A Year In the Life of Third Avenue Playhouse

Carrie Hitchcock and Alan Kopischke star in ‘A Walk In the Woods,’ now on stage at Third Avenue Playhouse. Photo by Len Villano.

by Robert Boles, Co-Artistic Director

With theaters, concert halls, galleries all bursting with activity, the summer and fall is a very busy time for the arts in Door County. So it is for the Third Avenue Playhouse in historic downtown Sturgeon Bay. We hit the ground running on June 30 with our current production of Isaac’s Eye. We will continue with the musical Madame Sherry, and won’t come up for air until October 16 when our production of The Gin Game takes its final bow.

Third Avenue Playhouse (TAP) is a year-round professional theater offering seven main stage productions of plays and musicals per year between March and December. In addition we produce concerts and other special events. This fall, for instance, we will present Will Durst, the San Francisco-based political satirist in Elect to Laugh. In August we will present the popular folk group, The Five Milers, and at Christmastime we will again host the annual Hagen Family Christmas Concert.

Through our educational outreach program, StageKids, we produce two productions each year featuring students from throughout Door County. This past year we partnered up with the Boys and Girls Club of Door County for twice-weekly theater workshops supported by grants from the Door County Community Foundation and the Wisconsin Arts Board. In addition, classes in acting, film and playwriting are offered to both students and adults.

The talented actors on our stage come from Milwaukee, Chicago, Minneapolis, New York, and right here in Door County. Many are members of Actors Equity Association (the professional actors union) and all are highly trained, dedicated professionals.

So what happens at TAP once the busy season ends in mid-October when the number of tourists declines and the snowbirds escape to warmer climes? The answer is pretty much the same thing. Yes, we do get to slow down a little and catch our breath. But then it’s back to work.

Here is some of what happened last year from the closing of our fall show up to the present.

Dan Klarer stars in ‘Santaland Diaries,’ a play by David Sedaris and directed by Robert Boles. Photo by Len Villano.

OCTOBER 2015
First, we have a few days off to catch our breath. Some of us take a little vacation time away from the county, others stay home and relax. Once back, rehearsals begin for the next StageKids show. At the end of the month for two nights, we once again host Dark Songs, the annual Halloween songfest. On Halloween night, we screen The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Many attendees show up costumed as the movie’s characters. We hold a contest (with prizes of course) for Best Costume. A fun way to end the month.

NOVEMBER 2015
Rehearsals continue for the annual StageKids holiday show, The Santa Claus Chronicles, with three performances scheduled for the weekend before Thanksgiving. More than 20 students are in the cast. We firm up our plans for the upcoming year, and attend to the many ongoing office chores.

DECEMBER 2015
Rehearsals begin for The Santaland Diaries, the hilarious play by David Sedaris with the wonderfully comical Dan Klarer (who starred in Isaac’s Eye). The end of the month brings us the news we have been chosen by the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel as one of the Top Ten Theaters in Wisconsin. A very nice way to start the New Year.

JANUARY 2016
As the weather gets colder and the New Year begins, we begin a month of hibernation. No rehearsals or performances scheduled, just some office work and a lot of relaxation away from the office.

Katherine Duffy performs in The Amish Project at Third Avenue Playhouse. Photo by Len Villano.

FEBRUARY 2016
We’re back! Rehearsals begin for The Amish Project, an incredible one-woman show featuring the marvelous Katherine Duffy, our artist-in-residence from the previous summer. Auditions for the next StageKids production of The Laramie Project take place. High school students from around the county participate, and 12 are chosen for the play. Valentine’s weekend brings original musical performances courtesy of Love on Holiday.

MARCH 2016
The Amish Project opens March 2 for a three-week run. We also have the pleasure of hosting our first student matinee for that play. Rehearsals begin for our next main stage production A Walk In the Woods, featuring the gifted Milwaukee actor Carrie Hitchcock and our own Alan Kopischke. The play opens on the final day of the month, March 31.

APRIL 2016
A Walk In the Woods is performed through April 17. At the same time, rehearsals continue for The Laramie Project. On the 30th, Lisa Rock and her incredible band perform the music of The Carpenters on our concert stage.

MAY 2016
The Laramie Project opens for three performances on May 6. Rehearsals begin for PATIO/PORCH – actually two separate one-act plays depicting the lives of four very different women in Texas. One play is set on a patio, and the other (you guessed it) on a porch. Playing all of these women is the marvelous duo of Amy Ensign and Jacque Troy. PATIO/PORCH opens on May 19 for a three-week run.

Amy Ensign (front) and Jacque Troy in the spring 2016 production PATIO/PORCH. Photo by Edward DiMaio.

JUNE 2016
PATIO/PORCH closes June 5. Construction of sets and costumes for our summer/fall shows begins. We again host two days of the annual Steel Bridge Songfest. Rehearsals begin for our first show of the summer, Isaac’s Eye, which opened June 30 to rave reviews.

JULY 2016
As Isaac’s Eye continues to intrigue audiences, we begin rehearsals for the hilarious and tuneful 1910 musical comedy Madame Sherry.

We are very proud to be able to offer year-round programming at the Third Avenue Playhouse. We hope that if you have not visited our theater before, you will soon check us out. And if you have, we’re always happy to see you again. Very simply put, we love what we do and we are so grateful that the residents and visitors of Door County have welcomed and supported us over the years. Thank you.

Peninsula Arts and Humanities Alliance, Inc., which contributes Culture Club throughout the summer season, is a coalition of nonprofit organizations whose purpose is to enhance, promote and advocate the arts, humanities and natural sciences in Door County.