Maybe We’ll Fly
A Play by Marie Kohler with Music by Josh Schmidt
Marie Kohler collaborates with composer Josh Schmidt in this theatrical and poetic reimagining of the life and work of Wisconsin outsider artist Mary Nohl (1914-2001). Nohl's unique vision sparked her to transform cast-off materials she collected into one-of-a-kind creations in the yard of her lakeshore home. "I turn trash into treasure," the play's Artist proclaims joyously to her world. The play explores what drives this artist's aspiration to create, to delight and provoke her community, to try and make her mark... and to what connects her to all of us.
CASTING: 3 women, 1 girl, 1 cellist
SET REQUIREMENTS: One-unit set
RUN TIME: 80 minutes
Production History
Produced:
Milwaukee Chamber Theatre (part of World Premiere Wisconsin), Milwaukee, WI – 2026 (Premiere)
Readings:
Milwaukee Opera Theatre (part of World Premiere Wisconsin), Milwaukee, WI – 2026
Warehouse Art Museum (part of World Premiere Wisconsin), Milwaukee, WI – 2023
Workshops:
hosted by American Players Theatre, Spring Green, WI – 2025
hosted by Rivendell Theatre Ensemble, Chicago, IL – 2024, 2025
Two Crows Theatre (virtual), Spring Green, WI – 2020
Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Milwaukee, WI – 2017
Reviews
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“... a thing of beauty ... all four actors unite for the phantasmagorical closing scene and final examination of a life well lived.”
– An Intuitive Perspective
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“... every word seems perfectly sculpted and pointed, with nothing superfluous.”
– Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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“... every aspect of the production brought the story to life. And the beige yet whimsical costumes were a beautiful choice, pieced together like Nohl’s collections themselves..."
– Milwaukee Magazine
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“Individually and together, the four women weave a transfixing spell throughout . . . It is as unique as the art Mary Nohl once created.”
– Shepherd Express
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“...the play is poetic, engaging and beautifully staged.”
– Third Coast Review