Women Today

Women magazine's Women Who Inspire feature hopes to honor the work of actors and their passions for the arts. Today we feature Miki Wise:

Miki Wise
Chilton
Teacher in Kiel

What made you get into acting? Dance. I was an aspiring young dancer, from a dance company in Racine, when I moved to Appleton.
There were not many performance opportunities for dancers there and I wanted to find an outlet for my passion for dancing. I got involved in community theatre, first as a choreographer and costumer. Then I began to perform in the chorus, which led to great leading roles in musicals.

What was your most recent role? "Lola" in Damn Yankees

Is it tough to be an actress in Northeast Wisconsin? Yes, the competition has been increasing for ladies since I became involved in community theatre in the Fox Valley.
The men have it "easy" because there are more great roles available and fewer guys auditioning for those roles.
Age is definitely a factor in casting as well. I am in the age group where lead role opportunities are dropping off for me.
I am fortunate to be a trained dancer. It helps me get roles that others don't qualify for because of the dance demands.
Men are able to play romantic lead roles for years longer than we ladies are. I think it's pretty much the same thing here as in Hollywood, in that way.

What is your goal? I have a wish list of "dream roles" that I hope to play before I am deemed “over the hill.”
I have been very fortunate to play most of those characters, but I have a few more to tackle before I play Ethel in “On Golden Pond.”
Hopefully, area theatre groups will produce the shows I wish for before I'm too old.