About Us
Meeting family and friends in the grey area.
Our mission at Kith & Kin Theatre Collective is to meaningfully engage with Milwaukee communities through relevant contemporary and classical programming that ranges from readings and workshops to full productions, opening opportunities of all sizes and commitment needs for all artists and audiences.
Our short term projects are designed to give artists an opportunity to collaborate between their booked season of productions. It also makes space for artists who haven't tread the boards recently and may be overwhelmed by a 6-week commitment and full run. Life is short. Dive in. Make art.
We have a passion for producing full works, from classics to comedies and dramas, which bring community members from all walks of life a little closer through opening conversations around the "grey area" - things we don't like to talk about, things we don't know how to feel about, and things that make us uncomfortable. By starting these conversations through impactful art, we believe barriers can come down between people of different experiences.
Click here for a full note from the artistic director about our launch story.
Where Milwaukee is represented.
We are a proud part of the Milwaukee community, and Milwaukee's diversity is to be celebrated - all races, genders, sexualities, abilities, body types, ages, and more. We vow to open casting and production crew hiring to people of all backgrounds. When the play's text necessitates a specific background in order to tell the story authentically, we vow to honor the story by seeking out talent which is represented on the page.
The importance of representation continues past the casting table and into the practices of the company itself. We vow to constantly strive towards becoming a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive work environment by listening and learning from the feedback of our community and fellow artists. We vow to collaborate with our production teams and casts to keep the rehearsal room accessible for the needs of all involved. We vow to select works that reflect the varied experiences of those in our community. We are committed to nondiscriminatory practices when selecting our casts and production teams.
Lastly, we vow to be held accountable for our words and actions as a company. We believe wholeheartedly that theatre is a powerful tool to spread ideas and, as such, take responsibility for the role we have in impacting the experiences of our collaborators and our audiences. We acknowledge the arts community and our culture at large are in a constant state of growth and change as we collectively become aware of our shortfallings, and we commit to changing with it.
Where artists are safe.
To us, no art is worth the sacrifice of a positive work environment. Keeping a safe space for every professional we encounter is vital to our identity. We make the following promises:
- All our readings, workshops, cabarets, and productions will have access to an anonymous reporting form for a comfortable means of managing any issues in a timely manner.
- All our readings, workshops, cabarets, and productions will have a minimum of three potential persons of contact should a production member need to discuss an issue.
- All our full productions will include a full company reading and signing of the Chicago Theatre Standards Harassment Policy.
- Every production that includes intimate touch will use a certified intimacy director to shape the choreography around actor boundaries in a consent-based environment.
- Every production that includes violence will use a certified fight director to teach and shape the combat around actor boundaries in a consent-based environment.
We are always open to additional accommodations - please reach out if you have a specific concern that is not covered here.
Kimberly Laberge
Artistic Director
Kimberly is a director, stage manager, actress, and critic based out of Milwaukee. She has worked with area companies such as the Milwaukee Rep, First Stage, Fleeing Artists, Lake Country Playhouse, and more. She holds a BA in Theatre Practices from UW-Milwaukee. Her theatre reviews have appeared in the Capitol Times and are based on her independent blog, www.stageonapage.com. When not in the theatre, she brings magic to children and families across Wisconsin as a performer with Friend Like Me Parties & Entertainment and as a magician's assistant with Glen Gerard Magic & Comedy. At home, she loves to fill her walls floor-to-ceiling with eclectic art with her fiancé Adam and her pets, Glitter, Toby, and Amelia.
