Welcome

WELCOME TO NORTHERN SKY THEATER

Welcome to another summer and fall season beneath the northern sky. Our 2022 lineup is as exciting as ever. All four shows offer great variety in time and tone. Our summer world premiere is Love Stings and is set in the 1960s on a Wisconsin honey bee farm. Complimenting it outdoors in the park is Fishing for the Moon, a musical romp set just after the Civil War. Indoors, running simultaneously with the outdoor shows, is Dad’s Season Tickets, our blockbuster show that premiered in the new Gould Theater in 2019. Rounding out our fall season is Sunflowered, set in the present day and taking place in Peninsula State Park. It’s amazing to be back in the park with full productions and all of the wonderful improvements we’ve been able to make. We trust that your experience in the park will be richer for it. We are also keen to have our summer audience experience the Gould, doubling your Northern Sky experience of enjoying shows written with you in mind.

Through the past couple of years, especially in 2020 when we could not perform live for you, we have grown ever-more aware of how special our relationship is with you. We took every opportunity we could to stay connected with you throughout the pandemic by offering a virtual season, by posting almost daily on social media, and by reaching out through email to keep you informed about all we continued to create. But we are a theater company and that brings with it the very special need for a communal, live experience. We are eager to hear your laughter and see the smiles on your faces as we celebrate another opportunity to be together, live and in person, something we do not take for granted.

Thanks for coming and enjoy the show!

Jeff Herbst, Artistic Director

Dave Maier, Managing Director

MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR OF THE BOARD

Origin stories – everyone’s got one. We at Northern Sky just love to hear your origin stories. Stand next to any Northern Sky company member and chances are they’ll share theirs – their first show, their favorite song, their funniest moment. Well, here’s mine.

When my brother DJ and I were little, Mom and Dad took us camping in Peninsula Park several times every summer. In 1970, we tromped through the woods to see this exciting new singing and storytelling group called Heritage Ensemble perform on the naturalist’s stage. Wow, we loved it! We sang the songs all the way back to the campsite, picking up sticks for our bonfire along the way.

Since that first show, a trip to Door County wasn’t complete without seeing a show in the Park. The night my husband Bob told my parents he was going to propose, he and I had gone to a Heritage Ensemble show. Now, I’m not sure the Ensemble gets credit for that monumental life decision, but I’m just saying. From then on, from wherever we lived, we travelled back to the Park every season, bringing along our three kids to enjoy the stories Northern Sky had to tell.

Over those years, Heritage Ensemble became American Folklore Theater became Northern Sky Theater, first in the Park, then adding the Gould stage, all of which is itself an origin story. Last year we adopted a statement to acknowledge the native peoples of Northeast Wisconsin, because the land upon which we tell our stories has an origin story too.

And here we are. I never would have dreamed, those years ago, that someday I would be asked to serve as the chair of the board of this beloved theater. How lucky am I? Many of you have Northern Sky origin stories that go way back, for which we thank you. If you are new to the Northern Sky experience, welcome and we hope you continue to build upon your origin story with us for many years to come! As my own experience shows, who knows where that can lead?

Heidi Ling, Board Chair

WELCOME TO PENINSULA STATE PARK

On behalf of the Wisconsin State Park System, I would like to welcome you to Peninsula State Park, one of Wisconsin’s most complete state parks and a favorite camping destination. Peninsula State Park draws over a million visitors annually from all around the world and is one of the many jewels of Door County. With 468 campsites, three group campsites, lighthouse, outdoor theater, golf course, nature center, swimming beach, biking and hiking trails, 150-foot bluffs and eight miles of lake Michigan shoreline, you are sure to find many recreational opportunities. Please be sure to check out an amazing sunset from Weborg Point or Sven’s Bluff, local favorites.

This year, as Northern Sky Theater embarks on a new season, it will continue to be one of the park’s main attractions, creating family experiences under the stars. We encourage you to share this amazing experience with your friends and family by inviting them to a performance they will never forget. Share our traditions and make new memories at Peninsula State Park with our partner Northern Sky.

Campers and park visitors can look forward to a new performance, Love Stings, as well as enjoying a remount of Fishing for the Moon. I expect you will be amazed at the many natural wonders that are around every corner. As we raise the curtain on the 2022 season, remember to explore, enjoy and be a part of the experience. Enjoy the show!

Eric Hyde, Superintendent Peninsula State Park