Black Hills Playhouse

2023 Sponsors

77th Season Sponsors

Theatre is an expensive venture and our incredible sponsors help offset costs of productions, personnel, and royalties making it possible to keep ticket prices lower for audiences. We are grateful for their support and dedication to the Playhouse.

5000+ Aspen Pine Realty

The Black Hills Playhouse is pleased to welcome Aspen Pine Realty in Custer as a new season sponsor for our 77th season. With years of experience helping local buyers and sellers just like yourself, they know how to locate the finest properties and negotiate the best deals. It’s their job to know about the latest market conditions, government regulations, and upcoming developments — so that you don’t have to.

BankWest

Title Sponsor BANKWEST KIDS GO FREE

Since 2012, BankWest has been dedicated to our ” Kids Go Free” program with sponsorship earning the bank the title of “Vision Sponsor” for their ongoing commitment. Helping communities achieve financial success is a primary focus of Charles Burke III and his team. With BankWest helping the Kids Go Free program, thousands of kids and their families have had an opportunity to attend live theatre at the Black Hills Playhouse. Burke’s father played an integral part in finding a home for the BHP by helping Doc Lee find a suitable location in Custer State Park. BankWest continues the tradition of getting people to the BHP 76 years later.

Black Hills Energy

Black Hills Energy is proud to be a BHP sponsor in 2023. BHE has been as a sponsor of our season for decades, have donated to our education programs, and supported various capital efforts. This year they were our vendor for mini-splits which have added air conditioning to the backstage, rehearsal hall, and dining hall. Black Hills Energy serves 1.3 million customers in eight states through its mission of improving life through energy. Black Hills Energy and the Black Hills Playhouse are two of the oldest continuous businesses in the region.The BHE motto, Better Together, is especially true for the BHP!

Black Hills Oral Surgery

If you’re in need of dental implants, bone grafting, tooth extraction, jaw surgery, cleft palate or lip surgery or a host of other oral surgical procedures, Black Hills Oral Surgery and Dental Implant Center provides the special care and services you need. Their team of highly qualified specialists will take care to make your experience as efficient and comfortable as possible. The partners recognize that supporting the community is a responsibility that they embrace.

Hillard Wealth Solutions

As a team of trained and tested wealth management professionals who are passionate about helping you achieve your unique financial objectives, Hillard returns as a 2023 Season Sponsor. With a vast amount of experience, they are perfectly positioned to help you grow, enjoy and build your legacy. HWS is a new season sponsor this year and we welcome them to the Playhouse! Part of the RBC Wealth Management Group.

Scot and Mary Hoscheid

When Scot and Mary retired from their jobs in Iowa and decided to make a lovely cabin near Custer their home, they sought out organizations to support. Having attended the Playhouse as young adults, they have sponsored the summer season for a number of years as a way to show their support for the BHP and surrounding communities. They were part of the crew that helped on Annual Cleanup Day and have volunteered at fundraisers. Friends like these are the best!

Homeslice Media Group

Homeslice Media Group prides itself on developing long-term partnerships with small businesses, large corporations, and people and causes they believe in using every opportunity to elevate clients brand and reputation in the local and nationa community since 1992.

De and Dave Knudson

De and Dave Knudson of Sioux Falls are proud sponsors of the 77th Season at the Black Hills Playhouse. Volunteers, donors, and avid arts supporters, De & Dave welcome you to the the Black Hills Playhouse.

KOTA Territory

KOTA has been a media sponsor for many years, helping to spread the word about the great BHP Family of programs throughout out region. KOTA is an ABC affiliated television station owned by Gray Television, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia.

Powder House Restaurant and Lodge

Experience the tranquility of the Black Hills in log cabins, motel-style lodging, or in cozy honeymoon cabins complete with a private hot tub. The Powder House Restaurant has been a regular stop on people’s way to the Playhouse for decades. Look for the old “potato head” BHP logo in stained glass at the entrance and check out the special discounts for patrons of the BH. Attendees can get a 10% discount during the entire season!

Seaton Publishing Company, Inc

Seaton Publishing Company, Inc is a family owned media company serving the Black Hills region of South Dakota and Wyoming. In addition to the bhpioneer.com website, they operate The Black Hills Pioneer (established in 1876 and the oldest business in West River), The Weekly Prospector, and Nation’s Center News. They have a large production and printing department available to produce logos, business cards, invitations, posters, and are the printer for the Black Hills Playhouse playbill. We welcome them as a new media sponsor in 2023!

SHOW TITLE SPONSORS

Coca Cola Bottling Company,

Kahler Financial

South Dakota News Watch

Independent Bookkeeping + Tax, LLC

GUEST ARTIST SPONSORS

All American Siding and Windows and USA

Roofing

Jenny’s Floral

Scot and Mary Hoscheid

Sage Studios

RECEPTION WINE SPONSOR

Prairie Berry Winery

GARDEN SPONSORS

Custer Mile High Garden Club

EDUCATION SPONSORS

Black Hills Energy

Black Hills Energy is a proud sponsor of BHP Jr. Camps and Dakota Players Touring programs of the Black Hills Playhouse. We welcome them in 2023 as new education sponsors and are grateful for their support!

Dream Design, International

Hani Shafai and Dream Design Intl, not only care about developing property, but care deeply about the people who live in this region. Growing up in war-torn Palestine, Hani learned early the art of adaptability, constant rebuilding, and unwavering faith in what the world could become.

First Interstate Bank

Title Education Sponsor of the Black Hills Playhouse

Dedicated to serving the people of the Great Plains, First Interstate Bank is a community bank with locations throughout Idaho, Montana,

Oregon, South Dakota, Washington, and Wyoming. The great people have provided incredible support for the BHP for many years.

First PREMIER Bank and PREMIER Bankcard

First PREMIER Bank offers 16 branches throughout eastern South Dakota. PREMIER Bankcard is the nation’s 12th largest issuer of Mastercard credit cards. Together, the organization employs about 2,000 people and supports nearly 700 nonprofit organizations and events in the state. We are pleased to welcome First PREMIER Bank and PREMIER bankcard as education partners with the Black Hills Playhouse.

Massa Dental

Dr. Don Massa operates a successful practice in Hot Springs. Don has served as a board member of the BHP, a dedicated volunteer, and with his wife Rebecca, a philanthropic leader for the Black Hills Playhouse for many years. Their dedication to youth and the benefits of theatre participation is a source of pride.

Sage Studios Photography

We are proud to partner with Sage Studios in capturing high quality photos of our productions. With an artistic vision and a love for the arts, Master Photographer and Certified Professional Photographer Russell Lloyd Jensen has spent the last 21 years refining his craft. A recipient of numerous national awards for his photographs, Russell is a true gem in our community. This year Sage Studios is a sponsor of the BHP Jr. Camp for kids as well as a guest artist sponsor for the season.

Sheldon F. Reese Foundation

Sheldon F. Reese Foundation has provided years of support to education programs and capital efforts of the Black Hills Playhouse. This year they are a sponsor of BHP Jr. Performing Arts Camps as well as an effort to provide tickets for youth organizations focused on the empowerment of girls to see Silent Sky.

Sdpb

SDPB is proud to support the Educational programs of the BHP. SDPB is a vital community resource that produces and broadcasts highquality commercial free programs and valuable community projects that educate, enlighten and entertain.

Ms Hisek appears through the generosity of All American Siding and Windows and USA Roofing. See their ad on page 33.

SILENT SKY DIRECTOR’S NOTE

What I love and admire about Lauren Gunderson’s work is her ability to transform history into something concrete, living, and beautiful. She takes women forgotten to society (maybe even some history books) and gives these remarkable women new life. Henrietta Leavitt is no exception. She has agency, brains, and passion. When it comes to Silent Sky, we cover twenty years of Henrietta’s life in two acts. We move through time quickly, efficiently and with care. We see Henri discover herself, influence those around her, and also her growth as a human and astronomer. This play is a dazzling, mystical, and penetrating story about a woman experiencing true love, for this play is a romance. A romance between a woman and her calling as an astronomer. A romance that is felt between characters, a romance of dreams and passion. It is a romance amongst the universe. It is a play about a journey of discovery, of facts, and faith.

Callie Hisek

JUNE 9–JULY 2 SILENT SKY

by Lauren Gunderson directed by Callie Hisek

A soaring, music-rich, female-led science drama about Henrietta Swan Leavitt and the forgotten women’s faces of science working at the dawn of modern astronomy to classify the stars. This luminously beautiful play explores a woman’s place as defined by men in society during a time of immense scientific discoveries. With music and math bursting forth onstage, Henrietta and her female peers change the way we understand both the heavens and Earth.

Rated Pg

Show Title Sponsor KAHLER AND ASSOCIATES

Director Callie Hisek

Scenic Designer Kathy Voecks

Costume Designer .............................................................................................................................................. Kylie McDonald

Lighting Designer ....................................................................... .................................................................... Stephen Matthew

Projection Designer .......................................................................................................................................... Brittany Merenda

Stage Manager Christian Erben

Sound Designer Lane Bode

Technical Director David Wintersteen

Assistant Technical Director Adriene Grigsby

Carpenter Intern .......................................................................................................... Carroll LeClair, Neil Peltier, Edan Clow

Stagecraft Intern.................................................................................................................. Taury Himmerich, Payton McGinty

Head Electrician ............................................................................................................................................. Stephen Matthew

Sound Engineer /Assistant Head Electrics Lane Bode

Electrics Intern Connor von Rentzell

Properties Eliana J. Spitler

Properties Intern Jared McCurren

Charge Painter .....................................................................................................................................................Julie Lasonczyk

Scenic Painter ........................................................................................................................................................ Cody Crisman

Costume Shop Manager .................................................................................................................................... Christina Olson

First Hand/Cutter/Draper Kylie McDonald

Stitching Interns Tailer Benson, Kady Nankivel, Corinna Knighten

Cast

Henrietta Leavitt Mia Dorsett

Margaret Leavitt Deirdre Martin

Peter Shaw Alex Vito Fuegner

Annie Cannon .....................................................................................................................................................Lydia Rose Prior

Williamina Fleming ................................................................................................................................................... Kaitlin Gant

SILENT SKY by Lauren Gunderson

SILENT SKY is presented by special arrangement with Broadway Licensing, LLC, servicing the Dramatists Play Service collection. (www.dramatists.com)

Commissioned and first produced by South Coast Repertory with support from the Elizabeth George Foundation.