Meet Our New Board Members!

Next Act Theatre is excited to introduce two new members of our Board of Directors: Derin Bjugstad and Anna Fig. Read on to learn more about who they are and what they bring to the Next Act community.

DERIN BJUGSTAD, CliftonLarsonAllen (CLA)

I have enjoyed a life-long passion for performing arts. I grew up in West Fargo, ND and attended North Dakota State University in Fargo. Practical me studied business administration and artistic me also studied voice performance. Musically, I trained in opera and performed while at University and then in community productions.

Through my love of opera, I became involved with the Fargo Moorhead Civic Opera Co, first as a performer and then as a board member. After leaving Fargo, I spent time in Minneapolis (3 years) and Chicago (8 years). At this stage of my life, I left performing behind, but still enjoyed as much theatre as I could see. I moved to NE Wisconsin 22 years ago and started working for a Green Bay accounting firm. A job relocation opportunity brought me to Milwaukee seven years ago.

I was introduced to Next Act by my now husband, David Paris. I attended my first Next Act production in the fall of 2018 and have seen every mainstage show they’ve produced since then. OUTSIDE MULLINGAR was my introduction to Next Act and that moved me. I loved THE REVOLUTIONISTS and LAUGHTER ON THE 23RD FLOOR. I was absolutely blown away by the COVID-necessary video production of 9 CIRCLES, and this last year, I really enjoyed THE MOUSETRAP and SCARECROW.

I hope to leverage my past experiences to help further the success of Next Act. While still in Fargo, I served on the Board of the Fargo-Moorhead Opera company. After moving to Wisconsin, I served at various times as board president and treasurer of Community Improvement of Algoma. I’m passionate about volunteering and hope my skillset aligns with the needs of this organization.

ANNA FIG, Rufus King High School (MPS)

I’m a full-time theatre teacher at Rufus King High School, avid sewist, vintage enthusiast and lifelong Wisconsinite. I hold a BA in Theatre Arts from UW-Eau Claire and a Master’s in Liberal Studies from UWM. I consider myself a teaching artist as I have worked as an actor for several local theatres, including participating in a couple of staged readings and workshops at Next Act. I think that it is so important for teachers to continually work within their content area. I live in Bay View with my wife and our two dogs and two cats.

I’ve been coming to Next Act since 2011 when I came to see THE EXONERATED. The lovely Libby Amato encouraged me to go see THE EXONERATED, and I was impressed to see that Next Act was pushing boundaries and tackling real issues through theatre. A few years later, I started working at Next Act as a house manager and loved being able to support Next Act from within. It is difficult to choose just one play, but I think I would have to say KILL MOVE PARADISE was my favorite. I’d read the play shortly after it was published and when I heard that Next Act would be producing this extraordinary piece of theatre, I immediately planned a field trip with my students to see it. It was so beautifully performed and produced. My students absolutely loved it.

My biggest mission as a board member is to bring theatre to the next generation. As an educator, I want to see Next Act’s education programs grow. I’ve been bringing students to Next Act on field trips for years. I hope to be an ambassador for Next Act to connect with other theatre teachers and help to meet their needs in theatre education. One of my favorite things about teaching theatre is seeing teenagers make theatre their own and use the medium to speak out about the things that matter to them. As a board member, I believe that I could help to bring more of what Next Act has to offer to a younger generation.

Next Act Theatre is looking for new board members! If you’re interested in getting involved, contact Managing Director Libby Amato at libby@nextact.org or (414) 278-7780.