More than plays has been happening at the Milwaukee Rep this season. Audiences have been sizing up new artistic director Mark Clements, and he has been sizing up them.

Evidence is strong that they like each other, but as happens in all new relationships, there has been the occasional pothole.

Single ticket sales are the most compelling indication of how audiences are receiving Clements and the productions he is putting on the Rep's stages. Many of the shows have met or exceeded sales expectations, resulting in that category of box office revenue currently being $175,000 greater than budgeted.

Individual ticket figures for "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" were at 80 percent of forecasted business before the show opened, and "The 39 Steps" reached 100 percent after its first weekend of performances. The season's first production, "Cabaret," was a huge box office hit. Interestingly, 46 percent of ticket buyers for the musical were seeing their first Rep show.

"It's gone better than we hoped for, and we hoped for a lot," the artistic director said during a chat in his office.

But not every Rep theatergoer has been appreciative of Clements' play selection and casting choices, and there have been some surprises for him. "I had some things to learn about the Midwest," he said. Clements is a Brit, and the bulk of his American theater experience has been in Philadelphia and New York.

He has found Milwaukee audiences to be much more conservative in their play content preferences than he expected. A strongly negative reaction to salty language particularly surprised him.

And he was startled by the tone of a few letters he received from unhappy customers. "Rude" is his description of the missives.

Looking on the bright side, the artistic director was gratified they cared enough to write. Indifference is the greatest artistic insult.

"I want to challenge the audience, but I am not setting out to offend people," he explained. "Time does not stand still. We have to produce plays that reflect the society we live in."

Clements has also taken some criticism for not casting the familiar members of the Rep's longstanding resident acting company as frequently this season as they were under his predecessor in the past. He perceives the need to broaden the field of actors who work on the Rep's stages.

"There were few women in the acting company. There were no people of color. There was no one under the age of 40 in the company. We need to add to the company," he explained.

"Everything is not about me and the 10 resident actors."

Speaking about Milwaukee theatergoers in general, Clements continued, "People here are cautious with their money. They're not prepared to take huge risks. It's tough to get a sale, but once you make it, there is loyalty.

"Once people trust you, they stand by you."

On a personal level, Clements has quickly become an enthusiastic Milwaukeean. "This city is more welcoming and warm than any other place I have been. My enjoyment at being a part of this community has happened much faster than I thought it would," he reported.

Clements' inaugural season comes to an end with "Death of a Salesman," opening in the Quadracci Powerhouse Theater April 15. He is directing and Lee Ernst will play Willy Loman.

Next season begins earlier than usual with a Powerhouse production of the new Jeffrey Hatcher comedy "Ten Chimneys," opening Sept. 2. A fictional piece set at Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne's Waukesha County estate, the play features a lover's triangle triggered by a young starlet's arrival at Ten Chimneys to rehearse a show.

The Arizona Theatre Company commissioned the piece and gave it its world premiere this season. Former Rep artistic director Joe Hanreddy will direct.

Other Powerhouse shows include an adaptation of "To Kill a Mockingbird" and Shakespeare's "Othello." Aaron Posner, who adapted and directed the stunning "My Name is Asher Lev" in the Stiemke Theater last fall, will stage "To Kill a Mockingbird," which Clements describes as "storytelling in epic proportions."

The artistic director wants the Rep to produce a show for the entire family each season, and "Mockingbird" fits that category for next year. Clements will direct "Othello," and while he vows to not alter Shakespeare's text, he is placing the piece in the context of a contemporary motorcycle gang.

The Rep is finalizing contract details on a couple of other main stage productions, including a musical. Their identities are expected to be announced next month.

Two highly interesting American female playwrights, Dael Orlandersmith and Sarah Ruhl, will be represented in the Stiemke Theater next season. Orlandersmith's trenchant drama about color prejudices within the African-American community, "Yellowman," will be mounted in the fall, and Ruhl's more comedic "In the Next Room (or the vibrator play)" is scheduled for the spring.

The Stackner Cabaret season includes the comedy "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged)" and the biographical musical "Always... Patsy Cline."

Marcus Center Mishap

All programing in Uihlein Hall at the Marcus Center has been temporarily suspended because of an equipment malfunction involving the facility's acoustic orchestra shell. Engineering experts are evaluating the situation to determine the cause of the problem and how to resolve it.

In the meantime, this weekend's MSO concerts have been moved to the Riverside Theater, 116 E. Wisconsin Ave.

"We are working closely with the Marcus Center and the Riverside Theater to make the move as seamless as possible for our patrons," said the MSO's Susan Loris in a statement. "Fortunately we are still able to perform this weekend and ensure the safety of our musicians and staff while the repairs are being made to the shell."

Programing at all other Marcus Center venues continues as scheduled.