KWT CAST & CREW

Meet the Cast and Crew

Kohl’s Wild Theater is a professional theater company and a primary program of the Zoological Society of Milwaukee’s Conservation Education Department. All members of KWT are professional actors, designers, and theater workers united by our passion of earth and animal conservation. Their unique talents help spread the word about animals and our environment in a fun and relatable way. Actors engage with audiences throughout the year teaching them important messages about animals and conservation through drama, songs, and puppetry. Our work flow is designed to accommodate the lifestyle of a working actor. Everyone learns numerous roles so that actors can easily cover each other’s shifts when opportunities arise. KWT company members have performed and worked for Next Act Theatre, In Tandem Theatre, Skylight Music Theatre, First Stage Children’s Theater and many other companies in the Greater Milwaukee Area.

Dr. Mcghee Learns About The Sea

AllActing CompanyCreative and Production Team
Paulina Lule
Creative and Production Team

Paulina Bugembe-Kuwahara
Michael Cienfuegos-Baca
Creative and Production Team

Michael Cienfuegos-Baca
Kohl'S Wild Theater Actor Nicole Corinne Mccarty
The Acting Company

Nicole Corinne McCarty
Kohl'S Wild Theater Actor Emily Mertens
The Acting Company

Emily Mertens
Christopher Orth
Creative and Production Team

Christopher Orth
Paulina Lule

Creative and Production Team

Paulina Bugembe-Kuwahara

PAULINA BUGEMBE-KUWAHARA (Arts Education Program Manager) is an American actor, filmmaker and educator. They were born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and their acting training began at the Joanne Baron/DW Brown Studio in Santa Monica, CA where they completed a 2-year Meisner Technique Conservatory program. They then auditioned for and were accepted into the inaugural class of the Los Angeles branch of the award-winning Identity School of Acting. Since then, they have appeared in several television shows including recurring roles on “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D” and ABC’s “General Hospital.” As an educator, Paulina has run several education classes and other programming at the Zoological Society of Milwaukee and taught film directing and screenwriting at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. Paulina is an avid hiker, equestrian and gardener and they are thrilled to be bringing their talents to Kohl’s Wild Theater.

Michael Cienfuegos-Baca

Creative and Production Team

Michael Cienfuegos-Baca

MICHAEL CIENFUEGOS-BACA (Technical Supervisor) holds a B.A. in Theatre Arts and Public Relations from Marquette University. Michael is trained in performance as well as production with Acting credits at Marquette, Windfall Theatre, and Voices Found Repertory in productions such as “Macbeth,” “To Kill a Mockingbird,” and “You Can’t Take it With You.” He is a Theatre designer with training in stage carpentry along with costuming & tailoring techniques. He is the Former Technical Director for both Wauwatosa East High School and Voices Found Repertory. His Design Credits include “Macbeth,” “Titus Andronicus,” “Medea,” “Hand to God,” “Henry V,” “The Elephant Man,” and “Ivy + Bean the Musical.”

Kohl'S Wild Theater Actor Nicole Corinne Mccarty

The Acting Company

Nicole Corinne McCarty

NICOLE CORINNE MCCARTY (Actor-Educator) has a B.M. in music education from the UW-Whitewater and a M.M. in vocal performance from UW-Milwaukee. Her most recent performances have been as Martha in “Heathers the Musical”, as a soloist in “The Darkside of Theatre Cabaret”, as Fride in “The Moment”, and as Apollo in “L’Orfeo”. Recently, she was the assistant music director for “The Lightning Thief” at Milwaukee Lutheran High School. When she’s not performing, she teaches private piano and voice lessons, sings with the Master Singers of Milwaukee, and is the female vocalist for the funk band Montage.

Kohl'S Wild Theater Actor Emily Mertens

The Acting Company

Emily Mertens

EMILY MERTENS (Actor-Educator) graduated from Carthage College in Kenosha Wisconsin in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in music theatre. Some of her favorite past acting credits include “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder” (Sibella Hallward), “Suessical the Musical” (Mayzie La Bird), and “Spring Awakening” (Thea). She has also worked as a choreographer and scenic designer at various locations across the greater Milwaukee area.  Emily is excited to bring her passion and talents to Kohl’s Wild Theatre.

Christopher Orth

Creative and Production Team

Christopher Orth

CHRISTOPHER ORTH (Company Supervisor) holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Concordia University Wisconsin, focusing specifically on theater education. He has worked as a director, theater teacher and ballroom dance instructor for several local schools and fine arts companies including Sunstone Studios MKE, SummerStage of Delafield, Waukesha Civic Theater, Falls Patio Players, Martin Luther High School, To the Pointe Fine Arts, and Above the Clouds Milwaukee in such productions as “Exit, Pursued by a Bear,” “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “Leading Ladies,” “Miss Holmes,” “Deathtrap,” “Sister Act the Musical,” “Mamma Mia!,” “The Music Man,” “Pride and Prejudice,” “The Wedding Song,” and “Cinderella.”

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Production and Design Teams

Summer 2023

“Dr. McGhee Learns About the Sea”

Director/Choreographer Christopher Orth
Music Director Anne Van Deusen
Playwright Ernie Nolan
Composer & Lyricist John Tanner
Script Revisions Christopher Orth
Scenic Design Steve Barnes
Scenic Builder Edge Grain, LLC
Sound Design Tanner-Monagle Studios
Costume Design Christopher Orth
Props Design Christopher Orth
Puppet Design Brandon Kirkham

“Journey to the Rich Coast”

Director/Choreographer Christopher Orth
Music Director Anne Van Deusen
Playwright Alvaro Saar Rios
Composer & Lyricist John Tanner
Script Revisions Nat Goeller
Christopher Orth
Scenic Design Michael Cienfuegos-Baca
Scenic Builder Michael Cienfuegos-Baca
Sound Design Tanner-Monagle Studios
Costume Design Alexa Farrell
Props Design Michael Cienfuegos-Baca
Puppet Design Brandon Kirkham

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