Culture Club – Peninsula Arts & Humanities Alliance

Young performer in “Something is Wrong in the State of Denmark.”

I always thought Old Will Shakespeare must have had a twist in his tights the day that he penned, “Life’s but a walking shadow…a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” I’m a big fan of the Bard’s, but when I first came across that line it brought me up short.

In mid-June, Third Avenue Playhouse kicked off the summer season as we have for six years now – with our For Kids By Kids theater day camp – and our halls have been echoing with the happy clamor of active children ever since.

“On Golden Pond,” on stage at the TAP in August.

For four weeks, campers have received instruction in pantomime, improvisation, theatre games, social exercises, and interpretation. Some of them have participated in our camp before. Many are newcomers. Some are leaders. Others are a little less bold. Some crave the spotlight. Others seek the relative safety of the tech booth or backstage. All have one thing in common – they will leave here changed.

That transformation is at the heart of our theater camp program and it grows out of the belief that the exercises and experiences our campers participate in, along with the productions we select, offer important life lessons for them and for our young audiences. Why? Because our board, staff and camp supervisors are committed to the following principals:

The Bluegrass Camp Concert at TAP is scheduled for July 31.

• That theater has the power to illuminate, transform and heal;

• That experiencing the performing arts is essential for children to thrive;

• That the performing arts stimulate intuitive thinking and allow for the possibility of mystery and magic in our lives;

• That theater can create community and give back to the community;

• That nurturing and educating younger performers keeps our work vital and ensures its continuity; and, finally,

• That how we work with one another matters – a lot.

So while Third Avenue Playhouse is in the business of entertaining, our theater camp allows us to go one step further, to educate. We want children to see that the characters on stage can work through their problems and come to a better understanding of themselves and their circumstances. While they are learning their lines, we also want them to be learning about hope, a sense of well-being and the empowerment of possibility.

This year, 22 students, ages 9 – 14, will complete their camp experience with a full-stage production of Something’s Rotten in the State of Denmark, a hilarious comedy by Joseph Wallace based ever-so-loosely on Hamlet. For a number of our campers, this will be the first of many appearances on our stage. More and more frequently, we see our For Kids By Kids students graduate to roles in our TAPWorks productions where they can collaborate with adult actors from the community. In fact, later this summer, Josh Augustson, one of our veteran Kids campers, will play the role of Billy in the TAPWorks revival of On Golden Pond.

In the space between the youthful ebullience of camp and the timeless appeal of On Golden Pond, our theater will be filled with the tenor voices of Darren Johnson, Andy Bain and Doug Dachelet (Da Tree Guys!) and some amazing bluegrass music (Door County Bluegrass Camp Concert). The music and family humor of the Hagens will bring the season to a close this year as it has for the last 10 summers.

So with our camp and all our season’s offerings in mind, let me share with you another line from Shakespeare: “For the best is yet to do; and here, where you are, they are coming to perform it.”

Much better than that sound and fury business, isn’t it? These days, I can promise you that TAP is replete with joyful noise and full of sound that is significant in the extreme.

Upcoming at TAP

• Thursday – Saturday, July 8 – 11 at 7 pm, Sunday at 2 pm

A For Kids By Kids Production

Something’s Rotten in the State of Denmark By Joseph Wallace

Directed by Bill Bauernfeind

It’s supposed to be Hamlet – but something’s gone very wrong!

• Saturday, July 24 at 7:30 pm

Da Tree Guys!

Daddy D’s Darren Johnson and Doug Dachelet team up with Andy Bain for an evening of music, comedy and ‘Up Nort’ fun!

• Saturday, July 31 at 4 and 7:30 pm

Third Annual Door County Bluegrass Camp Concert

An electrifying night of music featuring Tommy Burroughs, Eric Lewis, Billy Contreras, Karen Mal, Jody Wood, and Rich Higdon.

• Thursday – Saturday, August 12 – 15 and 19 – 22, at 7:30 pm, Sunday at 2 pm

A TAPworks Production

On Golden Pond by Ernest Thompson

Directed by Henry Timm

A special summer revival of one of our most popular theater presentations – Ernest Thompson’s bittersweet play about family relationships, love, and growing old.

• Saturday, August 28 at 7:30 pm

Hagen Family Summer Concert

Washington Island’s favorite family returns for some pickin’ and grinnin’ Island-style!

The TAP Box Office is located at 239 N. Third Avenue, Sturgeon Bay. Tickets are also available at Dancing Bear, 13 N. Third Avenue and Java on Jefferson, corner of Fifth Avenue and Jefferson. For more information or to reserve tickets, call 920.743.1760 or visit http://www.ThirdAvenuePlayhouse.com.