TAP Uncovers Door County Roots to Pulitzer Prize-Winning Playwright

Photo by Len Villano.

After a recent performance of Sam Shepard’s True West at Third Avenue Playhouse (TAP), TAP learned of a connection between the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Sam Shepard and Door County.

According to Door County resident Margaret Poole, Shepard visited Door County frequently throughout his life, including time when he was a boy. Ms. Poole lived across the street from Shepard’s aunt’s house in Baileys Harbor and remembers stories of his childhood. Occasional meetings with Shepard and his family punctuated Ms. Poole’s time in Baileys Harbor throughout her life.

Ms. Poole met Sam Shepard in 1993, when he visited Baileys Harbor with his mother and son. “I remember Sam saying that he remembered my great-grandmother from the times he spent visiting his grandparents because of her very dry humor.”

Third Avenue Playhouse’s True West is now on its final week of shows. Sam Shepard’s True West runs through April 9 and features Doug Mancheski, Jonathan Wainwright, Mark Moede, and Laurel Brooks. Robert Boles directs.

True West follows estranged brothers as they claw for their piece of the American Dream.

Tickets are $28 for general admission and $12 for students. For more information visit thirdavenueplayhouse.com.