And good morning.
I am Chad Holmes.
It is mornings with pack right low here on 98.9 wxio online at wxio.fm mobile devices and Alexa by searching wxio and on the civic media app Starting off our local segments this morning talking about another
production that is coming here to the Wasa area.
Again, we've talked about it so very often.
So many terrific opportunities, whether you are a performer, whether you are someone behind the scenes or somebody just likes to be in the audience to see some terrific productions and coming up this weekend on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, single shows on Friday and Sunday, then two shows on Saturday at the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point Wasa campus, the Venega Theater.
It is into the woods.
from the Central Wisconsin Children's Theater.
We're very happy to welcome around the table cast members and production heads for the show.
We have Sophie Matz, who has been here before.
Good to see
you
again.
Peter Chitwood.
Good morning.
And also Michael Clapper, who is the Artistic Director of the program.
Michael, nice to meet
you as well.
Thank you for having us.
We appreciate
it.
Absolutely.
I mean, after you all get a little bit tighter to the microphone in order for us to have everybody hear us properly.
But let's start off with you, Michael.
Number one, Into the Woods is a, I would say it's a beloved show by many, a very popular show.
What drew you to want to be heading up this production?
There's two things that I like to think about when I choose a show.
It's number one is how challenging is it for the actors involved?
Will they learn something from it?
Will they become a better actor a better performer when they're finishing the show?
And I think this is one that's fantastically challenging in many ways the score and the plot in the story and they're the usual fairy tale characters that we already know Red Riding Hood and the Baker and wife Jack and Beanstalk is a witch and all those sorts of things but
This is a new way to look at it and we discover more depth of the characters.
So I like that story to tell, but also something challenging.
I don't mind a challenge and I like there's something that's.
more satisfying when you come out of the other end of a challenge and you've accomplished it.
And I think this has been very challenging for the cast, for the crew, for the production team, the design team, since we started meetings over a year ago, starting to talk about this.
And I think it was a great choice and we're having a lot of fun doing
it.
How many folks are involved in the production?
Um, there's at least 1920 actors and then the design team, the production team, the volunteers are many, many, many more.
I saw a note that, uh, there were a lot of folks that, uh, a lot of, uh, kids that came out and tried out for this production.
Wasn't there?
Yes.
There were about 120 people who auditioned.
And so it was a very challenging task for us.
The.
the production team in order to decide who would be our actors in the show.
And I have to say many times I was blown away by the level of talent we have here.
It's never easy doing that when you have a few to choose from, but imagining the depth of talent in the Central Wisconsin area is just enormous.
Hard to believe you could almost cast it about five or six times and still
have enough
folks to be able to do the production.
Let's talk to Sophie and Peter.
Sophie, we've had you on before.
You're somebody that loves to be part of these productions.
First of all, what is the role that you're playing for this show?
So my role for this show is The Baker's Wife.
We heard Michael talk about one of the reasons this show is something that drew him is the challenge.
And I'd like to always ask our actors who come in here about the challenge, the big challenges within a production.
As you've got through this rehearsal process as we get towards this weekend and opening up, what's been the biggest challenge for this role for you?
Oh, that's a hard one.
Um, I would say it's been the most challenging probably for...
I'd say blocking.
I feel like because we work at CWCT and that is a separate building from the Veninga Theater.
So that means that all of our blocking is done with certain set pieces that aren't there yet.
Things don't look the same way that they do now in this final week.
And so all the stuff that I've learned now, like I'm finally solid on and that's taken
a little bit
because there's so much blocking that comes into the show.
It's a very complicated show.
It's so much symbolism and so much like eye catching.
like movements and so then to move us from CWCT over to the vinegar.
That's just gonna be, I think it's gonna be difficult and I'm kind of just predicting that's gonna be the challenge, but we've got some great set stuff that's gonna be moving around and some stuff that's going to be different.
And so it's gonna be something that we have to relearn, you know, and that's always difficult when you finally get comfortable with a show and then you have to relearn it all.
So it's gonna be, it's gonna be that little added element of
surprise.
the baker yes tell us a little bit about your role and maybe the challenges and maybe the fun aspects of this role
um i think it's well it's my first like big lead role and my first wasa show
so
that's a big challenge but what i really like about the character is that you can like look at his actions at like all these different angles and it's like he's such a complex character because i guess we both do things that like
Are like good things and like the whole point of the show is that there's not always like a good person and a bad person in a situation and I guess it's very interesting to like how you approach it and I don't know and it's been fun to He is a comedic role for the most part, so it has been very fun to I don't know just try something different because it's like my first like role where I can really make choices that affect like
how the performance is viewed.
When I've had Sophie on before, we asked about her history of theater.
When did you first get involved?
And as you say, your first was last time you had productions elsewhere.
I'm from students point originally.
So I first started doing theater in like eighth grade with our community play us theater.
And it's been really fun.
And I've done it every year since.
And once I've heard about into the wood.
into the woods has been my favorite show for a long time.
And when I heard that wasa is doing it, I was like, oh, I have to do that, I have to do that.
So I commit down here for like 35 minutes every day.
And I don't know, it's my first like full length show.
Cause I've only done like smaller junior productions.
So
yeah.
drove you that, hey, this is something I want to be part of, not just specifically this show, but a theater in general.
It's just like a sense of community, I think.
Like, everybody supports one another, and it's just a very welcoming thing, theater, I think it is.
And I've heard Wassas has one of the best theater, like, in terms of talent, and just...
I don't know, kindness and personality and stuff, so.
We will have more with Sophie, Peter and Michael about Into the Woods again coming Friday, Saturday and Sunday to the Venega Theater at UWSP at Wausau.
But more of Mornings with Pat Crichtlow coming up on 98.9 WXCO.
Mornings with Pat Cricklow on 98.9 WXCO.
I'm Chad Holmes and here in the first hour during our local segments we're talking about Into the Woods from the Central Wisconsin Children's Theater.
Joined by Sophie Motz, Peter Chitwood and Michael Clapperick and we'll start up again with Michael the director of the show for your role here for putting this all together.
Number one, how long has the process been in terms of the rehearsal process to get to the point of opening on Friday?
I've known the title of the show that I wanted to work on for about a year and a half.
And so I choose the show a long, far enough in advance so that I can start thinking about ideas and just letting it mull in my head for a long time.
And then production meetings with a few key staff members start about a year ago from now.
And I say, here's the concept.
Let's talk about it.
And we let that sit for a little bit.
And then we'll have another meeting a little later on.
And I'll say, I've had an idea or what about this and some things for the set.
I was inspired by another show I saw.
I said, oh, here's the first idea.
But then
I saw this and now let's change it.
And so I like to let it sit for a long time in order to get the right ideas.
And that's what it's all about.
It's finding the right ideas with the right people and it takes a good long time to do.
What is the key to a successful show?
You know, you talk about a year and a half as you get to this point for the weekend.
How, how to put this, but in your experiences, have you found anything that.
kind of brings together what successful shows have been in your experiences?
Oh, I think the list can get long, but I think it's a lot of patience and just trusting the process because there will be challenges that you face having to choose a certain set of actors among so much talent and throwing out ideas with the design team and the creative team to say, here's what I would like to happen.
And then once their jaws get up off the floor, then we can say, okay, here's how we're going to make it happen.
And here's how it can do.
But I think really just knowing the process and trusting it that it will come together and it always does when you choose the right people for the right position at the right time, when they, when they can, um, and when they're available to it's hard to, there's so many good things happening around here.
Uh, for the actors, uh, talk about process, um, as you've gained more experience, as you
had more, you know, roles that you've been able to perform.
How have things changed for how you go about the process, going through the rehearsal process, trying to be ready for these four productions over the weekend to be at your best?
How has your process changed over the years?
Peter, start with you this time in terms of how your experience has helped you in trying to be ready to perform this weekend.
I don't know.
I'm trying to think of the right words to put it, but...
This is like the first time I've had such like an interesting character to do and I don't know, I've really like sat with like, I've re-read the script over and over again and I've really like trying to go into the character, like put myself in his shoes and it's like...
probably the first time I've ever done that because it's such a complex
show.
Yeah.
Sophie, what about you?
I mean, we've talked to you before and you've been part of these shows.
How have you maybe even changed as a performer in terms of what you bring to the stage or maybe the things that you've learned in your young career at this point?
Okay.
I would say probably the fact that
When I first started out in theater, I was not a very, um, open person.
I was very much shy.
I didn't really talk to anybody.
I stayed with my very select few people.
And I think that over the years it's gotten better, but especially during this show, I think I just, I stepped into the building for the first time for like this cast meeting and I didn't know like almost any of these people.
I think I knew one person and I just sat right down and I turned to something and I started to, sorry, honey bun.
And then I just
started talking and
I just started talking to people and it was like, wow, I didn't know you and now I'm just getting to know you.
And I feel like I've made so many great friends this production.
And I feel like that's kind of what I needed to learn out of this is because I'm not very much a people person, which is a little hard to think about, but.
But it's caused me to have to be a very open, very honest, very friendly person.
And I'm really thankful for that, because that's how I met Peter.
And Peter is just such a wonderful friend.
And I love getting to act with him.
Probably one of my favorite people to act with, actually.
We just feed off each other's energy so well.
And getting to just meet all these people from different walks of life and getting to just know more about them.
Because when you're in a school production, you live with these people.
I already know, you're not too worried, but I don't get to see these people very often.
Two hours, maybe three hours a day, and then I don't see them for the rest of the time.
So it's just, it's great to know that I don't have as much time with them, and that makes it special.
I'm gonna stay with our actors here for a moment, because let's talk about this show.
What makes Into the Woods special?
I think it's just, there's so many ways you can look at it, like what you take away from it.
The big important lessons are, I think,
like your consequences have actions and they can spiral out of control and there's also a lot of commentary on parenting and children and throughout the show and I think it's just a really cool show because you can take so much away from it and after you leave or review it again you can oh maybe that's the listen or maybe this one and I think just doing that I don't know there's so much to so much to examine
Yeah.
What about you, Sophie?
Anything that jumps out about this show that folks that are thinking about going to it this weekend that they should know about that makes it well worth their time and their money?
Yeah.
I think that there's a big lesson about no one being alone.
You see that a lot during the show.
There's a lot of big themes about that.
It really is that any decision you make, whether you think it's going to affect you or not, affects somebody else.
it's such an important show about just knowing what your decisions do to other people and it like really talks about like selfishness and how even if you have good intentions it doesn't always end up being that way and so I think like Peter said when you go and you watch the show a lot of times you can leave with one meaning but then
If you go and watch it again, usually you find another one.
I think that's true of most shows, but especially into the woods.
I know for me, it's also my favorite show.
Um, it's been my favorite show for a long time.
It's why I'm in theater.
And so to, um, watch it over and over again and now be in it.
I've just, I've learned so many different lessons and meanings from it that anybody who watches the show once will find some meaning, but anybody who watches it more than once will find a lot of meanings to it.
Well, Sophie bots, uh, Peter Chitwood, Michael Clapprick, uh,
break a leg this weekend.
And thanks for all coming in.
Thank you
so much.
And you can get ticket information by going to the website, my CWCT.org.
That's my CWCT.org.
Or by checking out the Central Wisconsin Children's Theater on Facebook.
We have an information update coming up and then more of mornings with pack right low on 98.9 WXCO.
And good morning once again, everyone.
It is mornings with pack right low on 98.9 WXCO online from online at wxco.fm mobile devices and Alexa by searching WXCO and on the civic media app changing
Positions here just was with Pat Crite low as a guest and now back in the host chair here for our local segments at 22 and 52 after the hour in the 7 8 o'clock hours and a quick note that we are now putting all of our local segments on The website is part of our news website.
You can get all the local segments in one convenient lumping
So basically about a half an hour because we get 15 minutes in each hour.
But I will get more information on this and let you know about it exactly where it is.
But starting yesterday, we have our WXCO news update from our newsroom and also our local segments here on Mornings with Pat Crightlow, all part of the news segment at wxco.fm.
And I will
Get further information on them, but you know exactly where to find it but go to the website.
There's so much Interesting stuff there whether it's a podcast or news stories or Sports schedules and everything else at wxco.fm also coming up a little bit later on as part of that Posting for our local segments here on the program.
We have what are show notes?
embedded in that story.
You have a link to listen to the 30 minutes of our local reports here from WXCO and also there will be a link
for the entirety of our interviews we had in the first hour we talked to a cast members and the director of into the woods but we didn't have the entire interview I had to actually edit it slightly because they came in yesterday after the show and we recorded and then I put it into a couple of seven and a half minutes segments but we actually had more that we talked about than we had on the air in the first hour and we will have a link to the entire interview we'll have a link to the youtube video of our conversation as well in
are show notes for the morning segments here on 98.9 WXCO.
I know I probably haven't explained it perfectly well, but check out the website.
We'll check out the website, wxco.fm.
You just heard the voice of our in-studio engineer, our in-studio producer, Ian Welsh.
Ian, good morning.
Good morning, Chad.
I should have got you involved in our conversation with the cast and crew of the...
Show this weekend into the woods, but you you sat back and just did the recording and everything else But it's another opportunity for folks on Friday Saturday and Sunday again Friday at 7 o'clock Saturday at 2 and 7 p.m.
Sunday at 2 at the Venega theater at UWSP at wassup That's right central Wisconsin Children's Theater and into the woods You just had a show there a few weeks ago and now another show there coming up as well.
You have the a vanilla theater is going to be
very, very busy
these
next few months, especially since a Wausau community theater has just announced their 2025, 26 season.
You are exactly right.
Not sure if it
was last night or today.
No, it was last night.
I just saw it this morning.
Yep, I saw it last night on their Facebook page and five shows.
I mean, they're getting very busy at WCT.
And they have some very impressive shows.
Yeah, they're gonna have, hold my darling this September.
Sweeney Todd coming in November.
A lot of my friends are excited about that one.
Christmas Carol in December.
The 25th annual Putnam County Spelling Bee will be in March of 2026, and then next summer in July of 2026, more than a year away.
Rock of Ages, so.
Oh yeah.
Man, real full schedule, and I mean, give you five more opportunities to think about getting involved with these shows as well, I'm sure.
Well, it's definitely nice to have the, I look at the season ahead of time, because then I get to plan out, you know, okay, what shows do I,
really want to audition for and which ones do I just want to see.
But whatever I do, it is definitely going to be a fun and interesting season.
And they're still looking for directors for a Sweeney Todd and a Christmas Carol and the Spelling Bee.
They
already have directors for the Rock of Ages musical.
But if you're interested in being a director for these shows, you can actually go to the WCT
website and fill out an application to be a director.
You better do it quick because the forms are due by the 22nd of June.
It's only five days.
And it's a wonderful opportunity for those folks who may have been involved in theater, may not have taken that next step to be a director.
I mean, I remember back when I was going to school at UW-Marathon County, I was part of the student theater group and
had a couple of my friends and classmates who decided to write a show, and then they also had a couple of that decided to direct.
And I know that it was a great learning experience.
It was a lot of fun, and it was for them, for them, and it was like, they found out different ways of looking at productions and made them better.
Performers when they were turned back to the stage as opposed to directing so obviously great opportunities as we talk about all the time with the community theater with the independent theaters that we have here Did you have your audition last night?
Yes, I did.
I was able to audition for a river and Woods is Shakespeare in the park for the comedy of errors.
We actually had a pretty good turn out of people last night and and
We're still interested in in a auditioning at tonight is the final night of auditions So you can go to the River Woods at Facebook and find the sign-up sheet and still audition if you Are still able to have time.
It's really amazing the the opportunities that folks have here.
We've talked about this again a lot when it comes to
you know, the arts and the opportunities within the arts here in Central Wisconsin.
I mean, whether really, I mean, so much going on, by the way.
the topic for the number for the day, which we'll have coming up.
Yes.
Oh, it is Italian restaurants, Italian restaurants.
So we'll have that coming up.
Italian.
That's
good.
Yep.
You're one for one this week.
So we'll have that coming up at the end of the final segment of the program.
Awesome.
We'll be back in about 22 minutes at E 52.
But coming up, we have an information update.
And then back to pack right low, he'll be talking to Dan Schaefer of the recombobulation area coming up next here on 98.9 WXCO.
Welcome back.
It is morning with Pat Krightlow on 98.9 WXCO online at WXCO.fm mobile devices and Alexa by searching WXCO and on the Civic Media app.
A mild start here on this Tuesday morning.
The time is 8.53 overcast skies and 68 degrees in downtown Wausau with Ian Welsh.
I am Chad Holmes and again at 22 and 52 minutes after the hour in the seven and eight o'clock hours.
We have our Wausau morning report.
with the talk here from our studios at the corner of Washington Street and our third street in downtown Wasaw.
And I mentioned as well that you can get our four local segments in one
convenient batch by going to wxco.fm.
If you go to the homepage, then you'll see on the right hand side, it will be the weather and then right below it, latest news.
And you'll be able to get our wxco news roundup and then our wassum morning report here during the mornings.
And again, we will have coming up in just a few minutes on
the Wasp Morning Report on the website, links for the entire interview that we had earlier with members of the cast and crew of the upcoming Central Wisconsin Community Theater production of Into the Woods that is coming up, I should say the Central Wisconsin Children's Theater production of Into the Woods coming up Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
So again, you'll be able to.
get the complete interview plus the video on Facebook as well.
So again, just check out each day.
Number one, the news roundup that's put together by our new staff and then also our morning report if you miss any of our segments here in the morning.
I just have a quick
Comment here.
We just heard from Dan Schaefer our civic media political director the founder of the Reconbibulation area talking about again, we've heard a lot about this in the past week his opinion piece that Governor Tony Evers should not run for a third term in office and I want And again, I'm not saying that Dan Schaefer is wrong in what he's written
I see the issues.
I think that there is a need for some younger Democrats to be involved in the party.
But I want to kind of make a couple of points here.
Just for thought.
Again, I'm not ready to advocate either one way or the other.
What I am advocating is the ability for the governor to make his decision.
And I guess his thought is, well, once the governor makes the decision, then you can't do anything about it.
Well, you can do something about it.
We saw that last year.
But a couple of points I want to make Dan said to Pat Crite low just a few minutes ago that he had some conversations off the record with folks who maybe don't be amenable to what Dan was writing that maybe these folks at this point are not ready to come out and say governor don't run I Am not a big fan of this well, you know, I was told off the record by a bunch of people how right I was in terms of the
Writing that I had here At a certain point and I've talked about this in the past when it comes to mega and conservatives about not having the courage of your convictions of You know off the record saying a I disagree with what Donald Trump and Stephen Miller are doing Well, it doesn't it means nothing unless you have the courage to come out and say it if these people agree with Dan Schaefer that Dona Evers should not be running then come out and say it
So I don't take a lot of stock in that right now.
At the very least, I'm not going to give these folks credit for anything for not having the guts to come out and say what you truly believe, if that's the case.
Number two, is the only reason that Dan wants Tony Evers to step aside the idea of Tony Evers age?
Is that the only reason?
Because
Tony Evers consistently over a number of years has been the most popular Democrat in the state of Wisconsin Has been I would say a very effective government for the state of governor for the state of Wisconsin Is there anything within the performance of mr. Evers that has led to this or is it strictly because of age?
Because in my opinion age can be a factor, but it should not be the only factor
when it comes to making this decision.
I agree.
So again, I just wanted to make a couple of points there.
And one other point, I am really tired of the constant trashing of former President Joe Biden.
And part of the conversation within this area, I think, is a continued trashing of former President Biden.
And again, when I talk about Governor Evers' record, I think once in a while we ought to talk about what was accomplished under Joe Biden.
Because I think we've seen a lot of things that are being missed by the current administration.
So again, I He
accomplished a lot of good things.
I think the issue was that that it wasn't talked about as much as I just You know because the Democrats don't like to brag very much which in my opinion is an issue because it's okay to talk about your accomplishments Don't be bragging about them all the time.
Yep, exactly right.
So you
can be proud and not brag
Yep, you're exactly right.
I think on that note, we're going to turn back to Ian and let's finish things up with our number for the day quiz.
He is one for one so far this week.
Italian restaurants.
You got it right yesterday.
He'll try to clinch a passing grade already here on Tuesday with our number for the day quiz.
And you're right.
It is Italian restaurants.
It is the topic.
Our number for the day is the number of Italian restaurants in the US.
So how many Italian restaurants are there in the United States?
Okay, what are my choices?
20,000, 40,000, 60,000.
All in the U.S.
20,000, 20, 40 or 60,000.
Okay, I'm going to say 20,000.
I'm going to say 20,000 is my final answer.
Well,
went with the smallest number.
You should have went with the biggest number.
It was 60,000.
60,000, but you're still one for two.
You're still above the curve here.
There you go.
All right.
Well, Ian, have yourself a great rest of your Tuesday.
You too, Chad.
Happy Tuesday, everybody.
And stick around coming up an information update followed by Matt and air on air, and we'll be back tomorrow for our local segments in the seven and eight o'clock hour tomorrow morning.
I am Chad Holms and this has been Mornings with Pat Critello at 98.9 WXCO.
