BIG FISH LOVES SMALL POND: ABELE "WOULDN'T LIVE ANYWHERE ELSE"

Milwaukeean Chris Abele announced a $5 million personal donation to the Royal Shakespeare Company yesterday, Monday, September 24^th, 2007, according to a release from the London-based theatrical group. It is the largest American gift in the history of the world’s most famous classical theater, which was named after an Elizabethan-era English playwright.

Although London gets the $5,000,000, (or £2,482,991.50, at current rates), Milwaukee gets a wet sloppy kiss from philanthropist Abele. “I wouldn’t live anywhere else,” Abele told reporter Campbell Robertson of the New York Times in an article published yesterday.

According to the Times article, when Chris was asked to run the family’s philanthropy, the Argosy Foundation, “he agreed on one condition: that the Argosy Foundation be based in Milwaukee.”

A release from the Royal Shakespeare Company says Abele’s $5 million is just part of the total $15 million the Royal Shakespeare Company America plans to raise towards the $228 million redevelopment of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. Abele has been president of the American group since 2005. The troupe’s association with the colonies dates to 1913 when it toured 25 cities in the United States, Milwaukee not among them. Although Abele is President of the RSCA, its chairman is Lord Sainsbury of Turville, a grocer.

[ Update -- Thursday, September 27th, 2007 : Milwaukeeworld received this response to a request for comment from Christopher Seton Abele --

The donation to RSC was a personal gift from Chris Abele and not affiliated with Argosy. Unfortunately he’s not currently taking meetings to discuss the gift, but we thank you for your comments.
Regards,
Erin Peterson -- Ed.]