Theater
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2023-2024 Season - Upcoming Shows
Intermediate (6th-8th) Productions
ELF JR. - THE MUSICAL
2023 PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
DATES: December 7th-10th
Buddy, a young orphan, mistakenly crawls into Santa's bag of gifts and is transported to the North Pole. The would-be elf is raised, unaware that he is actually a human, until his enormous size and poor toy-making abilities cause him to face the truth. With Santa's permission, Buddy embarks on a journey to New York City to find his birth father and discover his true identity. Faced with the harsh reality that his father is on the naughty list and that his half-brother doesn't even believe in Santa, Buddy is determined to win over his new family and help New York remember the true meaning of Christmas.
- Tuesday, September 26th from 4:30-6:30pm at West Allis Central auditorium - 8516 W. Lincoln Ave.
- Wednesday, September 27th from 4:30-6:30pm at West Allis Central auditorium - 8516 W. Lincoln Ave.
For more information about Auditions, please visit wawmtheater.com/auditions.
THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH JR. - THE MUSICAL
2024 PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
DATES: February 25th-28th
Even surrounded by dozens of toys, Milo is bored. Nothing interests him at all... until he takes a trip through the Phantom Tollbooth. Transported to the Land of Wisdom, Milo is thrust into adventure when Princesses Rhyme and Reason need rescuing in order to bring peace between two kings. The kings, from Dictionopolis and Digitopolis, are feuding over whether “words” or “numbers” are most important in their kingdoms. Knee-deep in danger, language and math along the way, Milo learns everything has a purpose. Upon his return home, he realizes there is never a reason to be bored in a world full of hidden discoveries.
- Tuesday, December 19th at West Milwaukee Intermediate auditorium - 5104 W. Greenfield Ave.
- Wednesday, December 20th at West Milwaukee Intermediate auditorium - 5104 W. Greenfield Ave.
CALL-BACKS: Thursday, December 21st at West Milwaukee Intermediate auditorium - 5104 W. Greenfield Ave.
For more information about Auditions, please visit wawmtheater.com/auditions.
ALICE IN WONDERLAND
2024 PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
DATES: May 16th-19th
Alice in Wonderland adapted by Ron Anderson and is based on Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Lookingglass by Lewis Carroll. Alice tumbles down the rabbit hole into Wonderland. She meets all its famous residents - the Cheshire Cat, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, the March Hare, the Mad Hatter, Queen of Hearts, Caterpillar and the White Rabbit in this inventive adaptation of Lewis Carroll's classics.
- Tuesday, March 5th at West Milwaukee Intermediate - 7815 W. Lapham St.
- Wednesday, March 6th at Frank Lloyd Wright Intermediate School - 9501 W. Cleveland Ave.
For more information about Auditions, please visit wawmtheater.com/auditions.
High School Productions
A WRINKLE IN TIME
2024 PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
DATES: January 25th-28th
Based on the Newberry award winning book by Madeleine L'Engle, the main characters – Meg Murry, Charles Wallace Murry, and Calvin O'Keefe – embark on a journey through space and time, from galaxy to galaxy, as they endeavor to rescue the Murrys' father and fight back the "IT", an evil force that is rapidly casting its shadow over the universe. The story offers a glimpse into the war between light and darkness, and good and evil, as the young characters mature into adolescents on their journey. The story wrestles with questions of spirituality and purpose, as the characters are often thrown into conflicts of love, divinity, and goodness.
- Tuesday, November 28th at Nathan Hale auditorium - 11601 W. Lincoln Ave.
- Wednesday, November 29th at Nathan Hale auditorium - 11601 W. Lincoln Ave.
For more information about Auditions, please visit wawmtheater.com/auditions.
ANASTASIA - THE MUSICAL
2024 PERFORMANCE INFORMATION
DATES: April 19th-20th and April 26th-28th
From Tony winners Terrence McNally, Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens, creators of such Broadway classics as Ragtime and Once On This Island, this dazzling show transports its audience from the twilight of the Russian Empire to the euphoria of Paris in the 1920s, as a brave young woman sets out to discover the mystery of her past. Pursued by a ruthless Soviet officer determined to silence her, Anya enlists the aid of a dashing con man and a lovable ex-aristocrat. Together, they embark on an epic adventure to help her find home, love and family.
- Tuesday, February 6th at West Allis Central auditorium - 8516 W. Lincoln Ave.
- Wednesday, February 7th at West Allis Central auditorium - 8516 W. Lincoln Ave.
For more information about Auditions, please visit wawmtheater.com/auditions.
Directors
Scott Girmscheid
Scott first started in theater as an actor and production designer for many years with several professional, community, and high school theater groups in Wisconsin, Illinois, and Minnesota before starting as the Resident Director for 25 years at West Allis Central High School. He also was the Resident Director at Mukwonago High School for several years. He is thrilled to serve as the Managing Director of the West Allis-West Milwaukee (WAWM) Youth Theater Program. His passion for teaching theater, by offering an outlet for young people to show off their acting, singing, and dancing skills, has been a dream come true for the past 30 years. Scott hopes to continue to develop this new theater program by offering more opportunities to the kids in the WAWM communities by expanding the number of productions and introducing new theater-based programs to the elementary schools in the district.
Jordan Pollard
Jordans love of theater began when he was in the fifth grade and his participation with theater in the West Allis-West Milwaukee School District began his freshman year of high school when he performed in Cinderella under the direction of Scott Girmscheid. Through college, Pollard served as the assistant director for the Central High School plays. After graduating from Carroll University with a degree in elementary education, he accepted a teaching position in the WA-WM School District as a fourth- and fifth-grade educator, and also began assistant directing the musicals at Central High School. During the 2016-2017 school year, he began directing the Central musicals, West Milwaukee Intermediate musicals, and started the summer Youth Theater program through the WAWM RCS Department. Over the years, Pollard has continued performing with various community theater organizations in southeastern Wisconsin. One of the biggest rewards of being a part of the WAWM theater team is getting to see his elementary students develop their love for the stage and having the opportunity to watch them grow as people and performers as they pursue their theater passions throughout intermediate and high school.
David Valdes
Director: Into the Woods
A native of Milwaukee, David chaired the theater program at the Milwaukee High School of the Arts for 15 years before moving to Minnesota to pursue his MFA in Directing. After 29 years of teaching and directing at many theater companies throughout the United States, he returned to Milwaukee to serve as Director of Theater at University Lake School for two years. Milwaukee Magazine also awarded him “Arts Educator of the Year” in 1998. David is currently working for Milwaukee Public Schools as the facilitator for the Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council. He is thrilled to be part of the directing team in this inaugural year of the WAWM Community Youth Theater Program.
Peggy Link
Director: A Wrinkle in Time; Alice in Wonderland
Peggy has been working with the WAWM schools for 26 years. Before that, she worked as Production Stage Manager at First Stage Milwaukee and stage managed at a number of theaters in her hometown of Chicago. Her favorite part of the job is watching the kids learn, grow, and mature from first rehearsal to strike, from show to show, and year to year. Along with life lessons, Peggy hopes that some of her passion for theater has rubbed off on the kids.
Heather Gandre
Director: Elf Jr. - The Musical
Heather is the Director of Bands at West Allis Central High School. She holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from Lawrence University, where she studied in the studio of David Bell. She has been in music theater for the past 16 years, performing in over 50 pit orchestras as a woodwind specialist. Some of her favorite performances include The Wild Party (All-In Productions) and The Drowsy Chaperone (Box Theatre). She has also performed as a clarinetist as a member of the Knightwind Ensemble and Vento Winds, and appeared as a featured vocal soloist with Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Figeac, France. Ms. Gandre has served on the leadership team as a director and music director in numerous musicals in the WAWM School District. She is thrilled to share her love of theater with all her students!
Karl Miller
Karl is excited to be a part of the WAWM Theater team. He has dedicated 32 years of his career to working with elementary, intermediate, high schools, and colleges as a choreographer, director, consultant, and teacher. Karl has worked at Homestead High School for 16 years, Greendale High School for 15 years, Whitnall and Oconomowoc High Schools for 10 years each, St. Robert Middle School for eight years, and spent two years with Disney Musicals in Schools in Madison. He is a highly accomplished 16-time Jerry Award-winning choreographer, and in 2014, was inducted into the Jerry Award Hall of Fame. Karl is looking forward to embarking on new adventures with the WAWM team!
Ashley Patin
Ashley, a freelance choreographer, singer, and theater educator in southeastern Wisconsin, holds a B.A. in Theater Arts-Acting from the University of Northern Colorado and an M.A.T. in Secondary English Education from Western Governors University. Additionally, she is the Community Education Director for the Kids From Wisconsin, teaches with First Stage, and serves as the Artistic Director and Lead Choreographer for Main Street Song and Dance Troupe. Choreography credits include MAMMA MIA! and MARY POPPINS (Sunset Playhouse), MATILDA (Waukesha Civic Theater), THE ADDAMS FAMILY (Marquette University High School), THE LITTLE MERMAID (University School of Milwaukee), and JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT (Nathan Hale High School). If that wasn't enough, she is also the lead vocalist for the local band Smart Mouth and frequently performs with Sunset Playhouse in their Musical MainStage and SideNotes Cabaret series.