Nick Nuber (Robert)
This is Nick Nuber's first show with Out of the Woods Theatre. Based out of Plover, Nick has been a bit of a journeyman thespian -- most recently performing as Inspector Hound in WRCT's THE REAL INSPECTOR HOUND, Capitan Phoebus in WCT's THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTREDAME and Gomez in CWACT's THE ADDAMS FAMILY. Performing in COMPANY has always been a dream, so he would like the thank the cast, crew & organization for this wonderful experience.

Paula Hall (Joanne)
Paula Hall has been performing in the Midwest for over 40 years. Her very first musical was ANNIE GET YOUR GUN as Little Nellie. She has been lucky & honored to perform with the extremely talented people in this area. Other productions she's been in include KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN, JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, CABARET, TARZAN and CHILDREN OF EDEN. When not performing in local theater, Paula performs with CenterStage Band & Show Choir, Johnny & the MoTones and various other musical groups. "Thank you to Out of the Woods Theatre for producing this show! It has been wonderful to work with everyone on the cast & crew."

Jerome E. Hartwig (Larry)
Jerome E. Hartwig has been involved in theater since elementary school, having performed more than 100 roles in his lifetime. Favorite musical roles have been King Arthur in CAMELOT, Tevya in FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, Herr Schulz in CABARET, and Captain Hook in PETER PAN. Favorite straight play roles have been Biff & Uncle Ben in productions of DEATH OF A SALESMAN and Mr. Frank in THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK. In addition, he was the Theater Director at Wausau High School for 25 years. Jerome shares his love of theater with his son, Heath. Says Jerome, “I have always wanted to play Larry in this show. I hope everyone enjoys Company.”

Lisa Haessly (Sarah)
Lisa Haessly is very excited to be back on stage & a part of the amazingly talented cast of Company. She is honored to work with such wonderful performers. Though this is her first production with Out of the Woods, she is a veteran of community theatre, working for the past 25 years in the Wausau & Mosinee area. She has performed on stage & worked with area theatre students as a vocal coach/director, costume coordinator & choreographer. Favorite past performance roles include Velma Kelly in CHICAGO, The Chaperone in THE DROWSY CHAPERONE, Ursula in Disney's THE LITTLE MERMAID and Nellie in SOUTH PACIFIC. Lisa also shares her love of choral music by performing as a member of the Wausau Lyric Choir. When she's not hanging out on stage or in an area green room, she is the Marathon City Branch Coordinator of the Marathon County Public Library. Lisa would like to thank Daniel for encouraging her to audition & for deciding to come out of "retirement" & get back on stage.

Scott Fritsche (Harry)
Scott Fritsche is a husband & father and Director of Food & Beverage at The Grand Theater. He believes the arts are vital to a thriving community & the fulfillment of a meaningful life. Scott has been seen on stage & behind the curtain for many local productions, starting back in the first grade. Memorable roles include Biff in DEATH OF A SALESMAN, Benjamin Barker in SWEENEY TODD THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET, and Professor Callahan in LEGALLY BLONDE. He was also proud of his directorial efforts on FIDDLER ON THE ROOF & INTO THE WOODS. He is grateful to once again work with OOTWT. He would also like to thank his wife Michelle for her support.

Mary Shafarik (Susan)
Mary Shafarik grew up in Wausau and has been involved with local theatre in the area since she was a kid. Locally, she's been on stage with Central Wisconsin Children's Theatre, Wausau Community Theatre, Artista! Players and OOTWT. Most recently she was seen as Carol in THE HOLIDAY CHANNEL CHRISTMAS MOVIE WONDERTHON. Some favorite past roles include: Marmee in LITTLE WOMEN, Aldonza in MAN OF LA MANCHA, Sister Mary Amnesia in NUNSENSE, Domina in A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM, Paulette in LEGALLY BLONDE, Lily in THE SECRET GARDEN, and I LOVE YOU, YOU'RE PERFECT, NO CHANGE! Mary is a board-certified music therapist & owns Life Rhythms Music Therapy. She is married & has two daughters.

Daniel Knoedler (Peter)
Daniel Knoedler grew up on stage in productions with Mosinee Community Theater (formerly Mosinee Summer Theater). Some past roles include Finch in HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING and Lon Smith in MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS. He studied Scenic Design for Theater at Columbia College Chicago & has since been the Scenic Designer for several area productions. Daniel is excited to be returning to the stage after almost 10 years of working behind the scenes. He has also enjoyed the opportunity to continue his passion for Visual Design, collaborating with Scott Fritsche to execute the set design for this show. Daniel would like to thank the late, great Bob and Ann Hansen, founders of MST, for giving him the opportunity to fall in love with the theater in the small but talented community of Mosinee. Lastly, he would like to thank Lisa for giving him the confidence to get back on the stage.

Hannah Holbach (Paula)
Hannah Holbach has enjoyed bringing the role of Paula to life! This is her third show with OOTWT. She is also involved with WCT and Centerstage in the area. Favorite past roles include Bridgette in THE HOLIDAY CHANNEL CHRISTMAS MOVIE WONDERTHON, Judy in THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHTTIME & the Wicked Witch in WIZARD OF OZ. Behind the scenes, she has directed & choreographed MATILDA as well as choreographed OLIVER! for WCT. She also directed JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR & assistant directed OLIVER! for WCT. Hannah is a hospice nurse & pursuing a master’s degree in Nursing Informatics. She would like to thank her family, especially her mom Karen, for their constant support of her endeavors.

Nicole Stephens (Jenny)
Nicole Stephens wears many hats in theatre. She has performed onstage as well as directed, costumed, choreographed & written plays. She's also Out of the Woods Theatre's manager and, when she's not doing production work, she's busy at her salon, Brush & Bashful, as a professional stylist & makeup artist. She's also used her cosmetology skills to design & create hair & makeup looks for a variety of shows from BEAUTY & THE BEAST to OLIVER! Favorite past onstage roles include Babette in BEAUTY & THE BEAST, Dinah in SOUTH PACIFIC, The Witch in INTO THE WOODS, Lady Shirley in MARIAN, OR THE TRUE TALE OF ROBINHOOD, and Elle's Mom & the Judge in LEGALLY BLONDE. Her favorite shows to have directed are THE HOLIDAY CHANNEL CHRISTMAS MOVIE WONDERTHON, THANKSGIVING: A PLAY, and LITTLE WOMEN. She has won several OOTWT Woods Awards for Direction & Costuming. Nicole is incredibly thankful to her husband, Bob, and her daughter, Sidney, for all their love & support with her theatre endeavors.

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Tim Blahnik (David)
Tim is excited to be playing David in COMPANY as his debut with Out of the Woods Theatre. While this is his first show with this group, he is no stranger to the stage, having performed in numerous productions with both Antigo Community Theatre and Wausau Community Theatre. Some of his favorite past roles include Tin Man in THE WIZARD OF OZ, Sky in MAMMA MIA, Captain Von Trapp in THE SOUND OF MUSIC, Simon Zealotes in JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, and Kyle "The UPS Guy" in LEGALLY BLONDE. Tim thanks his family, friends & new OOTW family for all of their support. If this is your first show since the pandemic, he welcomes you back to live theatre & hopes you enjoy the performance as much as he has enjoyed being part of it.

Jenna Tomcek (Kathy & Dancer)
Jenna Tomcek has always had a passion for music & theatre. She started performing with local community groups in 2014. She has since worked with a variety of local groups including Wausau Community Theater, Central Wisconsin Children's Theater, Artista! Players and Out of the Woods Theater along with her main group, Centerstage Band & Show Choir. Her favorite show to perform in has been NUNSENSE playing Sister Mary Leo. Another favorite moment is singing "Bobby Mcgee" as Janis Joplin for a solo for Centerstage Band & Show Choir. In daily life, Jenna is the Wellness/Activities director at a local nursing home which allows her to use her music skills daily to enhance the lives of her Residents. She would like to thank her mother, Mary, for the continued support throughout weeks of rehearsals & performance days.

Kelly Schoonaert (Amy)
Kelly Schoonaert is thrilled to be making her debut at OOTWT among these extraordinarily talented, creative and fun people! It has been an amazing ride! Kelly has performed on local stages as Mrs. Lovett in SWEENY TODD, Dolly in HELLO, DOLLY!, Rosie in MAMMA MIA!, Mamma Morton in CHICAGO, and Golda in FIDDLER ON THE ROOF. Her other favorite roles include Rose in GYPSY, Anna in THE KING AND I, and The Narrator in JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT. Most recently, she sat in the director’s chair at Wausau Community Theatre for CINDERELLA, THE SOUND OF MUSIC, SOUTH PACIFIC, and JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT. Kelly also choreographed WCT's LEGALLY BLONDE and SHREK. Her directorial debut at CWACT in Stevens Point in 2017 won the Broadway World award for best non-professional musical in Wisconsin for Into the Woods. Kelly says, "The best part of doing theater at this stage (pun intended), is the fabulous, fun people & being able to work with my daughter as she starts her theater career!"

Skyler Schoonaert (Marta & Dancer)
Skyler Schoonaert is excited to be a part of Out of the Woods Theatre for her first show with the company. She is working towards her degree as a Musical Theater Major with a dance minor. Her past credits include Pilar from LEGALLY BLONDE, Chave from FIDDLER ON THE ROOF, Teen Fiona from SHREK, and Little Red Ridinghood in INTO THE WOODS. Her dance credits include being a part of the cast of The Daily Grind the dance show as well as being a dancer in SHREK and CRAZY FOR YOU. Being a part of Company & playing Marta has come full circle from knowing the song for years. She hopes you enjoy the show.

Megan Girard (April)
Megan Girard is excited to make her on-stage community theatre debut. Temporarily in Wausau, she knew she could find a good community through local theatre groups & enjoys meeting people. Megan recently assistant directed & stage managed THE MUSICAL ADVENTURES OF FLAT STANLEY JR and previously choreographed MADAGASCAR JR. Her past stage roles include Princess Fiona in SHREK THE MUSICAL, Brooke Wyndum in LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL, Alice Beineke in THE ADDAMS FAMILY: A NEW MUSICAL, and The Nightingale in ONCE UPON A MATTRESS. She would like to thank her family, future family & the friends who have supported her time in Wausau as well as the friends she met here who made all the difference in the world by welcoming her to the community.

Kathryn Becker (Dancer)
Kathryn Becker began dancing at Central Wisconsin School of Ballet at the age of three and has since performed some of her favorite roles including Snow Queen in THE NUTCRACKER & Lead Mummy in THRILLER. A recent graduate of D.C. Everest Senior High School, Kathryn plans to continue dancing professionally. She is excited to perform with the cast of COMPANY & would like to thank OOTWT & the directors for this opportunity. She also extends a huge thank you to her family for always supporting her dreams.

Elizabeth Clancy (Dancer)
Elizabeth Clancy is a senior at Newman Catholic High School & involved in the National Honor Society, Key Club, Campus Ministry, Rotary Club and Math League. She also served as Co-Captain of the Newman Girls Tennis team where she played number two doubles. Since the age of 14, Elizabeth has volunteered at Aspirus Wausau Hospital & is currently working as an occasional hospital screener after school. As part of an afterschool program, Elizabeth tutors middle school students in math & science. She will be attending Marquette University this fall as she pursues a Biomedical Sciences degree in the School of Health Sciences while remaining passionate about ballet & dance. Elizabeth joined the Central Wisconsin School of Ballet at the age of three after watching the school's production of SLEEPING BEAUTY. Her years at CWSB led to opportunities to perform as Clara, Marzipan, the Snow Queen & more in THE NUTCRACKER; Harlequin in SLEEPING BEAUTY; Kangaroo in CARNIVAL OF ANIMALS; and Turtle in ALICE IN WONDERLAND. Elizabeth's deep passion for dance has led to opportunities outside of CWSB. She has trained with American Ballet Theater's Young Dancer's Summer Workshop, progressing to ABT's Summer Intensive Program for three consecutive years. For the past two years, Elizabeth has attended the Kaatsbaan Ballet Intensive in New York under the directorship of former ABT Principal Dancer, Stella Abrera. Elizabeth would like to thank her parents, family & friends who have provided unwavering love, encouragement & support throughout the years.

Emma Becker (Dancer)
Emma Becker is a freshman dance major at UW-Milwaukee. She has been dancing for 15 years starting with the Central Wisconsin School of Ballet. Some of Emma’s major parts include Clara from THE NUTCRACKER and Aurora from SLEEPING BEAUTY the ballet. She also danced in the American College Dance Association regional conference in the piece “In These Skirts” representing UW-Milwaukee. Along with performance, Emma has done the American Ballet Theater summer intensive for three years. This is her first production with Out of the Woods Theatre and she is very excited to perform.

George Furth (Book By)
George Furth was born in Chicago and graduated from Northwestern University; he did postgraduate work at Columbia University. He has worked extensively as an actor, appearing in many feature films, including The Best Man, Oh God!, Doctor Detroit, Young Doctors In Love, The Man With Two Brains, Cannonball Run, Hooper, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Blazing Saddles, Shampoo, Sleeper, The New Interns and Myra Breckinridge; he has also acted in many major television shows. In addition to Company, he has written the Broadway shows The Act, Twigs, The Supporting Cast, Merrily We Roll Along, Precious Sons and Getting Away With Murder.

Stephen Sondheim (Music & Lyrics By)
STEPHEN SONDHEIM wrote the music and lyrics for Saturday Night (1954), A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM (1962), ANYONE CAN WHISTLE (1964), COMPANY (1970), FOLLIES (1971), A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC (1973), THE FROGS (1974), PACIFIC OVERTURES (1976), SWEENEY TODD (1979), MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG (1981), SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE (1984), INTO THE WOODS (1987), ASSASSINS (1991), PASSION (1994) and ROAD SHOW (2008) as well as lyrics for WEST SIDE STORY (1957), GYPSY (1959) and DO I HEAR A WALTZ? (1965) and additional lyrics for CANDIDE (1973). Anthologies of his work include SIDE BY SIDE BY SONDHEIM (1976), MARRY ME A LITTLE (1981), YOU'RE GONNA LOVE TOMORROW (1983), PUTTING IT TOGETHER (1993/99) and SONDHEIM ON SONDHEIM (2010). He composed the scores of the films "Stavisky" (1974) and "Reds" (1981) and songs for "Dick Tracy" (1990) and the television production "Evening Primrose" (1966). His collected lyrics with attendant essays have been published in two volumes: "Finishing the Hat" (2010) and "Look, I Made A Hat" (2011). In 2010 Broadway's Henry Miller's Theatre was renamed The Stephen Sondheim Theatre in his honour; in 2019, London's Queens Theatre was also renamed the Sondheim.

Scott Fritsche (Director, Lighting Designer)
Scott Fritsche is a husband & father and Director of Food & Beverage at The Grand Theater. He believes the arts are vital to a thriving community & the fulfillment of a meaningful life. Scott has been seen on stage & behind the curtain for many local productions, starting back in the first grade. Memorable roles include Biff in DEATH OF A SALESMAN, Benjamin Barker in SWEENEY TODD THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET, and Professor Callahan in LEGALLY BLONDE. He was also proud of his directorial efforts on FIDDLER ON THE ROOF & INTO THE WOODS. He is grateful to once again work with OOTWT. He would also like to thank his wife Michelle for her support.

Erik Olsen (Music Director (Vocal & Orchestra))
Erik Olsen has been part of various theater organizations as both an actor & musician for many years. His first show he was music director for was NUNSENSE with Wausau Community Theatre followed closely by SWEENEY TODD which cemented his love of Sondheim & directing pit orchestras. Through his day he directs planes and at night he plays with the Wausau Symphony and Band, WCT and, now, Out of the Woods. "A huge thanks to my lovely fiancé Annie for letting me play & joining me as my bass player," says Erik.

Michelle Becker-Fritsche (Choreographer)
Michelle Fritsche began studying dance at the age of 8 & began choreographing at the age of 16. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Dance from the University of Minnesota & an Associates in Laboratory Sciences from NTC. Michelle has always been inspired to bring her passion & love for dance to others. She currently works as a Genetic Testing Coordinator at PreventionGenetics/Exact Sciences and teaches ballet, jazz, contemporary & improvisation to students at the Central Wisconsin School of Ballet.

Lynn Meyer (Costume Designer)
Lynn Meyer has been a part of the Wausau theater scene for many years. She enjoys being on stage & working behind the scenes. Lynn has been WCT’s costume shop manager since the late 90’s. Besides that, she's been in numerous shows-onstage & backstage. She's costumed A CHRISTMAS CAROL at least seven times & has costumed other shows for them. Her favorite onstage roles include Ado Annie (OKLAHOMA), Mrs. Paroo (THE MUSIC MAN), Meg (DAMN YANKEES), Yente (FIDDLER ON THE ROOF) and Jack’s Mother (INTO THE WOODS for OOTWT). She has been in the chorus of countless other musicals. Lynn is a charter member of CenterStage Band and Show Choir. She is also a cantor/choir member at her church. Lynn gives “Many thanks to John for supporting me in my theater habit all of these years. Love to you, Philip, Dave (Amy) and the four grand dogs.”

David Rusch (Audio Design)
David Rusch is the Assistant Technical Director at the Grand Theater in Wausau.

Benjamin Freyer (Lighting Assistant)
Benjamin Freyer highly enjoys all things theater -- whether that be performing or helping out behind the scenes. Ben’s first performance with Out of the Woods Theater was THE HOLIDAY CHANNEL CHRISTMAS MOVIE WONDERTHON in which he was the male understudy along with his role of JIMMY. Ben also has a wide variety of performance credits with Wausau Community Theater and the MHS Theater Jays. He is appreciative of Scott’s offer to assist with lighting in this performance of COMPANY & he hopes you enjoy the show.

Rebecca Bonkoski (Sound Maven)
Rebecca Bonkoski is excited to work with Out of the Woods Theatre company again & honored to be the sound maven for this talented team. She has performed in multiple shows including MURDER: RSVP, MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING, ALMOST MAINE, and THE WHO'S TOMMY. Rebecca has also assisted with production and sound for multiple shows throughout the region. Rebecca would also like to thank Nicole for creating unique opportunities in the community and Chad for supporting her creative drive. She thanks you for supporting your local theater & artists and would like to encourage you to explore your spirit and creativity by volunteering with your local theater.

Kris Berg (UWSP Technical Director)
Bio unavailable.

Nicole Stephens (OOTWT Company Manager, Props Designer)
Nicole Stephens wears many hats in theatre. She has performed onstage as well as directed, costumed, choreographed & written plays. She's also Out of the Woods Theatre's manager and, when she's not doing production work, she's busy at her salon, Brush & Bashful, as a professional stylist & makeup artist. She's also used her cosmetology skills to design & create hair & makeup looks for a variety of shows from BEAUTY & THE BEAST to OLIVER! Favorite past onstage roles include Babette in BEAUTY & THE BEAST, Dinah in SOUTH PACIFIC, The Witch in INTO THE WOODS, Lady Shirley in MARIAN, OR THE TRUE TALE OF ROBINHOOD, and Elle's Mom & the Judge in LEGALLY BLONDE. Her favorite shows to have directed are THE HOLIDAY CHANNEL CHRISTMAS MOVIE WONDERTHON, THANKSGIVING: A PLAY, and LITTLE WOMEN. She has won several OOTWT Woods Awards for Direction & Costuming. Nicole is incredibly thankful to her husband, Bob, and her daughter, Sidney, for all their love & support with her theatre endeavors.

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Daniel Knoedler (Scenic Design)
Daniel Knoedler grew up on stage in productions with Mosinee Community Theater (formerly Mosinee Summer Theater). Some past roles include Finch in HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING and Lon Smith in MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS. He studied Scenic Design for Theater at Columbia College Chicago & has since been the Scenic Designer for several area productions. Daniel is excited to be returning to the stage after almost 10 years of working behind the scenes. He has also enjoyed the opportunity to continue his passion for Visual Design, collaborating with Scott Fritsche to execute the set design for this show. Daniel would like to thank the late, great Bob and Ann Hansen, founders of MST, for giving him the opportunity to fall in love with the theater in the small but talented community of Mosinee. Lastly, he would like to thank Lisa for giving him the confidence to get back on the stage.

Robert W. Stephens, Jr. (Set Construction)
Bio unavailable.

Reese Aarthun (Rehearsal Assistant)
Bio unavailable.

Joseph Mielke (Stage Crew)
Bio unavailable.