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Charissa Bertels in conversation & performance

ArtsFest Advance! Featured Artist

The University of Wisconsin–La Crosse School of Visual & Performing Arts will welcome Broadway performer and creator Charissa Bertels to campus on Friday, March 27 as part of the school’s ArtsFest Advance! guest artist series.

During her residency, Bertels will work directly with students through a masterclass titled “Create Your Theatrical Fate,” an interactive workshop designed to help emerging theatre artists explore how to generate and produce their own creative work. The session will include discussion of Bertels’s professional journey, her experience developing new theatrical projects, and practical strategies for students interested in creating original performance work.

The workshop will culminate in a collaborative creative exercise in which students brainstorm and pitch imaginative “mad-lib musicals,” encouraging participants to think boldly about storytelling and theatrical concept development.

Later that evening, Bertels will present a public concert showcasing music and stories from the world of contemporary musical theatre and new works development. The performance will feature selections from productions Bertels has performed in, produced, or helped develop, including A Christmas Story: The Musical and If/Then.

The concert will conclude with several songs from Bertels’s original one-woman musical, My 80-Year-Old Boyfriend, a deeply personal work that explores love, loss, and memory through music and storytelling.

Bertels is an accomplished Broadway performer, writer, and producer known for her commitment to developing and championing new musical theatre. Her work spans Broadway productions, national tours, concerts, and original theatrical projects, and she frequently mentors young artists interested in shaping their own creative careers.

“ArtsFest Advance! gives our students the opportunity to engage with working artists who are actively shaping the contemporary arts landscape,” said Dr. Pete Rydberg, Director of UWL’s School of Visual & Performing Arts. “Charissa Bertels’s experience performing, producing, and creating new work offers invaluable insight for students interested in building sustainable artistic careers. We are thrilled to have her to campus.”

Bertels’s residency is part of ArtsFest Advance!, a series of visiting artist events leading up to ArtsFest, UW–La Crosse’s annual celebration of the arts featuring performances, exhibitions, and creative activities across campus.

The evening concert will be free and open to the public.

Related campus initiatives

Greater La Crosse community

When

Past occurrences (1)

  • 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday, March 27

Where

Toland Theatre, 150 Lowe Center for the Arts

UWL campus map for building location and nearby parking lots.

University of Wisconsin - La Crosse Lowe Center for the Arts

If you go

  • Free, no registration needed

Contact

For questions about this event or to request disability accommodations , contact Pete Rydberg at 608.785.8446 or prydberg@uwlax.edu.

Parking

Payment may be required. No permit?
Use Passport Parking.

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