Did you know Wausau is home to a published playwright?
Local director, writer and actor Brenton Kniess started his theater career right here in Central Wisconsin, from the halls of Wausau East High School and starring in productions for Central Wisconsin Children’s Theatre, to studying drama at UW-Stevens Point and directing community theater productions in town the last few years.
But Kniess’ local theater career is coming full circle this month.
Before he takes an artistic break to plan his next big step in the theater world, Kniess is directing a production of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” at Central Wisconsin Children’s Theatre, which opens Nov. 27.
The cool part? Kniess’ final role at CWCT was as Willy Wonka in “Willy Wonka Junior” in 2019.
“I believe it was the first sellout CWCT ever experienced,” said Cindi Strobel, who directed Kniess in the 2019 play. “He was such a hard worker, very organized, and truly understood what works on stage, so I was not surprised that he went on to study theater in college.”
Kniess specifically chose this play for his final show at CWCT this fall.
“I had an idea that this would be my last show for Children’s Theatre and I thought it would be a good send-off,” Kniess said. “Heading into the holiday season, it’s a great story for people to see again or for new audiences to find out what it’s about.”
What’s more, the actor playing Willy Wonka in this upcoming production, Creighton Kettleson, was in the 2019 production Kniess starred in, where Kettleson played a squirrel.
“It’s kind of a full circle moment for him as well,” Kniess said. “It’s nice to be able to make that connection.”
“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” which runs Nov. 27-28 at Veninga Theater, will be Kniess’ third collaboration with CWCT. Community theater is a tight-knit group, with local actors performing in different shows together over the years and local craftspeople collaborating behind the scenes, sharing advice, materials and knowledge with one another — all across different theater companies, schools and children’s theater organizations. It’s a world of collaboration where a good reputation speaks volumes.
“Brenton’s an incredible talent. What’s equally as impressive is his work ethic,” said Rick LaFrombois, executive director for the Central Wisconsin Children’s Theatre. “He comes into rehearsals with a well-laid vision and plan that makes it easy for our cast and show staff to rally around.”
Passing the torch (or the top hat, as it were) to a former castmate is a special moment for Kniess, but much of his attention is devoted to the production as a whole, with an artful factory set and a massive cast of 72 youngsters.
“We wanted to give a lot of opportunities and ultimately the large ensemble is there to help build the world of the show,” Kniess said. “Being able to work with first-time actors and longtime actors of Children’s Theatre, that’s a challenge in itself especially when they range from ages 8 to 17. There’s a wide range of kids both new and old to the process.”
When it comes to directing kids at CWCT, Kniess has an advantage that a lot of other skilled directors don’t: he was in their shoes less than a decade ago.
“I grew up in the same situation they’re in: I grew up in the area, I was an actor and I performed here, so I know what it’s like to see those expectations that people have. I think I’m able to find a way to understand them and see what they need,” Kniess said. “It’s about being able to communicate with everyone and find a way to relate to them and make things a little bit more comfortable for everyone to explore their characters and find a way to express themselves. Ultimately that’s what I liked about high school theater: it was an outlet to express myself.”
Kniess was first drawn to directing while he was acting in Wausau East theater productions. As a freshman he asked about directing a one-act play, and after putting in hard work for two years, he was afforded that opportunity during his junior year.
Longtime Wausau East director and drama teacher Terry Riska recognized Kniess’ knack for directing early on.
“I’ve done this for a really, really long time,” Riska said. “You can tell when somebody is a fine actor and has great potential to go above and beyond being a high school actor. But a fellow who’s suited for directing, that’s a lot fewer and farther between. I felt like Brenton had that very early during our time together. Brenton is a fine actor, but because he has an eye for directing, I think the fact that he is such a solid actor only helps him as he continues to direct shows.”
After directing three shows for CWCT and several productions for Wausau Community Theatre, including last year’s “Anastasia,” Kniess is taking an artistic break to focus on his love of writing.
“I am looking for opportunities to expand professionally. I am a published playwright and I have put that off for a bit, so I’m hoping to write more plays,” Kniess said. “Mostly I think I’m going to spend my focus on networking and playwriting.”
“He’s made the most of his talents and opportunities here,” LaFrombois said. “As an actor, director and writer, I believe he’s just scratching the surface. Can’t wait to see where Brenton takes his abilities next.”
In 2024, Kniess finished writing “The Thatcher Theater Terror,” a one-act play that follows four teenagers in a haunted movie theater on Halloween night.
“It’s a great play for film lovers, there’s some homages to ‘Wizard of Oz’ and classic films. Having it set in an old-school movie theater, I think that brings a sense of nostalgia to some people,” Kniess said. “It’s fun to explore those kind of crazy situations, but also having some heart to them. That’s what I like doing as a playwright.”
Kniess sent the play to several publishing houses in June 2024 and didn’t hear back until one year later, when Next Stage Press reached out to negotiate a deal. The play was published in November 2025 and has already been performed at the University of Idaho.
“That was a really cool ‘pinch me’ moment, to be able to call myself a published playwright,” he said.
As Kniess finishes up work at Central Wisconsin Children’s Theatre this month and looks ahead to new artistic horizons, he’s also been looking back at his theater career and the valuable lessons he’s learned over the years. In Kniess’ words, theater is all about collaboration — and for Kniess, that spirit of collaboration on-stage naturally extends into building a strong, supportive community off of it.
“Community is everything,” he said. “I didn’t think that I would come back here after college to direct shows, but being able to reconnect with people who I performed with a lot in high school and then directing them after college was a surreal moment. Giving back to your community, showing your appreciation and just being able to contribute something — I hope I was able to do that with my time directing.”
As Kniess works to build a promising future in theater, his immediate legacy rests in the hands of the cast bringing his final Wausau production to life. For those 72 young performers stepping into the chocolate factory, and for any aspiring actor in the community, Kniess leaves behind one final “golden ticket” of wisdom for their own theatrical journeys:
“Always make bold choices,” he said. “No matter what you do, I think if you’re not making a bold choice then you’re not really exploring. Those bold choices inspire others to make bold choices as well.”
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