Wgtd's The Morning Show With Greg Berg

We preview this weekend's Racine Theater Guild performances of "Akeelah and the Bee," which centers on a talented young woman preparing for the National Spelling Bee over the objections of her mother.   Kara Ernst-Schalk is director of the production.  Saniah Carter is in the cast.  This production was just about to open in the spring of 2020 when the onset of the pandemic forced the performances to be postponed and ultimately cancelled.  Most of the cast from two years ago is back as the production finally opens.  

Dr. Debra Ford, Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Parkside

Tim Keeler, music director of Chanticleer, one of the finest vocal ensembles in the world.  Chanticleer sings a concert at Carthage College this Friday, April 22nd.

Don Hurzeler talks about his latest book,  "Suddenly Retired: a Road Map for What Comes Next."  

Andrea Chamblee talks about finishing "The Capital of Basketball: a History of DC Area High School Hoops" by her late husband John McNamara. 

From 2017 -  Winnifred Reilly, author of "It Takes One to Tango: How I Rescued my Marriage with (almost) No Help from my Spouse - and How You Can, Too."  

From 2003 -  Richard Tofel, author of "A Legend in the Making:  The New York Yankees in 1939."  

From 2020 - Sonia Monzano ("Sesame Street") talks about her book A WORLD TOGETHER.  <This interview was broadcast on Wednesday the 13th> 

Nan Calvert's monthly visit to the Morning Show features a wide-ranging conversation about Mushrooms. Nan's guest is Kathleen Thompson, a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. 

Gateway Technical College President Bryan Albrecht joins us for his monthly visit.  With him is Tatjana Bicanin, Executive Director of Building Our Future, a non-profit dedicated to improving our community through education.  

Justine Cowan, author of 'The Secret Life of Dorothy Soames: a Memoir."  Cowan had believed for most of her life that her mother was descended from Welsh royalty.   It turns out that her mother grew up in London's infamous Foundling Hospital. Cowan embarked on an extraordinary journey to learn as much as she could about the circumstances under which her mother's mother brought her newborn daughter to the Foundling Hospital.  The book is also examination of that institution's history and how it treated the illegitimate children entrusted into its care.  <This interview was broadcast April 11.>

We speak with writer Sidik Fofana (Stories from the Tenants Downstairs) who is coming to Carthage next week as a Visiting Writer.   <Today's/Monday's Morning Show interview will be shared on tomorrow's podcast.> 

From 2016-  Jeff Pearlman, author of "Gunslinger: The Remarkable, Improbable, Ironic Life of Brett Favre."  

This 2018 conversation with Racine native Zachary Scot Johnson was done to celebrate the 3,000th episode of his "Song a Day" project on YouTube.  We're sharing it again because Zach did his 3,500th episode earlier this past week.  Zach performs a different song every day ... and many of these performances feature collaborations with other musicians.  You'll hear an excerpt from his very first episode from September 2012 ... and you'll also hear his 3,500th episode in its entirety.   

We're given a preview of Saturday night's concert at Carthage College that will feature the music of Felix and Fanny Mendelssohn.  Dr. Ed Kawakami is Director of Choral Activities, and Dr. Dimitri Shapovalov is interim conductor of the Carthage Choir. They are serving as co-chairs of the music department.  Saturday night's concert includes the Overture in C by Fanny Mendelssohn as well as Felix Mendelssohn's setting of Psalm 42 for choir and orchestra.

Evan Ross Katz talks about his book "Into Every Generation a Slayer is Born:  How Buffy the Vampire Slayer Staked our Hearts."  It's a look behind the scenes of one of the most popular, influential and groundbreaking television series in the last quarter century.   The book also examines the enormous cloud of controversy that now surrounds the series' gifted creator, Joss Whedon.  

Concert pianist Jeremy Denk, author of "Every Good Boy Does Fine: a Love Story in Music Lessons."  

From 2010- Kathryn Allamong Jacob, author of "King of the Lobby:  The Life and Times of Sam Ward, Man-About-Washington in the Gilded Age."

From 2009- an excerpt from an interview with Howard Behar, author of "It's not about the Coffee:  Lessons on Putting People First from a Life at Starbucks." (Behar was founding president of Starbucks International, and served the company in other capacities as well.)  

From 2007 - an interview with the late Ralph Houghton, who was the longtime coordinator of fine arts for the Kenosha Unified School District.