And good morning once again everyone and welcome back.
It is the WXCO morning report.
Part of mornings with Pat Critello here on 98.9 WXCO.
I'm Chad Holmes.
Ian Welsh will join us in just a little bit, but first to start things off this morning.
Another terrific show is coming this weekend here to Central Wisconsin.
It is the Wausau Community Theater.
They are presenting Home I'm Darling.
by Laurel Wade.
He'll be at the UWSP Wassup Black Box Theater Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 7 p.m.
and then a special Sunday matinee at 2 p.m.
And to talk about the production, talk about everything that's going on, we're very happy to sit around the table and talk to a couple of cast members.
Chanel Volpel.
and Paula Hawkins and ladies, both of you, thank you for coming on over this morning.
Thank you for having
us.
Absolutely, and again, we'll make sure you get a little closer to that microphone, Paula, and also Chanel as well.
But Holma, I'm darling.
Number one, you have to think about it when you say it.
Darling, I'm Holma's first thing in the mind.
What is the meaning of the title of the show?
I think it's just a little bit of a juxtaposition just to get you started thinking about what the show is going to mean.
It's a little bit backwards.
It's a little bit flipped and I think the show takes on lots of themes like that.
A lot of talks about domesticity and the value of women's place in the home and in the workplace and in the world.
So is it darling I am home or is it home I'm darling?
So we all have to think about things just a little bit.
Based on that description.
It sounds like it could be a drama, but it's not a drama, is it?
It's a little bit of a drama, but I would say it's a light drama.
There's comedic moments in it, but there is still a lot of thoughtful material.
And Paula, what character are you playing?
I play Sylvia.
I'm Judy's mother.
I was raised through the 50s, and this show is about the 50s.
I've learned a lot about it because I was only 10 at the end of the 50s, so I'm learning a lot as my character about what it was actually like as a woman.
And Chanel, Paula said, Judy's mother, and you are Judy.
Can you talk a little bit about the character of Judy, one of the leads in this show?
Yes, I think Judy is quite interesting.
She has a desire to live out her dreams, as we all do, right?
And her dream is to live life authentically like she is in the 1950s.
So she chooses to leave the workforce and she chooses to stay at home and keep her home clean and just live in just complete domestic tranquility.
Everything is lovely.
Everything's put away.
There's not a single thing that you see in her home that isn't from the 1950s or earlier, that isn't handmade, that isn't vintage.
And she takes such great pride in the care of her space.
And so it's really interesting.
to see how much joy she gets from that.
And then also as I married person, as her character is married, she has to kind of reconcile that with like what her husband's desires and what is he want and what brings him fulfillment.
You know, I think anybody who is in a relationship and who has been married has to have some like conversations about that.
I don't know.
I think she's just really interesting.
I think she's a very dynamic character.
And Paula, what's the relationship between mother and daughter in this
show?
they're close loving but I have I don't approve of her lifestyle because I was raised in the feminist era the character that this bothers me a lot that she's not putting herself out back out into the workforce and becoming a domestic goddess this I don't approve of it
and Chanel Judy you said when you were explaining the character what's below the surface here is is it as
domestically blissful as you made it sound in your description.
Is there anything below the surface there for your character?
There is so much below the surface.
I would encourage people to come and see the show and find out.
Don't want to spoil it to her, right?
I think that no matter where we're at in life, even if things are really wonderful and feel successful and feel like they are what we want them to be, there's still some areas where things are not actually perfect.
And if you can imagine an income or like a home with just one income.
they're going to be financial decisions you have to make.
And in this particular show, she doesn't have children.
She's staying at home and taking care of the home, and that's her job.
That's what
she really is bringing value in her family and her relationship.
But then her husband is the only income.
So they have to kind of figure out how to manage life like that.
And we know today's economy, that can be a little bit of a financial challenge.
How many total characters are in the production?
Six.
How long has the rehearsal process been for this show?
This one a little bit longer, seven, eight weeks, I believe.
That is a bit longer than
normal.
Is that a good thing?
Because I think that you can look at it maybe two ways, that sometimes it can be where, for lack of a better term, you can peak too early.
And do you feel like this has been good for this production, that having that little bit of extra time
has helped?
I think it's been very good.
We have actors who are seasoned actors.
We have actors that are new, new to theater.
And because of the dynamic relationships between all the characters, there's so many layers that I think the extended rehearsal period has been a very good thing.
And Chanel, what about you in terms of the process?
How many shows have you been in, number one?
Are you a theater veteran?
Yeah, I guess I would be considered one of the veterans of the cast.
How do you look at, you know, when you start a production, you know, let's start maybe from the table read and then write until opening nights.
Your process is, is there anything in particular that you feel is very important in terms of developing a character?
Yes, so I actually read the script I think about four or five years ago, and I just fell in love with the story I knew we needed to produce it at some point and now was the right time to do it So it's great as a performer.
I really dive into the heart of this character that I'm playing I want to know their thoughts their feelings their motivations I want to understand their history and what I found so intriguing with Judy is that she had an unconventional life growing up and she chooses a different but also unconventional life as an adult
And I thought that was really interesting to dive into.
With any script, the author kind of tells you what they want you to know about the character, but then they give you a freedom to develop more ideas on your own.
And I think we've been able to have the opportunity to really do that.
And with this term in particular, there's a lot of cultural references.
This is an English production.
It's set in Britain.
It's set in modern times, but of course, it's also kind of set in the 50s or aesthetically in the 50s.
So we've had to study British accents and dialect training.
We've really looked into modern pop.
We've looked into 1950s historical references and culture, so it's been a really fun learning process.
We will have more with Chanel Vopel and Paula Hawkins of the Wausau Community Theater and their production of Home I'm Darling coming this Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Black Box Theater at UWSP at Wausau.
We'll be back with them at 722.
Coming up next, top of the hour information update, and then more of warnings with packed freight law on 98.9 WXCO.
And talking generally about Wausau Community Theater and something I've talked to Ian about is he finds it to be so encouraging and welcoming and for folks out there who may have an interest in it.
you know, sit in the audience this coming weekend and they think, well, I'd like to be involved in some way.
Give us your pitch.
Why should they do it?
Yeah, come play with us.
We're here to create art and do things for the community and build theater locally so you don't have to drive all the way to Minneapolis or Chicago or those big, you know, those faraway places with expensive tickets to go see theater.
We can do it here.
It's a wonderful outlet if you have an artistic itch or a logistical itch.
I'm more logistical than artistic.
I stage man.
a lot.
I like
to really organize and bring people together and it's so much fun.
Most of our rehearsals are in the evening, so for a lot of folks that works really nicely with a work schedule, we are very family-friendly.
I've had productions where my production staff was a set of parents and so the kids
were playing in one
room or just hanging out and sometimes they got involved and we put them up on stage as well.
So it's been really cool to see like all the relationships that you can build and and all of the different types of things that we can do.
And I know in particular with our theater
On the side, we've been striving every production to bring in a new element of tech.
So we have a new tech thing that we're trying this production.
So if you really want to try something different or new, this is a great place for that.
Paulo, what about your experiences
with WCT?
My grandson, he's 16, is helping with this show backstage.
This is the third show he's worked on.
And he is having such a wonderful time.
He loves this.
was talking with them last night.
I said, you know, this is the kind of place that you meet people that you would never, ever meet anywhere else.
It brings in people from all walks of life.
that you would probably never meet any other way, any other time, and it's all ages.
You get, you can start with children's theater, you can go into adult theater, and so you get to work with people, children, all ages, which is very cool too.
You mentioned that the theater on the side, and this is a production for your theater on the side program at WCT.
Yes.
One of
the interesting things from my perspective, and I've actually gone to a couple of the shows on the side, and actually when they were over at the Whitewater, but now,
you're in the black box but the thing that jumps out to me is I know there are a lot of folks that love the musicals but I think shows like this these kind of shows really do add to the palette of the WCT don't
they?
I think so I think musicals are wonderful they have their place I've directed I've performed in them I love them but there's something so wonderful about getting that intimate experience of really crafting a story where you don't have the
props and the flashiness of all of the singing and dancing, you've got to really dive into the storytelling of building a character and you get time to really focus on details.
And with theater on the side, because we're a smaller stage, like this time we're in a black box theater, the audience is going to feel like they're sitting
in my kitchen.
They're going to see the running water and the opening refrigerator and the dishes and the crumbs.
They're going to be so up close and a part of everything.
And it's so, it's so cool.
And I love a musical.
but you won't get that in a musical.
You have to be in an audience farther away, 20, 30, 40, 50 feet back and just watch from a distance and here you get to be a part of our show.
And Paula is a performer in a situation like this when you do have that audience so close.
Do you sense it differently than in a different production where it's maybe more traditional where there's that buffer between you and the audience?
You do.
You feel their emotion.
You can sense it with a...
big musical you hear the applause and that's it you don't get that sense of you don't hear the Crying you know sometimes you hear a sob or something so you know you've touched him and it's
It's fulfilling.
I've done both, both musicals and straight plays.
And I, I, I love the musicals, but I don't have a lead voice.
So I, I don't have a chance to get a lead character where I do in a play.
That makes it more fulfilling for me.
I love both.
But yeah, I, I like the straight plays.
And I guess before we give the, again, the information on, on how to see it this coming weekend, what's the final pitch?
You have a chance here.
for folks that are thinking about, hey, I have some options to go out this coming weekend.
Why should they come and see this show?
This one in particular has such strong characters, diverse, but they're very developed characters, and the cast portraying them is very strong, I think.
That's a big plus.
I think it's an interesting story.
I think if you like to watch movies, if you like to binge on Netflix, you'll enjoy something like this.
It tells a story.
It's something interesting.
You'll have moments where you laugh.
You might have moments where you're shocked or you're going
to
cry.
there's definitely going to be a little bit of thinking and ruminating at the end of the production.
And, and I hope that it opens up dialogue for people to just have a good chat with a friend.
I mean, to get to talk about like, Oh, wow, I've never actually thought about the world this way.
And, and, and also still have an enjoyable time.
Cause I think that's what I love most about this story is it's thoughtful, but it's still enjoyable.
That's why I said it's a drama, but it's
light.
There's nothing like live theater.
Right.
The vibe because of the 50s to see that the 50s in the set the sets wonderful Yeah, the costumes
are vintage and they're wonderful.
Yeah.
They are
actually, I think, mostly all vintage.
Not all of them, but really close.
And you've been wearing heels and a big puffy skirt for
all of
the rehearsals.
So it's been fun.
Fantastic.
Really great opportunity.
A Home I'm Darling by Laura Wade performed at the UWSP Wassup Black Box Theater this Thursday, Friday, Saturday, 7 p.m.
and then a matinee on Sunday at 2 p.m.
You can get tickets.
Go to...
The Wausau Community Theater Facebook page, you have a, it's a rather long, a little bit of a longer website, but what we'll do as well is on our podcast page and our show notes, we will have a link where you can get your tickets as well.
So just go to our podcast page and we'll have the link in terms of getting tickets.
And you were saying Lord, I
mean, Paula.
There may be tickets at the door too.
Right now, the Sunday performance is nearing sold out, but come try to get a ticket.
There you go.
It's worth it.
Chanel Volpel and Paula Hawkins break a leg and thank you for coming in.
Thank you.
The time is 7 29 coming up bottom of the hour.
We'll have the farm reports and information update.
Look at the weather forecast and again get you ready for the rest of the day.
Then following that it's more of mornings with pack right low here on 98.9 WXCO online at wxco.fm mobile devices and Alexa by searching WXCO and on the Civic Media app.
and happy monday you are listening to the wxco morning report on 98.9 fm and 12 30 am online at wxco.fm and on the civic media app as well you can also listen to us on uh also watch us on our youtube channel as well it's an absolutely beautiful day uh
Out there, the sun is shining with a high of 60 at the moment.
It's actually pretty comfortable.
Unbelievable.
I am your engineer producer, Ian Welsh, and...
And I am Chad Holmes, and good morning.
Again, WXCO morning report, Monday morning, as we are now to the 15th day of September.
midway through the month, but we are going to expect very summer like weather.
In fact, for this week, you look for temperatures, high temperatures around 80 degrees for much of the week, not much in terms of precipitation either.
So if you're somebody that is looking to stretch out the summer and use that as an opportunity to keep those outdoor activities coming, it will be a great week for that.
And also again, thanks earlier to our guests from the Owasa Community Theater.
opportunity will be on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening and also Sunday afternoon.
Home I'm Darling at the Black Box Theater at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point at Wasa campus and their Venega Theater, again the Black Box brand new location for the theater on the side programs and as I mentioned at the end of our interview a few minutes ago that we will have a link for you on our show notes.
Every day we have our WXCO morning report and we have the four segments of the morning report that are all put in as a podcast.
And you have an opportunity to listen to it at your convenience.
You'll hear those two segments that involved our interview with our WCT cast members.
And then also these two segments as well.
And you can listen to them all in one sitting.
Don't have to break it up like we do here during the morning.
But we also have notes on what we talk about to each and every morning.
Go to wxco.fm and you'll see on the front page, you'll see the news section.
You'll see the WXCO morning report and you just click on that.
You'll see the description.
and also the link to the podcast.
And also we often will put unedited.
Versions of our interviews and we'll do that again today with with our WCT cast members But we will also have again a link for you to get those tickets as we heard This is a very small venue the black box theater.
Oh, so not a lot of tickets So if you're somebody that usually would wait until show night and get those tickets at the door That is a possibility, but maybe not as big a possibility as normal So I would suggest that you check out the the link
Click that link if you know you're going to be able to see one of the shows again this coming weekend.
Four different opportunities Thursday Friday and Saturday evenings and then Sunday a matinee with the Wasa Community Theater.
Have you ever been to the black box at the Venega?
I have actually, but not as a performance, a space, but more of a, you know, a backstage dressing room hangout space as well.
It's a very nice black box.
It's very open.
It's
Open it's actually I Can imagine it be a very a great place to have a smaller show like WCT is gonna have this coming weekend
So absolutely
how many tickets available because the black boxes like you said is not very big
So make sure you get those tickets in advance, because they will definitely go by how quick as soon as the weekend comes.
Very intimate, very intimate theater.
You feel it.
You're right there on top of it.
And that was the case as well when the performances for the theater on the side were at the Whitewater Music Hall.
It was such a great venue.
They had the seats very close.
I remember seeing Crimes of the Heart there.
That was very, very...
Fun to be that close to the action.
I mean you can almost literally touch the actors and Be that close if it felt like you were on stage yourself and it's gonna be even
to an even better level for this show as well.
So
again, there's so many great opportunities for the arts here in North Central Wisconsin, whether you're being involved in them or whether as a spectator, and this will be an opportunity for a spectator this weekend.
Another big week of high school sports coming up here on 98.9 WXCO.
Coming up on Wednesday, we will have our big high school sports show from six until eight PM.
We will talk about
what happened last weekend in high school football, look ahead, plus guests as well.
I know our student athlete guest for this week, Corbin Enzenroth of DC Everest.
He had a massive game with more than 200 yards rushing, helping DC Everest pass Wausau West on Friday night by a score of 17-0.
Corbin Enzenroth will be our student athlete guest just after seven o'clock.
I have my invitation out for an area coach.
coach of a team that earned a significant win on Friday night have not been able to confirm it yet so I will not say it yet but we will have a coach and I think the one that we have invited would be a terrific one to hear about after a good win on Friday night.
So again join myself and Jason Foster this Wednesday and every Wednesday night from 6 to 8 p.m.
for the big high school sports show right here on 98.9 WXCO.
Online at wxio.fm mobile devices and Alexa by searching wxio and on the civic media app and this week We have three games three high school football games between Thursday and Friday on Thursday night We will have the wassa east lumberjacks at mozany wassa east at mozany in a great northern conference matchup 635 for the pregame seven o'clock for the opening kickoff again live here on 98.9 wxio and online then same for
of the Wausau West Warriors on Friday.
Wausau West plays host to Wisconsin Rapids, 635 for the pregame, and Newman Catholic in a big one in the CW-8 takes on the first place team of the conference, Marion Tigerton.
That game will be heard on the Sports2 stream of WXCO.fm and the Civic Media app, starting with the pregame show at 640.
And that game will also air on tape delay following the West game at Friday night as well.
So again, a very busy week coming up of High School Athletics.
on WASAs only radio play-by-play home for high school sports 98.9 WXCO.
The time is almost eight o'clock.
Information update coming up and then we'll be back.
We'll have our number for the day quiz coming up in our next WXCO mornings report at 8.22.
Time is 822.
Beautiful start here in North Central Wisconsin.
Sunnies, guys, mild temperatures should be just a wonderful weather day and a wonderful weather week.
62 degrees is the temperature at our downtown Wasa Studios at the corner of Washington Street to North Third Street.
I am Chad Holmes with Ian Welsh.
This is the WXCO morning report.
Part of mornings with Pat Critelow here on 98.9 WXCO.
Well Ian coming up in a few minutes.
We'll have our number for the day quiz I'm gonna tell you what the number for the day quiz will involve because it involves the story I need to talk about Okay, our number for the day quiz the number today will be the United States Department of Education budget for fiscal year 2024 That's the number that I have in front of me.
So that's
that's gonna be our number for the day because
A story that came out yesterday that I was very miffed about Concerned the United States Department of Education has abruptly terminated nearly 11 million dollars For two grant programs have been helping Wisconsin serve children
with vision and hearing loss, and others receiving special education services.
This is according to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, and I saw it on a story on wassuphighlightsandreview.com that came from the Wisconsin Examiner.
So, number one, Wisconsin Superintendent Jill Underly called on the Trump administration to reconsider the decision in a statement.
The amount of money that is been cut here for this program, the grant funds from the program totaled $10.5 million.
$10.5 million is a lot of money to URI, and to everybody.
But when you
look at the total budget of the United States Department of Education and the United States of America, it is not a big amount.
to have a time where Jill Underly said, a time when schools in every corner of the state are struggling to find and keep special educators, cutting the support is unconscionable and harmful to every student with an IEP.
I mean, this is heartless.
You're taking away education opportunities to children
who are blind and deaf to begin with, and other special needs.
And do you know why the Trump administration says they're doing this?
I mean, this is just, again, pettiness, just pettiness.
According to the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, the Trump administration said the programs, quote,
reflect the prior administration's priorities and policy preferences and conflict with those of the current administration."
End quote.
You know what that means?
It means that the previous Democratic administration, the Biden administration, put a priority on funding special education and funding educational opportunities for blind and deaf children.
And they say that is not their priority.
And that
those kind of programs conflict with the priorities of the Donald Trump administration.
This makes me livid, to be honest with you.
I don't blame you.
It's absolutely heartless.
They're taking away money and opportunities from blind and deaf children because they say that is not the priority of the Trump administration.
The Trump administration has plenty of money to flash around for tax cuts for billionaires but do not have
a minor amount of money compared to the total budget for blind and deaf children.
That is absolutely bull.
This is just incredible, to be honest with you, and that they would say it.
That this was, the prior administration had a heart they're saying, we don't care a wits end for blind and deaf children.
Unbelievable.
unbelievable.
And
I hope
Jill Underly and the Wisconsin Department of Education find somewhere in this Trump administration somebody who has a heart, somebody who has a brain because this is good for our society to be able to have these children be taught and become productive members of society.
So again, another example.
What you vote for in these elections have consequences and folks that voted for Donald Trump This is what you voted for one of many things that you voted for it's wrong on every single level
and let me just say one quick thing about this those of you who voted for Trump You were thinking that this wasn't gonna affect you at all.
Well, guess what it may not affect you, but it's affecting it
What's affecting other people as well who actually need this and actually we are suffering because of this, so I'm sorry if it's not about you
Yeah, I mean it's just crazy.
I mean it's insane
selfish It's a time to be well a
list this administration is the administration of selfishness.
I mean that is
for sure All right, let's get to our number for the day because it does involve this story.
Okay
How much did the Department of Education spend in fiscal year 2024?
And I said, this was a very small sliver.
What was the Department of Education's budget for fiscal year 2024?
Your choices are $268.4 billion, $368.4 billion, $468.4 billion.
You know
what I'm gonna say 268 368 468.4 I'm
gonna say 368.4 It's my final
answer.
You keep going with that middle number so many times.
That's your that's your
That's just what my go-to
response The Department of Education spent
$268.4 billion in fiscal year 2024.
I
was trying to be optimistic.
I know, I
know.
Well, we'll get you back on the winning track tomorrow.
Yep.
Absolutely.
All right.
Well, enjoy this great weather.
Yep.
You too, Chad.
Happy Monday, everybody.
Take care.
Yep.
We'll be back tomorrow morning.
Coming up next, more of Pat Critello.
Mornings with Pat Critello on 98.9 WXEL.
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