About Us
Classes. Camps. Creativity. Connection.
Since 2008, Character Kids has brought quality after school theater classes and summer camps to thousands of students throughout the Midwest and West Coast regions. In our theater program, students learn the basics of acting, singing and musical theater dance while having a lot of fun! We play theater games, build stage skills, work on group songs or scenes - and even produce mini-musicals - so that our students can explore the world of theater.
At the same time, our students are learning important life skills - emotional literacy, empathy, listening, teamwork and thinking on your feet. They’re exploring the world around them and learning more about connecting with others and themselves.
Our mission is to develop imagination, social skills and a positive self image through the performing arts. We want to create a safe, encouraging atmosphere for students to build characters…both onstage and off.
BRENDA DODGE
Founder/CEO
Ms. Dodge (she/her) is a children’s theatre director, producer and teaching artist. For over 20 years, she has worked with public and private schools, community centers, youth theaters, summer camp programs and park districts to create quality theatre education programs for students of all ages.
Brenda is also a professional actress who has worked in theatre, commercials and television throughout the Midwest and Southern California.
In 2008 she created Character Kids, a children's theatre company that provides after school theatre classes to elementary schools and advocates for arts in education. Brenda has worked in close collaboration with classroom teachers, administrators and parents in dozens of school districts throughout the country.
In 2018, Brenda and her husband Randall co-founded Forte Theatre Company, a professional theatre company in Milwaukee’s Southwest suburbs.
Brenda has a degree in Theatre, with a minor in mass communication, from Illinois State University. She resides in Franklin, WI with her husband and two children.
DANA STROTHENKE
Education Manager - Twin Cities
Dana (she/her) has loved theatre since she was 6 years old. Since then she has become a director, actor, and theater teaching artist. She has also worked in artistic administration at the Glimmerglass Festival, an opera festival in upstate New York, as well as at Sunset Playhouse, a community theatre in the suburbs of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Since graduating with a comprehensive degree in theatre from the University of WI - Eau Claire, she has worked with various theatre companies in and around Milwaukee and the Twin Cities area. She also has ventured into the world of film and has worked as a Producer and Assistant Director on several short films throughout the Midwest. Heralding from Wauwatosa, WI, Dana now resides in Minneapolis, MN, where she manages the Twin Cities branch of Character Kids theater programs.
She loves working with children and seeing their confidence grow through the theater arts! When Dana’s not in the classroom, you can find her out on a hike, crocheting, or snuggling with her cat, Gizmo.
MOLLY KEMPFER
Education Coordinator - Madison
Molly (she/her) is an actor, director, choreographer, and educator based in the Milwaukee and Madison areas. As a teaching artist, she has directed and choreographed many children’s shows with Character Kids, Forte Theatre Company, and Studio Dansu.
Molly also worked in public education as a dedicated building substitute teacher in which she covered various classes from kindergarten to AP Spanish and from Theatre to Physics.
As a professional actor, Molly has worked on commercials and short films and on stage with several companies around Wisconsin including Forward Theatre Company, Children’s Theatre of Madison, and Forte Theatre Company where she is an Associate Artist.
In her free time, she loves to do aerial silks and cook!