t music) - April marks the beginning of the Milwaukee Film Festival.

It's back in person after two years of being entirely virtual.

On this episode of "The Arts Page", you'll hear from the organizers about the return to theaters, the wide variety of films and the special events that all film lovers can enjoy.

Calling all "Downton Abbey" fans, get a personal tour of the Charles Allis Art Museum's new exhibition called "Dressing the Abbey", where you can get up close to the historically accurate costumes worn on the phenomenal TV series.

(cheerful music) See how two former filmmakers are teaching and inspiring a new generation of storytellers.

Plus go behind the scenes at the Milwaukee Repertory Theater for a visit with Pulitzer Prize nominee playwright Dael Orlandersmith and the cast of her new play titled "New Age".

"The Arts Page" starts right now.

(cheerful upbeat music) Welcome to "The Arts Page" I'm your host Sandy Max and our show begins with a special look at the wardrobe worn by the cast of the beloved TV series "Downton Abbey".

The new exhibition called "Dressing the Abbey" runs through May 30th at the Charles Allis Art Museum on Milwaukee's east side.

"Dressing the Abbey" has over 30 costumes on display inside the historic English style home.

Both the upstairs and downstairs characters are included in the collection from evening gowns worn by Lady Mary and the Dowager Countess to the functional uniforms worn by the household staff like Mrs. Patmore and Mr. Carson.

The Arts Page was there on opening day to get a special look at the exhibit.

(light piano music) - [Neil] So we are very proud to be hosting at the Charles Allis Art Museum.

The "Dressing the Abbey" exhibit, which is 35 of the original costumes from the very popular PBS series "Downton Abbey".

- [Amy] There was a little gap in the schedule and so when I was here celebrating Thanksgiving, I looked at all the different museums that could potentially play host.

I gave a call to the Interim Director of the Charles Allis Art Museum.

He not only said yes, but he had to do three years worth of work in about a month's time.

- [Neil] My immediate thought was here is a chance for us to bring Charles Allis back to life by an exhibit that would unquestionably draw, probably a record volume of visitors to the museum.

The house itself had really been shut up for a significant amount of time.

There are sections of the house that we didn't even reopen until the opening of the exhibit.

(bright music) - [Amy] Fans are gonna love seeing the exhibition because you're gonna be able to get up very close to the costumes, you'll be able to walk around the costumes, you'll be able to see the intricate bead work, the details, but please get up real close, don't touch, but really inspect the garments 'cause you're going to see things that are over a hundred years old and they're just absolutely beautiful.

- I hope people take away like the effort in like designing these costumes because they're so intricate and this is just for television series, this is not for theater, they are extremely detailed just to be on screen.

So I think this also just shines a light on the practice of designing costumes and fashion design like I feel like that's something people should recognize that it's an art and it should be supported.

- [Neil] This is very much a part of the arts landscape here in Milwaukee.

The concept of costuming and the display of costumes and the fabrics and the materials.

- [Amy] Costumes that you're gonna see are the original objects that were worn by the actors.

Some of them were fresh off the press, meaning fresh off of production.

They occasionally may see a garment that looks frayed and people will ask us why haven't you repaired them?

Well, these are working costumes.

- [Phoenix] And exhibition is also came packaged in themes.

So there was like themes that we had to like follow, make sure the costumes were grouped together by those parameters.

So for example, the kitchen staff in Downton Abbey, they're featured in the kitchen in the Allis kitchen downstairs on the first floor.

And the French parlor, we have costumes of where the characters were presented to society and ready for marriage in the French parlor.

And in the library, we have changes in fashion.

- So the costume behind me you can see is a little bit earlier, it's more form fitting.

They would've been still wearing corsets and very uncomfortable undergarments.

And then as you walk through the Charles Allis Art museum, especially towards the second floor, you're going to see the costumes become looser fitting.

The waist lines will have dropped.

And certainly you're gonna see the flapper style.

(light piano music) - [Phoenix] In the room that we're in currently is a room that features a lot of the formal wedding attire that was featured in the Downton Abbey series.

And we chose this room because a lot of these costumes have like a lot of intricate details in them.

And we thought that they would pop against like the fresh like white wall space.

- [Amy] Well, any fan of Downton Abbey knows that the costumes in the changing fashion are really kind of one of the premises of the show.

So you go from the tight fitting Victorian age upward to the '20s when women were going into work because of the war.

And so it's really fun to see the change in fashion.

You'll also see a little bit from the downstairs, to the upstairs, to the day wear.

So a little flavor of all of the costumes from the series, and there's also one costume from the first film.

(light piano music) - [Neil] I would hope that patrons or visitors would come away with, is obviously an appreciation for the work that goes into developing these costumes.

A greater familiarity, really with the beauty of the Charles Allis Art museum.

This house was built in the 1920s when much of the Downton Abbey series took place, but also just an awareness of how lucky we are in the Milwaukee community, to have such a vibrant arts and culture community.

- [Amy] We're really excited to be in Milwaukee because the second film will be released here this spring or late spring.

And so now we'll be able to renew the interest in the great enterprise called Downton The Abbey.

- For more information about the Dressing the Abbey exhibition, go to the website, charlesallis.org And the new film sequel, Downton Abby, a new era releases in cinemas May 20th.

Speaking of films, the annual Milwaukee film festival is back and in person from April 21st to May 5th, you can attend screenings and events showcasing the newest independent films in a wide variety of categories.

The arts page producer, Adam Lilley spoke with Milwaukee film, about what to expect.

- Cara, thank you so much for joining me in the beautiful Chris and Jennifer Abele cinema.

So tell me a little bit about what's happening here in the next few weeks.

- We are gearing up for return to the in-person version of the Milwaukee film festival.

Our last in-person version was in fall of 2019 and during the years of the pandemic, we had two virtual festivals, we moved our festival dates into the spring and this year we're gearing up for a hybrid festival.

So we'll have in cinema options of every single film.

So we're here at the beautiful historic Oriental theater, all three screens here, will be festival from April 21st to May 5th.

And then we will also be at the Times cinema and the Avalon from the 22nd to the 5th.

And then the majority of that program will also be available virtually.

So that pass holders who are interested in watching from their own home can do so as well.

- So what kind of events do you have?

- Yeah - Uh shaped up for the film festival.

- We're Working on in a number of panels that kind of extend the topics of films on screen films that kind of call for a local consideration.

Maybe they're not local films, but they are, you know, kind of interrogating an issue that matters here.

So we're looking to bring those conversations kind of home as well.

- Speaking of local, are there any local films or filmmakers or something of that sort that you're excited about this year?

- Yeah.

So one of the things that the Milwaukee film festival prides itself on is our commitment to our local film scene.

We have a small but mighty group of local filmmakers here with so many strengths.

And one of the hit tickets every year is our Milwaukee show.

We have two Milwaukee shows this year, our Milwaukee Youth Show is back.

And then we have a number of locally made features as well.

So we're really getting back to our cream city cinema program in its fullest, most robust version.

- Why is it important to support Milwaukee film and the Milwaukee film festival?

- Well, I mean, Milwaukee film is really like committed to making sure that Milwaukee gets to see all the best films of the year.

And the festival is a opportunity that we have to do that in addition to our year round operations, through the Oriental theater, as well as our cultures and communities festival in the fall.

But Milwaukee film is of course more than just a festival and more than just a cinema.

We're a year round, nonprofit arts and culture organization.

We have education programs that help young people get excited about films, about making films and about kind of continuing to watch films and support of Milwaukee film, whether it's through buying a ticket, becoming a member or supporting us in a number of other ways helps make that possible making sure that audiences who otherwise might not know that this beautiful theater is here and available to them or that they could have a career in cinema, your support helps make that all possible.

- Is there any film that you're most excited about?

- I wanna call out our closing night film, Petite Maman, which is Celine Sciamma's new film.

It will be coming out in theaters shortly after our festival but our closing night selection is, you know, one of those international films that you're gonna be hearing about, particularly as we get into Oscar buzz for next year.

I wanna talk about two local films that I think will be of interest to the Arts Page audience.

The first is Joanne Williams debut film of the Exchange in White America Kaukuana and King 50 Years Later, one of our local selections.

- [Narrator] This Story is about a high school student exchange, between Rufus King High School in Milwaukee and Kaukuana High School up in the Fox river valley.

And a Social Studies teacher in Kaukuana high school wanted his kids to have a broader view of the world.

- I think this is gonna be a really important film for our community to see together and to keep talking about.

And then another local film that I wanna draw attention to is a Life on the Farm, which is one of those quirky documentaries that gets into kind of a YouTube sensation, but ends up opening up the the importance of photography, of home video and of community.

- It is a little bit reminiscent of the serial killer Ed Gein.

- I can't tell if this guy is a genius or a second man.

- One of the films that we're really excited about is the film, the Pez Outlaw, which is premiering at South by Southwest and then coming to us.

It's a film about a unlikely criminal, someone who's just trying to import Pez dispensers, to sell them and ends up kind of, you know, evading trade and import laws in the process.

It's a really quirky documentary from some festival alums filmmakers who made two short films that we showed in the past, The Bad boy of Bowling and the Dean Scream.

- Tell us about how people can find more information.

- Yeah, so our full lineup is going to be released online on April 7th or thereabouts, and then, so that will be the chance to sort of look at like all of the films, the full schedule, start making a plan.

Box office opens for members on April 11th and then for the general public on April 13th.

And so that will be the chance to buy individual tickets to individual film screenings in person.

And if you still haven't picked up your virtual pass, that will be available at that point as well.

- Cara Ogburn, thank you so much for joining me.

- Yeah, absolutely.

- Browse the full lineup of movies and events at the website, mkefilm.org.

A new generation of storytellers is being taught at the Lakewood Young Filmmakers Academy.

It's an award-winning program in Ohio that gives aspiring actors, editors, screenwriters, and directors, a hands-on up opportunity to learn the art of filmmaking and the value of teamwork.

- [Narrator] The Lakewood Young Filmmakers Academy was started in 2017 by filmmaker, Eric Swinderman and his wife Hortencia.

Eric is an Emmy nominated film and television producer.

The academy is like a community center for fledgling filmmakers.

Lindsey O'Keefe has attended the school from the start.

- [Lindsay] I basically fell in love with it from the start, like the idea of putting my thoughts, you know, on screen and just showing it in a different way.

I really gravitated towards that.

- The academy is housed in a three story, mixed use office building on Madison avenue.

The program is for kids and teens ages 10 through 17.

- [Eric] We are about 50/50 on boy girl.

And that's really been something that we're proud of.

One of our goals is really to try to reach out to more students of color.

We're trying to expand further, you know, into other communities so that we can expose more people to this kind of program.

- [Narrator] The instructors are all veterans of the film industry.

- [Hortencia] So we do have a lot of instructors and also guest guest speakers, guest instructors, depending on what we may need for that day.

- [Evelyn] The entire team actually has experience in like movies, professional movies outside of this.

So it's really cool that they can bring that knowledge and that they are still currently working outside of this camp.

(gun fire shoots) - [Narrator] The academy offers two programs, a summer bootcamp that is a two week intensive program where students write shoot and edit a film and an eight week program that allows the students to dive deeper into filmmaking.

- [Lindsay] You basically get to specialize in a certain thing you love the most.

For example, there was a screenwriting class, acting class, editing class.

I took the eight week editing course with Holly.

I actually liked it more, cuz the camp is more kind of a broad overview.

But, these eight week courses really lets you dive deep into like something you're passionate about.

- [Camila] My favorite part would probably be the fact that we can go through and do many different things.

We're not just stuck to, "oh you can only do a writing portion" or, "oh you can only do a camera."

You can only camera operate or you can only do boom operations.

The fact that we can also just learn as much as we really want to and go through everything that we can.

- [Narrator] All of the equipment needed to shoot, edit and produce a film is on site.

- [Eric] We have, you know, tripods and dollies and jibs and just about everything you could need to make a movie.

We have three editing bays.

So they have access to, you know, pretty much everything they could need to make a movie.

And we, we definitely don't try to teach them how to make a YouTube video.

We teach 'em how to make a film.

- [Narrator] In addition to learning film making techniques, students gain confidence and learn how to work with others.

- [Evelyn] At the end of the day, I've gained confidence in my work, knowing that it's up on the screen and people like it.

I've gained self-esteem, going into the camp, I was a shy little 12 year old who was just like, okay, "I'm gonna do this just cause", and now I'm like, "okay, let's do this.

Where's the scripts?

Where's the talent?

Let's go."

- [Camila] It helps them see what they can do and see what they're good at.

You get to see what you like about filmmaking.

You get to see what parts you wanna do.

- [Narrator] After four years, the efforts of the Lakewood Young Filmmakers Academy are paying off.

Student produced films are being accepted into film festivals across the country.

In 2020, a student led film took home a first place award at the Kids International Film Festival in California for the production of The Other Side Of The Line.

- [Evelyn] I was part of the writing team, actually one of the two head writers.

And then I was script superviser on the side and also did a little bit of directing.

We were just super excited, super in awe and also very impressed and very proud.

- The Other Side of The Line, getting into a couple other festivals and there's still more to come because there's some that haven't made their selections yet.

And then this film, The Retribution, got into Toronto International women's film festival.

It got into the Funmill film festival here in Cleveland.

We've submitted to Cleveland International.

We've submitted to multiple other film festivals.

- [Narrator] Graduates of the Lakewood Academy are also faring well.

Alumna Lindsey O'Keefe was recently accepted into the New York University, Tisch School of the Arts where she'll be studying film production.

The Tisch school is where award-winning directors like Spike Lee, Martin Scorsese, and Oliver Stone attended.

- [Lindsay] I'm hoping, you know, to make a career out of this, you know, I don't really know what's in store.

I'm keeping an open mind, you know, being flexible.

Yeah.

I'm truly hoping for the best.

- [Narrator] While not every student at the Lakewood Young Filmmakers Academy may go on to study film or get into the film business, every student who completes the course receives the red carpet treatment.

- [Hortencia] We do give them a certificate, for the most part.

Everybody gets one.

We also give awards to like actors to like actors, to you know, just kind of what you would do at a premiere.

- We really make the kids feel like celebrities.

And I think that's the reward and it's not just about them feeling like they're famous.

I think when they get there, it hits them of what they accomplished and that this whole event is for them and that they earned it and that they deserve it.

- [Evelyn] Before I even knew of this camp, I didn't think film was an option.

I didn't even consider it.

- I am really hoping to make acting or filmmaking into my career.

- And whether they go on to do this as a career, I think that they'll always remember it, but we are finding that a lot of our students are really considering this as a career film schools, things like that.

- From on screen to on stage, come behind the scenes with us at the Milwaukee Repertory theater.

New Age is a new play about four women overcoming life's obstacles.

Written by Pulitzer prize nominee, Dael Orlandersmith.

New Age is running now through May 1st at the Milwaukee Rep Stiemke Studio in collaboration with Milwaukee PBS's Black Nouveau series.

We visit the writer and the cast.

- This is a world premiere, New Age is play about three women through their lives.

In the beginning of a journey for the youngest in the crew.

- [Lisa] It's a view of how women should change their way of thinking about what it means to be a woman.

- It's like everyone, it's four women at different ages and how society views you, how they view themselves, how they view each other.

I was shocked, but wasn't shocked.

I hated that I didn't dump him first.

- Now, I'm here.

Old folks, home in (bleep) LA.

- New Age is a play, all women.

And we wanted to look at one of the isms we don't look at is ageism.

That's the last ism we don't look at.

- And I'm now paying attention to like all the like beauty creams and all the advertising is like "how to look younger", "how to be younger".

I'm like getting older, I'm a little bit like, well, how about how to be your best self?

You know, like how about to like have your skin look good now.

And then I now and then put powder on my lips, filled it in with the yellow pencil and back on burnt orange lipstick.

And he looked at me and said "bit much don't you think?

You're not 16 anymore."

- But I think as a woman, who's very much lived true to herself and followed a path that I believed was right for me and have had a very extraordinary and fruitful life as a result, I believe that we need to teach our daughters to fulfill their dreams, not the dreams of the people around them.

After our divorced, I found some of my strength coming here.

- I was born there.

- But it's not, home.

There's a lot that this play can do for everybody that's that's involved, including the audience that I feel personally, that it's a very healing play.

There's something so beautiful and cathartic about listening and hearing other people tell their stories, but also being able to share your story.

- [Dael] But to me, beauty doesn't or handsomeness, doesn't go away it transmutes.

And we are not looking at the fact that the expression "wise blood" is where it's like, say, as someone gets older, their blood, particularly with a woman, their blood is retained for them now.

They no longer have to give birth to someone else, they're giving birth to themselves.

The blood is now an elixir, which I think is a beautiful definition of that.

- And this gorgeous man comes up to me and says "well I'd love to, but you have to marry me first".

And that's how I met my husband.

- [Lisa] Well, Cass is a woman in her sixties who was divorced 25 years ago, and today learns that her ex-husband has died.

So she revisits the story of her life, with him, without him.

in the end, resolve to move forward free of the grief of the breakup of that relationship.

That there's more to life than just wishing that he hadn't left.

- How the hell did I end up here?

- [Delissa] Lisette is an 80 year old woman.

I'm at a critical juncture in my life.

And the decision to, and how I have the choice to live exactly the way I want.

- [Courtney] He and I did it, did it here against the bar.

Candy is from all over, but she's from Pearland, Texas.

She is an aging beauty queen.

And what happens when that changes, when that starts to shift and how do you view yourself and your value?

And then what happens when you don't get that attention that you're used to getting.

(guitar plays) - Liberty is an amazing young woman, she's 18.

She's leaving home for the first time ever.

So, and today is the day she has decided she is leaving and she's gonna get on a train.

And she has no idea where she's gonna go, but she knows she needs to go somewhere.

- [Lisa] Because the important thing about plays is that until you get an audience, the play isn't complete.

But the moment we get that audience and the listening from them and feel their empathy and their reaction to the somewhat shocking thing, some of us say some of the time in terms of the experience of our particular characters.

I think we the actors will learn a huge amount more, about the complete richness and expansion of this play.

- You can see new age through May 1st at the Milwaukee Repertory theaters, Stiemke studio.

Thank you for watching this episode of The Arts Page.

I'm Sandy Maxx, please join us the first Thursday of every month on Milwaukee PBS for another half hour full of art on The Arts Page.

(jazz music)