Rhonda Schmidt, Director

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 musical Cats is Mr. Mistoffelees, but Skimbleshanks takes a close second. Maddie has been involved with the Waukesha Civic Theatre since the age of 10. She is joining us today to discuss five things she has done at the Waukesha Civic Theatre in the 13 years since then.

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. Ryan talks with us about what's coming up next at WCT.

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 Archive. Peter will be talking about the play selection process.

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, The Busybody, Dixie Swim Club, Noises Off, 33 Variations, and Fawlty Towers. Her performance in WCT’s 33 Variations was recognized by the Footlights Performing Arts Awards in 2017.

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 debut its 8th production at Waukesha Civic Theater on February 5th.  Matthew also works as a personal trainer in Milwaukee helping people reach their fitness goals. Matthew is joining us today to share five things about writing in different mediums.

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 she started a middle school mass choir "Jammin' 4 Jesus". Music-directing companies include: Skylight Music Theatre, Milwaukee Opera Theatre, DSHA Community TheatreWorks, In Tandem Theatre, Off the Wall Theatre, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Wisconsin Lutheran College, Whitefish Bay High School, Wisconsin Hills Middle School, Brookfield Elementary School. Music-directing credits include: Violet, The Story of My Life, Spring Awakening, Les Miserables, Ragtime, Peter Pan, Into the Woods, You're a Good Man Charlie Brown. Anne spoke with us about music directing for young performers.

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 directorial debut at WCT with "Crimes of the Heart" in 2010, and last fall, directed a highly successful production of Edward Albee's classic "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" with Milwaukee Entertainment Group at the Brumder Mansion. As an actor, he has far too many favorite roles over 20 years to mention, but his most recent - Edward Bloom in "Big Fish" at WCT this past spring - is definitely right up there on his list. When he's not onstage, he works as Culinary Assistant for Taste of Home magazine, and is an avid reader and baker, baking up beautiful, photo-worthy desserts in his kitchen for his Neufangled Desserts followers on Instagram and Facebook. He lives in Milwaukee with his partner Jake and two crazy cats, Maggie and Digby.

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 of 2017. She’s joining us today to talk about auditions.

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 in live stream - Big Fish produced by Waukesha Civic Theatre this March...and June. Rhonda is joining us today to discuss five things she considered while directing an ensemble.

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.  Aaron is joining us today to discuss how he uses five properties of light when designing lighting for plays or musicals. Check out more episodes from Waukesha Civic Theatre on Fridays, and don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe!