by Tammy Peacy
Tammy is re-introduced to Dan Stika, who she knows from her volunteer days with the KPM.
Tammy: I know Dan. Hi, Dan. How do you know Nita.
Dan: I’m with 91.1 also, and Nita was the co-producer along with Dr. Brown.
T: Oh, I didn’t know that.
D: She went off on her own and her husband purchased a zillion dollars worth of equipment, microphones, the whole PA system is spectacular, but anyway she then asked would you reconstruct one of the performances I had done with Gateway 91.1. Private Eyelashes, I played the elevator operator, “Evening, Miss Diamond. Second floor?” I played a police announcer, too. And then she was going to do Fibber McGee with this Christmas production and the rest is history.
T: So, you’re here since the beginning?
D: No, I wasn’t in Dracula. But I was involved otherwise. I assisted with the lighting in Dracula at Kemper.
T: Aside from participating with this group, what else do you do?
D: I’m just completing my Master’s program at UWM. Master’s of Liberal Studies and I want to hopefully graduate this May. My thesis is on the Civil War. I’m fine tweaking that right now. It’s a done deal. I’m also a T.V. producer with Time Warner.
T: Really? What are you producing over there?
D: I produced seven shows last year. We did two train shows, I interviewed the reindeer ranch, I did the Florentine Opera at the Museum. I just finished one program that’s on Channel 14 now, it’s Christmas traditions. This woman has all of these nativity scenes in her house.
T: You’re also a volunteer at the museum.
D: I do Saturdays over there. I’m also the treasurer of the Kenosha Archeological Society.
T: You’re a little busy.
D: I’m retired. So they say.
T: Okay, alright.
Nita: I wish you could come in two weeks, even next week, during rehearsal it’s always like, “Oh, man, we go on in one week.” But then with the audience it all, you know, it comes together. I had something to throw out to you and for your writers’ group, talking about collaborating together, maybe over the course of time I don’t know if anyone would be interested in writing a radio program.
T: That’s sounds good.
N: I’m thinking, if you had some people who were interested—
T: They could even work together.
Jim Selovich: Hi.
T: Hi, Tammy Peacy.
J: Jim Selovich.
T: We actually emailed a little, back and forth. So, how did you get into this?
J: I got into it… How did I get into this? Jamie Rauth got me into this. I can’t remember how I got into this. I did Cemetery Club with Jamie Rauth. This is my third production. I think I saw an open audition. I have a radio background too. That’s how I got into this.
T: What was your previous radio experience?
J: I used to work at WJBQ, Rock 95 back in the 80s and WIIL and WLIP as well. I was at the dog track too, a track announcer there.
T: What was it about this that appealed to you?
J: A lot of it is the acting, a big part of it too is the radio. Theater in the mind type of thing. I enjoy having people sit there and close their eyes and listen to you, and see the looks on their faces. The first production we did, The Shadow, there were a lot of older people and they remember and you could see the looks on their faces. You get a reward out of that.
T: Okay, so have fun.
J: I will.
T: It was nice to meet you.
J: Finally. I just remembered how I got involved. Maureen Cashin Bolog of Actor’s Craft. Make sure you mention her.
Nita: Maureen was a big factor in helping us launch. For the first two months, for the girls, when it was just a vision, she kind of came on board and was really the driving force for the first couple of shows. She even coached our actors. It’s a radio play but it’s really like theater too. So she spent a lot of time and we really appreciated that.
T: Hi, I’m Tammy.
Diane Michalski: Can you tell we’re sisters? Diane and Donna.
T: What do you guys do with RG Productions?
Diane: Character voice. My part with the first one was Mrs. Stouffer, I think I was like the head of the household.
Donna: She’s a good stuffy lady.
Diane: I like playing stuffy parts. It’s fun to go and try to get your voice into a different tone and bring out an accent.
Donna: Your accent for this part— I got coaching from my nine-year-old this morning.
Diane: Your nine-year-old? Oh, my.
Donna: My husband said I sounded like a southern New Yorker. I’m working on it. I need to get Mary Poppins, because that’s the exact voice that I need.
Diane: You want to try to develop your accent for that character and have to know a little it about what your character is like. I’d love to do a Cockney accent, but I don’t know exactly how to do it or if that would be appropriate. Would they hire a Cockney girl to come into an English household, I don’t know.
Donna: They’re cheaper. The Bankses in Mary Poppins did.
Diane: I’m gonna have to play with that a little bit over the next week or two.
T: Were you acting before?
Diane: I’ve done three stage plays with this group and this is my third time on stage with this group. I’ve done a couple of different accents. I played a young girl in Dracula. I made my voice sound like a young girl. Then I played a rich, snooty bitch in the first one.
Donna: She was really good at that.
Diane: Her and I we both sing in church choirs and I got her involved because she wanted to try this out and see what kind of fun she could have.
Donna: This is my first production. I’m Mrs. Hudson the housekeeper.
Francisco: And are you having fun?
Donna: Oh, yes, I’m having fun. Definitely.
T: Were you acting before?
Donna: No, this is my first attempt.
T: Are you nervous?
Donna: No not at all. Because I don’t have to memorize it.
T: Aren’t you nervous up there on performance day though?
Diane: Not really. We don’t have to memorize and that’s a big thing. When I did the three stage plays, everyone was just goofing off and then can snap back into it. I’ve noticed that these people do that too. Leslie can put her script down for a while and all of a sudden she can get back up there, she knows it’s her time. I have to follow it exactly. I was watching my husband up there and he can do it, but he’s a veteran actor.
Jan Michalski: So, what can I do to you?
T: Well.
[Tammy makes two failed attempts to hop up onto the counter where Jan is perched]
J: Didn’t you climb up on top of things as a little girl?
T: Probably, but I’m not a little girl anymore.
[Francisco offers a boost. Tammy steps into his hands and he launches her onto the counter.]
Francisco: I think that maybe your trips to the gym should be more often. Maybe twice a day.
T: That was really mean. Okay, so how did you get involved with Radio Girls Productions?
J: I auditioned, they had an open audition next door and they were going to do The Shadow, and Nita seems to think that I sound like Orson Welles and since it was going to be a tribute to Orson Welles I got cast as the role of the shadow.
T: What has your previous acting experience?
J: I’ve done a little bit of radio here. I’ve done a heck of a lot of theater. I was in the early on years with Lakeside Players.
T: What do you do in real life?
J: I’m a machine technician.
T: Since you can compare this type of acting with stage acting, what are the differences? Which do you like better?
J: It’s not a question of liking better. I’m getting a little older and it’s getting a lot harder to memorize anymore. Takes a lot less time to put a show like this together as far as commitment from the actors. I don’t have to memorize anymore. It makes it a lot easier for me.
T: Do you have any questions, Francisco?
F: Actually, I don’t.
T: It’s because you gave us everything right off the bat [referring to Jan flashing the Tammy and Francisco at the start of the interview]. That’s why you’re supposed to take it slow. Then there’s a little bit more mystery. We’ll want to get to know you more.
J: You mean you don’t want to get to know me anymore?
T: You’ve already given us the goods.
J: I haven’t given you the goods yet.
RG Productions, you have been “exposed”
In case you missed it, click HERE to read the first part of the interview.
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