The Wanderers

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Ross Zentner

A man in a suit, a woman in a blue dress and a black hat thrown in the air.

Paris Hunter Paul, left, and Elyse Edelman in the Forward Theater production 'The Wanderers,' 2022.

Forward Theater starts its season with the Wisconsin premiere of Anna Ziegler's The Wanderers, an interesting meditation on love and the road(s) not taken. Ziegler contrasts the arranged marriage of a young Orthodox Jewish couple with the flirtation of Abe and Julia, celebrities married to other people. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays-Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays, plus 2 p.m. on Sept. 17 and 24; find tickets at overture.org. Forward will also offer tickets to an on-demand streaming version of the show.  

Shows at 7:30 pm Wednesday-Saturday and 2 pm Sundays, plus 2 pm, 9/17 & 24.

media release: By Anna Ziegler; Directed by Mikael Burke. September 8-25, 2022

Esther and Schmuli are young Orthodox Jews whose future is written in scripture. Abe and Sophie believe they can write their own destiny. On the surface, these two couples couldn’t seem more different. But when a Hollywood actress upends Abe’s world, the hidden connections between all of them start to appear. This funny and mysterious drama explores the question of whether happiness lies in what we have, or on the road not taken.

"As perfect a piece of theater as I’ve seen in many years. The script by Anna Ziegler is a revelation, touching on family truths, marriage, and personal histories...Go see this show. It’s magnificent." - DC Theatre Scene

A message from Forward artistic director, Jen Uphoff Gray:

Dear friends,

Here we are, about to open the first show of Forward Theater’s 14th season, and we once again need to talk about COVID protocols. We can't wait for the time when this will no longer be something we are actively thinking about, but we’re not there yet.

So I’m here to share with you our planned policies for the season ahead, and our reasoning behind it. As always, we welcome your questions and feedback (in our minds, all the world’s a talkback!).

First of all, in alignment with Overture Center’s protocols, we will not be requiring proof of vaccination status to enter the Playhouse. With rolling booster schedules and evolving guidelines, this is no longer a quick and straightforward thing to check. And honestly, what we have learned over the past few years is that our audience population is very up to date on their vaccinations!

When it comes to masking requirements, there’s a lot of confusion (and inconsistency) out there. And we can’t fix much of it. Federal, state, county, city, and venue policies are not within our control. But as we start this season we are hoping to be able to stick with a clear and consistent policy for our own productions. 

Here’s what we know:

1) When COVID is spreading in our community, masks are extremely effective in lowering risk. Nothing eliminates risk, but just as vaccines are very effective at reducing the likelihood of severe illness and hospitalization, masking reduces the risk of getting infected at all. 

2) We’ve heard from many of you that you take comfort in knowing that the people around you are masked so that you can relax and enjoy the play. That way every little (likely innocuous) cough you hear doesn't need to be a cause for concern. 

3) We have a caring and responsible audience base, that is willing to do a little more to protect the vulnerable amongst us (as well as to protect yourselves).

4) The performing arts industry is uniquely vulnerable to the ramifications of COVID spread. Performers need to be unmasked to perform, putting them at risk of contracting COVID from an audience member. That jeopardizes their health and the health of the rest of our cast and production team, and it makes it harder for us to avoid performance cancellations.

5) No one wants to wear a mask, and we want to know under what conditions we can responsibly get rid of them!  

The CDC website (cdc.gov) is tracking levels of community spread for every county in America. There are three levels: High (Red), Medium (Yellow), and Low (Green). 

When the CDC level for Dane County is High or Medium, we will be requiring masks in the Playhouse. When the level is Low, masks will be optional.

Each week during performance runs we send a “Know Before You Go” email to all ticketholders. All season, we will include the current CDC rating in those emails, with a reminder of what that means in terms of masking requirements.

We will have supplies of masks on hand at the Playhouse for anyone who might show up without one. Also worth noting is the exceptional ventilation within Overture Center. You should feel very confident in the quality of the airflow when you are in our spaces! 

Of course, should the science change significantly, or should new variants behave in unanticipated ways, we will revisit and revise this plan and communicate with you in a timely manner. It’s what we’ve done since this whole journey began in March 2020, and we have no intention of losing the trust you’ve placed in us since then to make smart decisions and to communicate them promptly and clearly.

Thank you for your continuing understanding and grace as we navigate changing currents in public health, the economics of our business, and the emotions we are all feeling in our third year of this pandemic. We are ever grateful to have such a committed and thoughtful audience in all of you. 

Jen