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Professional Connections
Each season, Marquette Theatre employs several professional guest-artists from our rich Milwaukee theatre community and beyond. Our students benefit from working side-by-side with a talented array of professionals, building connections that can help shape their futures. Here are some of our recent guest-artists (with a more complete list below):
Nadja Simmonds, Director – Sanctuary City (2024), Detroit `67 (2023)
Originally from Cincinnati, Nadja Simmonds has travelled around Wisconsin, Montana, Ohio and New York performing and directing at regional theaters including Glimmerglass Festival, Florentine Opera, The Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse, Forward Theater, Northern Sky Theatre, First Stage Children’s Theater, Montana Shakespeare in the Parks, Next Act Theater, and more. She also served on the directing staff for The Jungle Book with Washington National Opera at the Kennedy Center. Much love goes to her family, friends, and those continuously fighting for justice and equality. www.nadjasimmonds.com
Ryan Cappleman, Music Director – Bright Star (2025), Spelling Bee (2022), Mamma Mia! (2022), & co-creator of Songs of Note (2020)
Ryan Cappleman is a performer, choreographer, musician, and teaching artist in the Milwaukee area. He pursued his love of musical theater at UW-Milwaukee, receiving a BFA in Inter-Arts Musical Theater Performance. He has performed with the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre, Off Broadway at the Cherry Lane Theatre, Skylight Music Theatre, Danceworks, First Stage, Northern Sky, Forte Theatre, Milwaukee Opera Theatre, and Optimist Theatre. His choreography has earned him three Footlights Awards and numerous Jerry Awards. He has been a teaching artist for UW Parkside, UW Milwaukee, First Stage, Danceworks, The Wisconsin Dance Council, The Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts, The Virginia State Thespian Conference, and more.
Jonathan Hetler, Director – Servant of Two Masters (2023)
Jonathan Hetler is a producer, director, and teaching artist based out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He currently serves as the Artistic Producer overseeing all casting and special events at Milwaukee Rep. Notable directing highlights include Dino! An Evening with Dean Martin (Milwaukee Rep), Romeo and Juliet, Venus in Fur, The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, and Glengarry Glen Ross (Ohio University), Pippin (Ohio Valley Summer Theater), the world premiere of La Mujer Barbuda (Seabury Quinn Jr. Playwrights' Festival), and the Associate Director for Titanic and the annual production of A Christmas Carol (Milwaukee Rep). He holds a Master of Fine Arts in Directing from Ohio University and a Master of Business Administration from Regent University. @hetlerj / hetlerj.com
Frank Winters, Playwright – In the Cities of Refuge (2024)
Frank Winters is a playwright, a filmmaker, and a performer based out of New York. His plays have been workshopped and produced Off-Broadway, Off-Off Broadway, Playwrights Horizons, the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Row, The Wild Project, The Flea, 59E59 Theaters, Royal Family Theaters, the 133rd Street Arts Center, as part of the Red Bull Theatre Company’s 2023 Short New Play Festival. Selections from his work have been featured in multiple editions of Lawrence Harbison’s The Best Women’s Stage Monologues. His play, To Distraction, was one of the Top Ten Bestselling Plays at the 2023 United Solo Theatre Festival, and he was recipient of the Clifford Odets New Play Commission. His work has been published by Broadway Play Publishing. @afrankwinters on Instagram. [In 2023, Marquette Theatre commissioned this play.]
Colin Gawronski, Lighting Designer – Sweeney Todd (2024)
Colin Gawronski is a lighting designer and theatrical technician native to Milwaukee who has worked extensively with Danceworks, Inc, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, Sunstone Studios and Black Arts MKE/Brozeville. They have worked with local companies such as Renaissance Theaterworks, Milwaukee Opera Theatre, Next Act, PrideFest Milwaukee, Bard and Bourbon, Gina Laurenzi Dance Project, and In Tandem Theatre. Colin has also worked with the Sacramento Music Circus, the Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival, Theatre Lila, Third Avenue Playworks and with the Indianapolis and Chicago Fringe Festivals.
Tony Clements, Director - Mamma Mia! (2022), A Year With Frog & Toad (2018) and Urinetown (2013)
Tony Clements is a New York City-based theatre director and actor. He is the Creative Director for Harmony Japan, Ltd, and Assistant Producer of the "Disney on Classic" symphony concert tours of Japan. He works in New York City, regionally throughout the U.S, and internationally in places like Tokyo, South Korea, and Taiwan. His acting credits include Broadway (Mama Mia!), National and International Tours, and numerous regional theatres.
Contributions from Guest Artists |
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Karen M. Estrada, Director |
Bright Star |
2025 |
