Kewaskum Teen Appears in First Stage Young Company's 'The Winter's Tale'

Seventeen-year-old Kewaskum resident, Christine Pollnow, is currently performing in First Stage Young Company’s production of THE WINTER’S TALE, playing at the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center March 9 through March 11.

In one of the Bard’s most sweeping sagas, violent jealousy turns a king into a tyrant and tears apart families and friendships. Throughout the vastness of time and tempest, two kingdoms will experience regret, redemption, and reunion. The cycle of life and the power of true love come alive onstage, in a world filled with magic, wonder, and prophecy.

Christine has been participating in theater since age 8. “There is something truly beautiful about being part of a production. Feeling the story build as you live it there onstage, reaching that conclusion, and, of course, the feeling of standing on that stage until after it’s all finished . . . I don’t know another feeling that can compare,” she said. Christine has been in numerous shows, both at First Stage and in the community. Some of her previous roles include: Celia in AS YOU LIKE IT (First Stage Theater Academy’s Company Class), Beatrice in MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING (First Stage Theater Academy’s Company Class), and Cinna in JULIUS CAESAR (First Stage’s Young Company). She can currently be seen as Paulina in THE WINTER’S TALE at through First Stage’s Young Company.

Christine has learned a lot from her involvement in theater. “Theater itself has, among other things, helped me to be more comfortable standing up in front of a room of people . . . most importantly, it has helped me become more confident in who I am,” she said. Christine revealed that her favorite part of the Young Company is the professional environment that it offers. “I don’t know of anywhere else I can receive college-level theater instruction as a high-schooler. I love our directors; they are always pushing us to go a little farther, try a little harder. I am constantly being challenged,” she said. She also enjoys working with her peers, “[They] are wonderful, not just on the stage but as human beings.”

She believes that her acting journey has just begun, “[Theater] is a big dream and a long road that I’ve only barely started on.”

Christine believes that each audience members will learn something different from THE WINTER’S TALE, “The play deals with jealousy, betrayal, love, and forgiveness, among other things. It’s touching, funny, and deeply human. Come watch our performance and see what lessons you come away with!”

First Stage’s Young Company is the Theater Academy’s advanced pre-professional theater training program for high school students.

THE WINTER’S TALE plays March 9 through March 11 at the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center, with tickets at $10 for adults and $5 for students. For more information, visit www.firststage.org/theateracademy.