MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR OF THE BOARD

What’s old is new again. At Northern Sky, we take pride in perfecting that art form.

This year we are presenting Guys on Ice, twenty-five years after it premiered at the Ephraim Village Hall in 1998. That year I traveled from California with our three young kids to spend our fall break in Door County with my parents. We all ventured down the steep hill between two steeples to see the new show. It was a warm fall and the year of the great ladybug invasion and the tornado (but that’s a different story). The highlight, of course, was the Snowmobile Suit song. I’ll just say snowmobile suits were on the kids’ Christmas lists…in California.

Twenty-five years on, Bob and I will be in the audience, with my parents and our kids, to once again witness the dance of those epic onomatopoeic zippers. I am sure we haven’t aged a bit and I expect seeing the Guys will feel like the very first time.

From less deep in our canon (2008), Cheeseheads! makes a return as well. And while the themes are universal and the jokes ever giggle-worthy, the show comes with a new twist – the character of the shift lead at Schnaybel’s Famous Cheese isn’t a foreman – she is a woman because, well, of course why not? With some clever updating and a new song, you are in for a real treat. Personally, I feel like we’ve won the lottery.

While The Fish Whisperer is new, it is sure to feel like an old favorite. Like every story Northern Sky tells, this story is one of mystery and magic, harmonies and hope, puns and poignancy, laughter and love. These are the stories we tell. The characters and plots vary, but at the heart of every Northern Sky story, this is what it’s all about. It’s in our DNA.

Whether this is your first time to our stages or you are a fan of many years, whether you are with a loved one or generations of them, welcome and enjoy our new and new old shows. Just think, in twenty-five years you could be sitting here, about to enjoy the twenty-fifth anniversary return of The Fish Whisperer ! Whoa.

Heidi Ling Board Chair

Jeff Herbst

Artistic Director / Director / Performer

Jeff has been with Northern Sky since 1991 and became artistic director in 1993. He began his collaboration with the Heritage Ensemble, Northern Sky’s predecessor, in 1985 as part of the Governor Dodge State Park troupe and then migrated north to direct for the Peninsula State Park group in 1988 and 1989. He has worked on over seventy-five original productions with Northern Sky, including Guys on Ice, Lumberjacks in Love, Packer Fans from Outer Space, and Bone Dance. Jeff was instrumental in developing Northern Sky’s New Works Program and the Fred Alley New Musical Fund, nurturing writing teams in bringing an original work “from the page to the stage.” He was integrally involved with the design of the new Gould Theater and Northern Sky campus. He recently initiated Northern Sky NOVA, a nascent program for nurturing up-and-coming talent.

Jeff has an MFA in Acting from the Asolo Conservatory and has performed on and off Broadway, as well as at regional theatres throughout the United States. He and Fred Alley were honored in 2017 with the Distinguished Alumni Award from their alma mater, Mt. Horeb High School, for their work in creating original musical theater.