KAPA Repertory Theatre's ANNIE to Pair With Make-A-Wish, Children's Wisconsin

KAPA Repertory Theatre will partner with Make-A-Wish Wisconsin and Children's Wisconsin for its upcoming production of Annie, running November 19-22 at the Ralph J. Houghton Performance Center in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

The partnerships will connect the production with fundraising and community initiatives supporting children and families across Wisconsin.

Through Make-A-Wish Wisconsin's Wish Your Way platform, KAPA REP will launch a fundraising campaign with opportunities for audiences to contribute throughout the theatrical experience.

As part of the Children's Wisconsin partnership, audiences will be invited to bring new, travel-size toiletries for parents and caregivers who unexpectedly arrive at the hospital with a child. Children's Wisconsin patients and families, along with Make-A-Wish Wisconsin wish families, will also be welcomed as special guests at Annie with complimentary tickets and opportunities to experience the production behind the scenes.

"At the center of Annie is a child who has so little, and still believes something better is possible," said director and KAPA REP Creative Director Braxton Molinaro. "We didn't want that hope to stop at the edge of the stage. We started asking what it might look like if an audience could carry some of it back into the world with them."

About the Production

Molinaro will direct a new staging of Annie incorporating a live orchestra, contemporary choreography, large-scale projections, cinematic media and immersive design.

Molinaro previously directed KAPA REP's immersive Little Shop of Horrors at EQUINOX botanical boutique and A Streetcar Named Desire at Circa on Seventh.

International dancer and choreographer Kris Terry will choreograph the production. Terry's credits include work with Ariana Grande, Mariah Carey, Jennifer Lopez and Megan Thee Stallion.

Holly Stanfield serves as Music Director, with Emily Marrese as Associate Choreographer and Christina Kehoe as Assistant Director. Beth Stevens serves as Associate Producer and President of Community Partnerships.

Styling is by Sallese and Co. and Margot Lange, with lighting design by RK Lighting and sound design by Tim Veurink and Dewey Kasko.

Projection designer Rasean Davonté Johnson, a Yale School of Drama graduate and University of Chicago faculty member, will create the production's visual environment, while filmmaker Thomas DeSando will create its live cinematic elements.

Kenosha Mayor David F. Bogdala will join the company onstage as President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

KAPA Repertory Theatre

KAPA Repertory Theatre is a new repertory arm of the Kenosha Academy of Performing Arts, which is entering its 21st season under Owner and Artistic Director Annie Hackett. The company builds on KAPA's work in arts education and community building with a platform for professionally driven theatrical productions.

"A wish becoming possible. A parent arriving at the hospital and finding that somebody thought about what they might need. A family that has carried more than most of us can imagine getting to sit together in a beautiful theatre and simply have one magical night — those things matter," Molinaro said. "That's when theatre becomes more than something we watch. It becomes something we do for one another."

Performance Information

KAPA Repertory Theatre's Annie will be presented November 19-22, 2026 at the Ralph J. Houghton Performance Center in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Additional information regarding performances, tickets and the Make-A-Wish Wisconsin and Children's Wisconsin initiatives will be announced in the coming weeks.

ABOUT KAPA REPERTORY THEATRE

KAPA Repertory Theatre (KAPA REP) is the professional-minded repertory arm of the Kenosha Academy of Performing Arts, created to build upon KAPA's longstanding presence in the arts while opening a new chapter of ambitious theatrical production in Kenosha. KAPA REP creates bold, immersive and cinematic experiences that bring professional guest artists together with exceptional local talent, with a growing emphasis on cultural connection and community impact.

ABOUT KENOSHA ACADEMY OF PERFORMING ARTS

The Kenosha Academy of Performing Arts (KAPA) has spent two decades supporting arts education and enriching the creative life of the Kenosha community. Under the leadership of Owner and Artistic Director Annie Hackett, KAPA provides instruction in dance, music and drama for students of all ages, creating opportunities for artists to learn, grow, perform and build lifelong connections through the arts.

KAPA Repertory Theatre represents the newest extension of that legacy - carrying the institution's commitment to arts education and community forward into large-scale theatrical production.