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James Boland
James is a local actor and improv artist. He also teaches at the Tamarack Waldorf School. James holds a B.A. in English Literature and minor in theatre from the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire.
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Alexandra Bonesho
Alexandra is thrilled to be teaching at First Stage after recently graduating from Marquette University in Theatre Arts. Professional credits include Yumi in CARTOON with Youngblood, Lydia in Microcrisis at Next Act Theatre, Alais in The Lion in Winter at Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, and Art to Art at Danceworks. Favorite Marquette credits: Adriana, The Comedy of Errors; Molly, Holy Days; Audrey, Little Shop of Horrors; and Romaine Patterson/Others, The Laramie Project. She has also performed with the Sunset Playhouse, Plays for the Living, and Combat Theatre.
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Julie Borouchoff
Julie is originally from Jefferson, Wisconsin. She has a B.A. from Marquette University in Theatre Arts. She worked with children of all ages at MPS for 22 years. She is the founder and director of the Superstar Camp at St. Marcus School – a camp for children on and off the Autism Spectrum. Julie works as Violet the Clown – she juggles, spins plates, sings, dances and is a puppeteer. Julie lives in Milwaukee with her husband, daughter, son and dog.
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Matt Daniels
Matt is an actor, director, educator, and coach. As an actor, he has appeared in various media, including award-winning independent films, on television, and on many stages in New York and regionally. Local audiences may recognize him from stints at Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, In Tandem Theatre, First Stage, Lake Geneva Theater Company and the late Milwaukee Shakespeare. Matt is a co-founder of goats & monkeys in Milwaukee, and Tyrannosaurus rep in NYC, for which he also served as Artistic Director. Locally, his directing work has been seen at goats & monkeys, Sunset Playhouse, First Stage Theater Academy, Broadway Baby, and various Milwaukee area high schools. In addition to First Stage, Matt has taught for Act One Studios (Chicago), The Actors Institute (NYC) and Milwaukee Shakespeare. He coaches voice and acting privately, and is an independent teaching artist of Shakespeare in local schools. Matt is a graduate of the Juilliard School Drama Division.
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Chris Feiereisen
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Chasten Glezman
Chasten joined the fun at First Stage in January of this year after completing his B.A. in Theater at the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire. Chasten is a teaching artist for both Academy and Theater in Education so you can usually find him in a classroom at MYAC or in the greater Milwaukee area. Chasten takes interest in the power of theater to create empathy, educate, and inspire audiences. Chasten hails from Traverse City, Michigan and enjoys exploring the sights and culture on this side of the lake.
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Katie Gonring
Katie is a graduate of The Chicago College of Performing Arts B.F.A. program. Katie has previously worked in the Education Department at Chicago Children’s Theatre as an Education Associate and spent two years working with their Red Kite programming for children on the autism spectrum. Katie also spent the past two years on the teaching staff of Emerald City Theatre in Chicago. Katie is thrilled to be returning to Milwaukee this fall to perform and work with old friends at First Stage.
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Lori Hartman-Keiser
Lori holds an M.A. in Theater and has taught kindergarteners through fourth graders at First Stage since 2003. She teaches Creative Drama classes at First Stage as well as leads school workshops, and especially enjoys teaching history and language arts through theater. Lori is also the acting teacher and director at Glen Park Elementary in New Berlin. She lives in Wauwatosa with her husband and three terrific children.
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Marcella Kearns
Marcy is a Milwaukee-based actor, teaching artist, and coach. She holds an M.F.A. in Acting from the University of South Carolina and completed a Fulbright fellowship in dramatic literature in Vienna, Austria. She served as Education Director of Milwaukee Shakespeare, managing the company's participation in the NEA's Shakespeare for a New Generation initiative, and as education artist for Metropolis and Studio Arena before coming to First Stage. A co-founder of the independent education partnership What You Will, Marcy is also a member of the adjunct teaching artist team at the Milwaukee Rep.
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Christine Kuramoto
Christine is delighted to be returning to the Academy! She is a graduate of UWM’s Peck School of the Arts, where she studied Theater, Creative Writing and Theater Education. She has many years of experience in both education and the arts in Los Angeles and Milwaukee. Christine’s core belief as a teacher is that every child has a secret cupboard filled with curiosity, intelligence and humor. Our job as teachers is simply to help them find and hold onto the key.
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Karl Miller
Karl has been active in Milwaukee theatre for over 30 years as an actor, singer, dancer, choreographer, director and teacher. Karl has worked with many high schools, community and professional theatre companies as one or more of the above mentioned. At First Stage Karl has choreographed EINSTEIN, HERO OF THE MIND; THE MAGIC MRS. PIGGLE WIGGLE; MY SON PINOCCHIO; GIGGLE, GIGGLE, QUACK and has directed YOU'RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN and CARNIVAL. Karl has been teaching for the Academy for seven years as Lead Teacher for the Musical Theater classes. |
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Brian Myers
Brian is a singer/pianist who works throughout the Milwaukee area as a music director, singer/actor, and teaching artist for students of music and theater. Brian is also a composer who took his one-act musical "STATUS: a music drama for the digital age" to New York City in 2011, following a workshop at Milwaukee Opera Theater. He will premiere his cabaret show "Randy Newman's America" this August at Soulstice Theatre. For information about Brian's music and upcoming performances, dig his fan page on Facebook!
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Nate Press
Nate is one of the original First Stage Theater Academy alumni from way back in the 90's. After graduating from Riverside University High School on Milwaukee's east side, he attended Boston University's College of Fine Arts where he earned a B.F.A. in Theatre Studies. Nate has been playing on various Milwaukee stages since 2003.
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Kris Puddicomb
Kris is returning to First Stage for his second summer, having come off a successful yearlong stint teaching Improv here during the year. As a high school English teacher, he has been teaching urban students for over 5 years and as a performer, he as appeared at Comedy Sportz, the Alchemist Theatre, Next Act, and Pink Banana Theatre Company in scripted and Improv shows around Milwaukee.
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Brian Rott
Brian is an actor, director, and theater artist. He is Artistic Director of Milwaukee based Quasimondo Physical Theatre. Brian has also worked with American Players Theatre and Great River Shakespeare, The Guthrie Theater and Florida Studio Theatre. Brian holds a B.A. in Theatre Arts from University of Wisconsin Parkside and an M.F.A. in Physical Theatre, Accademia Dell’Arte from Arezzo Italy. |
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Amanda Satchell
Amanda is a graduate of the University of Michigan's Musical Theatre program. She lived and worked in New York City after graduation where she performed in regional theaters like Paper Mill Playhouse and concert venues like Cooper Union, Joe's Pub, and Carnegie Hall. Her favorite jobs involved doing voice over work for MTV, ABC, and Sega Games. Amanda taught Elementary Music and music directed in South Florida until recently moving to Southeastern Wisconsin. She currently teaches music at the Indian Community School and is very excited to be a part of First Stage!
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Patrick Schmitz
Organized Chaos Director
Patrick has performed/taught for Comedy Sportz, taken classes through Second City and IO in Chicago, taught for Comedy College, performed stand-up comedy throughout the state, and created Sketch 22. He was the full-time lead teacher at First Stage and has put together an improv army of close to a hundred students (grades 7-12) coaching a group called Organized Chaos. Additionally, he has written and performed for a sketch/improv group called The Gentlemen's Hour. Patrick wrote/directed/produced RUDOLPH THE PISSED-OFF REINDEER and BACK AND FORTH and is the co-producer of the Milwaukee Comedy Sketch along with founder Matt Kemple.
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Shannon Sloan-Spice
Shannon has been an actress, director and educator for over 20 years. She has acted for Chamber Theatre, Theatre X, Bunny Gumbo and Renaissance Theatreworks and has directed for St. John Vianney School. She has taught for many theaters in Southeastern Wisconsin including: First Stage Children’s Theatre, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Milwaukee Shakespeare Company, NSAA and Waukesha Civic Center. She did her classical acting training in Oxford, England at the British American Drama Academy, where she was directed in scene work by Sir Ben Kingsley.
Shannon has worked at Golda Meir School of the Gifted and Talented as adjunct faculty and forensics and debate judge for five years. She can be seen performing the one-woman play about Caroline Quarrels for the Kenosha Civil War Museum year-round. She is also writing her dissertation for her PhD in Mythological Studies with an emphasis in Depth Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute, in CA and is the mother of two awesome girls.
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John Van Slyke |
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Jenna Vik
Jenna graduated with a degree in Theater, Spanish, and Education from Central College in Pella, Iowa in 2010. Last year, she completed the Acting Internship at Milwaukee Repertory Theater, where she appeared in Othello, To Kill a Mockingbird, Next to Normal, and Lombardi, and understudied several roles, including Diana in Next to Normal and Emilia in Othello. She has also performed professionally in various productions at Iowa Theatre Artists Company in Amana, Iowa. Jenna worked for six summers as a counselor at StarPlayers Musical Theatre Camp in Minnesota, and also spent a summer as a Theatre Arts Training Intern at Children's Theatre Company. Her most recent adventure in educational theatre took place in Italy, where she toured the country with Theatrino, a children’s theatre company that teaches English through drama. |
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Madeline Wakley
Maddie is a recent graduate from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, earning a B.A. in Theatre Arts. With a focus in performance, she has been an actor in multiple productions and Acting Apprentice at the Riverside Theatre Shakespeare Festival last summer. Maddie was involved at First Stage as a main stage performer, intern and Young Company member. “I love being able to come to my home-away-from-home to pass on the motto of "life skills through stage skills" that I spent the greater part of my childhood learning and loving.” |
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Thomas Weissgerber
Thomas was born and raised in Chicago. He came to Milwaukee in 1997 and is the artist in residence at the Milwaukee Jewish Day School. Thomas can be found at numerous high schools in the area directing and choreographing. He also is the Theatre Manager at the Jewish Community Center of Milwaukee. At First Stage, Thomas is the director of the Glee Club, the Theater Academy's advanced musical theater class. Thomas enjoys working with young performers and really enjoys being an educator. |
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Kathryn Wodtke
Kat earned her B.A. in 2009 from the University of Minnesota, where she studied acting, directing, theatre education, and performance for social change. In the Twin Cities, Kat’s work has been seen at Bedlam Theatre, Open Eye, Four Humors, Nimbus, Pillsbury House, and Intermedia Arts. Kat has twice traveled to Alaska, most recently to perform and teach in public schools from Kodiak Island to the Arctic Circle. Kat is excited to be back in her hometown and thankful for this opportunity to work with all of the creative minds at First Stage. In her spare time, she likes to read, hike, sing, and write music on her guitar, banjolin, and 5-string banjo. |
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Christopher Wszalek
Christopher is the artistic director and director of piano studies at Milwaukee High School of the Arts, where he has worked since 2002. Mr. Wszalek is a graduate of Milwaukee High School of the Arts (class of 1998) and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Piano Performance from UW-Madison. He is active in the Milwaukee theater community, providing music for companies such as First Stage, Off-the-Wall Productions, Renaissance Theaterworks, Windfall Theatre, Waukesha Civic Theater, and Bay Players. Mr. Wszalek is the pianist for the First Stage Glee Club and has taught musical theater for the First Stage Theater Academy since 2000.
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