The Kitchen Witches

CAST

DONNA DANIELS (Isobel) first on the Guild’s stage as Honey in our 1997 production of Who’s Afraid of Virgina Woolf. Since then, RTG audiences have seen her in Alone Together and Crossing Delancey. Other recent productions include: Steel Magnolias, The Nerd, The Mousetrap, On Golden Pond at the Sunset Playhouse, and You Can’t Take It With You at the Waukesha Civic. Donna also was an acting intern at the Milwaukee Repretory Theatre. When not preforming on area stages, she is a talent acquisition consultant for Northwestern Mutual in Milwaukee. Donna and her husband Tom live in Wauwatosa and have two daughters, Grace and Sophie.

CATHY MARSCHALL (Dolly) is excited to be making her debut at RTG in Kitchen Witches. No stranger to the stage, some of Cathy’s favorite roles have been Mavis Turner in Stepping Out, Tessie Tura in Gypsy, Hucklebee in The Fantasticks, Yente in Fiddler on the Roof, Lola in Damn Yankees, and Raymonde in A Flea in Her Ear. Professionally, Cathy has played at First Stage Children’s Theatre and has a long list of local/regional television commercials and voice-overs under her belt. Special thanks to Kathy Berg for her love and encouragement. Cathy knows that none of this “play time” would be possible without the unwavering support and love from her family. Thank you Jon, Caitlin, Justin and Katelyn! – P.S Vash your hands!!

PETER JONES (Stephen) is probably best known for his performance as Mortimer Brewster in Arsenic and Old Lace but he has recently played the Rabbi’s son (Fiddler on the Roof), a Nazi (Sound of Music), a techie (Bridge to Terabithia, Mary Poppins, One Slight Hitch and Spamalot) and a dwarf (Snow White) at the RTG.  He also chairs the play reading committee, and volunteers in the box office and lobby.  Next to being on stage, his favorite RTG job is selling 50-50 raffle tickets and calendars – so go buy some at intermission!  Other recent roles include Angus in Macbeth, Ariel in The Tempest, John Arable – Fern’s father in Charlotte’s Web, and Brom Bones in The Legend of Sleepy Hollow with the Lakeside Players.  Peter is re-discovering his love of cooking real food (instead of boxed stuffing mix) and enjoys spending time with his two nephews, Hudson and Grayson.

JAMES CHRISTENSEN (Rob) has had plenty of on-stage roles, including Baron Biteronderneck in The Werewolf’s Curse or Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow; Otis in Suite Surrender; and Elya Yelnats in Holes. He’s been in two Packy Plays and the ensembles of Scrooge, Beauty and the Beast (2008), Miracle on 34^th Street and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. He was heavily involved in theatre during high school and his association with RTG began with our Student Performing Arts Kompany in 2006. James just graduated from UW-Milwaukee in December 2015. James does not like to be “accused of being John,” his twin brother.

CREW

MICHAEL CLICKNER (Director) started volunteering at RTG in 1975 and he literally helped build the RTG building here on Northwestern Ave.  As emeritus staff at UW-Parkside and Fireside, Michael has built sets for 100+ shows.  He was UWP’s 2014 Graduate of Distinction, is on the RTG Board of Directors, has been a technical director at RTG for 5 years and has been seen on stage in multiple productions including Taking of the Shrew, How the Other Half Loves, Of Mice and Men and Greater Tuna.  He met his wife, Joyce Woodward, at RTG and they have two adult children, Henry and Ellen.

MIKE KISHLINE (Production Stage Manager) in less than ten years has compiled an extensive resume that includes 17 stage appearances, recently as Orin Scrivello in Little Shop of Horrors and Bertie Wooster in Jeeves Intervenes. On top of numerous crew positions, Mike is just completed chairing our play reading committee and heading up the Comedy Tonight ushering crew with his lovely wife, Rebecca. Along with several other RTG volunteers, he took up running three years ago. He has since covered over 1,500 miles, completed two half-marathons, and is now pursuing his latest challenge of running 1,000 miles in 2016. Mike is employed by Carthage College, his alma mater, as a web developer.

JR TRIMARK (Stage Manager) was recently seen on stage as Mr. Aarons in Bridge to Terabithia and worked behind the scenes for Fiddler on the Roof, Jeeves Intervenes (ASM) and Design for Murder.  J.R. has been a part of numerous productions at the Rhode, RG Audio Productions, Spotlight Youth Theatre and Christ the King Community Church. When he is not at a theater, J.R enjoys reading, science fiction and spending time with his family. J.R. works at SC Johnson, is husband to Betty and father to Hannah and Makayla.

ERIN BARNLUND (Assistant Stage Manager) has been in RTGs productions of Bridge to Terabithia, Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music.  Off-stage, Erin recently designed props for Lend Me A Tenor and Jeeves Intervenes and costumes for Bridge to Terabithia.  She has been involved in costumes and props since she was very young. She learned to sew by helping her mother, a music teacher, with winter and spring shows.  She would like to thank her family for their support and patience which allows her to do what she loves!

BRIAN SCHALK (Light Design) in his 24 years with RTG, has had 25 main-stage roles, seven Children’s Theatre roles, and 54 crew positions! He’s also been house manager coordinator, president of our board, season chair of lighting, production supervisor and volunteer of the year. Twice he traveled abroad for international theatre festivals.

JANET PETRIK (Sound Design) started in sound design with The Gamester in 2008 after she retired as IT Manager at Walker Mfg./Tenneco Automotive. Her sound credits are more than 20 shows including Jeeves Intervenes, Design for Murder, Mary Poppins, Doubt, Glorious! and Deathtrap. She was a member of the play reading committee in 2009 and chaired it in 2010. Janet is a violinist in UW-Parkside’s community orchestra. She likes to read, golf, bike ride and garden.

CINDY DAVID (Light Tech) was the production stage manager for Arsenic and Old Lace and The Giver, chaired makeup for One Slight Hitch and was sound tech for Duck Hunter Shoots Angel last season. She is a former secretary of our board and continues to serve on board committees. Since Communicating Doors in 2001, she’s been one of our most active members and was named volunteer of the year in 2010-11. She’s a 2007 graduate of Leadership Racine and recently retired from Lincoln Lutheran. Cindy loves cooking with Chloe, Samantha and Isabella, her granddaughters.

LAUREN HAUMERSON (Sound Tech) has appeared on the Racine Theatre Guild in Fiddler on the Roof and Spamalot.  She has also worked as stage crew and ASM for Calendar Girls, Mary Poppins and Lend Me A Tenor.  Lauren has enjoyed learning new aspects of the theatre which you will never know how hard a job that is until you experience the work first hand.  Lauren studied musical theatre at Viterbo University and sings at church services, weddings and funerals.  During the day, she is a project coordinator for ClearCom Inc.  She would like to thank her family, friends, and co-workers for their constant support and encouragement!

JAMES CHRISTENSEN (Props Designer) has had plenty of on-stage roles, including Baron Biteronderneck in The Werewolf’s Curse or Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow; Otis in Suite Surrender; and Elya Yelnats in Holes. He’s been in two Packy Plays and the ensembles of Scrooge, Beauty and the Beast (2008), Miracle on 34^th Street and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. He was heavily involved in theatre during high school and his association with RTG began with our Student Performing Arts Kompany in 2006. James just graduated from UW-Milwaukee in December 2015. James does not like to be “accused of being John,” his twin brother.

BRANDON LAFRANCE (Props Designer) played Nick Gillette in The Werewolf’s Curse or Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow in 2014 and served as a technician for Suite Surrender in 2013. At Case High School in 2002, he played Joe and a ballet dancer in Fame. Brandon has an associate degree in graphic design and works at Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare, helping to maintain electronic health records. In his spare time (approximately 10 minutes per week), Brandon likes to go off and get electrocuted and burned for charity while running races like Rugged Maniac and Tough Mudder. Monster Energy drinks fuel him. He also enjoys tearing old computers apart and putting them back together again, usually with minimal success.

CYNTHY MCCORY (Costume Design) was last season’s co-chair of costumes, and designed the costumes for The Sound of Music, which was no small task. Since 1975, except for light tech and assistant stage manager, Cynthy has served in most capacities. She was on stage in three productions. She’s been on the board and on play reading committee. She is on an ushering crew, and has been for many years. Since retiring from a 35-year teaching career with Racine Unified School District, she’s been teaching and coordinating tutors at Cops ‘n Kids Reading Center.

JEANNE CHRISTENSEN (Hair and Makeup) was last season’s chair of makeup and has been a Mary Kay Beauty consultant for 27 years. Jeanne has been with us through multiple shows every year since Taking Leave in 2004.  Each show presents a different challenge that leads her to discovering a new technique. Away from the glamour of makeup and hair styling, Jeanne’s idea of a good time is using power tools to build things with scrap lumber. She’s also fond of fishing and wants to relocate to her place “up north,” but we can’t part with her.

MARY JO MAHERAS (Wardrobe Run Crew) began volunteering at RTG in 1981 on props crew for On Golden Pond. Since then she’s been ushering for RTG and RCT. Though she’s not been in the booth before, she’s served on various crews for a number of shows, among them this season’s A Bad Year for Tomatoes (wardrobe), Murder at the Howard Johnson’s (wardrobe) and The Sunshine Boys (makeup). Mary Jo has two sons, Demetrios and Thomas, who’s in the cast of Holes. She’s a registration specialist at Gateway Tech.

DONNA NIELSEN (Wardrobe Run Crew), another Maccanelli Award winner, has been a Racine Theatre Guild volunteer since the 1991-92 season and works virtually every show in some capacity. You will often see her in the box office or as a house manager.  You don’t often see Donna on stage, but you can see her in the RTG calendar.  She’s obsessed with her grandchildren, Abigail, Leo, Hazel and Elizabeth.

DOUGLAS INSTENES (Managing/Artistic Director) had been associate director at RTG for eight years before moving up to the top staff position in 2001. He has an MA in Drama (directing emphasis) from UW-Superior and an MFA in Theatre from Ohio University. Before landing at RTG, he worked at Arena Stage in DC, Monomoy Theatre in Ohio, Colorado Shakespeare Festival, St. Croix Valley Theatre, The Great American Children’s Theatre, and DanceCircus. Doug is married to Kim, an associate professor at Carthage College. They are empty-nesters, as son Dalen, begins his second year at Lewis University in the fall and daughter Lauren begins her fourth year at Wittenberg University in Ohio.

CHRIS REINHARDT (Technical Director) completing his third season at RTG, is from Wisconsin, but his previous theatre jobs were in New England at the Dorset Theater Festival, Portland Stage Company and Winnipesaukee Playhouse. Along with his technical responsibilities, Chris has designed two RTG productions, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, and the Marvelous Wonderettes.

TERI KARPINSKI (Business Manager) spent 10 years as the RTG’s Box Office Manager before taking over her new duties last season.  Teri and her husband Will are also on an ushering crew, and have a theatrical dog, Wanda, who has been in numerous RTG productions.  When not at the RTG, Teri plays the role of grandma to Anthony and Skylar, whom arrived in August.

TINA PAUKSTELIS (Season Ticket Coordinator) graduated from UW-Parkside with a degree in theatre and has spent three years working in the RTG box office.  RTG audiences have seen her in The Glass Menagerie, Dancing at Lughnasa and more recently as the Narrator in RCT’s  James and the Giant Peach.  She was voted best actress for her portrayal of Margie Walsh  in Good People at the 2016 Over Our Head Players awards banquet.

Kitches Witches Postcard

Journal Times – 9/15/16 – Racine Theatre Guild opens season with ‘Lend Me a Tenor’

Kenosha News – 9/8/16 – “Community Theater 2016-17: RTG brings back ‘Mary Poppins’ in diverse season”

Journal Times – 9/10/16 – Racine Theatre Guild honors volunteers

Journal Times – 8/31/16 – “Community Newsletter: Construction won’t stop RTG”

Journal Times – 7/24/16 – “Construction begins on Racine Theatre Guild venue”