Last year
around this time we started a Kickstarter campaign to help us renovate
an old storage space into a working theatre. Because of the overwhelming
success of that campaign, we not only met our financial goal, but met
our overall goal of opening our new theatre to the public.
Now
that big storage space is home to a beautiful, 84-seat theatre, and Door
County's newest professional theatre troupe, TAP's Stage Door Theatre
Company.
Our goal this time is a bit more modest, but
nonetheless urgent. We are looking to raise funds to cover costs for
our season opener, THE GLASS MENAGERIE, the great American classic play
by Tennessee Williams, making our Kickstarter donors the major sponsors
for this production.
Stage Door Theater Company presents "The Rainmaker".
The Stage
Door Theatre Company continues its series of informal staged readings
of classic and contemporary plays with THE RAINMAKER by N. Richard Nash
on Sunday afternoon, April 7 at 2 pm.
Admission to the readings is free, although donations will be gratefully accepted.
A classic romantic
comedy set against the sweeping landscape of the American West. On her
family's drought-ridden ranch, Lizzie's hopes and dreams have run as dry
as the barren fields. When the irresistible Starbuck arrives in town,
selling the promise of rain, Lizzie must decide: is he a con man, or
does he hold the key to everything she desires?
Doug
Mancheski and Amy Ensign star in this unique imaginative, and romantic
love story. The play opens Thursday, February 14 in the Studio Theater
at TAP.
LOVE LETTERS centers on the long distance relationship
of Melissa Gardner and Andrew Makepeace Ladd III as seen through 50
years of letters filled with hopes and ambitions, dreams and
disappointments, victories and defeats - that have passed between them
throughout their separated lives.
Door Community Auditorium
(DCA) has announced the final installments of its popular winter “Movies at the
Door” Series, which will take place three more Friday nights this season:
February 8, February 22, and March 1. Movies at the Door screenings take place
at 7 p.m. and are free to the public; freewill donations are accepted and
encouraged.
On Friday, February 8,
DCA presents Frankenweenie, Tim
Burton’s hit 2012 stop-motion fantasy film. Warmly received by critics and
audiences alike, Frankenweenie is the
story of Victor, a young boy who loses his dog and tries to resurrect him using
the power of science.
It’s
“Door County Reads” time again, thanks to support from the Door County
Library Foundation, the Friends of Door County Libraries, library staff
members, volunteers from community organizations and businesses! Start
the year by reading the book that hundreds of others in Door County will
be reading.
Beginning January 2, at your local Door County
Library, pick up a free copy of “The Beekeeper’s Apprentice” by Laurie
R. King as long as supplies last. Extra copies of the book will be
available for check-out through the library catalog at InfoSoup.org.
American Folklore
Theatre (AFT) has announced the release of the 2012 World Premiere,
Victory Farm, album featuring the original cast recorded live in
Peninsula State Park, Fish Creek, Wisconsin.
"The buzz for
Victory Farm was great all summer long and we are so pleased to be able
to offer this CD to our fans." said Holly Feldman, Manager of Marketing
and Audience Development. The Victory Farm CD is currently available for
order on the AFT website at www.FolkloreTheatre.com.
L to R: Isaiah Spetz, Josie Morkin, Andrew Olson, and Becky Thoma rehearse a scene from “The Birds’ Christmas Carol”.
One of
the greatest things about Door County is the many artistic opportunities
available for people of all ages. The Third Avenue Playhouse has
created an opportunity of excellent quality with the addition of the
StageKids theater company.
StageKids is Door County’s newest community
theater company, featuring plays and workshops for children and teens
from the community. It is also a terrific chance for children to be able
to act with more experienced adults.
American
Folklore Theatre (AFT) has announced its line up for the 2013 Summer and
Fall Seasons in Door County, Wisconsin.
"This is by far the
earliest we have ever had the privilege of announcing our season," said
Artistic Director Jeffrey Herbst. "Because AFT creates new musicals
year after year, our workshop process can sometimes take us well into
January before we can officially put a show on the docket for that
summer."
Planning
for the 2013 season is well underway and we couldn't be more excited for
what's in store for our audiences next summer. Along with the selection
of two plays never performed by Door Shakespeare, we are also
introducing a new model of artistic leadership: bringing multiple
like-minded artists together to create a team of Artistic Associates.
The four actors, directors, and scholars we've assembled represent a
broad spectrum of talent and experience, and all agree that Door
Shakespeare is a place to challenge, engage, and enchant with thrilling,
fresh productions.
Third
Avenue Playhouse will hold its annual fundraising banquet on Friday,
November 30 at the Draft Haus Banquet Hall, Sturgeon Bay, from 5:30 -
10:00 pm.
Join us in celebrating the past year at the Third
Avenue Playhouse, with performances from musicians and actors who have
performed on TAP's stages in the last 12 months. Join the party at 5:30
and mingle at the cash bar.
Bid on dozens of silent auction
items donated by Door County businesses. Enjoy a delicious buffet
dinner, hear a brief update on TAP, then enjoy an evening of
entertainment! Door Prizes will be awarded throughout the evening.
Downtown
Sturgeon Bay’s Third Avenue Playhouse will be a busy place for
entertainment this fall and Holiday season. Theater directors Robert
Boles and James Valcq have announced a variety of new shows for the
coming months.
The romantic comedy “Almost, Maine” runs through
October 14. Then the theater takes a short intermission while brand new
carpeting is installed throughout the entire building. A short
fundraiser conducted via email was held during the month of September.
Door County has a very strong United Way program that is well-supported by our community. So it’s no wonder that many other local businesses and organizations get behind the annual fundraising efforts in a big way.
Third Avenue Playhouse is no exception. The theater will host a benefit for our local United Way on Friday, October 5, as part of Sturgeon Bay’s “First Friday” series. This is the first friday of each month during which many city businesses stay open later than usual and often hold a special sale or feature an on-site entertainer, etc. It’s a festive occasion gradually becoming embraced by locals and visitors alike.
Door
Shakespeare is pleased to announce the play selections for its 2013
summer season. For the first time in the company’s history, the company
will present William Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” and “Love’s Labours Lost”
in the Garden at Bjorklunden.
Managing Director Amy J. Ludwigsen made the announcement and said
“Macbeth and Love’s Labours Lost are contrasting works filled with
romance, violence, villains, fools, heroines, sword fights, and
poetry…there really is something for everyone.
Hideously stained carpet in the hallway to the beautiful new 84-seat Studio Theater.
A very
generous donor has established a matching fund to replace TAP's worn
out, stained carpet. Floormart of Sturgeon Bay has given us a very low
price of $6000 to re-carpet the entire building. In order to make this
happen, we need to raise $3000 by September 30th in order to take
advantage of this dollar for dollar match.
If you've visited TAP recently (and we certainly hope you have) you
can't help but have noticed the eyesore beneath your feet which no
amount of vacuuming or cleaning can correct. The current carpet
has been in place over a decade and has seen its share of people walking
over it through those years. Time has definitely taken its toll, and
it's long overdue for replacement.
In 1992, American Folklore Theatre (AFT) first presented And If Elected,
a romp through US presidential campaigns from George Washington to the
first George Bush. Since then, three more Chief Executives have joined
the pantheon.
And If Elected returns to the 2012 fall line up in anticipation of yet another humdinger election cycle.
"I
always get a little over-excited about this particular show. I just
can't help myself since I'm a confessed presidential trivia junkie,"
said, Jeffrey Herbst, AFT's Artistic Director. Herbst's life-long
passion for presidential trivia comes alive in the production.
Third
Avenue Playhouse in downtown Sturgeon Bay will open its fourth play of
the inaugural season for the new 84-seat Studio Theater with a special
opening night benefit for the GO BO Fund. The date is Thursday,
September 20 and showtime is 7:30 pm, with doors open for general
seating at 7:00 pm. The play is Almost, Maine, written by John Cariani
and directed by James Valcq. It stars Door County actors Amy Ensign,
Anne St. Henry, Chad Luberger and Ryan Patrick Shaw.
Bo Johnson is the 13-year old Sister Bay boy who has been battling a
rare form of childhood leukemia for the better part of a year.
Tremendous community support has been an inspiration to him and his Mom,
Annika Johnson, daughter of the late Al Johnson and part owner of Al
Johnson’s Swedish Restaurant in Sister Bay. Now Sturgeon Bay joins the
entire county for a special GO BO evening.
Agatha
Christie’s “Murder on the Nile” is set to sail at Peninsula Players
Theatre for three weeks, August 15 through September 2, 2012. Cruising
under the blazing Egyptian sun, a river steamer makes its way up the
Nile in 1947, carrying stylish honeymooners who find themselves immersed
in blackmail, bullets and dead bodies.
Aboard the steamer is Kay Mostyn, a spoiled, newlywed socialite, and
her potentially gold-digging new husband, Simon; the society-minded,
self-absorbed Miss ffoliot-ffoulkes and her dutiful niece Christina
Gant; a cool, jaded yet charming William Smith; a dubious German doctor;
the somewhat shifty clergyman Pennefather; and a crazed stalker
Jacqueline de Severac.
The
premiere season of Sturgeon Bay's new Studio Theater is almost half
over. With every performance, however, excitement is building for this
little gem, cleverly tucked away in a magic place on Sturgeon Bay's
historic 3rd Avenue.
Housed within the Third Avenue Playhouse,
the new 84-seat "black box" performance space has greeted several
hundred theater lovers in its debut season. "The Subject Was Roses" and
now "Souvenir" have been performed every night except Saturdays to often
standing ovations.
Claire Morkin as Florence Foster Jenkins in "Souvenir".
The
origins of the term camp – so bad it’s entertaining, if not good – may
be lodged in some arcane recess of collective mythology, along with the
works of Ed Wood and homicidal tomatoes. Surely the word did not in
exist in 1868, when Florence Foster Jenkins’ first wail assaulted the
air, but no one could be a stronger contender for the definition of its
archetype and progenitor.
The
astonishing career of this baffling lady is the subject of Souvenir: a
Fantasia on the Life of Florence Foster Jenkins, the second production
by the professional Stage Door Theater Company at the newly-minted
Studio Theatre at the Third Avenue Playhouse in downtown Sturgeon Bay.
Ryan Patrick Shaw gets ready for "The Subject is Roses", opening June 21 at the Studio Theater.
Ryan
Patrick Shaw will make history this week. Along with fellow actors Dale
Finn and Mark Moede, he’ll be one of the first to walk onto the brand
new stage of the new 84-seat Studio Theater in Sturgeon Bay. Those steps
mark the beginning of the young actor’s professional career in a
leading role.
The
new venue is “intimate theater in an intimate setting”, according to
director Bob Boles. Quite appropriately, the
little “black box”, as it is called, is cleverly tucked behind the
dressing rooms in a former storage area at the very back of the Third
Avenue Playhouse in downtown Sturgeon Bay.
The construction crew was made up of volunteers and actors!
On Sunday, May 19th at 11:59pm, TAP's Kickstarter fundraising campaign came to an end, collecting over $15,000.
Donors
gave amounts ranging from $5 to $1000 and up to the campaign. A
last-minute matching challenge from DoorCountyTravelersJournal.com was
met and will result in even more dollars to be added to the coffers very
soon.
James Valcq, Robert Boles, Ryan Patrick Shaw, and Steve Kinnamon installing seating in the new Studio Theater at the TAP.
What’s
new and exciting in Sturgeon Bay? What’s new and exciting for the arts
in Door County for this coming summer and fall season? Lots, but here’s
one project that’s bound to help entrench Sturgeon Bay and the Peninsula
as a haven for the performing arts. A theater within a theater. It’s
called the Studio Theater and it will feature four plays this season,
produced by the Stage Door Theater Co.
Norma
Saldivar may be a new director for both Door Shakespeare and the
county, but she brings with her a long, impressive list of credits from a
successful directorial career.
Saldivar, head of
the graduate directing program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison,
has signed on to direct Door Shakespeare’s 2012 production of “As You
Like It.”
“We are so honored
to have this respected Wisconsin theater artist make her Door County
directorial debut this summer with our company,” said Terese Boeck, Door
Shakespeare business manager.
Peninsula
Players Theatre, America’s oldest professional resident summer theater and Door
County’s theatrical icon, announces its 77th season, running June 12
through October 14, 2012.
Peninsula Players will open on
June 12 with the Wisconsin premiere of “Opus” by Michael Hollinger. Beethoven
and Bach underscore a behind-the-music glimpse into a highly-strung string
quartet.The quick hiring of a
gifted, but inexperienced replacement prior to an important concert strikes
discord as personalities clash while tempers and passion rise. From the creator of “Red Herring,”
comes a play with humor, heat, high notes and hysterics. “Opus” will have a two
week run closing June 24.
Game
lovers can show off their storehouses of trivial information, enjoy
good food and fun, and benefit Door Shakespeare all at the same time
during the Bard’s Birthday Bash/Trivia Challenge, a game night on April
14.
Mr.
G’s Ballroom in Valmy will host the fund raiser from 7 to 10 p.m., but
the doors open at 6 p.m. for patrons who want to dine early. The $30
entry ticket allows participation in the games, as well as access to an
array of heavy hors d'oeuvres, one drink, and dancing and music by Dow
Jones beginning at 10 p.m. A cash bar will be available.
The
American Folklore Theatre can now add "Award Winning" to their long
list of accolades. American Folklore Theatre was awarded the inaugural
Wisconsin Department of Tourism Award for Arts, Culture and Heritage at
this week's Wisconsin Governor's Conference on Tourism (WIGCOT) in Green
Bay, WI. This award is presented to a business or destination that
showcases the arts, culture, or heritage for the enhancement and
economic wellbeing of a community. Sponsored
by the Governor's Council on Tourism, the Governor's Awards acknowledge
leadership, commitment, and innovation among the people and
organizations that propel the tourism industry forward.
Local actors study scripts for upcoming dinner theater gig.
A group of local actors from across the peninsula is in
rehearsal for a new style dinner-theater show in time for St. Patrick’s Day.
“All Over But the Shooting” is a fun, campy play in true
dinner theatre, “whodunit” fashion.The audience is invited to participate and help solve the mystery, as
cast members mingle.The audience
members who correctly guess “whodunit” will be entered in a drawing for a gift
certificate prize at each performance.
Trueblood Performing Arts Center, Washington Island.
2012 Schedule of Events*
FEBRUARY
Friday February 17th – 7:00 PM
Saturday February 18th – 7:00 PM
ARSENIC AND OLD LACE by
Joseph Kesselring
Performed by the Island Players. Directed by Howard Scott and Produced by Joyce Morehouse, fourteen Island
Players perform this highly amusing and wicked tale.
Ross
Dippel has been named by the Door Shakespeare Board of Directors as
Interim Artistic Director. Mr. Dippel brings with him many years of
classical theatre experience as an actor, director, educator, producer,
and professional fight choreographer. He holds a Bachelor of Science
Degree in Theatre Arts from the University of Wisconsin LaCrosse, and a
Master of Fine Arts in Classical Theatre from the prestigious
Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Academy of Classical Acting at George
Washington University in Washington, D.C. Professional memberships
include Actor’s Equity Association and The Society of American Fight
Directors.
Peninsula
Players will present a reading of Rebecca Gilman’s stage adaptation of
Carson McCullers’ “The Heart is a Lonely Hunter” Monday, January 30 at
Björklunden at 7 p.m. Produced in coordination with Door County Reads
and its exploration of the novel, the reading will feature Players
actors Lili-Anne Brown, Anya Kopischke, Osiris Khepera and Alan
Kopischke, as well as local actors Mark Moede, Hervy Hodges, Chad
Luberger, David Maier, Amy Ensign and Brandon Bogenschütz. Signing
actor Robert Schlieffer will portray the pivotal role of the mute John
Singer. Players Artistic Director Greg Vinkler and Players Development
Director Alan Kopischke are directing the reading.
Door
Community Auditorium’s popular winter event series is well underway and
will continue this weekend with an intimate fireside concert on
Saturday evening by popular local singer-songwriter Seth Raddatz, as
well as a free movie showing on Friday night and a lecture about the
U.S. educational system on Saturday morning.
Seth Raddatz will
play in the DCA fireside lobby at 7 p.m. on Saturday, January 28. Door
County audiences may recognize Seth Raddatz as the son of veteran local
folksinger Mark Raddatz, but after writing and performing in Door County
for several years, Seth has developed his own reputation and following
on the peninsula.
On
January 20 and 21, Door Community Auditorium will provide the second
installment of its 2012 lecture, concert, and movie screening series.
After a Friday evening showing of the hit film Super 8, DCA will present
a Saturday morning lecture about academic biblical interpretation and a
Saturday evening concert by well-known local folksinger Katie Dahl.
Katie Dahl will play
as part of DCA’s Coffehouse Concert series at 7 p.m. on Saturday,
January 21, having played to a sellout crowd at the DCA in 2010. Known
for the easy humor of her live performances, the depth and power of her
alto voice, and the poignant candor of her original music, Dahl has
gained a strong reputation in Door County from her solo shows as well as
her work with American Folklore Theatre and Door Shakespeare. She tours nationally on a regular basis and has shared the stage with such respected songwriters as Julie Gold and Dar Williams.
On
January 13 and 14, Door Community Auditorium will begin the new year
with a bang, by kicking off its 2012 lecture, concert, and movie
screening series. After a Friday evening showing of Brad Pitt’s hit
movie Moneyball, DCA will present a Saturday morning lecture about the
Supreme Court and a Saturday evening concert by popular local bluegrass
band Highland Road.
Highland Road will kick off DCA’s Coffeehouse Concert series at 7 p.m.
on Saturday, January 14. Highland Road are familiar favorites in the DCA
Coffeehouse series, having played to sold-out houses in both 2009 and
2010.
This winter, the Door Community Auditorium presents a series of events
sure to stimulate the mind, the heart and the funny bone. Comprised of
coffeehouse concerts, free lectures, complimentary film screenings, and the
perennially popular Door County Idol, the Auditorium’s diverse winter lineup brings
a great depth of musical, intellectual, and cultural enrichment to Fish Creek
and Door County. On the Mainstage The winter season consists of three mainstage presentations.On December 30, Wagner-Guthrie
Entertainment presents crooner Steve March Tormé (son of the legendary Mel
Tormé).Steve March Tormé is known
for wowing audiences with his delivery of jazz standards, Broadway favorites,
and original songs. On February 4, DCA partners with Peninsula Players and Fish
Creek Winter Fest to present Baby Wants Candy, an entirely improvised and
hysterical 60-minute musical. And, on February 11, teens from across the Door Peninsula
compete for the title of 2012 Door County Idol.
Suzanne Graff and Jerry Gomis have been the life blood of Door Shakespeare for 13 seasons. The
Board of Directors thanks Suzanne and Jerry for their years of
commitment in developing Door Shakespeare to one of the artistic gems in
Door County. With the departure
of Suzanne and Jerry, the Board is committed to continuing the quality
entertainment that our patrons have come to expect.
Ryan Schabach, an
actor and director for Door Shakespeare and other national theaters, has
agreed to assist the Board with its immediate need of interim artistic
leadership while we engage a search committee to fill these leadership
roles.
Get
into the holiday spirit with "All Is Calm", the true story of the way
one young soldier’s courage led to an extraordinary night of
camaraderie, music, and peace.
Performed
by acclaimed Twin Cities vocal ensemble Cantus and Theater Latté Da,
"All Is Calm" tells the story of the Christmas Truce of 1914, in which
soldiers on both sides of World War I set down their weapons and entered
into no man’s land to celebrate Christmas together.
Wednesdays just got WACKY! Door
Shakespeare wants everyone, especially the ‘locals’ to join in the
frivolity of its first-ever Fall season offering, "The Complete Works of
William Shakespeare (Abridged)!" by presenting Wacky Wednesday evening
performances, October 5 and 12, at the unheard of low price of just $15
per ticket.
Peninsula
Players Theatre's popular series of free public seminars continues
through the fall each Saturday with provocative topics and lively
sessions. Cast members from the current production of "God of Carnage"
Joe Foust, Maggie Carney, Karen Janes Woditsch and Kevin McKillip will
lead three of the remaining four seminars which are held from 2:30 - 4
p.m. in the rehearsal hall. Seminars are held during the run of the
award-winning rollercoaster-ride comedy playing through Oct. 16 at the
Theatre-in-a-Garden.
Since
1935, Peninsula Players has been entertaining and delighting Door
County audiences in Fish Creek, Wisconsin. In conjunction with its fall
season the Players will offer public tours of its stage house and
all-weather audience pavilion. Free backstage tours will begin at 2
p.m. Sundays, Sept. 18, Sept. Sept. 25. and Oct. 2.
"Patrons
have the rare opportunity to go backstage and glimpse into the life of
an actor by visiting the dressing rooms and set of 'God of Carnage,'"
said Audra Baakari Boyle, Players Business Manager.
As
the fall season descends, two natural phenomena occur, the sun sets a
little earlier each day and the Peninsula Players Theatre changes its
curtain times. Peninsula Players Theatre, America's oldest professional
resident summer theater, is located off Highway 42 between Egg Harbor
and Fish Creek along the cedar-lined shores of Door County.
"Many of our
patrons come to the theatre early to enjoy the gardens and to watch the
sun setting over the bay," said Players Business Manager Audra
Baakari-Boyle.
Updated constantly ... What's going on in Door County
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If you are looking for interesting places to visit and things to do, you're in the right place. This online magazine features articles that help you get the most out of your vacation in Wisconsin's magical Door Peninsula. Get useful visitor information and be sure to check out our Kids Edition to find places that children like to go. The opinions and recommendations herein are solely those of our contributing writers. Event information subject to change without notice.
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