Keep It!: Plucked from the Corpus of Joel Gersmann

By Joel Gersmann

Directed by Scott Feiner

Joel Gersmann was a force for creative expression, provoking and delighting people throughout his 35 years as artistic director of Broom Street Theater. As part of our 50th anniversary season, Keep It! brings pages from many of his plays together into a new work.

Joel’s self-described kineplastic esthetic relies the actor’s movement (or stillness) to convey meaning. Cross-casting, a staple of Joel’s work, means actors will not be limited by gender, ethnicity or age in the characters they embody. Joel would delight in the unexpected, yelling “Keep It!” during rehearsals when an actor surprised him with a novel take on a character.

Keep It! returns the favor, pulling together Joel’s novel takes from Nazi Boy, Sexy Priests, The Abortionist, Bombs Away Enola Gay, The Jesus Gang, Die, & Princess Di, among others.

Behind these titles are shows where religion, sex, violence, war, love and hate are subject to withering satire, rooted in a deep moral purpose, seeing ourselves.

Produced by Broom Street Theater at Broom Street Theater, 1119 Williamson Street, Madison

Performances: October 11 - November 2, 2019

Performance Times: Thursday - Saturday 8pm @ Broom Street Theater

Ticket Prices: Free