What Makes Wisconsin Great: “Old Home Week” (Hour 2)

Live on location, it's the Todd Alba Show.

And now, pursuing truth wherever it may lead, here's your host, Todd Alba.

A cross Wisconsin on the Civic Media Radio Network.

and streaming worldwide on the Civic Media app.

Good a-

Good afternoon, everybody.

I'm Todd Albaugh, along with our producer and engineer, the fantastic Mr. Zomers, back at the World Headquarters in Madison, Wisconsin.

We are live here on location at the University of Milwaukee campus here.

It is the third of April.

It is a Thursday.

It is a great day to be Wisconsinite and a great day to be a Panther.

We are so appreciative of all the folks here at University of Wisconsin Milwaukee for allowing us to do this show.

Welcome into hour number two of the big program, everybody.

Zomers, what do you think so far?

aren't good, huh?

Makes

me want to go back to school.

Well, I'm sure they I'm sure they we hate to lose you.

But I'm sure they'd love to have you here.

So it's a it's a great university.

Very excited for this hour coming up at the bottom of the hour.

Some of the great theater and dance students here at this fine university.

We're putting on a show.

It's cabaret after the bottom.

No, not really.

But we'll talk to them.

I'm looking forward to that.

Also going to talk to the mascot.

That's right.

Pounce the Panther will be here.

Talk to him a little bit find out what that's like.

But right now joined at the desk here by the person that helped coordinate all this.

She has known me the

majority of my life, I am proud to welcome Kerry Pink, Interim Executive Communication Officer of UWM.

Kerry, thank you and how the heck are you?

Thanks, Todd.

It's great to be here.

I'm doing well.

It's a beautiful day in Milwaukee.

It is.

I mean, this really started from this trip to here.

It started when you went to the musical here on campus.

And you said, these kids are amazing.

You bet.

And we kind of built the show around that.

Great, great.

Happy to have you here before we go any further.

And I'm very excited about this.

Went to school together.

He put up with me on the air was my broadcast partner for three and a half years at the University of Wisconsin Plathville Now he is the licensing and product development manager here at UWM I haven't said this in 30 years, but once again here is Kevin O'Connor Kevin, how are

you?

Good afternoon, sir.

How are you doing?

Well, after 30 years, I'm doing pretty well, Kev.

I can't believe you came all the way to my doorstep, and I'm two time zones away as you arrive at UW.

Well, that's the...

The timing is impeccable.

It pretty much speaks to a lot of things,

Jeff.

As it always has been with me.

You know, the theme carry...

Back with, with Kevin and I, so we did pioneer sports for, for three and a half years together as well.

Bo Ryan was the head basketball coach, won four national championships there before coming to UWM and then, and then Wisconsin at Madison.

But the theme when Kevin and I worked together on the air is one of these guys knows pioneer sports like the back of his hand.

We just hope the other one can find the stadium.

That pretty much summed it up, right, Kev?

And I mean, I think the pioneers had a better record of winning games than you did in accomplishing that goal on a regular basis.

That's

what I

would

suggest.

I think you're absolutely right.

So Kevin, tell us a little bit about your responsibilities here at UW-Milwaukee and what it's like being the marketing and product director.

Yeah, well, it's um first of all again, thank you so much for having me Thank you for coming for spreading the word about UWM right and all seriousness And you and I could joke for 15 minutes and people would get very few of those jokes But genuinely right it's great when people notice the great work that UWM is doing in so many different ways and then

to be able to talk a little bit more as you have with the folks that are really, truly doing that work on a regular basis.

It makes it all the more important.

Then we talk a little bit about what I'm doing, which is I'm trying to sell more t-shirts, right?

Get the logo out there.

make sure that our brand, our presence, is in front of as many people as possible, and so that when you walk into stores or you go to events or what have you, you see people wearing Panther gear, right?

And that obviously, anyone who pays attention to sports, entertainment these days, you can imagine how important that is for the brand, how important that is financially and at UWM, which is true of many institutions around the country, where the revenue that we

derive from this endeavor goes towards student scholarships and so it becomes another way to try to help get people to the university a little bit here a little bit there can always make a difference.

It's a lot of fun.

I've worn a lot of hats at UWM over the years but 23 years later I'm still here so I certainly certainly can vouch for the great things that it's doing in the community far beyond my little bucket of the world.

Well into your point Kevin, I mean and I'm sorry a first of all Thanks for doing this on your vacation for goodness sake for taking time out for our little dog and pony show But if you are here, I was gonna I'm taking Carrie and her husband Bill to the the Brewers game So we'll have to figure that out and we'll we'll get you there with us as well at some point when you're in town But when you go out to am fan field out in the outfield there, you're it's a very prominently displayed UWM panther banner there and it doesn't matter whether that was on ES

PN, uh, you know, uh, or whether it's on, well, what the hell do they call it now?

It's a ballet sports.

I mean, some, some, some, is it the Brett Musburger network?

I don't know what

it is.

fan dual sports.

Oh, that's right.

I

think I just heard that in your, the proper, very proud, the proper credit given for playing that audio drop of Brian Anderson's call by making sure to identify the network that it was carried on.

That was very, very well done.

Nothing's changed in 30 years, Kevin.

I don't go to the medium still.

So I don't know what's going on.

I understand.

The folks are doing the things they're supposed to be doing.

You can check it off the list.

Don't worry about it.

But when you watch these games, UWM, that's part of, I know you were the SID here, Sports Information Director.

I mean, you came here with Bo Ryan back in the day, and you stayed there, had a lot of hats.

But what you do when we see these things, because Carrie and I grew up in Richland Center, and to do it the point, we didn't know a lot about UWM in Richland Center, but we watched Brewers Baseball, and so this all goes hand in hand.

It really does and that's that is a great point Todd because I think you know listen

our presence in the city of Milwaukee and southeastern Wisconsin and the high volume of students that we get from the city of Milwaukee and southeastern Wisconsin is extremely important, right, in the overall picture of things.

But when you begin to branch out further, as I know our recruiters do, up to the Fox Valley, out to Madison, further outstate in Richland Center or in Platteville and La Crosse and Eau Claire, and then I'll go one step further, right, if we start to cross the border, be it into Minnesota or into Illinois or maybe

Iowa or across the lake into Michigan, right?

The presence of the brand is at least one way to make that introduction.

It is certainly

a

superficial introduction in many ways, but it at least opens the door like, Hey, I've heard of those folks.

Hey, let me look a little bit more about it.

And

yes, I put back on my old athletics hat, right?

When you extend that a little bit further to

a basketball team playing in an NCAA tournament.

We just celebrated the 20th anniversary of a men's basketball team at UWM.

Going to the sweet 16, right?

You think about the value in that kind of marketing that also is tied back to the brand.

And there's so many ways that the greater we at the university can help get that out before we even begin talking about all of the kinds of things that you talked about in the first hour of the show.

I'm going to talk to Kevin and Kerry in just a minute, but first our producer Aaron reminds me, yes, once again, it's time for Civic Media's text to win contest.

Hang on guys, here we go.

Yes,

time once again, only two days left and here it is again.

Kevin will appreciate this better than anybody else.

I'm in a dead heat with my colleague, Jane McNair, who is on before us from 10 until noon.

And she has never, we, Zomeras and I have won each one of these in terms of how many people text in or whatever this contest.

And here now, I am told, and Jane is ahead of me in this one, and I'm told now, if we lose, they are banishing me to the Wendy Williams Judge Judy time slot later this month.

Yes, so a very important people call.

We're gonna give you a keyword this hour.

Somebody's gonna win a hundred bucks this hour and everybody will be entered in to win a Verlo mattress set complete with a bamboo steamer.

No, bamboo sheets, apparently that is.

So here now, the secret word this hour is relax.

The word is relax.

I'm not making this up.

R-E-L-A-X.

Aaron Rodgers once told everybody to relax.

R-E-L-A-X.

Relax.

Text it in right now on the Civic Media app.

You can open up the app and download it for free.

The first 11 stations are the ones that our show is on.

Pick any one of those and open it up.

It'll go the right hand corner.

It'll say text.

Open that up and then hit the word or type in the word.

Relax R-E-L-A-X and text it in to Civic Media right now.

Carry a hundred bucks.

Yay.

Let's go for it.

Where's my phone?

You know the

best part of this contest?

What's that?

It's statewide.

That's right again the lawyers remind me.

I have to tell you it is a statewide Context Contest all right Kerry tell us a little bit about what you do here at UWM.

I support Chancellor Mone.

I support the Chancellor.

I am Prepping him to go out and tell UWM story whether that's to students community partners faculty staff And he is going like crazy

morning, noon, and night, and I am just helping him prepare.

I

mean, what you did, you brought him over to our little show today, and you're helping, I mean, you're taking photos, you're getting media out there.

Much of the way that Kevin is doing it kind of campus-wide in the marketing side, you're really focused on helping the chancellor get out there, do shows like ours, the media, and prepare him, and I really appreciate that.

Right,

right, you've done that.

I have for a state senator until they told me to take a hike.

By the way, Kevin, I'm no longer a Republican.

I left the party in 2011.

Kevin's brother, very involved in politics.

Is your brother still involved in politics,

Kevin?

He is most definitely not.

He shifted to another very stable career, attempting to own restaurants.

Oh, I failed in that as well.

So we'll have to catch

up on that.

and then right mixing those of us that tried to do the media slash radio game like hey we just we have it all knock out that is why it is so important when you go to college to have a great major get into research try to get into fields that are gonna pay off right and not exactly time and time again and in all of those things yes no i

do

um i do it's funny and thinking about talking to those thinking about

your political background and all the time putting any partisan side of the aisle that you may have been on at the time.

But thinking about though, genuinely how some of those same people, right, were also, they were formative for you, but even for me.

in that part of the state in college, working in the media, people like Dale Schultz and David Brandemuel and those type of folks that it was so long ago that like, yeah, they also, whether we all agreed on everything or not, were such an important part of the fabric of that part of the state in particular.

And certainly in other parts of the state, I'm sure that's very true for those representatives from a time ago as well.

And our universities are one of those things that should and can bring us all together across all parties.

I should be a bipartisan thing for God's sake, right?

Carrie, Carrie is going to stick around.

She's going to be my Kathy Lee Griffith of Curfords for my co-host.

Kevin O'Connor, I cannot tell you how great it is to hear my voice, your voice.

It's the best part of my day.

We got to do this again soon, Kev.

Absolutely.

I mean, if you're in the market for a co-host, let me know.

I can be on with you and get you kicked off the air.

Back to University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, the fight song of the Panthers here on campus live from UWM.

You can see him running up and down the sidelines at various sporting events and joining me for this segment and my lovely and talented co-host, Carrie Lee Griffith.

No, Carrie Pink.

Where's the wine?

Why don't we have wine, Carrie?

No, no, no.

Carrie is my dear friend, Carrie Pink, the executive communications officer here at UWM.

It's going to join me for this segment.

And Carrie, you lined up, and I'm not sure how you, because he does.

few

few interviews very few interviews

you don't see him very often

may have an exclusive time really i

don't know i'm very excited about this uh... and here now is tanner an architectural student and self-described niche micro-celebrity unquote he is

pounce the panther pounce how are you i'm doing well the song that you just played the fight song that kind of sorry that is fine the fight song you played that kind of

brings flashbacks to having to run up and down the quarter bunch, so.

A little PTSD, but.

So when was your last appearance during basketball season, or when was your last appearance as Pounce?

No, it was, I'd say probably two weeks ago when I did a, yeah, it was a baseball game for UWM.

Oh, nice.

And then, yeah, there's like a few other appearances here and there too, but I think that was the last one.

Have you

ever done an interview

Because those watch on the stream we see your paws But what we can't show your face because this is and this is all all seriousness This is a big deal and it's part of the mystique that when you are a mascot for division one school Normally you don't reveal yourself.

No, and I think I think My case right now is that I'm about to graduate.

So it's like, you know, right?

It's gonna be revealed eventually So why not do it right now and give a little bit of taste of what I do and that's super cool.

How where'd you grow up at?

Um, so I went to high school at Winnick County up by Oshkosh if you know where that

is.

My parents used to live in Winnick County.

Really?

Yeah.

My dad was a wrestling coach at Winnick County High School for a couple years ago.

Yeah.

Long before you were born, but anyway.

Oh, I'm sure.

That's fantastic.

So you grew up at Winnick County and then what made you want to come to UWM?

I don't know.

I was just touring schools and like, you know, growing up in the country, like Milwaukee was definitely not my first choice.

I was like...

little intimidated but then drove here I was like walking on the campus and I'm like this is pretty small it's pretty nice actually like compared to Madison where it's like you got to walk half an hour to get across the campus here it's like five minutes I don't know I for some reason I just fell in love with it I toured Green Bay and you know they got those tunnels and everything they were like about those are so dumb I was like you gotta like because when I was touring I'm like okay you got the tunnels but like you got to still wear a jacket to get to the tunnel so like

What's the point, right?

Yeah, exactly.

So, uh, dude, there are competition to be, uh, pounce the panther.

How did you find out about this once you're on campus?

Okay.

So this is a story I get asked a lot.

It's a really dumb story.

So I'm just going to have a sit with that.

I was, I just moved into my house and it was like three years ago.

And so I was looking for an on-campus job and I was like looking on Handshake, which is what UWM uses for that.

And I was like, looking at like Union Custodial Work, like stuff like that.

And then as I was writing,

emails and stuff for that.

I got an email from athletics.

Hey, we're looking for a mascot and like a few other things.

I'm like, oh, I'm interested in mascot and graphic design.

Like, what's the worst they're going to say?

No.

And behold, three years later, here I am still.

That's really, is it technically part of, I don't, Madison, they're part of the quote unquote cheer team or is that a completely independent thing?

Nope.

This is a part of marketing.

Oh, really?

Okay.

So we don't get like.

So you answered a Kevin

O'Connor.

I don't know who that is.

If it is, he has no

idea.

All right, very good.

I did not know who that was.

That's fine.

So it's part of marketing.

So do you do against in the community or just on campus?

Yeah, everywhere, everywhere.

So I know there was one we just did for a sponsor of ours out in Akana, Milwaukee.

That was kind of a hike.

But it was out there.

It was fun.

You just got to hang around.

I do a lot around Milwaukee.

I'm trying to think of some of the ones that I did.

But you're out in the community.

Yeah.

So it's a super cool thing.

And to be the mascot like that, have you ever, you know, you don't have to answer this if you don't want to.

But have you ever used it to say, get a date?

Like, you know, you know who I am.

Not a date necessarily, but it does have its.

That is a fantastic answer.

And again, not to be too personal because but at Madison, every.

Person I think mostly guys who play Bucky they they get a Bucky tattoo on their

end same with the Goldie at Minnesota

Do you guys have anything similar to that as Panthers?

No, I'll start something like that.

I was thinking about starting something like that, but it's never did

and now you're graduating

I know and

Not too late.

It's never too late.

Exactly.

I totally feel like

a month and a half left.

Absolutely.

So your major is architecture.

What do you want to do after you graduate?

I don't know.

Hopefully somewhere in the field of that with like construction or architecture, something like that.

Hopefully make a difference in that regard with like construction and all that stuff.

That's really cool.

What would you say to people that might be listening up there?

They're like, hey, I'd like to be the next pounce the panther.

What would you say?

Well, you just You can't really be afraid.

I mean no one knows who you are I mean, well, I guess besides me right now, but like I mean you're hiding behind a mask the entire time like it's it's your job to annoy people but not too much where it's like really bad but just enough that you can like go there and like you can pick like

Like what I'll do is I'll pick on his nose and like wipe it on someone.

I always like that one.

And you get a reaction.

And the kids probably want to take their picture with you.

I mean, they love poutons, right?

Yeah, exactly.

And, you know, it's really good for that too, because it's like, you know, if I, if me as Tanner just like walked up to like a group of kids, like that's weird.

But like as the mascot, that's really cool to like go do that and like annoy them or something like that.

And like, you know, kids are like a huge part of the mascotting.

you know whether they're like interacting with you or just like annoying you or something like that but um so it's always a fun dynamic you like mascotting you really gotta read people too and like you really like you pick up that skill like okay this person's getting annoyed right now

there's like a minute left i'm sorry there's only a minute left did you ever go like to any sort of a camp or training or you just you just pick this up because you're a natural ham

no i mean i think it was just my experience and like learning from other mascots and all that i'm not gonna list who but like i learned

It's like a club, like a chat, like a snap group of this?

Kind of sorta.

Really?

Like all Wisconsin or other division one schools?

So I know me and another one in our league.

We kind of like talk every once in a while.

He's from Ohio, I want to say.

No, you don't have to say.

It's fine.

Did you know

this, Carrie?

I did not know about the underground network.

Yeah,

it's like an

underworld.

It's

like an underworld.

I love every part of this.

We may have to have you back on the show another time before you graduate, if you don't

mind.

That would be

fine.

All right.

Tanner, as punts the panther, we'll come back with more.

Thank you, Tanner.

We appreciate it.

Come on back at UWM after this is the all ball show on the Civic Media Ready Network.

Thank you.

Welcome back to the Tahoe Ball show on the Civic Media radio network.

Yes, we're putting on a show for the last half hour literally for you all.

Welcome back to the Lubar Entrepreneurship Center on the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.

And it's a great day to be a panther.

We appreciate all the hospitality that has been shown here at Milwaukee Zomers.

How about this show so far?

I mean, it's just one star after another.

I'm just here directing traffic.

How about that?

I don't know if I agree with you just directing traffic, but certainly one star after another.

Right, one star after another.

And more stars here at the desk here at UWM right now.

They are all members of the musical theater program.

Yes, they have a musical theater degree at UWM, which begs the question, why did Todd waste seven years of his life at UW-Plaffville?

Maybe not quite seven, but close to it, as Kevin Conner can attest to.

No, they are members of the musical theater department, and guys, I'm going to introduce you separately, but I want you to know the entire reason for this show, our radio show, our streaming show here today, is because of you guys.

All right, I'm gonna explain a minute, but before I do, I would be remiss if the people back home, I have to do this for the show, people back home.

We are right smack dab in the middle of our text to win break into spring text to win contest.

So if you want in on the 100 bucks, we're giving away $100, a Benjamin Franklin to somebody just who enters in, in this hour.

And then everybody who enters is eligible for the grand prize of a Verlo mattress set.

And here's the deal, only one more day left after today.

Jane McNair is ahead of me.

And if I lose to her, they're banishing me to the Wendy Williams Judge Judy time slot.

I kid you not.

So text in the word this hour is relax, R-E-L-A-X, as Aaron Rodgers once said,

Relax.

R-E-L-A-X.

Text it right now.

The word relax.

To the Civic Media app, you'll be eligible.

All right, guys, you'll hear this pinging in our headsets, unfortunately.

That's all the texting.

But let's get underway right now.

I'm going to have each of our wonderful guests this segment introduce themselves.

Alina, let's start with you.

Where are you from, please?

And how did you come to UWM?

Yeah, I'm from Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Pretty much it's either Marquette or Milwaukee or Madison whenever you're looking at colleges.

I originally actually went to Columbia College, Chicago, didn't like the program, came back home and I resonated so much with here and I have family here, younger sibling.

So it's much nicer to be closer to home.

That's fantastic.

And also we have at the desk, Abby.

Abby, please introduce yourself.

Where you're from and how did you come to UWM?

Yeah, I am from Belvedere, Illinois.

I kind of applied for a lot of colleges when you apply for musical theater.

It's kind of you apply for the program and then the school as well.

So kind of all over the country.

And I really liked the city aspect of Milwaukee.

It was one of my biggest choice.

It's only about an hour, 30, 45 minutes from home.

So it's close enough, but also like far enough to be kind of on my own as well.

And our final guest here this hour or this segment, Lucas, please.

introduce yourself, where you're from, and how you come to UWM.

Yeah, my name is Lucas Drew, and I'm from Toronto, Canada.

So I am an international student.

But as soon as I came to Milwaukee, I was pretty much blown away by all the amazing people.

And also, the program was very just inspiring.

I just thought that all the faculty and the current students that were already there were really amazing and nurturing or just like.

showing the ways of what it's like to be a musical theater major and like Abby I also applied to many schools but I feel like this one was the best fit for me and also lots of cheese in this state.

I don't have cheese in the can but I do love cheese.

First of all, first of all, stop the show minutes.

On behalf of the United States of America, I'm sorry.

Yeah, what the hell is going on one of Canadians ever done to us except be nice.

I know we're

so

nice It's not fair and the talent clearly coming across the border.

Why wouldn't we want more of that?

I don't know.

I think the great Canadians William Shatner Captain Kirk is Canadian Michael Buble is Canadian and Lucas is Canadian.

I mean, I know in all seriousness

I'm going to start with you for a second.

I want to be serious just for a second.

What is it like being a Canadian right now in the United States?

Well, it's definitely interesting.

I get a lot of questions is the biggest thing.

I mean, I feel like my dad's out of the family's from America.

So I've been to the United States quite a bit.

So I feel like I didn't have such a problem kind of meandering in.

and being the odd one out, even though Canada's just over there.

We're basically the same.

But does it tick you off?

Some of this stuff going on right

now?

Yeah, it's pretty wild.

Sometimes I don't even know what to think about it.

Sometimes it's just mind-blowing and mind-boggling how this is even happening or why.

Insane

crazy, and it's an American again.

I feel the exact same.

I'm just like why so I'm not going down too far a political thing, but as long as you're here I just I just think it's bizarre and again, I'm truly am I to all Canadians I'm sorry we're going through this right now, but as they say that's not not why you're called But what and so my friend Carrie who works here at UWM she went to this new show that you guys put on dames at sea was

Zommer's pulled up some of the music there from from the show and she called me and she said, Todd, I just went to this show and these guys are singing and dancing and it's like a legit production.

Abby, you did a lot of the choreography understand in the show.

How long have you been in dance?

How did and what led you to help with the choreography?

Yeah, so I did theater a lot growing up and one aspect I really liked about musical theater is the dance side.

I would definitely say I lean more into the dance than other things a lot, but Miss Sherry asked if we were interested.

They had a wonderful, we were able to get a surf grant from the university to do like

research on the show as well as be part of it which was super fun especially being a senior.

It was kind of our first first time doing that.

I know they did it last year for another graduating senior so it was a really cool opportunity.

When it comes to choreography I got to do it along with Sophia Roth who played

Ruby in the show she

was

one of the other main characters and we got to work collaboratively and it was also a lot of fun to like work with the rest of the students kind of our peers as well and get input from them what felt good and we also got to do the show was really unique because a lot of tap shows aren't either done or just

are not being made a lot anymore.

So this show specifically, we had three to four tap numbers in it and a lot of them were large group numbers.

So just coming up with the choreography and different steps that we can do where it's still impressive enough, but not too complicated for people to like keep up with and do, but still look really well.

Yeah, I think it's remarkable.

And Alina, have you done a lot of dance in your life as well or more or more vocal, more acting?

I would say

more dance.

I got into theater a little bit later just because I went to a lot of inner city schools and the funding when it comes to the arts isn't really there normally or at least when I was in elementary school.

So I started when I got to middle school.

It was more so I think seventh grade is when I got into musicals, but

I was always

in tap.

I loved tap.

I did tap, I believe two years and then it just got expensive after

a

while going to class after class.

So I like held it dear to my heart every once in a while whenever we'd have a tap show.

Like in high school, we had one where we had one tap numbers, Green Ecks and Ham and Seussical.

Nice.

I got to do that.

Then I took a tap class in college, like a small brief one in college.

And that was fun.

But then when I saw that Dames at Sea was a tap musical, I knew that I had to do it because I really, really do love tap

so much.

That's super cool.

Lucas, have you done dance as well before this show or more acting and singing?

Yeah, I've done dance for quite a while since I was about five years old, but I feel like I've been singing.

for most of my life.

I used to be a part of a children's opera company in Canada.

So I did mostly opera and that type of theater.

But I didn't get into musical theater until about high school.

I went to performing arts high school, which was very fortunate.

So we got many opportunities to perform and dance.

But I feel like I really started to feel confident and good dancing in the last two years.

I recently just became a dance minor.

here as well and I just love any opportunity I could get to dance and even tap.

I really haven't been able to tap that much until Dames at Sea and so I've been very fortunate to be able to experience that in a show especially and it's just so much fun.

It ignites my passion all the time.

I really wanted to go into dance when I was about in middle school, I guess.

And for reasons I just kind of want to bore people, there wasn't an opening in the class.

So my sister was four years younger.

She started a younger class, but I didn't.

But I ended up being the master of ceremonies and the sound technician for the Betty Hay School of Dance for 16 years.

And watched all these students and the time that they put into it.

And talk just a moment.

People that don't know.

dance is enormously demanding physically.

This isn't just you out there.

I mean, it is a sport in mind.

You have to be tremendously athletic and the amount of time that goes into this.

Yeah.

When it comes to the choreography specifically for the show, we spent upwards of a hundred and fifty hours like working on the show over a span of.

like four weeks when we were, that's between choreographing things and then teaching it to students as well.

So dance, it does a lot.

Like on the body, I had blisters on my feet.

We're breaking a new tap heels and stuff.

Everybody had new shoes for the show.

So on top of that, plus like singing and you're doing everything at the same time.

So just taking care of yourself also is a huge part when it comes to dancing.

And I feel like this show especially was one of those times where I was able to work on like self care.

when

it

comes to dancing and stuff like that and some other shows you know you're doing dance numbers you're doing a little bit here and there but because this one is so physically demanding it was a good practice especially as someone who's like leaving college within the next month it was really good to like get back in that regimen and like work on it.

Anybody else on that subject?

Yeah I'd say I don't think people also understand just how often we have to rehearse these numbers.

Especially the harder ones, we went upwards of like five times that we had to rehearse it because a step might have been a little bit harder or we might have been behind in the music so you have to go over it again.

And you can't always mark it either, especially with tap because everyone has to be on the same beat.

Otherwise you're going to hear it and you're going to see it because legs are going to be off arms.

So it's just stuff you have to really have down.

Talk a little bit about, I grew up in a small town in Southwest Wisconsin of 5,000 people and had dreams of dancing and singing on Broadway.

I did community theater, which I loved, but you are all in a major of theater.

Talk about what UWM is giving you and what you want to do with it.

Let's start with Lucas.

I feel like they spread out the training pretty...

pretty well.

We get a lot of acting classes, which is incredible.

We have amazing professors.

They teach us so many amazing things.

There's so many dance classes you can take.

There's a huge variety.

Especially if you choose to even become a dance minor, you can take even more.

You can be a part of the dance shows and productions as well.

And singing-wise, you get hourly and half-hour voice lessons with a specific voice teacher after a certain time, as well as a group.

voice class where you get to perform twice a year or twice in a year in your freshman year.

So I feel like there's so many opportunities to keep learning and growing your skills and practice.

There's so many practice rooms you can go into to play piano, mess around, sing to your heart's content.

So what do you want to do after you graduate?

What's your hope professionally?

Well, I'd love to

Perform as much as I can keep going Broadway is always the dream Just getting to share my love and

my heart to so many people in the audiences and just performing and singing, that's my dream.

I just want to be so happy and it makes me happy all the time.

Abby, what

do you want to do next after you graduate?

Yeah, so I actually just got a job I'll be working in Florida for Disney World Entertainment.

Congrats!

My sister and brother-in-law worked for Disney for a summer in...

their teachers, but anyway, they loved it.

But yeah, I'm

sure you're going to be performing.

Yes, I will be performing there.

They were buzzed like this all the time, but go ahead.

Yeah.

So I'm super excited.

I feel like my training here has also helped a lot

with

that building up stamina, learning how to audition and stuff.

I was home schools growing up.

So my only like outlet for theater was youth theater, community theater,

things

like that.

So coming to a new school setting and then also where all of my classes are geared towards what I really want to do, help to kind of solidify my passion and my decision.

for what I wanted to do in college and post-grad.

But I really love UWM because of not only kind of what Lucas said about the teachers and everything, but a lot of the teachers who are professors here are also working professionals either in the area close by or, you know, work all over the state.

So...

Can you guys hang around through the break?

Just kind of want to get Alina what you're going to do next and wrap things up.

We'll have Carrie back on this show and she and I will drink wine the last two minutes of the show.

Do shots together and then we'll wrap things up.

And now I'm just kidding for the Board of Regents listening to Back in Madison.

This is Todd Albaugh's show on location at UWM Authentic Civic Media Radio Network.

Welcome back to the Taliban show live on location at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee on the civic media brain network It is nine before the hour of two o'clock at the top of the hour news

from CBS or ABC News to Penny and Paul on which of the great stations you're listening to across the Civic Media Network across Wisconsin.

Sports update from our great sports reporter, Mike Clemens, weather update as well.

And then the Maggie Dawn show every afternoon from two until four.

Maggie Dawn follows us directly afterwards.

Also, don't forget to text the word this hour to our text to win contest.

Somebody's going to win 100 bucks.

We have rigged the hour so that each of our guests

Look at $100.

No, I'm just kidding.

I'm just kidding.

The lawyers tell me I have to remind you it is a statewide contest and the word to text this hour is relax, relax, R-E-L-A-X, relax.

And one more day left, if Jane McNair beats me, our great friend and colleague, and she looks like she may, we're being banished to the Wendy Williams Judge Judy time slot in the afternoon.

Come find us there.

Anyway, looking forward to wrapping things up for your live location.

Some great students from UWM and really

What makes Wisconsin great are our students at our great universities across Wisconsin.

They are all members of the musical theater program here at WM.

We have Abby with us, Lucas with us, and Alina want to go back to you because the other two before the break told us what they hope to do after graduating as a musical theater student.

What are your hopes to do professionally after you get this degree?

Yeah, in the short term, I'd love to work with some more

theaters in the community, like first stage, I get to work with them at one point, I'm hoping.

Fingers crossed.

And then we've got Skylight is in the area, Forte.

I've heard tons about Forte.

I know some people know where to go to Forte before, but a little bit.

more down the road.

I'd love to work on a national tour.

I love traveling and the idea of being able to go perform a show for a couple weeks, a month or so, and then pack up and move on to the next location and then getting to look around during the day and then go and perform at night is so exciting for me.

I love that.

Well, I'm just enormously impressed with all of you and I wish you all the best.

And what I love about the show we put together that Kerry put together today for us, well rounded, because what we think in terms of universities and academics and the chemistry building and nursing, that's all very, very important, right?

But I hope that our listeners and viewers don't get doesn't get lost.

And you have all have helped us remind us what you all are doing in the arts and musical theater is

equally as important.

Because in these divided times, I think what you all provide us, live theater, an experience where we get off of these things and we experience something together that is hopeful, that is inclusive, that makes us feel like we're a true community regardless of where we come from or who we are.

And what you all do to enhance the human spirit is equally as important.

So thank you to all of you.

It's really enormously important.

Any final thoughts want to go around the table and give each 30 seconds?

Lucas, any final thoughts?

I just appreciate being here and getting to share my love and passion for theater.

I never want to stop.

performing.

I'm actually opening another show this Saturday with Forte Theatre Company.

It's called The Secret Garden.

But yeah, I just I love performing and sharing my love with it.

Go see that.

Abby?

Yeah, kind of almost word for word what Lucas said.

I just really am thankful for the opportunities I've had here.

Not only working at school, but also being prepared for professional work within the community as well.

And I've had a lot of opportunities to choreograph.

the community.

I'm actually choreographing a show right now.

So

I'm

super excited for that.

We'll be doing a rent outskirts

leader

this summer.

Amazing.

So yeah, just a lot of things to look forward to.

Alina, any final thoughts quickly?

Yeah, I'm so excited to have had this opportunity.

This is something I've never done before.

So I'm really glad that you guys reached out to us.

And yeah, just working on auditioning and then other opportunities in the summer.

So

congratulations to all you thank you all.

You're amazing.

You're great performers, great people.

You're part of what makes Wisconsin great.

So congratulations, thank you, really appreciate it.

Our pleasure, our pleasure.

I'm gonna mute you guys' headsets.

You can take them off now and then Carrie's gonna slip back in here quick for the final couple of minutes.

I wanna go down the list while she's doing that and thank Chancellor Mone, Mark Mone first and foremost for allowing us to be here in this great hospitality.

Also the Dean of College of Health Professions and Sciences, Kim Litwak.

Also the former nursing student we had on first hour of Veronica Burns by former broadcast partner, Kevill Connor, who works on marketing here.

the three folks that you just talked to also pumps the panther for being here.

And my dear friend, Carrie Pink.

Thanks for being here, Carrie.

Thanks, Todd.

You're amazing.

A big shout out to the folks down the coffee shop here in Zomber called

Grind and I got very excited for a moment because I thought they even the shop was grinder which was a whole different kind of coffee shop exactly the same Not exactly the same Carrie.

Thank you for doing this

Todd.

It was a pleasure.

So fun to have you here.

Thank you for bringing your talent to Milwaukee and coming

to be on site with us.

Well, it's amazing.

We've got about a minute left.

Any final thoughts that you want people of Wisconsin to know about UWM?

UWM is a secret that needs to be told.

It's fantastic.

There's so many different inroads into majors here.

really make an impact on not only southeastern Wisconsin, but the entire state.

Yeah, it really is.

And I'm just enormously impressed as you gave me a tour yesterday, the quality of facilities, the quality of people and the difference in the impact that this university, UWM is making in particular on Milwaukee and southeast Wisconsin, but the ripple effects across the state and across the country, even the world.

Yeah.

Yeah.

It's remarkable, isn't it?

Yeah.

And as to

kids that grew up in Southwest Wisconsin, Richland Center, who had ever thought that years later we'd be doing a show where you're working and making a difference in Milwaukee.

Exactly, where I came as a freshman, lay back in an unnamed year.

About five years ago or so.

Many thanks to all the people that we listed.

Thanks to Zomers back home.

We'll be back with you tomorrow.

Great show.

Kelly Call and Sean Hannish, the producer and director of Just A Bit Outside, the story that I teach at A to Milwaukee Brewers.

We'll be here as part of the Wisconsin Film Festival tomorrow at our studios in Madison.

Join us then.

Until tomorrow, from Milwaukee, this is Todd Albaul saying whatever you believe in, whatever you're fighting for, keep banging your drum.

We'll see you tomorrow.

of Madison.