Today's guest is Madison Penzkover. A recent graduate of the University of Oklahoma, Madison is an actor, director, and Capricorn. Before college she acted with the Waukesha Civic Theatre, First Stage, Young Company, and Old World Wisconsin. She has previously directed Dry Land at the University of Oklahoma and Dynamite Comedy at WCT. She bakes a mean meringue, plays an intense game of Settlers of Catan, and knows how to make a variety of four-legged balloon animals. Her favorite cat from the mu...
May 28, 2021•21 min•Season 2Ep. 8
Ryan Albrechtson joined the Waukesha Civic Theatre as Associate Managing Director in 2021. His experience at the theatre prior to joining the staff includes performing (Honk!, Willy Wonka) and directing (It’s A Wonderful Life, My Funny Valentine). Ryan is a Theatre & Arts Management graduate of Carroll University and also serves as Producing Artistic Director of Outskirts Theatre. Other previous directing credits include Carrie: The Musical, Disenchanted, Dog Sees God, and The Amish Project....
Mar 26, 2021•14 min•Season 2Ep. 17
Peter Kao joined the WCT Family in 2008 when he played the role of Mr. Shellhammer in Miracle on 34th St. Other favorite WCT roles include Mr. Mayor in Seussical and Man in Chair in The Drowsy Chaperone. In 2017, he directed the comedy, Sex Please, We’re Sixty. At the end of the 2016 season, he joined the Board of Directors. He currently serves as the Secretary on the Board and chairs the Diversity and Inclusive Practices Committee. He is also directing WCT’s upcoming production of The Language ...
Mar 05, 2021•19 min•Season 2Ep. 6
Today’s guest is Beth Perry. Originally from Washington DC, Beth was bitten by the acting bug when her godfather took her to the theatre when she was four years old. She knew right away - she wanted to be on the stage. She has been remarkably fortunate and been able to be on stages in DC, Central Florida and Southeast Wisconsin. She first appeared on the Waukesha Civic Theatre stage 18 years ago, and she’s met some of her very best friends and done some of her very best work here including Wit, ...
Feb 12, 2021•21 min•Season 2Ep. 5
Matthew Konkel is a playwright, film-producer, and screenwriter. His feature film Neptune from Last House Productions was selected for the 2016 Slamdance Film Festival and is currently available to watch on Prime Video. His plays have been produced nationally and internationally by theater companies including Milwaukee Entertainment Group, Edmonds Driftwood Players, Organised Chaos Productions, Over Our Head Players, and Screaming Media Gi60. His play Jake Revolver, Freelance Secret Agent will d...
Jan 29, 2021•25 min•Season 2Ep. 4
Anne Van Deusen is a music director, pianist, accompanist and vocal coach in and around the Milwaukee area. Specializing in her ability to break open the text, Anne enjoys working with performers of all ages and all abilities. She thoroughly enjoys the collaborative process between the leadership team, the cast and crew and delights in helping young artists discover their talents and passion. In her day job, Anne is the Director of Liturgical Music at St. Mary's Church in Hales Corners, where sh...
Jan 01, 2021•23 min•Season 2Ep. 3
Today’s guest is Mark Neufang. Originally a native of upstate New York, Mark has 20 years experience working as an actor and director in Milwaukee and Waukesha area theaters. He earned a Bachelor's degree in in art and theater at Carroll University and began his community theater endeavors on WCT's stage in 2000 when he was cast as Freddy Eynsford-Hill in "My Fair Lady". Since then, he has participated in over 50 productions on both non-professional and semi-professional stages. He made his dire...
Dec 18, 2020•33 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Jackey Boelkow is the Director of Marketing and Development at Waukesha Civic Theatre but she is also an actor, auditioning and performing in the Milwaukee area. She was most recently seen as Chris in Outskirts Theatre Co.’s Carrie , Suzy in Sunset Playhouse’s production of The Marvelous Wonderettes, and is a cast member at Kohl’s Wild Theatre. She graduated from UW Stevens Point with her BFA in Musical Theatre in 2018 and studied and performed with the Prague Shakespeare Company in the summer o...
Dec 04, 2020•29 min•Season 2Ep. 1
Rhonda Schmidt, the Executive Director of Waukesha Civic Theatre, joined the WCT team last winter, wanting to take a role in her local theatre to benefit the community, continue her work with kids in theatre, and help WCT get to the next phase of its journey. Rhonda is a Waukesha resident, a producer, director, fundraiser, designer, and teacher. In her personal life she is a wife, mother of three, and zoo wrangler of several pets. Rhonda’s last directorial work could be seen on the WCT stage and...
Jul 31, 2020•30 min•Season 1Ep. 10
Aaron Schmidt is a lighting and sound designer who has worked with several area theaters and schools over the past twenty years. Most recently, Aaron designed the lighting and coordinated the technical aspects of the video projections for Waukesha Civic’s production of Big Fish . Aaron also spends time on stage as a member of the 50’s and 60’s musical group, the Four Guyz in Dinner Jackets. By day, Aaron works as a technical project manager for one of the nation’s largest radiology practices. Aa...
Jul 24, 2020•21 min•Season 1Ep. 9
Ian Hueston is the Box Office Manager at Waukesha Civic Theatre, where he has worked as event staff since 2018. He studied theatre at Brevard College in North Carolina where he focused on costuming, makeup, and playwriting. He is an amateur playwright who has been featured in the literary magazine Chiaroscuro. Most of his time is spent with his boyfriends and their two adorable dogs in Racine. Ian talks with us about the front of house.
Jul 17, 2020•34 min•Season 1Ep. 8
Doug Jarecki is the Director of Education and Outreach at the Waukesha Civic Theatre, and also a local actor and playwright. He is co-founder of the children's theatre company Kidsplay, where he co-writes and performs original shows for young audiences. His work has been produced by Next Act Theatre, In Tandem, Waukesha Civic Theatre, Kohl's Wild Theatre, and more. His Christmas play 'Twas The Month Before Christmas will be returning this December to Vogel Hall at the Marcus Center and the Ocono...
Jul 10, 2020•32 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Sharon Sohner has been involved with Waukesha Civic Theatre since 1971. She has acted, directed, stage managed, and costumed shows for WCT as well as other area community theaters and schools. A high school Communications/Drama teacher for 35 years, she was involved in all aspects of educational theater. Upon retirement, she decided to narrow her focus to costuming. She has headed or helped with at least one show per year since 2001 here with the community at Waukesha Civic Theatre. She especial...
Jul 03, 2020•35 min•Season 1Ep. 6
Sarah Rolli is a sound and lighting designer that has worked at multiple theatres in the Madison and Milwaukee area, including Outskirts, New Berlin West TAP, and, of course, Waukesha Civic. She studied theatre at UW-Madison and has worked in live theatre, opera, and live music. When not at the theatre, she works in medical diagnostics as a biochemist. Sarah will be talking about Sound Design. Check out more episodes from Waukesha Civic Theatre on Fridays, and don't forget to rate, review, and s...
Jun 26, 2020•19 min•Season 1Ep. 5
Today’s guest is Christal Wagner. Christal has her BFA in Dance from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee where she also spent 6 years as an adjunct faculty in the UWM dance department and will be joining the dance department to teach Dance for Musical Theatre in fall of 2020. She is a mover, choreographer, photographer, videographer, film maker, and performer all throughout the Milwaukee area. She gained her start performing professionally with Elizabeth Johnson’s company, Your Mother Dances, ...
Jun 19, 2020•42 min•Season 1Ep. 4
Pam Seccombe left her job as a high school French teacher in order to start a second career working in the theatre as a Stage Manager. She has studied stage management in the UW-Milwaukee theatre department and done internships at Milwaukee Chamber Theatre. Pam has managed shows at Waukesha Civic Theatre, SummerStage of Delafield, Sunset Playhouse, and at UW-M. In her spare time she enjoys studying medieval history and doing genealogical research on her family in the UK. Pam will be talking abou...
Jun 12, 2020•23 min•Season 1Ep. 4
Dana Brzezinski has costumed many shows for Waukesha Civic Theatre, most recent of which was CLUE THE MUSICAL. Other theater credits include designing SMALL FIRE at Next Act Theater and being Wardrobe Supervisor at Florentine Opera. Dana was raised with sewing. Most of the women of her maternal lineage have been hobby sewers or tailors. She got bit by the theater bug when she stumbled onto costume crew in high school and went on to study theater design at Bennington College. Dana will be telling...
Jun 05, 2020•23 min•Season 1Ep. 2
Dustin J. Martin is an award-winning director who has acted and directed at many theaters across southeastern Wisconsin. HIs production of 33 VARIATIONS at WCT won the inaugural Footlights People’s Choice Award for Best Non-Professional Play. Other credits include NOISES OFF , ROMEO AND JULIET , THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK , MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING , TARTUFFE , THE DIXIE SWIM CLUB , and THE MIRACLE WORKER . He is also the artistic director of SummerStage of Delafield. When not working on a show, he e...
May 29, 2020•33 min•Season 1Ep. 1
Have you ever wondered what it takes to put on a show? Well, you've come to the right podcast! Each episode, we interview someone with specific knowledge and experience working in theatre. They will share five things important to their creative process. Directors, actors, stitchers, and more! Backstage Tour is a podcast produced by Waukesha Civic Theatre and hosted by yours truly, Meghan Hopper. Check back soon for new episodes!
May 21, 2020•33 sec
