Feature: THE FATHER at Theatre Z

A Tragic Farce. That is the subtitle for “The Father,” a show brought to life by the actors of Theatre Z in Green Bay Wisconsin. This comedy/tragedy tells the story of Andre and his family as he suffers from dementia as his reality (or truth…depending on the day) crumbles around him while his family works through their lives.

“The Father” is directed by Stephen Rupsch, a theatre professor at Saint Norbert College in Depere, Wisconsin. Rupsch loves theatre so much that he continues to do it outside of his academics. Rupsch is one of the founders of Theatre Z back in 2012.

Joined behind the scenes as assistant director is Rochelle Van Erem. Van Erem has a passion for theatre that she stays involved in many local theatre productions in the Northeast Wisconsin area, but to her, Theatre Z  holds a special place in her heart. “You know, I just get to be involved and I get to learn and I get to watch by example of all of these wonderful people,”she says with a smile on her face.

The cast of The Father has many experienced players.

Alan Kopischke plays the titular “father” Andre. Kopischke started his theatre journey when he was eight years old in a production of The King and I. This is Alan’s fourth show with Theatre Z. When he is not performing theater, he is a theatre professor at UW Green Bay.

Carol Cassell plays “the woman.” (Cassell did not want to drop any spoilers!) Cassell also has a love for theatre. Originally a native of Dallas, Texas. She was hesitant to start acting in small town theatre as she felt that “she wasn’t feeling the vibe.” Eventually, a friend convinced her to audition for Theatre Z’s production of Angels in America that brought her involvement to Theatre Z.

Michael J Laskowski plays "the man." (No spoilers again!) This is Laskowski's first show with Theatre Z, but has had a long histroy of theatre. He has previously performed with Play-by-Play, Evergreen Theatre, Attic Theatre, and Oshkosh Community Players. He received his BA in Theatre Arts from UW-Oshkosh and is the founder and current artistic director of Vintage Theatre.

Elizabeth Jolly plays Laura, a caretaker for Andre. Jolly, a graduate of Saint Norbert and UW Stevens Point joins the cast. Completing her conservatory studies in New York, Jolly found her way back to Green Bay because, an irony that is not lost on her, grandparents that were dealing with dementia.

Katie Guzek plays Anne, the daughter of Andre. Katie, and alumni of the University of Minnesota, has performed in several theatre productions in the Minnesota area and also has performed in several theatre in Northeast Wisconsin.

Alex Sabin, plays Pierre, Anne’s significant other. Sabin is a gradate of UW Stevens Point has been performing in theatre productions since the age of fourteen. Sabin has been in several productions in the Green Bay Area including shows at Evergreen Productions, Green Bay Community Theatre, and most recently, Tick, Tick Boom for Play by Play Theatre. Sabin found Theatre Z after Rupsch approached him to be in a production of “Sordid Lives.” Sabin, like the other cast members, speaks highly of Theatre Z’s unique approach to theatre. “They really opened my eyes to what theater could be. In this space. We had a this open concept for a show and we asked the audience to move with us as we moved through this open space. I wanted more of that experience. I wanted more of these people who didn't just do a script. They did an art and that seems to be their flavor through and through.”

One aspect of the show that the cast and crew talk about warmly is the structure of the show. Says Rupsch, “The way the play is structured, the audience is often in the same kind of perspective as the main character in terms of not quite sure what's going on and trying to figure out what what's happening. There are sometimes scenes that we've seen before that come back and time lapses that happened."

Laskowski agrees. "One of the most challenging things about this play is playing three very different characters still within the context of the story."

Continues Rupsch, "In the most simple way, this probably portrays the experience of someone who was going through dementia in a really interesting theatrical way.” 

While the show deals with the darker subject matter of dementia, the cast and crew went out of their way to be respectful of families and people who have had family members work through people have been diagnosed with dementia. The cast and crew did their own research through reading articles, and even had a social worker come in and speak to the cast about people with dementia. Says Van Erem, “One was the article had we discussed was that the number one fear was cancer for most Americans, but now it's dementia.” Says Rupsch, “One of the first things that (the social worker) said that which was so powerful was that the problem with dementia aren't the patients. It's the people around them, because the patients are doing their own thing, and they have their own journey. The family is the one that has to kind of figure out how to handle and how to deal with this person who was changing before their eyes.” The Father touches on this theme as well.

These hard subjects are not new to Theatre Z. The cast and crew pride themselves on tackling tougher subjects for audiences. During the interview, one could feel the pride the cast takes in performing shows that have edgier content, be it through the way it is presented or the material itself. “I'm all for confectionery entertainment, but every now and then you want a big fat juicy steak. And that's what these shows are,” says Cassell.

As part of creating discussion around these tough topics, some proceeds of the show will benefit charity. “We choose plays that have something to talk about that may or may not be well discussed in culture, or well accepted in culture. But but we tried to kick something back to charity as well. That's important to us,” says Van Erem. While The Father has its darker moments, it does contain lighter moments and moments that are relatable to audiences. “People like to see their lives on stage. And this is gonna be relatable for so many people and we don't deal with we don't like to talk about. We're covering it up all the time, and there isn't a lot of media focused on it. And this could be a joyful and hopeful and cathartic experience for a lot of people,” says Kopischke.

"If anything,” says Rupsch, “This is more poignant than anything else. It has humor and it has serious stuff. Hopefully it will touch people that they have heard something in a different way.”

The Father opens Wednesday, June 7th at the Webb Theatre in Depere, Wisconsin. Tickets are available now.

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