Today Tonen returned to the Mailwaukee Repertory Theater, with Hoko in tow. Formerly managing director of the Rep, Tonen was instrumental in the conversion of the old electrical plant into the Powerhouse Theater. After leaving the Rep, Tonen went on to become the resident priest at MZC for ten years, moving into semi-retirement last fall. She offered Hoko a behind-the-scenes tour of the facility, and they visited everything from the prop and costume shops to the catwalks and rehearsal halls.
Tonen’s book Working Space describes the experience of turning the power plant into a theater as part of a major downtown redevelopment.
