Mission

Forward Theater Company

A home base for Wisconsin theater professionals that will expand the economic and cultural life of the greater Madison area.

What is Forward Theater Company?

Forward Theater Company is a not-for-profit professional theater company founded to fill a void in Madison — to provide exceptional theater experiences for area audiences and give professional actors, designers and directors an artistic home.

Our 2009-2010 Season is representative of the diverse and exciting work we will offer regional audiences.

Why Forward?

This company is founded on a commitment to the civic life of our community. The Madison area, home to the University of Wisconsin and the state government, deserves a professional theater that can enrich our cultural fabric with the highest-caliber productions. This educated, diverse and engaged population likes, wants and expects top-quality entertainment options.

There is currently a vibrant community of professional theater artists living in and around Madison, but the lack of places to work in the city is forcing many to leave town or the profession. Forward Theater Company will create jobs for many of these artists and could provide education, hands-on experience and employment for graduates of the theater arts programs at the U.W.-Madison, MATC and Edgewood College as well as the UW’s Bolz Center for Arts Administration. Wisconsin Wrights, a playwriting festival now in its 3rd year, has achieved national recognition and needs a professional theater in Madison where its award-winning plays can be produced. One of our goals is to enable theater professionals to begin and sustain their careers here.

Why now?

In times of transition, the arts become even more essential in our communities.

“The arts help you see the transience of crisis, remove you to more pleasant spots, help you believe that everything will be all right. And they get you all fired up and ready to take a risk…. And the arts that matter most in the Midwest are the arts that live in the Midwest. They are our sources of education, enlightenment and (perhaps most important of all) pride in our hometowns. For the arts that live in your town don't just invite passive consumption…they demand an intoxicating blend of listening, participating, conversing.”

—Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune

The city of Madison and its surrounding communities have always been supportive of the arts in many forms — theater, music, dance and visual arts presented by amateur, semi-professional and professional organizations. Now, more than ever, our governments at the national, state and local levels are recognizing that the arts are a vital factor in job creation and retention and should be a priority in long-term planning. Madison has invested in a noteworthy arts infrastructure but now needs to focus on professional arts job creation and sustainability.

Why YOU?

By now we all know that ‘buying local’ is good for our communities, our economy, our health, our environment. Buying local is also a good way to spend your entertainment dollars! Not only are you supporting area non-profit organizations and sustaining jobs held by your friends and neighbors, when you buy local you are also investing in entertainment that speaks directly to your concerns, your stories, your history.

As we embark on this exciting undertaking, we intend to forge a meaningful collaboration with our community.

We are looking forward to:

• Your enthusiasm for a new era of professional theater in Madison
• Your critical evaluations of our artistic choices
• Your applause for entertaining performances
• Your support through contributions and ticket sales

Theater is, above all, a partnership between the audience and the actors — a celebration of the community and the creative spirit. We are eager to begin a long, inspiring relationship with you.

How You Can Help!

Sign up to volunteer your time and skills, make a donation to help fund our inaugural productions and learn more about our company and participating artists. Please consider joining us as we launch this theater of, by and for our community!

Staff

Forward Theater Company has a unique three-branch organizational structure, created to reflect our core belief in the importance of communication and maintaining a balance between the artistic choices and financial health of our company.

The first branch is our Administrative Staff, led by the Artistic Director, General Manager, and Director of Communications and responsible for the daily operations of the theater.

The second branch is our Board of Directors, which is responsible for financial oversight of FTC and long-term fiscal planning.

The third branch is our Advisory Company, made up of local professional theater artists, and responsible for guiding FTC’s long-term artistic plans.

Our bylaws have mandated paths of communication between these three branches and a system of checks and balances to keep FTC strong, focused on our artistic role in the community and fiscally responsible.

Artistic Director

Jennifer Uphoff Gray most recently directed A Thousand Words, by Gwendolyn Rice, for Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, Love’s Labour’s Lost for Milwaukee Shakespeare (“Best of 2008”) and The Diary of Anne Frank for Madison Repertory Theatre (“Best of 2008”). She produced (and directed for) the Madison Rep’s 2007 New Play Festival. Other credits include: the National Tour of Copenhagen, Associate Director of Copenhagen, Cabaret, The Blue Room (starring Nicole Kidman) and The Life on Broadway. Off-Broadway, she directed the world premiere of the musical Suburb. Her work has also been seen at Second Stage, Musical Theater Works, Ensemble Studio Theater, HERE (all in New York City) and the Chunchon International Theater Festival in South Korea. She holds a degree in Dramatic Literature and Stage History from Harvard College. Jen was born and raised in the Madison area and is now raising her family on the near West Side.

You can email Jennifer at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

---

General Manager

Sarah Marty will oversee the business and outreach functions of the company. She is the 2008 recipient of the Bartell Award for Excellence in the Arts. She has a Master’s degree in Business from the Bolz Center for Arts Administration, an MS in Curriculum & Instruction, and a Bachelor of Music Education degree from UW-Madison. Sarah is a Program Coordinator UW-Madison Continuing Studies (Wisconsin Wrights New Play Development Project, School of the Arts at Rhinelander, Wisconsin High School Theatre Festival, Wisconsin Theatre Auditions & Technical Interviews). In addition she works with several of arts organizations in the Madison area including Four Seasons Theatre, UW Varsity Band Spring Concert, Madison Early Music Festival, and Madison Opera.

---

Director of Communications

Gwendolyn Rice will manage marketing, public relations, and development for the company. She holds a Master’s degree in Theater Literature, History, and Criticism from UW Madison. Gwen has worked in marketing, communications, and fundraising for a variety of non-profit arts organizations including First Stage Milwaukee, the Friends of the Coronado, and the Rockford Symphony Orchestra.

You can email Gwendolyn at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Board of Directors

Responsible for financial oversight of Forward Theater Company.

Becky Baumbach’s current position at MATC finds her responsible for visionary leadership of the College’s planning, research, institutional effectiveness, AQIP, communication and public relations, marketing and enrollment development, Foundation / Alumni, grants, and human resource functions. She manages the strategic planning processes of the college and assures that college processes and procedures are in alignment with learning college principles and AQIP principles and criteria. Prior to coming to MATC-Madison in 2002, Becky was first a Quality and Leadership instructor and then a member of the leadership team at Chippewa Valley Technical College from 1989-2002. Her positions before joining the WTCS provided a wide variety of perspectives: elected county board supervisor, Eau Claire County Commission on Aging Director, personnel services director, director of volunteer services, and a social work case worker. Becky has twin daughters, working in Florida and Colorado.

---

Jane Elder has been actively engaged in communicating about environmental issues and advocating for protection of the natural world and human well-being over the last 30 years. She was the founding director of Biodiversity Project – a nonprofit communications organization dedicated to raising public awareness about the diversity of life on Earth, and the urgent need to take action to protect it. In 2002 she received a Bay Foundation Biodiversity Leadership Award given to “individuals with proven capacity to help stem the loss of biological diversity.” Previously, Jane worked for the Sierra Club, heading up its Midwest office for many years where she founded the Sierra Club’s Great Lakes program, and later served as the national director of Ecoregion Programs. She holds degrees from Michigan State University (BA, Communications) and University of Wisconsin, (MS, Land Resources). Her background includes extensive experience in nonprofit management, program development and social change strategies. She currently consults on strategic communications for social change, with an emphasis on complex environmental challenges such as biodiversity loss, global warming, ecosystem restoration, and the role of participatory democracy in achieving effective solutions. The arts have always been an important part of Jane’s life. She was an active member of the Friends of APT, and later the theatre’s advisory group for many years. Jane is involved with modern dance, enjoys music and the visual arts, and dabbles in watercolor painting and quilting. She enjoys writing, from song lyrics to policy analysis, and recently completed a manuscript for a book about the challenge of protecting the Great Lakes ecosystems.

---

Charles N. Ford is currently UW Emeritus Professor of Surgery in the Division of Otolaryngology where he served as Chair 1995-2007.  His interest in theater dates back to his teenage and early college years when --as an enthusiastic, but not awesomely talented theater major-- he recognized early on that his talents were better suited for a career in science.  Chuck's academic career is marked by an interest in the human voice.  With his team of clinical voice specialists he has worked closely with actors, singers, and other voice professionals.  His research focus is laryngology and voice disorders.  His research program evolved through promotion of objective voice evaluation and videostroboscopy in clinical practice and the introduction of bioimplants for vocal fold restoration. Historically, he co-edited the first American textbook on Phonosurgery in 1990 covering the relevant advances in laryngology.  Recently he is collaborating with researchers in the application of tissue engineering methods to restoring vocal folds.  His curriculum vita reflects numerous eponymous lectures nationally and he has been a frequent invited lecturer abroad.  He received the Presidential Citation and James Newcomb Award for outstanding contributions to the literature in laryngology from the American Laryngological Association. His national leadership positions include Past-president of the American Broncho-Esophagological Association and the Society of University Otolaryngologists -Head and Neck Surgeons. He reviews for over 12 medical journals and serves on 5 Editorial Boards.  Locally, he is involved in the arts community, recently serving on the Madison Symphony Board and currently on the Madison Opera Board.

---

Marta Gialamas has lived in the greater Madison area her entire life. She has always had a passion for the arts and is delighted at the opportunity to work with the Forward Theater Company. Marta graduated from the University of Wisconsin –Madison with a degree in Political Science and has since worked at Gingras, Cates and Luebke, S.C. as the Office Manager. Currently she lives in Middleton, WI with her husband, Aris, and son, George. Her husband is the Vice President of The Gialamas Company, a family owned commercial real estate development company. Her son is an active one year old who loves to play with the family dogs, Socrates and Plato. Marta has also recently become involved with the American Cancer Society in the goal of bringing a Hope Lodge to Madison.

---

Kathie Nichols is employed by the First United Methodist Church as its Business Administrator, having held that position since 1990. She holds a BA in History, minor in Literature from Binghamton University; and an MBA in Economics and Public Policy from The George Washington University. She has long been an active supporter of civic and cultural organizations in Madison (and presently serves on the Board of Directors for the Madison Foundation for Public Schools). Kathie has lived in Madison since 1982, when she moved here with her husband, Bill White. Their two sons, Nick and Andy White, were born and raised here. Her son, Andy, is currently studying Musical Theatre Performing Arts at Pace University in New York.

---

Karen Saunders has been a business owner in Wisconsin for over 30 years.  She owned Art Fitters, a business that represented Wisconsin artists and marketed their original artwork to Wisconsin businesses, helping to keep the arts alive in Wisconsin.  She has given presentations to businesses on the value of art in the business community.  Karen worked as a community developer in Madison under the Americorps VISTA program.  She is the cofounder of MCFA-Madison Contemporary Fiber Artists, a group of fiber artists who collectively show their artwork in galleries in the midwest.  Currently she is involved with Friends of the Fitchburg Library, a grassroots organization which is helping to make a library in Fitchburg a reality.  She and her husband Tom own Commercial Casework Supply and make their home in Fitchburg.

---

Joseph Shapiro brings with him a varied career in business administration and a passion for the arts. He currently serves as director, administration and operations, for the New York office of Foley & Lardner LLP. He has, in prior years, held senior administrative positions at the Polo Ralph Lauren Corporation, Newsweek Magazine and several New York City law firms. When not working or attending FTC Board meetings, Joseph is singing. His performing experience began with the New York City Gay Men’s Chorus, appearing with them at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and on tour. He has performed with the American Symphony Orchestra and the Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra; and, with the chorus, has backed up such performers as Harvey Fierstein, Kristen Chenowith, Joel Grey, Elaine Stritch and Eartha Kitt. He has also performed with Four Season Theatre in Madison.

---

Joe Shumow is a corporate attorney in Foley & Lardner LLP's Madison office.  He has his BBA in Real Estate and Urban Land Economics from UW-Madison and his JD from Washington University in St. Louis.  Joe is active in the Madison community, with a focus on both the use of land and the arts.  He is a board member and Treasurer of The Rodney Scheel House Foundation, a member of Edition MMOCA, a member of the Tenney Park Shelter Group, and a member of the First United Methodist Church task force on homelessness.  Joe is currently reading the Harry Potter series.

---

Scott B. Thornton, Treasurer, has worked in both private and public accounting for 25 years.  He is currently a team leader in the Wisconsin State Budget Office, Department of Administration.   Mr. Thornton is a former chair of the Madison Arts Commission, treasurer of the Madison Central Business Improvement District and is currently the president of the Marquette Neighborhood Association.  He is from the Wausau area where he was a member of the Wausau Symphony.   His interest in theater was cultivated by his father who performed in numerous productions with the Wausau Community Theatre.

---

Erin Wenzel is Director of Development for 201 State Foundation, the 501(c)(3) support organization that raises funds to support Overture Center for the Arts' free and low-cost community and education programs, as well as other programs and initiatives which help to advance the mission and goals of Overture.  Prior to her career in development, Erin spent 8 years as a professional theater stage manager based in Chicago where she worked with such renowned theatres as Steppenwolf, Victory Gardens and Chicago Shakespeare.  Erin was the production stage manager on Chicago Shakespeare's multiple Joseph Jefferson Award winning production of Rose Rage which transferred to New York's The Duke on 42nd Street for a limited off-Broadway run in 2004.

Advisory Company

Responsible for artistic oversight of Forward Theater Company.

Colleen Burns is a Wisconsin native and a graduate of the UW-Madison with a degree in Acting. A professional actress for more than thirty years, she has worked extensively in regional theater. Wisconsin credits include roles at Milwaukee Rep, First Stage Milwaukee and New Court Theatre. In Chicago her work includes roles at both Drury Lane Theatres. Her first performance at Madison Rep was in 1974 and over the years she performed in many plays and musicals there including the record breaking A...My Name is Alice. Consumer Affairs, a show she co-authored with Jack Forbes Wilson, premiered at Madison Rep and went on to win the Dale Wasserman Award for Drama from the Wisconsin Council of Writers. The two were then commissioned by Madison Rep to write the critically acclaimed, ‘tis the season. Colleen has been a guest artist at colleges and universities throughout Wisconsin including UW-Madison, UW- Whitewater and Beloit College. She was most recently the Artistic Director of New Court Theatre on the campus of Beloit College. Colleen was nominated for “Best Local Actor” by Madison Magazine’s “Best of Madison” poll and she was listed in “The Madison 100, The Best and Brightest in Madison” by Madison Magazine. Colleen is a member of Actor’s Equity.

---

Jim Buske has acted in or directed more than 110 plays in Off-Broadway, regional, summer stock, dinner and community theatre. He was an original member of the Madison Repertory Theatre’s Acting Company and appeared in eleven productions there. Jim’s most recent role with The Rep was as Marshall in the world premiere of Jeffrey Hatcher’s What Corbin Knew. Favorite roles include Ken Talley in The 5^th of July, Joseph Surface in School for Scandal, Elwood in Harvey, George in Moon Over Buffalo, Rev. David Lee in The Foreigner and Sergius in Arms and the Man. He also directed Beyond Therapy for The Rep. Jim works at the University of Wisconsin in the financial aid office as the Scholarship Administrator. In his spare time he serves on the Board of Directors of Rock For Reading, a Chicago-based non-profit that fights illiteracy. Rock For Reading, which was founded by singer/songwriter Alice Peacock, has distributed more than $2 million in books and monetary grants in the last five years.

---

Sarah Day is a Madison native and a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She began her professional acting career at Wilson Street East Dinner Playhouse while a student at the UW thirty years ago. She performed with both Madison Civic Repertory and Madison Repertory Theatre. Other Wisconsin theatre credits include: The Fireside Dinner Theatre in Fort Atkinson, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, Next Act Theatre and First Stage Children's Theater. She has been a guest artist at the UW-Madison and UW-Milwaukee and taught at UW-Richland. She has been a member of the acting company at American Players Theatre in Spring Green since 1986 and is a member of Actors' Equity Association.

---

John G. Frautschy is a freelance lighting designer and production manager based in Madison, WI. Local designs include: Dames at Sea , University Theater, Romeo et Juliette, Il Travatore and Don Giovanni; Madison Opera, Fully Committed, Proof and Dirty Blonde, Madison Repertory Theater. He is also the resident designer for Jazzworks. Other design credits include: Children of War; Ping Chong & Co., The Marvelous Wonderettes; Milwaukee Repertory Theater, HMS Pinafore and Pirates of Penzance; Skylight Opera Theater. John is an associate designer with Hase & Associate. Their most recent collaborations included Pelleas et Melisande at Canadian Opera Company, and the co-production of The Blonde, The Brunette, and the Vengeful Redhead at both Cincinnati Playhouse and Dallas Theater Center. John has also traveled as production coordinator with Ping Chong & Co. including the regional and international tours of Deshima, After Sorrow, Undesirable Elements, and SlutForArt, a co-production with Ping and Muna Tseng Dance Projects.

---

Richard Ganoung has appeared regionally with the Folger Shakespeare Theater in Washington D.C., Madison Repertory Theater, First Stage Children's Theater in Milwaukee and Milwaukee Shakespeare Theater. Film Credits include starring roles in the independent films Parting Glances and Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss. He is also the voice of Astro Boy's father in the popular Japanese cartoon series. Richard holds an undergraduate acting degree from UW-Madison and attended New York's Circle in the Square Professional Training Program. He is a proud member of both the Screen Actors Guild Of America & Actor's Equity, the union of professional stage actors and stage managers.  Richard makes his home in Madison.

---

Michael Herold came to Madison in 1986 and was cast in The Foreigner, the first of more than sixteen plays with the Madison Rep, including The Norman Conquests, Consumer Affairs, The Immigrant and Love is the Weirdest of All. He has performed in over twelve productions at the Milwaukee Rep, as well as acting with Milwaukee Chamber Theater, Next Act and Milwaukee Shakespeare. He appeared in Laughter on the 23rd Floor at the Briar Street Theater in Chicago, and has been featured in productions for New American Theater and Artists’ Ensemble in Rockford, and New Court Theater in Beloit. Michael has toured nationally and regionally, and has performed at the Music Box Theater in Minneapolis and the Horton Grand Theatre in San Diego, as well as several Shakespeare festivals around the country. He has appeared in several regional and national television commercials, and in the recent film Baraboo. Originally from Ohio, he holds a Master of Arts degree from the University of Akron. Michael lives in Sun Prairie with his wife Tracy and their children, Olivia and Gabriel. Michael is a proud member of Actor’s Equity Association.

---

Celia A. Klehr started her professional life as a non-Equity actor in 1976. Because of her belief that theater is most relevant when it is for, by, and of a community, Celia has made Madison her home both professionally and personally. She was a founding member of the Madison Repertory Theatre Acting Company. During her 14 years with the Rep she appeared in over 20 productions, served as company manager for 3 years and earned her Equity status. She has played leading roles in 3 feature-length films and several documentaries and has served on the Madison Arts Commission, Madison Sesquicentennial Committee and the State Street Committee. Celia is dedicated to creating work for theater professionals in Madison and strongly believes that theater is a vital part of Madison’s culture.

---

Frank Schneeberger is currently a Theatre Technician for the Overture Center for the Performing Arts. From 1978-2002, he was the Resident Designer/Technical Director for Madison Repertory Theatre, helping it to grow from a small community theater to a nationally-recognized, professional regional company. During this time, Frank designed and built over 140 sets. Between 1974-1978, he was the Resident Designer/Technical Director for CTM Madison Family Theatre Company, and has continued his association with CTM as a guest designer. In addition, Frank’s designs have been seen at American Players Theatre, Cider Mill Playhouse (Binghamton, NY), Theatre X (Milwaukee), Racine Theatre, Rockford Theatre, University of Wisconsin Opera-Madison, Strollers Theatre, Mercury Players Theatre, Madison Theatre Guild, Madison Savoyards, Edgewood College and Wisconsin Youth Theatre.

---

Sam White has worked in professional, academic and community theater for more than 35 years. He studied theater at Edgewood College and cut his stage chops at the old Wisconsin Shakespeare Festival. His professional Madison credits include working with the Madison Rep (he was the first addition to the Rep’s “Original Acting Company” in 1983), TAPIT/new works and the UW’s University Summer Theatre. His professional Milwaukee credits include work with In Tandem Theatre, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, Next Act Theatre, and the former Theatre Tesseract. Sam has worked with almost every theater group in Madison as an actor, director and playwright. He is a former artistic director of Madison Theatre Guild. He was also a founding member and former president of Madison’s Playwright’s Ink. In addition to more than 150 theater productions, he has worked as professional on-camera talent in more than 120 commercials and industrial training films. He is a true homegrown product of the local theater scene. “Madison is an amazing theater town! More than capable of developing and supporting a community of professional theater artists who will have incredible impact in the cultural and economic life of our great city.”

---

Jack Forbes Wilson received a Master of Music degree from the University of Wisconsin, where he studied piano with Howard Karp. He has worked as a classical musician and theater artist in Wisconsin for thirty years. As an actor, he has performed at Milwaukee Rep, Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, New Court Theatre in Beloit, Next Act Theatre and Skylight Opera Theatre. Jack had a twenty-year relationship with Madison Repertory Theatre, as both a performer and Musical Director. In addition to writing three shows for the Rep with Colleen Burns, the two have also written, produced, and performed in three successful and money-making productions in Madison. Jack has composed incidental music and done sound design for a number of regional theaters. He is the Musical Director for Marquette University’s theater department, and is on the faculty of the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, where he has taught a variety of Musical Theatre classes. Jack has been named as one of the “Top Madisonians” by Madison Magazine.

---

Kimberly Megna Yarnall most recently worked as dramaturg with the Madison Repertory Theatre on the 2007 New Play Festival’s The Journey to Sakhalin, and The Diary of Anne Frank. Kimberly was the literary assistant for the Blue Heron Theatre in New York City (2001-2004) where she worked with many playwrights including New York Times Notable Author, John Dufresne on his first play, Trailerville. She curated the Juggernaut Theatre's First 100 Years reading series. Kimberly was also an assistant writer on Broadway’s Tony nominated A Class Act. A published and produced playwright, Kimberly holds a Bachelor’s degree in English and Theater from the University of Notre Dame and was a member of the Actors Theatre of Louisville apprentice company.