26/27 Season · Milwaukee's Premier Classical Repertory Company
Bringing the ancient, the timeless, and the vital to life on stage.
Cole Castine as Xerxes & Maggie Marks as Queen Atossa · The Persians, 2026 | Photo: Paul Ruffolo Photography
The Season
Tickets On Sale · October 30 – November 8, 2026
Gertrude Stein's
Directed by Cole Castine
Gertrude Stein's dazzling and operatic reimagining of the Faust legend plunges us into a world of perpetual light, where desire, death, and damnation collide with wicked humor and dreamlike logic. Faustus wants to escape the burden of being alive, but when the Devil offers him eternal youth in exchange for the soul of a mysterious woman, the bargain becomes a seductive battle over who gets to choose life, death, and what comes after. Radical, playful, and deliciously unsettling, Doctor Faustus Lights the Lights turns the classic myth inside out and invites you into a world where nothing is quite what it seems and the Devil may not be the most dangerous thing in the room. Unlike anything audiences have ever experienced. Enter the current this Halloween!
Accessibility & Age Guidance
Reserved seating is recommended for patrons who require accessible seating; the standing-room section is not accessible. Recommended for audiences ages 13 and older; children under 13 will not be admitted. The production features continuous, unbroken “perpetual light” staging throughout its 60-minute run, with no blackout and no intermission. Patrons with accessibility needs are encouraged to contact the box office in advance at 414.375.5127.
Ticket sales opened September 3, 2026. Select a performance and reserve your seats through Ticket Tailor.
Programs & Study Guides
Every WCS production leaves something behind. Our stage programs and patron study guides stay online for good — read the company notes, the dramaturgy, and the essays that surrounded each show.
Closed · Spring 2026
April 24 – 26, 2026 · Calvary Presbyterian Church
Land Acknowledgment
Wisconsin Classic Stage recognizes and honors the Indigenous peoples who have called this land home for generations. The state known as Wisconsin is home to eleven sovereign Tribal nations: Bad River Ojibwe, Forest County Potawatomi, Ho-Chunk, Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Ojibwe, Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Menominee Nation, Mole Lake Sokaogan Chippewa, Oneida Nation, Red Cliff Band of Ojibwe, St. Croix Band of Ojibwe, and Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohicans. No matter where you stand in Wisconsin, you stand on the ancestral land of a Tribal nation. We encourage everyone to reflect on that history and to recognize the enduring contributions of these communities — past, present, and future.
Tickets On Sale · October 30 – November 8, 2026
Gertrude Stein's DOCTOR FAUSTUS LIGHTS THE LIGHTS
Enter the current this Halloween. Evening performances at 8:00 pm, with Saturday late shows at 10:00 pm.
