wrct board of directors
We are passionate about our theatre
Christine Sullivan, Board President, began her life in the performance world as a dancer at age 4. She added acting to her stage experience at age 10 in a summer theater troupe in Beloit, WI. Bitten by the acting bug and the challenges that theater performances bring, she has remained active both on and back stage in California, North Carolina, and back to Wisconsin again. She and her husband settled in Wisconsin Rapids in 1999 and it wasn’t long before she was on the WRCT stage as Sister Amnesia in Nunsense 3: The Jamboree. She took a short hiatus to attend Warburg Seminary but returned to WRCT stage upon completion of her studies. As a Deacon rostered with the ELCA she served 17 years as Chaplain with Aspirus Wausau Hospital and with Aspirus Hospice. She has since retired and is excited to to share her experience and creativity. Christine is grateful for the opportunity to be a member of the Board of Directors.
Linda Ott Garski, Board Vice President, is a lifelong resident of Wisconsin Rapids. She has acted in 20+ WRCT productions and has directed 14. She also enjoys doing scenery and sewing costumes. Linda has been a WRCT Web and Graphic Designer since 2004. She served on the WRCT Board during the Capital Campaign, after which we built our beautiful theatre. Linda retired with 23.5 years at Renaissance, where she worked as a Senior Web Designer. She was married to Bob for 41 years before he passed. They have one son, Jordan, who with his wife Kayla gave Linda and Bob their first grandbaby, Eleanor Marie (Ella). Linda enjoys family time and putzing in her yard and flower garden. And, as you know, she enjoys conversation on current events and politics!
Heather Sairs, Board Secretary/Treasurer, Is very excited to be on the Board of directors. Born and raised in the Nekoosa area, Heather has been a firm believer in community first. She participated in high school musicals and even did a small role in My Fair Lady for WRCT back in 1995. Taking some time off to raise her family, she has came back to the theater in 2022 for a role in The Odd Couple and again in A Curious Savage. Heather loves to volunteer with numerous non-profit organizations. In addition to WRCT, she is President of the Nekoosa Giant Pumpkin Fest, Vice President of For Nekoosa (a non-profit organization that brings events to the Nekoosa Community), ambassador for the Heart of Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce, on the board for the Kautzer Park Project and a volunteer for the Nekoosa K9 Fundraiser. Heather works for the City of Nekoosa as the Activities Director for their Community Center. Though she is busy with her community involvement, she puts her family first. Heather is blessed with an amazing husband who supports her crazy schedule, along with their 5 children and one very adorable grandson!
Frank Fiacchino, Board Director, fell in love with acting in grade school and spent his childhood declaring he would be an actor when he grew up. He spent years performing in school and community theater in the southwest suburbs of Chicago, eventually performing professionally at national amusement parks like Busch Gardens and Silver Dollar City, as well as Chicagoland dinner theaters. He then took a nearly two-decade hiatus from the stage to build a successful career in Operations Management across the hospitality and veterinary industries. After vacationing in Wisconsin for years, a business opportunity finally allowed him to permanently swap the big-city vibe for the small-town charm of Wisconsin Rapids three years ago—and he politely asks that his new neighbors don't hold his Illinois roots against him! He quickly found his people at WRCT, returning to the stage as Dr. Einstein in Arsenic and Old Lace. Hooked all over again, he has since fallen in love with working behind the scenes just as much as acting. Frank is honored to join the Board of Directors and looks forward to many more years with his beloved WRCT family. At home, he is happily ruled by his two pint-sized Yorkies, Roxy and Rocco.
Phil Hartley, Board Director, is a “Maineiac” - born and raised in Northern Maine, moving to Wisconsin Rapids about 30 years ago. He is blessed to have an amazingly talented family, including his wonderful wife Ann and daughters Rebecca, Maria and Katherine (and now grandson Atlas). Phil has been a part of several WRCT productions through the years, and looks forward to helping with many more! If there is a microphone in the room, he is usually on it. He loves our community and looks to “pay it forward” whenever he can, volunteering and taking part in many community events. He gives a big thank you to all who support WRCT and to the wonderful people who volunteer their time to give our community the wonderful gift of theatre.
Ryan Hustedt, Board Director, grew up in the Wisconsin Rapids Area and WRCT. He began his theatrical career in the first HOPO production, and was involved in WRCT (and Assumption High School) youth productions throughout his childhood. He attended the University of Wisconsin LaCrosse, where he graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree of Arts in Musical Theatre Performance. While attending UWL, he received an award nomination for the Irene Ryan Award in collegia theatre for a performance in “The Secret in the Wings”. Returning to Wisconsin Rapids, he became actively involved in WRCT again, Writing and Directing “Toasted” in 2023, and performing recently in “Drinking Habits” and “Father of the Bride”. He currently works as the Director of Campus Ministry at Assumption High School and as the Director of AHS’s theatre program, Assumption Theatricals.
Bethany Peckham, Board Director, was born and raised in Nekoosa and has always called the Tri-city area (Nekoosa, Port, and Rapids) her home. She has always been fascinated by the stage but was too shy and reserved to ever put herself out there. Until 2016 when she auditioned and was cast in Steel Magnolias. That opportunity to connect with both the cast and audience through shared tears and laughter cemented Bethany's love of theater. Since then she has helped WRCT in a myriad of ways. From costume managing, stage crew, running sound, stage manager, co-directing, and returning to the stage in Rumors in 2024. Bethany is excited to now be part of the Board of Directors and to help support the family community that theater is and should be.
Penny Wiese, Board Director, got the acting bug in high school, but real life took priority after graduation. Marriage to a wonderfully supportive man, blended family of 8 children, 13 grand children, 14 great grand children, and 30 years of shift work in the Port Paper Mill was her focus and joy. Those years included 10 years living in Plainfield where she was dispatcher for the Fire Department, formed and was president of the Fire Department Auxiliary, with the main focus being fund raising for the Department. Penny and her husband moved back to hometown Port Edwards in 1989. Then came retirement in 2003 and a trip to the theater to “help out” and an audition (encouraged by Linda Garski) and her first role. She has now worked backstage in almost every aspect, joined Silver Foxes at it’s inception, is one of it’s directors, and has been the Coordinator for the last 2 years. She is so grateful to be given the opportunity to be involved in another aspect of the theater. You could say the theater is one of her happy places.
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Chris Williams, Board Director, moved back to the Wisconsin Rapids area with his wife, Pam, in 2019 after living 7 years in Madison and 23 in SE Minnesota. Chris’ first acting experience was in the musical, “Oklahoma” while a student at Nekoosa High School in the 70’s. He has performed with Austin, Minnesota’s Summerset Theatre, Matchbox Children’s Theatre and Northwestern Singers. He was also a long-time member of the LeRoy, MN Community Theater and a drama advisor for the LeRoy-Ostrander MN School District. Chris is a true fan of musicals and has performed in many including Shrek The Musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Damn Yankees and South Pacific. He is excited to be a part of the WRCT Board and looks forward to future acting and directing opportunities.
Ryan Winwood, Board Director - Ryan was born in Portland, Oregon and moved to Wisconsin Rapids in 2020. Eager to challenge himself and get involved in his new home, he auditioned for WRCT after spotting a casting call on Facebook, never expecting how rewarding the experience would become. His debut as Mitch in A Streetcar Named Desire, followed by a role in A Candle in the Window, led to meaningful friendships and a deeper appreciation for the theatre’s creative spirit. Ryan brings a broad professional background to the board, with leadership experience in both nonprofit and business settings. He has a deep appreciation for live performance, film, and screenwriting, and values storytelling as a powerful way to connect people. Beyond the stage, he believes community is the heart of all things and strives to strengthen those bonds through collaboration, creativity, and service. Inspired daily by his wife, Megan, and daughter, Autumn, Ryan is proud to serve on the WRCT Board and looks forward to helping the theatre continue to grow and thrive in the community he now calls home.
John Young, Board Director, may not be a native of Wisconsin Rapids but after living here more than half his life, he certainly considers this beautiful town his home. It helps that he’s been involved with the local Wisconsin Rapids Downtown Farmers Market for the better part of the past decade and with the Wisconsin Rapids Community Theatre for the majority of the past twenty plus years. Although he’s been acting and working backstage in and on shows, 14 or so of them, since he was a teenager in high school; over the course of those twenty plus years with WRCT, he’s acted in a variety of shows, 18 so far, worked backstage as a stage manager, props manager, or lighting designer for a collection of other shows, nine of them; and will direct his sixth show, “A Streetcar Named Desire,” this coming season. All this time with these two groups and for the past five years working a job he loves in technical support at Skyward has just added to that feeling that he is home here in Wisconsin Rapids. He’s very happy to join the WRCT board in order to add his experience and knowledge to the already considerable experience and knowledge of the current board members.