Wausau Community Theatre (WCT)
Wausau Community Theatre (WCT) produces far and away the most shows of any of the local theater groups in the central Wisconsin area. Staging a total of seven productions a year, there is almost always a show in the works and a WCT performance just around the corner! The Wausau Community Theatre building is located at 136 Summer Street, Schofield WI 54476. The business office is located there, and so are most auditions and rehearsals. You can reach the office during normal business hours at 715-359-3972.
The Regular Season
Wausau Community Theatre’s regular season runs from September to June and currently consists of four shows, all of which have been staged at the historic Grand Theater on Wausau’s 400 Block for the last several years. Traditionally, the regular season consists of three musicals and a play, and at least one of the musicals will be a “big show”. (Big cast, big sets, big production numbers. Think West Side Story or Fiddler on the Roof.) During the 2009-2010 season, though, all four regular season show selections were musicals in commemoration of the organization’s 75th anniversary.
Performances are in September, November, March and June and shows run for four performances each. Show times are generally Thursday evening at 6:30 pm, Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:30 pm, and Sunday matinees at 2:00 pm.
Season tickets go on sale in April and are available until the end of August, just prior to the first regular season show opening in September. Two different varieties of season tickets are offered. Traditional season tickets include admission to each show in the regular season. Tickets are issued for the same performance day and time and the same seat at the Grand Theater for each show.
Alternately, FlexPass season tickets holders receive four vouchers that can be converted to tickets for any of the regular season shows. A FlexPass holder could bring three friends and use all four tickets at one show, or could use each FlexPass for a different night or time on each show. Seats are assigned based on the best available seating at the time the vouchers are redeemed.
The Studio Series
Studio Series shows are produced outside the regular season. For the last several seasons, two Studio Series shows have been offered each year. Studio shows may be presented as dinner theater, or at the UW-Marathon County Theatre, or even as traveling shows in multiple area venues.
Typically, Studio shows are somewhat smaller productions than the regular season shows in terms of cast size, set requirements or technical demands, but an equal amount of rehearsal time is put in by the actors so the quality of the presentation remains high. Since the shows are put on in smaller venues, they offer a more intimate theatrical experience for both the audience and the cast.
The Holiday Show
In 2007, WCT added a Holiday Show to it’s offerings and in December of that year presented it’s first performance of Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol. Like the Studio Series, the Holiday Show is presented outside of the regular season.
The first two presentations of A Christmas Carol included one day time performance for area school children and two evening performances for the general public. In 2009, the show was moved from mid-week dates to weekend evenings and a Sunday matinee performance for the general public was added.
The show is becoming a Wausau area holiday tradition among both theater-goers and WCT performers, with a large number of cast members returning year after year. To continue the tradition, or to become a part of it, check the WCT site and the Theater Community Auditions page for information about auditions in the fall (usually in September) and performances in December.
