Many actors — and painters and musicians — have felt that their art was somehow “in my blood.” Actor Ruth Schudson, co-founder of the Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, is one of them.
As she said of her career in an interview on Sept. 15, “It chose me… Like being Jewish, it is who I am.”
But in her case there may actually be a genetic component. She said that her father had been an actor and director in Ukraine, before coming to the United States.
In any event, Schudson will be uniting her theatrical and Jewish identities this month in her 65th role with the company she helped create. She will be American southern Jewish matriarch Daisy Werthan in Alfred Uhry’s 1987 Pulitzer Prize-winning play “Driving Miss Daisy.”
The production will run Oct. 13-30. Moreover, collaborative events are scheduled with the Jewish community at the Jewish Museum Milwaukee and the Harry & Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center.
Schudson’s parents, Bella and David Shechtman, moved to Milwaukee from Ukraine in 1921 to escape persecution and deprivation. Pogroms were common, once forcing a then-young aunt to hide in an oven, Schudson said.
Her father, she said, was in Yiddish theater, but in the U.S. found factory work, then owned and operated a small grocery store with his wife. The store was re-located to various non-Jewish neighborhoods, and Ruth had to attend five different grade schools.
It was a Yiddish-speaking family, Schudson recalled. She is a self-described “cultural Jew,” who said one of her strong Jewish connections is her command of that language.
Apparently, her passion for theater started in childhood and grew at West Division High School, where she performed in the school’s two annual plays. That proved insufficient, so she began performing in productions at the Jewish Community Center, then located on Milwaukee Street.
She earned a master’s degree from the Goodman School of Drama in Chicago, married Armand Schudson, and eventually decided to continue her acting career in Milwaukee. Among other things, she appeared in the Milwaukee Repertory Theater and taught at Alverno College.
She met actor-director Montgomery Davis (1940-2007) during a MRT production in the early 1970s. Together they founded the Milwaukee Chamber Theatre in 1975.
“Driving Miss Daisy” portrays the 25-year relationship between the prim Daisy, her adult son Boolie, and Hoke, the African-American gentleman her son hires as her chauffeur. Various experiences bring Daisy and Hoke to common ground, as do their mutual attempts to maintain their propriety.
Director C. Michael Wright in a telephone interview on Sept. 16 described the play as “a love story about a friendship, of two people from different cultures, recognizing their differences and similarities over time, and letting down their walls.”
And Schudson said that in her approach to this and any character, “The whole goal is to live the life of that character as closely as the playwright intended; to bring your intelligence, life experiences, and emotions to what is written on the page, to make the person live, so people watching share the play with you.”
To further highlight the occasion of Schudson’s 65th MCT role, the company is hosting a tribute event on Oct. 24. Additionally, the company has established The Ruth Schudson Leading Lady Fund, with contributions used to support local actors.
The JCC in partnership with JMM, plus the co-sponsorship of the Women’s Division of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation, are planning several programs related to the play:
• A special offer for Jewish Museum Milwaukee and Harry & Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center members will be 25 percent off ticket prices throughout the run. Ask for the “JCM25” discount when ordering at the box office or by phone at 414-291-7800. Purchase online at www.milwaukeechambertheatre.com; enter Coupon Code: JCM25.
• On Tuesday, Oct. 4, 5 p.m., the JMM will offer a “Rush Hour Read” of the play, featuring Schudson and Wright, at the museum, 1360 N. Prospect Ave. Admission is free for members; $5 for non-members. Reservations are required. Call 414-390-5730 or email mollyd@jewishmuseummilwaukee.org.
• On Monday, Oct. 10, 10 a.m., the JCC will offer a “Director’s Take,” a behind-the-scenes look at the play, with Wright, at the JCC, 6255 N. Santa Monica Blvd. Admission is free. To learn more, contact JCC Judaic educator Jody Hirsh at 414-967-8199 or jhirsh@jccmilwaukee.org.
• A Community Theatre Day is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 23, at the 2 p.m. matinee performance, which will include a post-performance talk-back with Hirsh.
Nancy Weiss-McQuide is a director, choreographer, dance teacher, performer, and theater instructor for many theater and dance programs in Milwaukee.
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