St. Norbert College Announces Audition Dates and Directors for Summer Stage and Next Stage

Facebook / Tweet

From St. Norbert College, January 23, 2018
by Mike Counter, mike.counter@snc.edu, 920-403-3089

St. Norbert College (SNC) Music Theatre will present two highly-acclaimed musicals this summer. Music Theatre at St. Norbert now includes two unique production units Summer Stage and Next Stage. SNC's Summer Stage production will perform "Mary Poppins" on July 12-22. SNC's Next Stage production will perform "Jekyll & Hyde" on Aug. 8-12. Both shows will be performed at the Walter Theatre on the St. Norbert College campus.

Mark your calendar, the audition dates for "Mary Poppins" are as follows: Monday, March 19; Tuesday, March 20; Thursday, March 22; and Saturday, March 24. Auditions for people coming from out-of-town will be reserved for Saturday morning, March 24. More information, including audition times, will be announced at a later date.
Stephen Rupsch, associate dean for visual and performing arts at St. Norbert College, has been named director for "Mary Poppins." Rupsch has directed several productions at St. Norbert, including "The Tempest," "Frankenstein," and "Songs for a New World" and others. He received his Ph.D. in theater arts from the University of Oregon and his MA in directing from Middlesex University in London.

Kent Paulsen, a 16-year veteran of Music Theatre, was named musical director for "Mary Poppins." Paulsen is director and founder of the Knights on Broadway, the associate conductor and pianist for the Dudley Birder Chorale, and the administrator of the youth orchestra program, all at St. Norbert College. He has a master's degree in choral conducting and music education from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

The auditions for Next Stage's production of "Jekyll & Hyde" are as follows: Saturday, May 19, and Sunday, May 20, for the pit orchestra; Monday, May 21; Tuesday, May 22; and Wednesday, May 23 for cast and technicians. More information, including audition times, will be announced at a later date.
Teresa Schmidt has been named director of "Jekyll & Hyde." Schmidt has been the choral director/director of musicals at both St. Joseph Academy and Notre Dame Academy in Green Bay. In the summer of 2015, Schmidt directed Next Stage's first musical, "Crazy for You," and went on to direct "Miss Saigon" and "School of Rock." She has a bachelor of music degree in choral and general music education from St. Norbert College.

Schmidt shares music direction with Michael Rosewall, who will be conducting the pit orchestra. Rosewall has directed or music directed more than 30 musicals over his career, recently conducting the pit orchestra for "Anything Goes," "Miss Saigon" and "School of Rock" for St. Norbert's Next Stage summer musical theater program.

Rosewall received his doctorate in conducting and historical performance practice from Stanford University and his bachelor's and master's degrees in music education from the University of Minnesota.

St. Norbert College Music Theatre is a pillar in the college's commitment to inspiring the visual and performing arts throughout our community. SNC Music Theatre is home to both Summer Stage and Next Stage production units. Summer Stage is a community production featuring performers of all ages. Next Stage is a production featuring our community's talented high school students.
Tickets for both shows are on sale now at the St. Norbert College Box Office at 920-403-3950, or online at http://www.snc.edu/tickets/.