Performing Arts Center of Wisconsin Rapids Presents Beetlejuice Jr the Musical – October ‘25

Hello world, welcome to WFHR's rapid support for this October 30th, 2025.

Have your host James here.

I want to send a big shout out to our friends at Crock Accept Expansoring this time and

giving us a chance to talk to some great people like we're going to do today because we're

talking theater and we're talking about the wonderful Wisconsin-Rabbit's junior theater

high school production of Beetlejuice where it and I only said it once, only said it once

so I'm okay right now.

I say it two more times I might get in trouble but we are excited to talk about this.

We've got some of the cast in with us.

I'm going to let them introduce themselves in a moment and we have our good friend Sue

Becker and the director of the show Sue will put you to work in a second here but thank

you for being here.

So what I'd like to do to start off is let you all introduce yourselves, give us your

name and your character if you don't mind.

Hello my name's Harry and I'm Charles.

My name's Abigail and I play Delia.

My name is Abriota and I play Lydia.

My name is Bryce and I play Beetlejuice.

Fantastic.

Thank you all for being here.

Well done.

Well done.

You're already doing a great job.

So thank you for that.

Sue I think that this is one of the more popular shows that you guys could do certainly

popular characters and everything but as you and I know sometimes the movie and play can

be very different or have some different parts to them and then when you bring it on to

a high school production or something can vary even more.

Can you give us a little bit of a synopsis of this show, a little bit of a little bit

of it without we don't want to ruin anything of course on the show but yeah but you can

come up to the mic here and give us a little bit of an idea of what people can expect.

Okay well Beetlejuice Junior, I want to emphasize junior because a lot of people will say

Beetlejuice, the movie, oh my gosh it can be kind of inappropriate, it can get raw.

This is a junior version and it's really based a lot to which offers a Broadway production.

So it's lightened up quite a bit and obviously it's about Beetlejuice who is the ghost

really trying to want to come back, he wants to come back to life.

She's through an avenue of a home, distraught young girl who just lost her mother and then

a couple in the house that he takes over the control of them, they become ghosts and it's

all chaotic and trying his way of trying to get back to the living, it takes place in

another world, it's crazy, chaotic, he is over the top wild, it's this version to me,

I took it with the comedic end and it's very light in retrospect to the movie or even

the Broadway, we don't go into a lot of some of the Broadway issues.

So the kids are having a ball, I'm having a ball with it, iconic music, everybody knows

Dale and that's crazy funny and that being dead thing and dead mom is the classic iconic

song that Lydia will be singing but it's just fun, the kids are been having a ball and

I think the community will want to see this, they give a good show.

I'm an 80s kid, I love the movie, I grew up on it and everything, like a lot of people

and I've seen the productions of the Broadway show and everything and it's very cool, very

well done.

I think this might be my favorite version of Beetlejuice, this version of it for the

high schools and everything, I feel like so much of us as kids or adults what we love

about the production, whatever version, this version has it and it really nails it and

it's really true essence.

I can't speak for the writers and creators of Beetlejuice or anything but it feels like

they got it right with this, whereas the movie and the play kind of go in different directions

in different ways for adults, for people like us and everything, for different reasons.

Whereas this version is just really the essence of what this play is all about and the

fun of it.

There's a lot of interesting topics that I think kids get to face and talk about and realize

along with having fun and man you nailed it on the song so the songs, there may not be

a better soundtrack than the Beetlejuice one, it's so much fun.

You know when I first got this and I was looking at the script in the score and I'm like

okay, you know, I can't stop singing them, I saw in the schedule you guys were coming

in, Deo has been in my head ever since, like it's been a week, it's been in my head as

well as a book.

Thank you so much to appreciate it and great work on this really, really nice work, appreciate

you work with the kids on these things.

Now onto the kids, I want to have you guys go ahead and remind the audience of your

character and tell us a little bit about your character and we'll start on the end here.

I'm Charles and basically my character is like the dad of Lydia, he's kind of like a nervous

guy I would say.

Do you enjoy playing a dad kind of kind of, a little interesting, a little different

I imagine of that, that's great, that's great, are you having fun with the role?

Yeah, good, it's pretty fun, good, like Charles gets to do some stuff but most of the

time he's kind of nervous and stuff so.

Those can be really fun characters to play, that's awesome, let's go to here, thank you

for that.

I play Delia and she's Lydia Stepmom who Lydia does not like but she's really like

comedic relief and she's colorful and vibrant and I really love that about her, she's

really fun to play.

Yeah, it was good to say, it seems like a very enjoyable character to play and stuff,

especially the costume and some of that could be really fun.

The costumes are very crazy but they fit me really well, they're very me personally

because they're crazy and colorful and I love it.

Sometimes it can be really fun as an actor to play a character that's nothing like you

and it's really enjoyable, we don't talk enough about playing ones that are a little

similar to us, how much fun that can be, that can be a lot of fun too, that's cool, that's

good to hear, good to hear.

I play Lydia and I'm the daughter so I can be difficult towards my stepmother at times

because I do not like her in the beginning.

It's a pretty fun character to play, I don't have too many emotions but when I do throughout

the songs it's really fun to portray that.

I think a lot of actors might do this, I know I've talked to a lot of my fellow actors

about it before.

There are roles that you dream about and then there are roles that you see that I can't

play Lydia but I would love to play a character like that, it feels like such an awesome character

to play.

The part that you talk about with emotions and everything with her, it can be tough

to do but can be very rewarding when you pull it off and it sounds like you're having

fun with it.

Good, good to hear, nice work, nice.

When I speak of dream roles, there are like any kid of the 80's playing Beetlejuice

as a dream role so I didn't want to talk to you man, I don't know, I'm kidding, I'll

joke, I'll joke.

Tell us about what it's like playing Beetlejuice.

So I play Beetlejuice and it's like this really over the top goes and it's really fun

to play because I've never played like a commuted relief or anything like that before.

That could be really freeing and especially if you haven't got to do it before.

At your age, so one of the fears can be sometimes with a role like that going too big and going

too much but at your age and with a show like this, I'm sure he's doing just fine with

that and everything.

You almost can't go too far, it's great and it's really really good to hear that you're

having fun.

It's great to hear that all of you are.

Theater is life to me, theater is vital, it's breathing to me, I love theater.

But it's nothing if you're not having fun, it just doesn't hit the same if you're not

and I promise you that the more fun you're having, the more you enjoy it, the more the

audience will, the more you believe it, the more the audience will.

So you go all in like you guys are, you're gonna have a great show, you're gonna have

a great run.

I am curious about why you decided to do this.

Now I'm insane.

So of course I'm going to act but I'm curious about you guys all seem like very smart, rational

human beings.

So I'm curious what, you know, seriousness, what made you want to do this, what made

you want to go out there and perform, even audition, let alone perform, then we'll start

down the line.

Um, I auditioned because like I do a bit of place so I just did it again.

Yeah, right on, man, you enjoyed it the first time, wanted to keep coming back.

Yeah, how about for you?

Um, ever since I was a little girl I've been very theatrical and I've always been big

in everything that I do and I find a lot of joy in theater.

It's like, it's a comfortable place because I know everyone who's there also enjoys theater.

It's a safe space because everyone's there for the same reasons and they all love theater.

And I don't know, I've just always loved it and I was like this time will be no different.

It, um, you hit on a lot of really important things there, I think, no matter what age

you are, but especially your guys' age and that theater can do and be very similar to sports

or deck or some other programs and everything, um, theater, everybody's gonna have something

that pulls their interest more theater can be that for some like it, it sounds like for

you.

That's great to hear.

That's really good.

Um, I would say I decided to audition for this one because well in the past I've done

shows, but also I grew up watching my sister perform and just seeing her come home and

share all the fun stories she's done and seeing like her make all these new friends, it really

inspired me to join.

Very cool.

And a really nice note, we don't hear that very often about a sibling or somebody like

that kind of a being encouraging.

That's really cool.

Now bye for you, man.

Theater, um, I've been wanting to do theater ever since I was, I'd say around five years

old.

I've been doing it for three years now and it's been like one of the best experiences

that I've ever had in my life because you get to like meet all these people with the

same interests and it's just amazing.

Hmm, that's really good to hear.

It's, uh, it's really rewarding to hear.

Um, for all of you for your fellow cast and we want to shout out the rest of the cast

and crew and everybody else working so hard on this to weren't able to be here today,

uh, encourage them to have fun, break a leg and enjoy themselves.

And as great as it is that you're all here and your fellow cast members are doing this,

one of the purposes of theater I think is for those of us that are involved in it and

love theater to encourage others to and to always be a welcoming place for anybody that

wants to try this for anybody who's crazy like me and it would be a sag member in a professional

actor to somebody who, you know, I've always wanted to try that.

I'm going to give it a shot.

There is no age.

There's no time.

There's no skill set that is needed.

If you want to do this, come on down to your fellow, uh, you know, um, uh, uh, you know,

students and different people.

What would you say to encourage them to come down and, uh, and, and be a part of the

theater?

Um, like basically like you shouldn't do it because it's fun and you can make more friends

and it's like if you don't get the role, you can still be a part of it and it's nice.

And even if you don't make the role or get like cut from the play, you still have another

chance at it.

So yeah.

Yeah.

Well said.

Yeah.

Well, for theater, it's really try out because if you don't, then you're going to regret

it.

Um, I don't know.

It's really exciting and like especially seeing it all come together on the final night.

It's like what like a month ago, we didn't have any sets.

We were like, we were surviving off our scripts and now everyone knows their lines and everything

is ready because like we all come together at the end.

Uh-huh.

I got to say that's very insightful at your age, uh, your whole answer.

That's really interesting.

It's cool to hear.

Uh, it's also, um, I will tell you right now, uh, as somebody who's done probably 200

some plays in my life and everything, uh, it never gets old.

That feeling that you're talking about of this is insane.

This is never going to work.

We, we should just close this down right now and give everybody their tickets back to like

two weeks later.

Oh wow, everything's fine.

Okay.

That's great.

That's just, it's the way that this goes and it never stops being amazing.

That's great to hear.

I would say definitely give it a shot because even if you're not like the lead, you have

a part in it and your part is important and like just whatever role you get, it can

really bring out like your personality and it can make you like happier and just, yeah.

Yeah.

Well said.

Um, I've been acting since I was seven and I think one of the things that it took me

a, uh, too long to learn that you're already hitting on right now is that there truly are

no small roles, um, think about any movie, any play, anything you've ever seen and a character

that had one or two lines.

Well, would the play or the plot movie be the same without them?

Like they're an integral part of the most shows and most plays oftentimes they have a line

or two or a plot point that is integral to the story carrying on.

You can't have one without the other.

You have no lead actors without these other core actors and I got to say for myself, some

of my favorite roles have been those like bit pair characters and everything.

I enjoy doing those kind of things.

It's really good note and how about for you, man, what would you say?

I would say do it because it's really fun, but I'm going to take a quote from one of my

directors in Wasa, Cindy Strobel, um, she would say without an ensemble, there would be

no show or without this small part, there would be no show.

I think she's really right because a lot of her shows are big on ensemble, but there's

also those parts with the lead roles that basically they're just, they're cool, but the,

like the scenes with ensemble, they're cool and yeah, yeah, it's a good point and a great

quote from her.

Sounds like a good director.

That's great to hear and really great stuff you all.

Thank you so much for all of that.

I do have to put your director on the spot also though.

It's not fair if I do that to you guys and not her.

I do.

You, um, you've been a part of a handful of these shows, you've directed a number of these

and everything.

Well, we certainly encourage kids to come out for shows.

We want adults to come out for local theater or these things.

We also are encouraging our parents, our adults out there to be engaged with their kids,

to be involved in these school activities after school programs, these kind of things, um,

to apparent out there listening that has thought about doing something like this.

How would you encourage them to do this?

How has this been rewarding for you?

Oh my God.

There's so much that I say to these parents every time these kids gain so much, uh, one

self-esteem confidence, uh, the chance to be creative.

And when they see parents involved that also enhances them, this is prideship that happens

and this camaraderie with the family that, you know, you support me, they're going to

want to do it again.

And then the parents get involved and they help me backstage and painting and anything

I need anything and it's just, it's a big family when, you know, and going back to

what Bryce said, you know, it's just, I can't stress enough, it is the whole picture

of ensemble and leads because and you're lighting in your tech, your sound tech, you know,

we can't do it without each one of those.

And that ensemble group, my kids are doing so many different things.

You know, it's great to be a lead a couple times, but to be done ensemble and be different

characters.

I mean, they're running from being a skeleton or a zombie to being a bit of just clone

to being a dead person.

I mean, they're constantly moving and grooving so and the dancing and everything.

So yeah, it's just a whole picture and the parents really start to get involved.

They have fun, they have developed friendships as well and just the bond, the whole bonding

process for me is rewarding.

Just to piggyback on that, I agree with everything you said and appreciate it so much.

It seems, you know, in the times talking with you, having you in and everything talking

to other parents involved in the productions, it's so rewarding.

It's such a rewarding feeling being a part of these things.

It's, it's interesting too.

It's all about putting on the show, but it's all of these things even before you've even

put on the show.

You're feeling all this stuff.

It's such a rewarding experience when it comes to that.

And I appreciate something that you touched on there because it's something that I like

to bring up with theater all the time.

And we talk about this with sports and some other programs with them, comes to school

and everything.

But while we don't know what you guys are going to go off to do, you're all going to do amazing

things.

You're all going to do some great, important stuff.

I'm going to be following your lives, your careers, of course, and everything like that.

Like a lot of the people in the community.

But whatever you might do, having some more confidence, having some more experience

speaking in front of people, working with others, collaborating, using creative muscles

and all those things.

That stuff in the workforce, no matter what job you do, you're going to use those skill

sets.

Theater gives you that.

Theater brings that to whether your kid is working backstage or they're on the stage,

they gain these experiences.

Theater is one of the most rewarding things that a kid can do.

And not encourage enough parents, kids to get involved in theater and to take in this

show.

Wisconsin's Rabbits Junior Theater is presenting Beetlejuice Friday November 7th, 7 o'clock

show Saturday November 8th.

They'll have another 7 o'clock and things will wrap up on Sunday with a two o'clock

matinee.

These shows will take place at the Wisconsin's Rabbits area middle school auditorium, a beautiful

place to perform.

I've always wanted to perform there.

I'm a little jealous now even more.

I got the acoustics of that place at Rams.

At Rams.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I was just giving the full name.

You know it is Rams.

I could have just said Rams.

I should have just said that.

But I've always wanted to perform over there.

It's a really nice stage.

It's at 1921, 27th Avenue right here in Rapids.

If people want to get tickets to getting them the front, the day of, they can get them

the front.

They can get tickets the day of.

They also on our poster or online, you see the QR code you can go in and order them

that way.

It's general seating.

That QR code is available.

Even in the studio here, if you needed or something like that, encourage you to do that

and take in this show, everybody make plans to see it, support these kids, and get ready

for a great audience.

Because we're going to make sure to fill that to Rams for you guys.

We're going to be talking about this all the way leading up to the show.

Thank you so much for that.

Did you have something else?

I just want to leave us with a little, a little saying from Beetlejuice.

Beetlejuice, can you give us your voice, say something, something, very well done, very

well done.

Very good interview.

All of you guys nailed it.

Well done.

Break a leg.

Have fun.

Please say hi to the rest of the cast and the crew for me.

Enjoy yourselves, all of you.

Thank you for the time.

And thank you, everybody, for joining us for another edition of WFHR's Rapid Support.