is really important and serious and in going to really challenge the audience about what it is that we're up to as human beings and i think then there's always these accent pieces that come kind of move around the space on both spaces. It's exciting to put together the variety of things that our audience is game to see. They're curious audience, they're a smart audience. So they're kind of, it's a brilliant audience to program for. So earlier this summer, you accepted a Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theater. Can you just talk a bit about that experience and what it means for the theater?

I don't know what it means for the theater other than it's incredibly humbling and we're incredibly proud. And we feel really lucky and fortunate to be acknowledged on that kind of stage. You know, it's nothing headier than that. My family wasn't very familiar. They're not a lot of theater goers. They come to ABT, but they're like, is this a big deal? I'm like, yeah, yeah, this is kind of the biggest deal. I'd say so. We left New York after the most extraordinary experience of like, I don't know, you know. getting to represent our theater on stage and talk about why we do what we do. It just felt incredibly validating and to be able to thank our audience, which I talk about all the time, because anybody who comes to work here, actors or directors, they're always... astonished by the audience's curiosity, the way they listen and lean in and how much they want to be here. So we got to thank people that we've wanted to thank. We got to acknowledge all the hard work because it's no joke what we do here. And so the Tony really, we're doing it not to be acknowledged because, you know, Randy, Randy Do Kim, who started the theater, dropped it in the middle of nowhere. And I can say nowhere because I'm from nowhere, Iowa. I'm from a farm in the middle of nowhere. So that's just not. normal that's just not that's not for the weak of heart that's for somebody who's really passionate and so to have something we never did it to be acknowledged this this place just to grow an audience just to serve this great audience is really and the artist and and to get to be acknowledged is like extraordinarily humbling. So that was fun. That was really, really fun. Well, congratulations. That's, that's truly incredible. Thank you. It was incredible. And we got to buy really beautiful, nice dresses, which is always fun. A bonus. Don't wear a lot of those. Bonus. Not a lot of dresses like that on the property here in the rain. You know, you're going up the hill. So that was fun. All right, Amanda, I am going to turn it over to you. There are a couple of notable places near the American Players Theater, some of which we have mentioned before. But could you just talk about a couple other places people could check out while they're in the spring green area? Spring Green is a small city with a big reputation, and it's for good reason. You know, in addition to American Players Theater, this Spring Green community is where you'll find Taliesin. That's Franklin Wright's home studio and school, and it's a really prime example of his architectural vision and legacy. It's absolutely stunning from the grand views of the home to all the small details that Wright put into everything he designed. Taliesin is actually part of a UNESCO World Heritage site that recognizes the cultural importance of the landmark. So it's really a must visit when you're exploring Wisconsin's Franklin Wright Trail. You'll also find House on the Rock.

And this is an attraction that will delight, shock, wow, and amaze you. And if you have been there, you know that all of those descriptions are absolutely true. And if you haven't been there, you're definitely going to want to go and experience that for yourself. It is a sprawling complex that has a vast collection of oddities, antiques, and curiosities. You'll find self-playing orchestra contraptions, a 200-foot-long whale, and a one-of-a-kind carousel with two 269 animals and none of those animals are the same. So you will look at it for the longest time to try and find a repeat, but you won't find one. Yeah, House on the Rock, one of my favorite places you can go in Wisconsin. So highly recommend. If listeners are intrigued by the idea of seeing a performance outdoors, the American Players Theater isn't the only place in Wisconsin that has this tradition of Al Fresco Live Theater. Where else could listeners take in theater outdoors? You are exactly right, Becky. The arts and outdoors are so intertwined throughout Wisconsin. Door County has a tradition of outdoor theater that goes back decades. Peninsula Players Theater got its start more than 90 years ago. This beloved theater puts on professional plays at an outdoor venue in Fish Creek. And what a stunning... atmosphere. You're surrounded by these towering trees. You can feel the Lake Michigan breeze and enjoy the live theater. Another beloved option in Door County is Northern Sky Theater. They perform plays in Peninsula State Park. And these shows are so uniquely Wisconsin. Every performance is an original story written for Northern Sky. And they typically incorporate Wisconsin and Midwestern stories, characters, humor, and heart. And then near Milwaukee, summer stage of Delafield turns the forest into its backdrop. This venue is in the Lapham Peak unit of the Kettle Moraine State Forest. So bring your own chair or blanket, spread out on the lawn, and enjoy some wonderful art in the outdoors. All right, Brenda, this theater, you kind of alluded to this. It's not in a big city. It's not in Milwaukee or Madison. It's in a part of the state where not a lot of people live. And Wisconsin is a state that ranks near last in arts funding. So what is it about the American Players Theater that keeps audiences coming back every season? I think that... I'm so infuriated and we could do a whole other show about the funding for the arts in the United States and specifically Wisconsin. But what it proves to me is that people are hungry for it and people are really, really interested. I talk to our audience all the time. I'm at shows a lot. I talk with our audience at many, many events and really curious about why they come. And one, they think that the... art is excellent and they go to theater a lot of places many of them there's a section of our audience that is very theater literate and they love theater and they think the work here is on par with anything they see that's a huge compliment and that's really really what we're striving to do but i think they also they talk about the authenticity of apt they talk about the authenticity of the people that work here that they are actually artists and um

artists and artisans that work here that believe that art is for everybody and that doing this work for these people that come to APT is it's for them like we're not we're not shooting to go to Broadway it's not our goal i get what the compliment is it's that it could contend with new york that's a great compliment but what we're doing is building things for this audience so i think the people that work here talk with our audience, they walk down the hill with their audience, they come see shows and sit in the house with their audience. And I think that the kind of authentic relationships built are what people are really hungry for. They're really hungry for live human connection. I think that we try our best to provide a space where communion and community is possible. And at thousands of people sitting in a house, being able to see each other and experience each other's, I just feel like there's so few places we have that kind of experience with a common interest. I feel like people are just dying for that kind of space. I think that's partly why they come back. I think that you can't separate the idea of being in nature and seeing a play. Those things are just completely interwoven here in other outdoor spaces. And that's something I think people crave is to be in nature, but not everybody's like down for a hike. So this kind of serves a lot of purposes for people. If we do our job and the work is good, people find it worth their time. And I think they're looking for experiences that. to bring them together and make them feel present and human and part of something. Absolutely. All right. Brenda and Amanda, thank you so much for joining me for Wandering Wisconsin. Thank you. Thanks so much for having us. Appreciate it.

Brenda DeVita is the artistic director at the American Players Theater. Amanda Weibel is the communications officer for Travel Wisconsin. They both joined like effects Becky Mortensen for this month's Wandering Wisconsin. You can find more travel recommendations at WUWM.com or by listening to the Wandering Wisconsin podcast. And just like Wandering Wisconsin, Lake Effect is also available as a podcast so you can listen whenever you like. Find it where you get your podcast, then subscribe, download, and listen on demand. We'll take one more break and when we come back, we'll meet a local woman leaving love letters for strangers around Milwaukee. Keep listening to Lake Effect on WUWM. This is Lake Effect on Milwaukee's NPR. I'm Audrey Nowakowski. Picture this. You're at a local coffee shop, you sit down at a table, and you see an envelope that says, open me. Inside is a letter with an inspirational quote or some words of encouragement. You just found a Milwaukee love letter. WUWM's Exgrid Nunez has this story about one local woman sharing random acts of kindness.

Katrina Lord is the heart behind Milwaukee love letter. She's at her Bayview home working on one of her handwritten notes. So this is one that has a quote by Walt Whitman, which is happiness, not in another place, not for another hour, but this hour. And on the back, Lord writes her own personal message. Hello, stranger, may you have happiness here and now? M.K.E. Love Letter with two small hearts on the back. Lord then places her colorful notes throughout Milwaukee for anyone to find, like in a Little Free Library or a neighborhood coffee shop. The goal is really to bring surprise delight into someone's day and, yeah, unexpected joy. Lord has been putting pen to paper as Milwaukee love letter since 2016. She was inspired by a New York City Instagram account to start the project. As an avid reader, she gets quotes to put on her love letters from different books and magazines she's read over the years. I'm in tech for my job, and that has its own form of creativity, but this is more artistic creativity. At the time, I didn't really realize it, but it was also something that I needed, where I needed that outlet, but also reading these positive quotes and searching for them brought me that positivity too. Lord has written more than a thousand love letters. She posts photos of her favorite ones on her Instagram, MKE Love Letter, and we'll sometimes hear back from people who find them. It's varied from just a nice short message to some people will share really touching stories. I've had it a couple of times where they're going through a hard time and they just needed that little brightness. And the letters have... filled that for them. Or they've seen it as like a message from like a loved one. You know, you get something like this and you can interpret it to whatever you need it to be at that time. She says handwritten letters are a novelty in this digital world. They can be comforting and create a sense of connection, even with a stranger. If you receive a letter from someone, you know that they took the time and they're really opening up. Like even if it can be lighthearted writing. They're putting pen to paper, and it's out there. Lord says she started this project with zero expectations. She had no idea how her letters would resonate with people. She was even more surprised to learn how it would make her feel seen. I am on the Shire introverted side, and I even was doing this anonymously for a good start of it. It was kind of like my own secret. And... It didn't need to be a secret. It's a wonderful project. And so as I've opened up and shared my passions, it's also been able to share other aspects of myself with people and with even strangers. So I think it's kind of a medium of that for being able to share who I am and what I love.

Personally, as someone who loves stationary and writing postcards to my friends, Lord's story inspired me to write my very own love letter to a stranger. So I'm at a coffee shop in East Tosa. I sat down and went ahead and made my little love letter. I put it in this little tiny gift bag that's green with white polka dots and I slipped a little piece of paper in there. It says, Hi Stranger, here's a reminder. Of all the things you can believe in, why not choose yourself? love another stranger. I thought that was just like a cute little note to write. But yeah, I'm gonna go put it at this table in the corner of the coffee shop that's been pretty popular. And I thought this was really fun and I hope someone enjoys reading my little love letter.

Back at Lord's House, she says Milwaukee Love Letter will continue to evolve with her life as it has for the past 10 years. We are expecting our first kid and I'm already like, oh, that'll be fun to incorporate him into it somehow and way down the line, obviously. But one thing that'll never change is the project's main purpose to spread joy throughout the city she loves. It's kind of fun to share the story and hopefully also to... inspire others to do something similar, whether it's write letters or make magnets or put crochet hearts out there, just join that random acts of kindness, community. And so that's one of the reasons why I've like keep doing this and keep sharing the stories. Maybe someone else will find as much joy in a new hobby that they hear on this segment. So grab a pen, a piece of paper, and share a little kindness. We can all use more of it in our lives. Katrina Lord is the creator of the Milwaukee Love Letter Project. Like FX, Excared Nunez spoke with Lord and produced this feature. You can see some pictures of Milwaukee love letters at WUWM.com. And that wraps up Lake Effect for today. I'm Audrey Nowakowski. If you've missed any of Lake Effect this week, you can find all of our conversations at WUWM.com. If you'd like to take the show on the go, just download the Lake Effect podcast wherever you listen to your podcasts. Tomorrow on the show, we'll look back on 175 years of state fair history. Thank you so much for joining us today right here on listener-supported 89.7, WUWM, Milwaukee's NPR.