BLACKBOX SERIES
Audience Services
PURCHASING TICKETS
• The box office is open from 3 pm until 5 pm Monday through Friday and for one hour prior to each performance.
• The box office accepts cash, checks, and credit/debit cards.
• Single tickets become available for purchase 60 days before a production’s opening night.
NEED TO EXCHANGE YOUR TICKETS?
Any ticket exchanges must be done through the box office in person or over the phone. Tickets may only be exchanged for another performance of the same show.
UNABLE TO USE YOUR TICKETS?
Please contact the box office to see if an exchange for a different date can be made. On rare occasions, LCT has allowed a ticket for one production to be used at a different production. If no exchanges can be made, the ticket price may be written off as a donation tax credit.
CAMERAS AND/OR RECORDING EQUIPMENT
The use of cameras and/or recording equipment is strictly prohibited in the theatre. If you need to answer a call, please do so in the lobby so as to not disrupt the performance.
GREETING THE ARTISTS
Flowers may be left in the box office for the stage manager to deliver or you may hand them to the cast member once they are in the lobby at the conclusion of the performance. Audience members are not allowed backstage.
BAD WEATHER POLICY
If you have concerns about the weather facing an upcoming performance, please call the box office to double check that the performance will still continue. On rare occasions, LCT has canceled performances due to bad weather or cast conditions. If this occurs, exchanges or refunds will be issued.
BABIES AND SMALL CHILDREN
Every individual, no matter the age, must have a ticket in order to attend the performance. If you would like to bring your children, please purchase seats for them even if they will be seated on someone’s lap.
SEAT RESERVATIONS
Reservations for the general public begin at least 60 days before the opening of each show; season ticket reservations open the week prior. Patron donors may reserve their seats at any time. Please call the box office at 608-784-9292 if you have any questions.
LATE SEATING POLICY
Late arrivals will be seated at the house manager’s discretion during an appropriate point in the performance. If you arrive more than 15 minutes after the show begins, we reserve the right to release your seat(s) to someone else.
A Note from our Executive Director
Welcome to One Christmas Eve at Evergreen Mall!
We’re so glad you’ve chosen to spend part of your holiday season with us here at La Crosse Community Theatre.
As we prepared our 2024–2025 season, we knew that Frozen—while magical, heartwarming, and filled with winter wonder—doesn’t fit the mold of a traditional holiday show. So we went searching for the perfect companion piece for our black box stage: something nostalgic, festive, and unmistakably full of Christmas spirit. One Christmas Eve at Evergreen Mall felt like just the right match. It’s a warm, humorous reminder of the beautiful chaos that the holiday season can bring—and the unexpected connections that make it meaningful.
Producing a wide range of stories like this is at the heart of LCT’s mission: to create productions and educational experiences that entertain, educate, and inspire our community. Whether through large-scale musicals on the Lyche stage or intimate plays here in the Black Box, we are committed to sharing work that brings people together and reflects the joyful diversity of our community’s experiences.
We hope tonight’s performance gives you a moment of laughter, reflection, and holiday cheer—and perhaps even motivates you to cross a few more items off that shopping list before the season sneaks up on you!
Thank you for supporting live theatre, for supporting our artists, and for being part of the LCT family. From all of us, may your days be merry, bright, and heart-warming.
Happy
Holidays, Erik Vose
ERIK VOSE Executive Director
Director’s Note
Welcome to One Christmas Eve at Evergreen Mall!
When I first read this script, I was struck by how honestly it captures the chaos, charm, and quiet emotion of the holiday season. Evergreen Mall is more than a backdrop—it’s a crossroads where people from different corners of life collide, reconnect, and rediscover what matters most. In these fleeting encounters, we see humor, heartbreak, hope, and the small acts of kindness that often go unnoticed.
Our cast and production team have poured their hearts into bringing this bustling world to life. Each moment you’ll see tonight- every hurried shopper, every unexpected meeting, every glimmer of holiday magic- was crafted with intention and care. My hope is that you’ll recognize pieces of your own holiday experiences reflected onstage: the imperfect, the funny, the stressful, the touching, and the beautiful.
In a season that encourages us to hurry, this play invites us to pause. To look around. To notice the people beside us. To appreciate the brief but meaningful connections we share.
Thank you for choosing to spend part of your holiday with us. We’re grateful you’re here, and we hope One Christmas Eve at Evergreen Mall brings you warmth, laughter, and a reminder of the heart at the center of the season.
Happy holidays!
Jess Rigdon Director
Cast & Production Team
Jenny, Abbie, Props Master .................................................................. LAKEN BUCHHOLTZ
Sharon, Molly, Ellie JACKIE DECLEENE
Darla, Joleen ............................................................................................. DEBORAH NERUD
Robert, RJ .......................................................................................... MARTY BACKSTRAND
Lacey, Erin, Linda ..................................................................................... TAYLOR RAMMER
Taylor, Robin .................................................................................. AHNIKAH BACHLEITNER
Todd, Andy ................................................................................................... CHARLIE LUND
Bellringer, Terry, Felicia.....................................................................................ECHO GUEST
Stephen, Matthew, Gerald ................................................................................ MIKE SPECK
Director JESS RIGDON
Stage Manager ............................................................................................ KRISTI BECHTEL
Costume Designer ........................................................................................ EMMA FRAYER
Co-Scenic Designer ........................................................ LEX VIOLETTE, AUGUST JENNINGS
Technical Director ........................................................................................... LEX VIOLETTE
Lighting Designer ................................................................................. RYAN MORSTATTER
Sound Designer ....................................................................... SRINIVASA RAO CHANDANA
Fight Captain ........................................................................................... TAYLOR RAMMER
Fight Director MIKE SPECK
Scene Shop Volunteers ................................................. DENNIS DORMAN, STEVE LIBERA
Special Thanks
Once Upon A Child
LCT Staff
Executive Director ............................................................................................... ERIK VOSE
Artistic Director ..............................................................................................MARY CATE WESLING Director of Education ................................................................................. KATELYN KLIEVE
Technical Director .......................................................................................... LEX VIOLETTE
Costume Shop Supervisor ...................................................................... THERESA SMERUD
Marketing Manager | Assistant Costume Shop Supervisor ..................... JESSICA RIGDON
Weber Center Operations Manager | LCT Audio/Visual Manager ....... RYAN VAN BERKUM
Front of House ........... SHARON SINGER-DAWIDOWSKI; ADDIE ZANER; ANNA GOODMAN; ANGIE STRITTMATER; MIKE SPECK; STEVEN WALKER; AMANDA WIESE
Head Carpenter and Flyman ........................................................ MACKINLEY BRUEMMER
Resident Scenic Designer and Charge Artist ......................................... AUGUST JENNINGS
Scene Shop Staff ....................................................................................... JAMES MURPHY
Youth Apprentice ..................................... ANTHONY KENDHAMMER, LAKEN BUCHHOLTZ
Director's Circle
($1,000+)
Terry Benson
J. Michael and Vicki Hartigan
Chris and Vicki Born
David and Christine Papke
Randy and Lynn Nelson
Duane Lom
Julie Keitel
Thomas and Jan Brock
Russ and Katie Wilson
Joe and Linda Kastantin
Bill & Jackie Pritchard
Kyle Jaeger and Laura Mackey
Karl and Julie Noll
Mark Solyst
Tim and Sue Durtsche
Kristin Albrecht Charitable Fund
Designers
($500-$999)
Kathy Spelker
Brad & Leslie Weber
Richard and Pamela Strauss
Tom Grau
Drexler Donor Fund
Marilyn Franzini and Jim Brickl
Vantage Architects
Actors
($250-$499)
Judy and Dick Williams
Aurel and Sue Mailath
Pat and Dick Spencer
Joan Allen
Brian Rude
American Marine
Kathleen and Joe Zietlow
Joe Hammes & Aaron Wickesberg
Cam and Carlene Roberts
Kenna Christians
Bob and Kay Conzemius
Patron Donor List
Patrons
($100-$249)
Fran Dieter
Steve and Karen Lind
Dave and Abbie Gerzema
Clem and Addie Bott
Karen Guptill
Sandra Proksch Troope
Cari Fleischer
Barbara Hemker
Patrice and Tony Vander Wielen
Robert and Maureen Freedland
Theron Wilson
Robert and Silvana Richardson
Jean Ledman
Daryl and Nancy Ertl
Mary Hubbard
Mike and Cheri Herro
Cheryl Loehr
Elsie Patterson
Mike Hickey
Mark and Cari Burmaster
Corine Neuman, Teresa Mears, and Kathy Niefeldt
Jolene Demaiffe and Ellen Pedretti Fendt
Edgar Storey & Wanda DuCharme
Tina Ruskey
Bruce Kerr
Michelle and Thomas Kelley
Susan Heuer
Dianne Pogreba
Tom and Lori Nigon
Janine Merkitch
Rosemary Nelson
Maureen and Lou Guillou
Eric Westerberg
Colleen Walsh
Bob and Kay Conzemius
Leah Reimann
Joan and John Peter Temple
Joyce Wichelt
Steven and Katie Fleis
Tom and Sharon Ryan
Patrons
($100-$249)
Cont. (anonymous)
Marla French
Jane Miller
Jim and Monique Howe
Dave Larsen
Terry and Loran Zibrowski
Larry and Beth Peterson
Robert and Laurel Allen
Dr. Robert Howman
Kathy and Paul Callan
Sue Hammersmith
Barbara and Herbert Heili
Sandy Sechrest
Eileen Walsh Doyle
Eric Westerberg
Colleen Walsh
Kenna Christians
Bob and Kay Conzemius 304865
Theresa Brennan
Lisa Martin
Terry Benson
Roger & Jean Klousia
La Crosse Community Theatre Presents
Lynne Halliday, James Hindman, Arlene Hutton and Craig Pospisil
STARRING
Laken Buchholtz
Jackie DeCleene
Deborah Nerud
Marty Backstrand
Taylor Rammer
Ahnikah Bachleitner
Charlie Lund Echo Guest Mike Speck
The Company
DEBORAH NERUD
JACKIE DECLEENE
LAKEN BUCHHOLTZ
AHNIKAH BACHLEITNER
TAYLOR RAMMER
MARTY BACKSTRAND
MIKE SPECK
ECHO GUEST
CHARLIE LUND
LEX VIOLETTE
KRISTI BECHTEL
JESS RIGDON
RYAN MORSTATTER
EMMA FRAYER
AUGUST JENNINGS
SRINIVASA RAO CHANDANA
Who's Who
LAKEN BUCHHOLTZ(Jenny, Abbie, Props
Master) Laken is a Senior at Holmen High School. She is excited to meet many new people and create new connections during the show. In the past she has been in She Kills Monsters (Vera), Once Upon a Mattress (Lady Merril), and Mean Girls (Gretchen u/s). Enjoy the show!
JACKIE DECLEENE (Sharon, Molly, Ellie)
Jackie is stoked to participate in this play. Not only is it her first time with La Crosse Community Theater, but it is her first time ever in a play!! She enjoys cooking, nature, and staying active in her community. She is mother to 2 amazing daughters and she’s brand new in La Crosse. She would like to give a big thanks to her boyfriend Enrique for helping with her daughter while she got play ready. She hopes to find all the cool stuff this community has to offer!
DEBORAH NERUD (Darla, Joleen) Deborah is delighted to play in the Black Box once again! Past LCT credits include 'Five Lesbians Eating a Quiche' (Lulie), 'Macbeth' (Witch Two), and 'The Pirates of Penzance' (Pirate). A longtime lover of improv (she was a founding member of The Webernauts), Deborah is currently making the switch to sketch writing via courses at Second City and is always on the lookout for new writing and performance pals! Big thanks to all the folx involved, and
mighty love to her support squad in the seats!
MARTY BACKSTRAND(Robert, RJ)
Marty started acting at age 5 in film and commercials and is pumped to be back on stage after a 7 year break. This marks his 7th production with LCT. Marty recently graduated from the University of St. Thomas with a degree in biochemistry and is thrilled to be part of this show as he dives back into his love of acting.
TAYLOR RAMMER (Lacey, Erin, Linda, Fight Captain) Taylor is so excited to be in LCT's production of One Christmas Eve at Evergreen Mall! Her most recent credits include Cabaret (Sally Bowles), What the Constitution Means to Me (Heidi), and James and the Giant Peach (Ladybug). She recently graduated from UW - La Crosse with a major in Musical Theatre Performance. She would like to thank her family and friends for all their love and support! Happy holidays and enjoy the show!
AHNIKAH BACHLEITNER(Taylor, Robin)
Ahnikah Bachleitner is a 24 year old actor from Waukesha, WI with a BFA in Theatre and Electronic Media Performance. Some of their favorite past productions have been POTUS (Chris) and Black Comedy (Clea). They hope to play Orpheus in Hadestown one day. Ahnikah's passionate about the
Who's Who
ways in which the human experience can be captured and conveyed in theatre. She hopes to continue to make lasting connections with others through her art. Enjoy the show!
CHARLIE LUND (Todd, Andy) Charlie is excited to make his debut at Lacrosse Community Theatre in One Christmas Eve at Evergreen Mall. Past credits include Footloose (Chuck Cranston), Radium Girls (Arthur Roeder), and James and The Giant Peach (Earthworm). He attends Winona State University where he is earning his Bachelor's in Film Studies. Charlie would like to thank his family, friends, many animals, cast and crew for their endless support. Enjoy the show!
ECHO GUEST (Bellringer, Terry, Felicia)
Echo Guest is delighted to return for another show on the LCT stage! They recently completed their first year as an Acting major at Columbia College Chicago with a minor in Dance. You can find them both onstage and offstage as an actor, director, stage manager, and crew member in a variety of shows produced in Holmen, La Crosse, Chicago, and more. Echo wants to thank everyone who pushed and supported them on their journey. They also wish you all a very merry Christmas!
MIKE SPECK (Stephen, Matthew, Gerald, Fight Director) Mike Speck is an actor, fight director, and producer based in southeast Minnesota. He teaches and choreographs stage combat for Viterbo University. Past LCT credits include the staged readings of AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY and ARCADIA; favorite work elsewhere includes a private production of BACH AT LEIPZIG (dir/fight dir), the Guthrie's MAJOR BARBARA (ensemble), Tent Theatre's THREE MUSKETEERS (various fighting roles), Luther College's SWEET SCIENCE OF BRUISING (fight director) and Unrehearsed Chicago's KING LEAR (Lear).
JESS RIGDON (Director) Jess is very excited to have One Christmas Eve at Evergreen Mall be her directing debut at LCT! Jess joined the LCT staff full time in 2023 and serves as the Marketing Manager and Assistant Costume Shop Supervisor. She has her MFA in Costume Design, which is typically her production team role, but she is grateful for the opportunity to expand her experience with directing with this play! She wants to extend all her gratitude to the cast and production team for their dedication and support when bringing this holiday show to life!
KRISTI BECHTEL (Stage Manager) Kristi is thrilled to be part of this production! Past credits include Scrooge in Rouge (Stage
Who's Who
Manager), [Dog Sees God] (Stage Manager), [Fiddler on the Roof] (Stage Manager), [Sex Tips from a Gay Man to a Straight Woman] (Sound Design), and [Lend Me A Tenor] (Props Designer). For Kristi's day job, she is a mental health therapist and teaches for UWL and WSU. Kristi would like to thank the LCT staff for their support. Enjoy the show!
LEX VIOLETTE (Co-Set Designer) Lex is overjoyed to be the Technical Director for this production! Lex has been involved in theatre for 16 years, in a wide variety of roles. Some of their favorite past credits include: Deer Camp (Scenic Designer/TD), Sex Tips for Straight Women from a Gay Man (Director, Scenic Designer, TD), and Dog Sees God (Tricia, TD). When not at the theatre, she can be seen thrifting, watching Netflix, or hanging out with her cat, Esper. Lex would like to thank their chosen family for their continued support. Enjoy the show!
AUGUST JENNINGS (Co-Set Designer)
August joined the LCT staff in 2023 as a part-time scenic painter, and he now serves full-time as their Charge Artist and Resident Scenic Designer. He previously designed shows such as Adventures Await (Scenic Design), Steel Magnolias (Scenic Design), and The Wizard of Oz (Props/Puppet Design). Outside the theatre, he crafts, cares for his plants, and adventures with his family. Thank
you to his partner for always seeking out the whimsy in life with him.
EMMA FRAYER (Costume Designer) Emma loves staying involved in LCT through choreography, costume design, and volunteering wherever needed. She would like to thank her family for supporting her lifetime interest and her husband for putting up with a crazy schedule.
RYAN MORSTATTER (Lighting Designer)
Ryan is excited to get to work at LCT on One Christmas Eve at Evergreen Mall as the Lighting Designer! He has most recently worked at LCT as a Lighting Designer on Steel Magnolias and as a Stage Manager on Waitress. Please enjoy the show!
SRINIVASA RAO CHANDANA (Audio Designer) Srini is excited to join the team at One Christmas Eve at LCT. In the past, Srini has enjoyed designing sound for Adventure Awaits, Oliver, Deer Camp, and Steel Magnolias. With a passion for storytelling through sound, Srini brings a keen ear for creating immersive, dynamic audio landscapes that enhance the emotional experience of theatergoers. Srini is grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with the talented team at LCT and looks forward to continuing to create memorable soundscapes for future productions.
Lighting and Sound shop sponsored by
Mary Isaacs
At La Crosse Community Theatre, our mission is to honor and celebrate our rich theatrical heritage while establishing a sustainable foundation for the years to come. With collaboration as a cornerstone, we are a dynamic, educational, and visionary force shaping the destiny of our community by adapting to the ever-changing arts landscape and showcasing excellence in local community entertainment.
LCT Advisory Board
Alex Lueck
Anna Taylor
Arla Clemons
Bill Pritchard
Brady Lowe
Gregory Parmeter
Joan Temple
John Lyche
Jon Lamb
Karen Fries
Kenna Christians
Kristin Freedlund
Mary Ann Gschwind
Matthew Curtis
Megan Pence
Nate Mohlman
Peter Bosgraaf
Richard Walters
Shannon Kummerow
Shaundel Washington-Spivey
Stacie Schmidt
Susan Durtsche
Thomas Behrenbeck
Vendi
LCT Board of Directors
Chair of the Board - Katie Fries
Jay Lokken President
Mary Isaacs Treasurer
Bradley Weber Member-At-Large
Marlene De La Cruz-Guzman Member-At-Large
Neal Meier First-Vice President
Mary Rathgaber Secretary
Dick Reynertson Member-At-Large
Carolyn Colleen Bostrack Member-At-Large
Stephen Conrad HR Representative
Joe Hammes Second Vice-President
Randy Nelson Member-At-Large
Pat Heim Past-President
Mark Solyst Member-At-Large
Kelly Galván Member-At-Large
Chris Kahlow Member-At-Large
Monica Organ Member-At-Large
Michelle Kelley Member-At-Large
Costume Shop sponsored by
Friends of LCT Donors
The Friends of LCT Campaign aims to continually raise operational funds for LCT from large gift givers sustained over five-year long pledges. We thank the following for their pledges:
EXECUTIVE (Pledged $25,000+)
Russel L. and Vera M. Smith Foundation
Keith and Mary Isaacs
ASSOCIATE (Pledged $12,500 - $24,999)
Pat and Joe Heim
Karl and Julie Noll
CONTRIBUTOR (Pledged $5,000 - $11,499)
Tom and Jan Brock
Vicki and Chris Born
Michael and Sharon Markee
Randy and Lynn Nelson
Theresa and Scott Smerud
Julie Keitel
Cheryl Vieth
Laux Family Partners
Kurt and Julie Shroeder
Michael and Rose Porter
Duane Lom
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Thank You to Our Season Sponsors!
