High School Grads Make History as Youngest Actors Hired at Northern Sky

John Brotherhood stars as Billy Bradley in Northern Sky Theater’s production of “Oklahoma in Wisconsin.” Photo by Len Villano.

There’s coincidence in human events, and there’s fate. Perhaps there’s a bit of both at work in a tale that began in Joseph Fellner’s Door County cherry orchard in the summer of 1944. Like every other farmer and orchard owner, Fellner was struggling with the shortage of workers for the harvest. And, like many others, he was thankful to be assigned 10 German prisoners of war (POWs) to pick his cherries.

They worked from 6:45 am to 5 pm, with an hour off for lunch. A report signed by Feller noted that the prisoners’ military guard was Karl L. Johnson. Fellner’s son, Robert, was 10 that summer. He remembers the big party with music when the picking was over.

Sixty-nine years later, in 2013, Robert Fellner enjoyed American Folklore Theatre’s original production of Victory Farm, the story of German POWs assigned to pick cherries in another Door County orchard. This year there’s a special reason for him to see the play again on the stage in Peninsula State Park – Joseph Fellner’s great-grandson, Isaiah Spetz, is playing one of the POWs in the show. Not only does the family connection give Isaiah’s performance an unusual twist, but Isaiah, a 2017 Sevastopol graduate, is one of just two actors ever hired right out of high school by the theater company (now in its third year as Northern Sky Theater).

And, there’s more – the other 2017 graduate in Northern Sky shows this summer is John Brotherhood, who just completed high school at Marquette University High in Milwaukee. He plays the part of Billy Bradley in the premier of Oklahoma in Wisconsin. A summer resident of Ellison Bay for many years, John, like Isaiah, has a long history of involvement with theater. He was cast in his first show at First Stage in Milwaukee at age seven, playing Boy Scout No. 3 in Ramona Quimby.

“I kind of grew up in several roles at First Stage,” he said. He’s also appeared at the Milwaukee Rep in To Kill a Mockingbird, A Christmas Carol, The History of Invulnerability and The Foreigner and spent two seasons with Door Shakespeare.

Interestingly, John and his two younger brothers all auditioned for the role of Billy Bradley in last summer’s workshop reading of Oklahoma in Wisconsin. Luke Brotherhood was chosen then, but John got the nod to appear in the show this summer. He has written two plays and hopes to produce one of them, The Dumb Ox, in Milwaukee next summer.

Isaiah Spetz

Isaiah’s on-stage experience began in third grade, when he was cast in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, a show presented at Third Avenue Playhouse by the Music and Art School. At 12, he appeared in Peninsula Player’s production of Over the Tavern, and he’s also done shows at Sevastopol, St. Norbert’s College Music Theatre and the Birder Studio of Performing Arts. Two years ago, he attended a two-week i Theatrics camp in New York City with a Junior Broadway workshop of West Side Story. He also attended a play-writing workshop at Peninsula Players and has a one-act play and several scenes he’s still working on. He’s also a songwriter and musician.

Both Isaiah and John auditioned last November in Milwaukee with Jeff Herbst and Molly Rhode, Northern Sky’s artistic director and associate artistic director, respectively, for the roles they’re playing this summer. Although theater has the heart of these young men, they have many other interests. Both are runners, John is interested in nutrition and cooking, and Isaiah is a gardener and beekeeper. They were not acquainted before this summer, but have become close friends and are happy they’ll be “neighbors” in New York City this fall – a mere 10 miles apart, rather than the present 20-plus.

Isaiah will major in theater at New York University in Greenwich Village, while John will pursue the same major at Fordham in the Bronx.

“That’s an interesting story,” he said. “It’s the only New York school I applied to, and I did it just for fun. I was really close to enrolling in Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio, to major in theology. My faith means a lot to me, and I may still have theology as a second major. I can tie it into what I write or the way I direct shows.” (He plans to audition as often as he can and create as much of his own work as possible. He hopes to produce and direct, as well as act, always thinking about how he can touch people through the work he’s doing.)

Isaiah would like to write musicals, along with furthering his acting career Also, coincidentally, both young men have considered teaching as a career and believe the stage offers a venue to teach, as well as entertain.

Isaiah said working at Northern Sky, with “such genuine, wonderful souls,” is a dream come true.

“It’s a joy to perform under the stars in beautiful Door County.”

He also praises Greg Vinkler and other actors at Peninsula Players who inspired him, and James Valcq and Robert Boles, mentors and role models at Third Avenue Playhouse, whom he loves dearly.

“Theater is booming in Door County,” he said. “I think it’s so great that all four theater companies build one another up; it’s a healthy competition.”

“I am grateful to be here,” John said. “It’s so rewarding to do what I love in a place that I love – such a vibrant theater community. It’s like being part of a family; there’s wonderful communion between actors and audience.”

After working with John and Isaiah over the summer, Jeff Herbst said, “Not surprisingly, but, of course, delightfully, they have turned out to be exactly the right fit for the roles they are portraying. Both young men possess a confidence on stage that belies their youth but is a testament to the good training and professional experience they had already been exposed to before taking on these major roles.

“The other thing that I find impressive about both of them,” Herbst continued, “is that they are constantly watching and learning from the more experienced actors around them. As a result, both of their performances are more nuanced and have continued to evolve. Keeping a character fresh over the course of a run is critical. That characteristic bodes well for their future training and work in the profession.”