After $7.5M flood loss, Milwaukee Rep restores 'A Christmas Carol' set in time for 50th anniversary

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) - Back in August, the Milwaukee Repertory Theater faced a major setback when floodwater rushed into its Wauwatosa production center and ruined equipment and the full turntable set for its 50th anniversary run of A Christmas Carol. Crews then began a race against time to rebuild everything before opening night.

When staff first entered the 30,000-square-foot production center after the flood, they found water throughout the building. Sets and props were soaked and unsalvageable.

“It wasn’t just a few puddles,” Artistic Director Mark Clements said. “This was a catastrophic flood that had decimated everything that was 3 feet on the floor.”

The flood caused an estimated $7.5 million in damage, wiping out the entire A Christmas Carol set the Rep had used since 2016. Clements said they hoped to save anything they could, but most items were a total loss.

“Can we save anything? No,” he said. “Most of the costumes were ok because they were up on a higher level. But the props, most of which, along with 70 years of theater making, were all destroyed.”

Despite the loss, canceling the 50th anniversary production was not on the table.

“The big question was can we do it? Is there a will, is there a way?” Clements said. “There was definitely will. We did not want to cancel Christmas.”

The Rep quickly coordinated with outside partners. New sets were built in Canada in time to start rehearsals on schedule.

“We start rehearsal at the end of October, so it was very quick thinking to see if we could find a facility that could help us with that,” Clements said.

When he finally saw the rebuilt set in place, Clements said the moment hit him.

“I suddenly looked up and I thought, oh my goodness, none of this existed three months ago,” he said. “This all had to be manufactured from scratch. I was actually quite moved that we were up there doing it, and it was working. Everyone worked so incredibly hard.”

Families return year after year to see the Rep’s production of A Christmas Carol, which Clements calls an important tradition.

“I’m so happy that people will not miss out,” he said. “The pandemic was tough. To miss out again, a few years later, on our 50th anniversary would have been a real tragedy. It’s very meaningful to people and to families who come and see this piece.”

Now that the cleanup and rebuild are complete, A Christmas Carol will open Tuesday night, Nov. 25, at 7 p.m. It runs through Dec. 24.