Em's Ensemble
a scholarship fund

Ali Meisinger is happy to be performing with Pink Umbrella Theater Company. Her theater experience includes acting in several school productions from middle school through high school. She is a proud First Stage Alum and loves spending time with family and friends.

Hi! My name is Amanda Lojeski. I have been involved in many productions over the years. I graduated from Union Grove high school in 2011. I have been involved in theater since my freshman year of high school. Since 2015 I have been involved with the ACAP playmakers and in 2020 I got involved with Pink Umbrella theater. In my spare time I enjoy doing art, skiing, biking, bowling, spending time with my service dog and family and friends.

Amira Adams also known as AmiraThePoet is a Thea Bowman Scholar at Alverno College. While majoring in Communications and minoring in Creative writing, Amira serves as Ombudsperson for Student Government, President of the Black student Alliance, and a peer leader. Amira’s Goal is to not only teach but inspire through the art of poetry. Amira uses poetry as a tool to educate and inspire youth, peers, educators and executives. She is a change maker and community advocate for social justice and human rights. Amira’s motto is to lead, inspire and create.

Ash (She/Her) is very ecstatic to be a performer and host for the first time in the third annual Em’s Ensemble Scholarship Fund. She’s been working with Pink Umbrella Theater since the summer of 2019, and you may recognize her as Pickle in the infamous SHINE! and SHINE! Remount, POP in THE BIGGER TOP, and Scout the Rabbit from SCAVENGERS. She hopes you come to enjoy the fantastic performances and stay for the incredible journey as the little Umbrella continues to grow bigger and bigger.

I am a retired social worker. I now spend my time reading, meditating, writing the occasional poem, and walking on the Oak Leaf Trail. I am always amazed at how ordinary events can be extraordinary. For example, one day I saw a father jogging slowly with his very young daughter. They were holding hands and smiling. Clearly they were enchanted with each other. Still in awe  I excitedly mentioned this event to a young woman I had never met on the elevator in my building. This is how I met Katie. This is how we connect with each other.

Clayton Mortl (he/him) is an autistic actor who lives and works in the Milwaukee area. He has appeared in "Shine!", as Pinot, and "Bigger Top", as Boom, with Pink Umbrella Theater Company. He hopes you enjoy our performances today!

Drea McAlister is an Artist and Poet based in Milwaukee, WI. Influenced by her experiences as a young black woman, she creates pieces that tell the story of her life and those around her. She currently attends Alverno College as a Thea Bowman Scholar pursuing a degree in Art Therapy with a Minor in Community Engagement and Activism. 

Faith's bio here!

Hannah's bio here!

I currently live in Waukesha but I've moved around quite a bit since I was 8. I've been a writer my whole life but I'm also gifted in music, dancing, and screenwriting. I still have yet to get any acting experience but I've worked backstage in theater. I'm very adventurous, very idealistic, have a rich inner life, and am always looking for greener pastures to settle down and enjoy life with abundance.

Pip (she/they) is an autistic, asexual, queer, poet, and writer. Shuller believes deeply in the importance of being both a neurodiverse and gender non-conforming writer. Shuller’s primary inspiration for their stories comes from her own life, namely, her husband, dog, and newborn. Though, it is their primary belief that, through literature, we come to better understand the overarching human experience in all of its forms. Literature, be it in a game, novel, or any other form, should speak to each person’s heart regardless of gore or genre. Professionally, Shuller’s poetry has been published in Lavender Lime’s second Volume, in Snowflake Magazine’s Relationships magazine, and Post Apocalyptic Media’s Into the Aftermath. They have performed poetry in Milwaukee at Poet’s Monday in Riverwest.

Susannah Thorngate-Rein is a multidisciplinary artist and teacher who lives with her scientist husband and their one-year-old daughter in Walker's Point.