Greg Wallendall, a drama teacher at Beloit Memorial High School for 23 years and a community theater leader, was named one of this years Rock County Arts Hall of Fame honorees.
Declan Boran-Ragotzy, a special education teacher in the Milton School District, the founder of a local nonprofit offering classes and performance opportunities to Rock County students with disabilities, and a disability advocate, was named one of this years Rock County Arts Hall of Fame honorees.
JANESVILLE Both active in theater, education and creating opportunities for the next generation of performers, this years inductees into the Rock County Arts Hall of Fame have known each other for more than 20 years.
Greg Wallendall, a drama teacher at Beloit Memorial High School for 23 years and a community theater leader, was named one of this years Rock County Arts Hall of Fame honorees.
Courtesy Greg Wallendall
This years honorees were Greg Wallendall, a Beloit Memorial High School drama teacher, and Declan Boran-Ragotzy, a special education teacher, disability advocate and nonprofit founder in Rock County.
They were inducted into the hall of fame on Tuesday night in a ceremony at the Janesville Performing Arts Center.
Both Greg and Declan have provided an incredible wealth of knowledge to the arts community in Rock County. Their work as educators and directors is impactful and powerful, JPAC Executive Director Nathan Burkart in a release.
The event is held every year at JPAC, honoring local artists and performers based on their achievements and contributions to the arts in Rock County.
Wallendall and Boran-Ragotzy said it meant a lot to be inducted together.
About 20 years ago, the pair participated a local youth production of Peter Pan. Wallendall was directing, and cast Boran-Ragotzy.
Seeing him grow over the years, from Hooks sidekick Smee, into a disability advocate and educator is meaningful, Wallendall said. 20 years later, were being inducted into the hall of fame. Its pretty cool.
It feels so emotional to be honored with Greg Wallendall, Boran-Ragotzy said. The stars aligned to allow the pair to be inducted together he said.
Boran-Ragotzy
Declan Boran-Ragotzy, a special education teacher in the Milton School District, the founder of a local nonprofit offering classes and performance opportunities to Rock County students with disabilities, and a disability advocate, was named one of this years Rock County Arts Hall of Fame honorees.
Courtesy Declan Boran-Ragotzy
Growing up in Beloit, Boran-Ragotzy graduated from Beloit High School and Carroll University. He went on to teach in the Janesville School District for five years and currently is a special education teacher in the School District of Milton.
In 2017, Boran-Ragotzy created No Limits, a performance art program for students with disabilities in Rock County.
Founded as a dance program, No Limits offers a variety of classes for children, tweens and teens, and aims to cultivate meaningful, long-term social, recreational and vocational opportunities, according to its website.
It was organized as a nonprofit in 2021, and Boran-Ragotzy now serves as program director.
I grew up in Rock County, I have a physical disability and a lot of the extracurriculars were not accessible to me, Boran-Ragotzy reflected.
While he participated in some theater productions as a youth, and auditioned for groups like area show choirs, Boran-Ragotzy said more accessible offerings would have given him more opportunity to really expand for myself back in high school, and have different experiences.
When creating No Limits, he wanted to give the next generations of students the chance to perform on stage, including those with disabilities.
I wanted to establish something where every individual could access the arts in the way that best meets their needs, Boran-Ragotzy said.
Boran-Ragotzy said when the program began, he had four regular students who participated. Attendance has since increased tenfold, with 40 participants this year.
Students can participate in No Limits in whatever way works for them, with Boran-Ragotzy offering at-home lessons, individual lessons, small group classes and the option to perform in an annual show each May.
The nonprofit also offers a summer camp, with a capstone project each October, in which students choose to retell a classic fairy tale through the lens of disability.
Boran-Ragotzy said through No Limits, he hopes students will find a place of belonging, have a quality extracurricular experience, and see the quality of their lives increase. More than learning any dance move or skill, he aims for students to take away a belief in themselves.
With the right supports, accommodations and hard work, it is possible, Boran-Ragotzy said. He said he hopes participants learn how to use their voices, and see that anything is possible.
Boran-Ragotzy said he still occasionally gets onstage himself, but looks for roles and productions that offer an opportunity for disability awareness and activism. Previous roles that fill that mandate include a recent production of Peter and the Starcatcher in which all performers used American Sign Language on stage, and a No Limits production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.
However I get disability awareness (and) activism, that is how I will spend my time in the arts community, Boran-Ragotzy said. If those opportunities present themselves, I will go on stage.
In 2022, Boran-Ragotzy earned the Citation of Commendation from state Rep. Don Vruwink (D-Janesville) and state Sen. Janis Ringhold (D-Evansville for his work related to equal rights and inclusion for people with disabilities, according to the No Limits website said.
In a social media post, Pride Theatre Productions, a Rock County artistic community that elevates the work of LGBTQ+ artists, congratulated Boran-Ragotzy on his hall of fame induction.
Wallendall
Wallendall graduated from LaFollette High School in Madison in 1994, and from Beloit College.
Wallendall loved theater in high school, but said the high school theater department, which staged one play and one musical each year, was a bare-bones operation. With no money for sets, no money for costumes, an unused classroom for a stage, and crowds of about 30, we were a struggling group, he said.
I had a great experience in high school, but my theater program was terrible, Wallendall said. He became a teacher to give high school students something that I didnt have.
Wallendall entered Beloit College planning to study psychology. But in a first-year theater class, I fell in love with the idea of doing theater, even more than I already was, he said.
Wallendall has worked as the drama teacher at Beloit Memorial High School for 23 years, directing musicals and plays for its school theater department.
Wallendall hopes his performers gain confidence, community and learn the joy of performing.
As an educator, I love to watch my students grow, in their performance and in their abilities and their confidence, Wallendall said. I dont expect any of my students to go and become professional in the field. Thats not why I do it. Not that they couldnt, and Ive had several that have.
Theres a connection with theater that I dont think you can get anywhere else, he continued.
Wallendall also directs local community theater and helps organize the annual outdoor Shakespeare festival hosted by the Janesville Performing Arts Center each summer.
Known as Bard in the Yard, JPAC has staged an outdoor Shakespeare production for the last five years. The plays have included A Midsummer Nights Dream, Much Ado About Nothing, Romeo and Juliet, the Tempest and Macbeth.
Wallendall will also be returning to the stage for an upcoming production of the play 39 Steps, through the Beloit Civic Theater, to run Jan. 29 through Feb. 7. Wallendall said he accepted the lead role at the encouragement of his students. Hes excited for his students to see him perform.
Wallendall also in the early 2000s formed the nonprofit organization Parent Advocates for the Performing Arts in Our Schools. After the fly system in the Beloit Memorial High School auditorium failed, Wallendall raised $20,000 toward replacing it. The organization has raised more than $500,000 in about 20 years, to be used for improvements to performance spaces, musical instrument repairs, purchasing sheet music and other needs of the high schools band, choir, orchestra and theater departments.
Wallendall said he continues to find theater exhilarating, exciting, an opportunity to be vulnerable and a bonding experience.
Theres so much human vulnerability involved in a theater production, Wallendall said. Getting out there, and putting yourself out there and exposing yourself artistically, you cant help but connect with others and bond and feel the humanity around you.
Theres no other experience like doing a theater production together, Wallendall said. Youll never be with this group of people working on a project like that ever again. Theres something about putting on a play that is transformative beyond just being together with a group of people. Youre bound by that project.
Sign up for our Daily Update & Weekend Update email newsletters!
Get the latest news, sports, weather and more delivered right to your inbox.
