Milwaukee theaters staging productions in response to Republican National Convention here

Two Milwaukee theater productions in July will offer pointed responses to the presence of the Republican National Convention here.

One show has roots in pre-World War II America, while the other is ripped from recent headlines.

Wisconsin Writers for Democratic Action is staging five free dramatic readings of "It Can't Happen Here − Again" in the Milwaukee area on July 18 and 19. It's an adaptation of Nobel Prize winner Sinclair Lewis' 1936 play, adapted from his own novel, that imagines the rise of a fascist dictator in the United States. Former Theatre X artistic director Wesley Savick was part of the team that adapted the Lewis play into a 30-minute staged reading for five actors.

The WWDA readings are part of a national effort organized by Writers for Democratic Action; The Progressive magazine estimates that more than 50 such readings will take place around the country. Familiar local actors and directors who will take part in one or more readings here include James Carrington, Deborah Clifton, Flora Coker, Jonathan Gillard Daly, Victor DeLorenzo, Jaimelyn Gray, John Kishline, Anya Palmer, James Pickering and Brian Rott.

Local readings of "It Can't Happen Here − Again" are scheduled for 6 p.m. July 18, Anodyne Coffee Roasters, 224 W. Bruce St.; 1 p.m. July 19, Garden Park (near Woodland Pattern), 821 E. Locust St.; 4 p.m. July 19, Waukesha Public Library, 321 Wisconsin Ave., Waukesha; 7 p.m. July 19, Zao Church, 2319 E. Kenwood Blvd.; and 8 p.m. July 19, Sugar Maple, 441 E. Lincoln Ave.

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Also, there will be a 6 p.m. July 19 performance at ARTicipation Studio, 10 E. Oak St., Sturgeon Bay.

At Quasimondo Physical Theatre, a cast of seven will perform Brian Rott's "Red, White and Coup," a new play about the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection in Washington, when a mob attacked the Capitol. According to Quasimondo, the play is "assembled from first-hand accounts, memoirs, interviews, transcripts, and Tweets." It "combines documented evidence with comedy, music, and surrealism."

Quasimondo will perform "Red, White and Coup" at 7 p.m. July 13-15, 18-20 and 25-27 at North Milwaukee Arthaus, 5151 N. 35th St., second floor. Tickets are $25 when purchased online, $30 at the door, $20 for students. Visit quasimondo.org.