Where: Scout Wine Merchants
4512 N Oakland Ave, Shorewood, WI 53211
When: May 9nd, 2023 @ 5:30pm
Rossini's barbers helped aristocrats pass love notes - what about yours? An opportunity to learn more about Milwaukee's barber shop community and our Love Thy Barber partner. Learn more about the show before you go!
About Versed
We build operas over the course of a few years! In that time, dozens of creatives work on color palettes, lighting effects, historical juxtapositions and casting. Get a peek into the production process and learn more about what makes this show magical, including historical context.
For each mainstage production, we offer two Versed experiences for the Milwaukee community (and beyond) to learn about composer histories, the first audience's response, historical contexts, culture, and the intentions behind a show.
Our Versed series takes place as an intimate gathering somewhere in Milwaukee. These are FREE and open to the public. Food and beverage will be available for purchase.
Featuring
Gaulien "Gee" Smith
Owner of Gee's Clippers
Gaulien "Gee" Smith, owner of Gee's Clippers, is famous for his barber shop that is a haven for men from the neighborhood and a few luminaries, too, like the owners of the Bucks. He started cutting his brothers’ hair when he was just 12. Today, Gee’s Clippers is one of the largest Black-owned barbershops in the Midwest, with more than 30 barbers.
Recognizing that personal connections are born in the barber chair, Gee has made his shop a gathering place for the community, and especially men. Gee likes to run his barbershop "somewhat like barbershops were in the early to mid 1900's. Where good news was shared and politicians could come speak to their constituents. Barbershops truly healed communities by bringing resources and support to the people. Not to mention helping the community look good - one haircut at a time."
Gee invites local men to his shop to participate in strictly off-the-record, truth-telling conversations. The monthly men-only confabs are a chance to talk about life, both its high points and its struggles. Gee moved his shop to King Drive intentionally, to help revitalize the area, and, in early March, partnered with Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield and others to open a small medical clinic at the barbershop. The decision was a personal one—numerous family members have died of preventable illnesses before they were 65. Barbers can start wellness conversations and then refer clients to the MKE Wellness Clinic, where nurses can check blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose and body mass index, and test for sexually transmitted infections.