Final introductory piece, I promise.

Ok sorry, one more thing before our first official tale. I thought maybe I should tell you just a little more about our hometown community theater so you have the correct context.

The Verona Area Community Theater (VACT) is a non-profit theater organization based out of Verona, Wisconsin (a suburb of the Capital City Madison). Dee Baldock founded the organization in 1992. She had participated in a community theater show in our neighboring city of Oregon and thought to herself, “why doesn’t Verona have one of these? Verona could easily have a community theater. There are plenty of people who would participate.”

Now I’m not fully sure the logistics of how the theater actually got started because this was all in 1992 and I was born in 1993. So, let’s just jump ahead to the next major milestones.

In 2003, the group fundraised to build their first official rehearsal building. In 2004, the first VACT building was established at 405 Bruce Street. It was a Cleary Pole Shed building that had one large rehearsal hall with a loft area for costume storage, a small room that we designated “the music room”, an office, a storage closet, and an additional oddly shaped room that we designated as the “sewing room”.

The following spring, my mom (the fabulous Terry Dvorak) started the Children’s Theater program. What started with a small production of Rats! featuring just over 30 kids is now a massive five show operation that features over 200 kids each spring and fall.   

I remember slightly more about that because it started when I was eleven.

In 2009, a local teens-only production I had gotten into was shut down due to the fact that the theater group failed to secure the licensing rights for their production of Grease (seriously amateur hour). After listening to me whine for hours about how there was no opportunity outside of school for teens to do theater, my mom determined that VACT could fill that gap with an all-teen production.

The board approved it and in 2010 we produced our first all-teen production of FAME. It was also the first full length musical I ever choreographed. I was sixteen.

In 2013, my mom along with founder Dee and venerable VACT set guy Dick Vock decided that the theater had outgrown the existing pole shed rehearsal building. They decided they needed a new building and wanted one that would have a legitimate theater. They began fundraising and in 2017, the new VACT Building was opened at 103 Lincoln Street. I was twenty-four.

The new VACT Building featured a spacious lobby, dance studio, costume storage, props storage, tech storage, a full scene shop, a dedicated music room, a dedicated costume room, a board room, and most importantly: a 150-seat theater complete with a full-size stage and full tech outfitting.

In 2019, VACT was awarded the Rabin Youth Arts Award for our significant contribution in the area of youth performance. We were recognized for the impact our yearly six all-youth productions had on the children of our community. I was twenty-five.

When I say I grew up alongside VACT, I really believe that to be true. And as I continue to grow as a person, VACT grows as an organization with what it is able to achieve as a theater arts center and community fixture.

VACT has established itself as a true presence in the community of Verona and in the hearts of thousands of participants. I know it will continue to be a staple in the Wisconsin Arts world long after I’m gone.

Ok now that you have both my back story and the theater’s back story and you know why I decided to write this blog in the first place, we can officially begin our tales. Thank you for your patience. Enjoy!