Look who joined us onstage during opening weekend of THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER!

Sitting in an audience is usually a passive experience. But for a few well-known Milwaukeeans who found themselves yanked onstage during last weekend's opening production of THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER, sitting was not an option. Please enjoy these photos from opening weekend of our walk-on guests who amused audiences with their good-natured participation in improvisational theater.

Actress Molly Rhode tells young audience member Blair Cruikshank and her mother, Olympic gold medalist Bonnie Blair, about her recent success in the "Jogging for Jesus" race. Rhode conspiratorially nudged Miss Cruikshank, and with a wink, expressed hope that maybe someday her mom might win a race too!

Van McNeil of 99 WMYX FM wowed the audience by using his "radio" voice.

WISN news anchor Joyce Garbaciak chats up Molly Rhode.

99.1 WMYX co-hosts Kidd O'Shea and Elizabeth Kay prepare to "make it burn".

Actor John McGivern brings his beloved homey charm to the stage and gets lots of yuks out of the audience.

Photos of Molly Rhode, Teddy Warren, Jeff Schaetzke and walk-on guests taken by Michael Warren.

Catherine Olson, age 10, wins essay contest with charming story

Catherine Olson of Oconomowoc, Wisconsin is the grand prize winner in the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel sponsored contest, "My Best Christmas Ever!" Catherine and her family will be spending a weekend at the Chula Vista Resort in the Wisconsin Dells. They will also be attending a full season of First Stage productions! Here is Catherine's winning essay:

Dear First Stage Readers, This is the story of my best Christmas ever. It all started in Alberta, Canada when my sister Jessica was 4 and I was 7. Jessica and I just moved in with our new parents. On Christmas morning Jessica and I woke up at 5:30 am and went to go see what Santa brought us. When we got to the living room, Jessica and I thought we saw something that looked like Santa. Jessica and I got really scared. So we ran into our mom and dad's room. They woke up and turned on the lights. The thing that looked like Santa was a huge Strawberry Shortcake doll sitting on a bike for me! That afternoon we made Christmas cookies. We decorated them with frosting and Christmas sprinkles. Later that day Jessica, Dad, Mom, and I all went to the downtown parade. Jessica and I got lots of candy. We also saw Santa in the parade. Then we had a great Christmas dinner at a Chinese restaurant because the roast we were going to have for dinner was still frozen. It was my best Christmas ever because I just moved in with my new parents, I got lots of presents, and it's a joyfull holiday! So this year, have the best Christmas ever at your house!

Catherine and her younger sister, Jessica
Photo taken by Leslie Olson

What did you think of THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER?

Thank you for attending our production of THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER. We value your feedback and would like to hear what you thought of the show.

Here are some comments we have received:

From a subscriber: "We truly enjoyed the performance tonight - the surprise visit from Bonnie Blair was really a treat!!!!! We love coming to the shows; everything is so well-done."

From a parent: "Absolutely LOVED the show! We had, like, a totally, like awesome time!"

From a fan who remembers the eighties well: "When I saw Grace Bradley (actress Mary McDonald Kerr) in church, wearing that floral dress, I was brought back to my wedding day in 1987, when my wife-to-be wore a Liz Claiborne dress exactly like that. The costumes were so authentic!"

Ahnquist's IF YOU GIVE A MOUSE A COOKIE delights every tastebud!

By Mithra Ballesteros, First Stage Children's Theater

In 2007, when First Stage decided to introduce theater productions for really little kids, the First Steps series was born, and IF YOU GIVE A MOUSE A COOKIE became the inaugural production in that series. It featured Jordan Ahnquist as the young mouse who pops into the kitchen of a boy home alone. The show was extremely successful, and this fall, First Stage is remounting the production and adding its sequel, IF YOU TAKE A MOUSE TO SCHOOL, to the spring calendar. In both productions, Jordan Ahnquist once again plays the inquisitive, some might say hyperactive little mouse.

Children in the audience roar with laughter as Ahnquist grapples with a giant straw, desperate for a drink of milk. This audience knows what it means to be too small in a large-sized world. Ahnquist says, "The play calls for big bits with props. I keep it honest by remembering that the mouse is just trying to achieve a pretty simple goal. Kids relate to that." Ahnquist prepared for the role of the young mouse by shadowing his mother who is a 1st grade teacher and by hanging out with his two nephews, ages 1 and 3. The preparation has paid off. Audiences love Ahnquist and families are flocking to see the show, which was extended and which still sold out. Ahnquist looks forward to playing the mouse again in March of 2010. And First Stage hopes that audiences don't wait to reserve seats, because with Ahnquist in the title role, tickets to IF YOU TAKE A MOUSE TO SCHOOL will disappear lickity-split!

Photo of Jordan Ahnquist as "Mouse" by Mark Frohna.

Local luminaries to join the cast of Pageant!

by Mithra Ballesteros, First Stage Children's Theater

In theater, an invisible yet obvious boundary separates the actors from the audience. This imaginary line between the stage and the seats is referred to as the 'fourth wall'. Crossing the fourth wall or 'breaking it' is a technique that originated with the ancient Greeks to engage audiences and to make stage action seem more immediate and real.

First Stage has never been averse to breaking the fourth wall. During the current run of IF YOU GIVE A MOUSE A COOKIE, the fourth wall is repeatedly broken when the Mouse and the Boy freeze to allow Assistant Stage Manager Maria Petrella to deliver a prop. Even the preschoolers in the audience appreciate this technique and quickly catch on to the idea that what they are seeing is not part of the narrative, but a clever device for their entertainment.

The divide between audience and actors will be breached again during THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER, opening November 27 in the Todd Wehr Theater. This time, individuals from the audience will be plucked from their seats to join the action on stage.

But wait! There's more! These individuals are local luminaries who have accepted a special one-time walk-on role. It sounds crazy, but director Jeff Frank says, "Because of our experience in producing this play, and the improvised nature of this script, THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER presents us with the unique opportunity to allow walk-on roles during each performance. We're delighted to share the spotlight with a wide variety of esteemed members of our rich community, and I'm sure our local celebrities will have a ball during their time on stage."

But wait! There's more! These willing improvisers will stay true to the production's setting in the 1980s by leading the audience in Jane Fonda-inspired aerobics, as made famous during that radical decade. Audiences should relish the sight of Mayor Tom Barrett donning a brightly colored sweatband and urging everyone comfortably situated on the other side of the fourth wall to "make it burn!"

Besides Mayor Barrett and others, First Stage is also welcoming Marquette Boy's Basketball Coach Buzz Williams, Olympic Gold Medalist Bonnie Blair, Actor Mark Metcalf, Project Runway Contestant Ra'mon-Lawrence Coleman, and our very own D.J. Elizabeth Kay! Stay tuned here for updates and break out your legwarmers!

Mel Benson, child of the 1980s and costumer of THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER!

Mel Benson, First Stage Children's Theater, holding a pair of rad acid-washed zipper-legged jeans, circa 1984. Photo by Mithra Ballesteros

Costumer Mel Benson remembers the eighties well. "I loved snap bracelets. My mom had to take my jelly shoes away from me because I wore them every single day." Now Mel is passing along her eighties expertise to the sixty-six young performers in THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER. Along with teaching the kids to scrunch their socks and roll their jeans to get them tight, Mel must convince these young people that it's okay to wear t-shirts tucked tightly into jeans that sit high on the waist. There are hair lessons too. Creating claw bangs and frizzy curls takes time, technique, and plenty of Aqua Net! "It's hard because these kids don't relate to my childhood," says Mel. "I have ordered more than a few of them to go home and listen to Run DMC. And He-Man. When will we get to see those reruns again?"

Aside from outfitting the cast in authentic eighties looks, the First Stage Costume Shop faces the matter of scheduling sixty-six young performers for fittings, and everyone is working evenings and weekends to get the job done. Mel reports that thanks to solid organization, the work continues to progress smoothly. Like, no duh. The costume shop can, like, tooh-tally do anything.

THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER Meet and Greet

Photo of Director Jeff Frank in horrid Vikings jersey, courtesy of Karyn Sobczak.

Herdmans, baby angels, costumers, set designers, stage managers, and lots of other integral members of the production crowded into Conservatory Hall yesterday for the first rehearsal of THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER. Director Jeff Frank lost a football bet this week and was forced to begin rehearsals by ceremoniously donning a Vikings jersey. It was traumatic for all witnesses with the exception of Todd Denning, winner of the bet.

Frank talked about the set, lighting, costumes, and music, all which draw inspiration from the tubular and awesome 1980s. "On the one hand this story takes place at a time when big hair bands, neon colors, and the romantic punk movement captured the exuberance of the era. Juxtapose that culture with the very simple story of disadvantaged kids who stumble upon the meaning of Christmas and it becomes a very special show." said Frank.

Frank then treated the group to a sampling of the soundtrack. Billy Idol, Wham!, Sinead O'Connor, and Journey drew oohs and ahhs from those in attendance who remember the 80s, for better or for worse. Frank vowed that this production would be "The best BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER!"