Mark Wegner and Maud Hickey, participants in the Beaver Dam Area Community Theatre’s Roots and Wings – A Golden Tribute series who will perform on May 3 at 7:30 p.m. and May 4 at 2 p.m., chose very different career paths after their early experiences with BDACT.
Wegner, now a physician in Madison, chose to continue his love of theater through a variety of avocational opportunities; and Hickey now a music professor at Northwestern University, chose to master her skills to become a professional trombonist and instructor.
What they both have in common are their roots at the Beaver Dam High School and BDACT and their fond memories of their early show experiences in Beaver Dam – Wegner on the Beaver Dam High School and BDACT stages; and Hickey in the BDHS band and BDACT orchestra pit.
Wegner, a 1991 BDHS graduate, got his start on the stage playing the role of The Professor in the BDACT/Tell-A-Tale Theatre’s production of “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.” He performed in “Annie,” several Bows and Holly shows, and BDACT’s STAGE II shows, The Three Understudies, Harmonology and Harmonology 2. His performances include George in the BDHS musical, “Sunday In the Park with George;” and for BDACT, “Johnny Cantone” in “1940s Radio Hour,” The Mark Wegner Vocal Concert and Curly in “Oklahoma!” Outside Beaver Dam, he was George in the Madison Theater Guild’s production of “All My Sons,” and joined a five-member ensemble cast in Blue Dot Theatre’s production of “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten” in Madison. Wegner specializes in public health and preventive medicine and “lives, works and plays” there alongside his wife and their two sons. For the shows, he will revive favorite roles with several musical theater songs.
Hickey played trombone in St. Peter’s band in fifth grade, and in BDACT’s pit orchestra from eighth grade through college years. She played in the BDHS band and jazz band and won the Bunny Berigan and John Phillip Sousa awards. She was in the Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestra and Wisconsin honors bands. Following high school graduation in 1979, Hickey received a degree in music education and trombone from Indiana University. She then taught in Wisconsin and Indiana public schools before gaining her PhD in music education at Northwestern University, where she is now a faculty member and associate professor of music education. Hickey is a three-year recipient of a $50,000 grant from the Chicago Community Trust to work with juveniles in the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center on music composition projects. With a background of several publications, Hickey presents her work at state, regional, national, and international conferences. She was recently appointed a member of the inaugural cohort of Faculty Fellows for Northwestern’s Center for Civic Engagement.
“For the past 12 years I’ve been in a local jazz band, the Old Man’s Jazz Band. For Roots and Wings, Maud will be joined by the former Little Big Band, specially reunited for her. The band will include David Saniter, drums; Jeff Mroz, bass; Randy Benway, guitar; Connor Klavekoske, piano; Julie Saniter, baritone; Don Kruz, Tenor 2; Chuck Sena, Tenor 1; Steve Schultz, trombone; Erin Ebersole, trombone; Jeff Kasparek, bass trombone; Phil Heyer, trumpet; Tom Doughty, trumpet. Several select Beaver Dam High School students who also perform with BDACT will sing with the band.
Other acts performing May 4, include the singing duo, Elizabeth Orr Jensen and Christina Miller; musical theater performers Holly and Ken Sina, Watertown; Marq Clawson and Connor Klavekoske, BDHS seniors, pianists; and excerpts from writings by Jeremy Kamps, New York. Also, in keeping with the “roots” theme, about 18 children from BDACT’s Tell-A-Tale Theatre program will sing a few numbers from past summer musicals.
Throughout the series, the vocalists will be supported by a number of accompanists, who have performed in BDACT’s orchestra pit or have been music directors for the theater. They include Marcia Paul, Kit Ullman, Connor Klavekoske, Adam Hechimovich, Kathy Hoch and Mary Irwin.
As an additional highlight and for continuous viewing throughout the series, costume designer Jason Orlenko is exhibiting renderings of his works. A 2002 BDHS graduate, Orlenke is a successful designer for professional theaters in the Milwaukee area. This summer, he will be an assistant designer for American Players Theater in Spring Green.
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