Scenic Design: Sarah Harris, with Set Construction: Les Zarzecki, Lighting Design: Ellie Rabinowitz, Associate Lighting Design: Margrete Henderson, Costume Design: Amanda J. Hull, Props: O.J. Jardas, Assistant Set and Props Design: Anjl Rodee, Sound Design: Martilia Marechal, Intimacy Choreography: Laura Sturm, Violence Choreographer: Nicole Magnusson, Assistant Violence Choreographer: Jason Melone, Stage Management: Liv Mauseth, Assistant Stage Management: Kai Hrivnak; Production Photo by Jake Badovski, Kłamię Studios
It’s the Monday after strike after BUG closing on Saturday, May 9, 2026. My brain just won’t stop turning on what a magical experience the whole ride has been. There are productions that remind you why you do this work, and then there are productions that remind you why this work is hard — and somehow make you love it more for that. BUG was both of those things for me.
From the very beginning, this show asked everything of us. The material is unrelenting, the world of the play is claustrophobic and terrifying and achingly human, and the people who brought it to life did so while navigating the very real financial pressures that face artists in Milwaukee every single day. Every person who walked into that rehearsal room — cast, crew, creative team — showed up and gave everything they had for compensation that doesn't come close to reflecting their talent, their labor, or their worth. That's not a footnote. That's a reality I want to name plainly, because it matters. The continued funding hurdles facing small nonprofit theatre in this city are real, and the people who work through them anyway are extraordinary.
None of this would have existed without Maya Danks. Maya, you brought a precision and a depth of vision to this production that I genuinely did not see coming — and I mean that as the highest possible compliment. You held the chaos of this play with such care. You knew what you were building, you trusted we artists, and you created a space where we could go to the dark places the script required and find our way back out together. Directors like you are rare. Getting to work under your leadership on a piece this demanding was one of the genuine privileges of the entirety of my time since starting The Constructivists.
Ekene Ikegwuani – I am so so proud of you for your first time as Assistant Director. Your voice was needed and clear and supportive. I can’t imagine a better human for this role on this project. Thank you for being such a great multi-skilled artist. Thank you for being such a leader in this company.
And my castmates. I could write pages. Pages and pages and pages.
Joe Lino – I need you to know that working alongside you in this show was something I will carry for a long time. The commitment, the generosity, the fearlessness. Every night you showed up and made it feel entirely real and entirely alive. Your support through all my insecurity and anxiety challenges made everything seem possible. There is no version of this production that works without you, and I'm so grateful. I consider you a true great friend of my life and will never let that go. I love you.
Matt Specht – You are a Constructivist. You just are. I have loved working opposite you for both Agnes and Maureen and look forward to the next time we get to play off each other again. You are one of the best partners an actor Artist could hope for.
Robert W. C. Kennedy – You came back to us. You did. You were magnificent in The Nether, and Dr. Sweet would have been nothing here without you. That role was made for you. You squeezed every last bit of humor and specificity out of the very limited time you had on stage. You have and always will make every show better.
Tess Cinpinski – I am so, so, so, so beyond the moon you came to us. You made it here, to The Constructivists, just in time to make R.C. someone to be noticed and taken seriously. I loved watching every bit of your process in bringing that character to life and am blown away by your talent. I cannot wait for the next time to work with you. You are of the loveliest of humans.
Team B (Or, The Understudies) – Rebekah Farr, Jesse Skewes, Kellie Wambold, Nate Press, and Ryan Holifield — learning this material, holding these roles, preparing to step into one of the most demanding plays in the repertoire with a single run on May 4th to show for it. That is a specific kind of dedication that doesn't get celebrated enough. You came in, you did the work, and you were ready. That readiness matters more than most people realize, and we are so grateful for every one of you.
But a production is never just its performers, and BUG was held up by an extraordinary creative team working at every level — many of them, again, for far less than their work was worth.
Sarah Harris built a world on that stage. Just as she does so amazingly every time. People could not stop talking about the reality and the claustrophobia of the motel set. Ellie, the Lighting Design — with Margrete Henderson as Associate — shaped the mood and menace of this play in ways the audience may not have consciously registered but absolutely felt. THE GREEN. THE GREEN. Amanda J. Hull, thank you for jumping on board with Costume Design. Another part of the world that often gets overlooked in contemporary plays. But thank you for looking for our comfort overall. Particularly with my underwear. O.J. Jardas developed Props (CRACK PIPE!) with an amazing amount of care, and Anjl Rodee's work in assistant mode (WITH A WHOLE MARGARITAVILLE PAINTING TO BOOT!) amplified every detail. Brittany Haut – blood art is a slog and no one really knows the effort that has to go into that shit. You did it with patience and heart. And were there, in the basement, thanklessly, every. Single. Night. Bless you. And Martilia, your Sound Design wrapped the whole world of the play in something that got under our consciousnesses in exactly the right way. People could NOT stop talking about the SOUND.
And, of course. I have to thank Leszek. Speaking of amazing work. Husband, your skills have no match. To single-handedly built this amazing shit every single time. In 48 hours. Just amazing. And then to clear it out in just under two. You are an absolute beast and I am so grateful.
This show also required a level of physical and emotional specificity that doesn't happen by accident. Laura Sturm's Intimacy Choreography and Nicole Magnusson's Violence Choreography (also thank you Jason for your assistant violence talent!) gave us a framework to do dangerous, vulnerable work safely and with intention. That infrastructure is invisible to the audience and absolutely essential to the artists. Laura, you are my rock. Nicole, you are my hero. Thank you.
Liv and Kai – the true unsung heroes who kept this production running with steadiness and grace. You two made this production easy. EASY, I say. The SM and ASM roles are such a thankless gig, but I thank you from the bottom of my heart. All that clean up. ALL OF IT. Every day. I am so grateful.
And a special, enormous thank you to Carrie Johns, who stepped in as a last-minute ASM fill-in and learned the full backstage needs of this production in a single day. One day. That kind of professionalism and calm under pressure is genuinely remarkable, and we would not have made it through without you.
And Eli – thank you for going above and beyond. You didn’t have to lend the extra hand, but you did, and I am eternally grateful.
And finally — the images that remain from this production, the ones that will live on long after the set is struck, belong to Jake Badovski of Kłamię Studios, whose photography captured something true about this show. Thank you for seeing it so clearly. I am so in love with your work.
To everyone who was part of this — thank you. Thank you for trusting the material, trusting each other, and trusting this company. The Constructivists exist because people like you keep believing in the art we make.