SkyWords Spring 2017 Newsletter by Northern Sky Theater

Your Northern Sky News • SPRING 2017

Decades Under the Northern Sky Jeffrey Herbst, Artistic Director

hat an exciting, full year we have planned, with two world premieres, one in the summer and one in the fall. And for a second summer in a row we’ll be offering four shows in rotating repertoire. Northern Sky has now been carrying on the tradition of presenting shows in the park that dates back nearly five decades. Each of our five shows this year take place in a unique decade in American history. What do you remember or know about them?

1950s: Elvis was King of new-fangled rock ‘n roll; cold war was raging; dozen eggs = 60¢. Our summer world premiere, Oklahoma in Wisconsin, is set in 1954. Richard Castle (book and lyrics) and Matthew Levine (music) have written a charming homage to Door County with a musical that highlights the quirkiness of a family-run inn during the 1950s. When a Hollywood scout pays a visit, the result is the birth of the tourist fish boil and the humorous clash of big city and small town culture. This is our third collaboration with New Musicals Inc. after the success of Windjammers and When Butter Churns to Gold. We did a workshop last summer that featured Bill Theisen and Rhonda Rae Busch as the

Decades Under the Northern Sky, continued from the front page proprietors, Archie and Ginny, of the Rocking Chair Inn. Both will return this summer. Their two children, Charlotte and Billy, will be played by Eva Nimmer and John Brotherhood. John will also intern for us this summer. Rounding out the cast will be Alex Campea as the Hollywood scout and Doug Mancheski playing the double roles of a Hollywood movie studio boss and a local Fish Creek realtor. Pam Kriger will take the helm as director/choreographer, with sets, costumes, lighting, props, and sound by Lisa Schlenker, Karen Brown-Larimore, Dave Alley, Neen Rock, and Nic Trapani, respectively. Tim Lenihan and Alissa Rhode will be back as Musical Directors, joined by returnee Jay Kummer and newcomer Colin O’Day in the pit band. Ron Barnett will supply the orchestrations.

1940s: WWII defined the decade; Germany was divided post-war; dozen eggs = 33¢. Victory Farm, by Katie Dahl, Emilie Coulson, and James Valcq, is set in 1944. There are certain shows that light a fuse and immediately are launched into the canon of favorites. Victory Farm certainly rocketed into that category and now makes its first return to the summer stage since its world premiere in our 2012 season. In the fall of 2008, Katie Dahl and Emilie Coulson approached me about doing a reading of a show that they had an initial draft of called Sweetie Pies. The story was based in Door County during WWII and centered on the Mueller family orchard and a group of POWs from Germany sent to take up the migrant work due to the shortage of labor caused by the war. The show has tremendous heart and plenty of humor as the story of two worlds unfolds and barriers are broken through. We have a terrific cast for the summer. Molly Rhode, Doug Mancheski, and Eva Nimmer will recreate the American roles they’ve played before: Edna, Jack, and Dottie. The German trio of POWs, Josef, Karl, and Wolfgang, will be played by Chase Stoeger, Isaiah Spetz, and myself. Isaiah is currently a local high school senior and will also intern this summer. Jon Hegge returns to direct the show with Kelly Doherty assisting.

1930s: The Great Depression impacted the world; commercial TV was born; dozen eggs = 44¢. Doctor! Doctor!, with book, lyrics, and music by Matt Zembrowski, is set in 1938. This charming tribute to small-town life in Door County, where residents reluctantly but humorously adapt to change, returns for a second season after its world premiere last summer. The cast will comprise returnees Doug Mancheski, Fred ‘Doc’ Heide, Chase Stoeger, Eva Nimmer, Bill Theisen, Rhonda Rae Busch, and Kelly Doherty. Alex Campea will also appear, as he did last year, in the role of the 2

Decades Under the Northern Sky, continued from page 2 mayor as an understudy to Bill. Newcomer Laura Paruzynski will take over the role of Annie and also join us as an intern. Our remaining intern crew will be Milwaukeean, Rae Pare, and University of Wisconsin-Green Bay student, Kiersten Zangl. They will be supervised by stage managers Shawn Galligan and Lisa Mion. Jeff Chesebro and Bryce Foster will return as audio and electrical/lighting technicians. Helping us, as always, to build things new and retrofit things old will be Stewart Dawson in the shop.

1890s: The Gilded Age; Industrial revolution was born; dozen eggs = 20¢. Lumberjacks in Love, written by Fred Alley with music by James Kaplan, is set in the 1890s. The fashion of the day, for women, still featured long dresses with modified bustles and corsets. This aspect of life in that era is prominent in the story of four burly guys and a mail order bride. Lumberjacks will play only one night a week and will feature the same cast as last summer. Since we switched our two-show days to Mondays and Thursdays, we are looking to see how this iconic Northern Sky favorite will fare for the 8:30pm slot on Thursdays. We will also be trying out a fire ring gathering between the two shows on Thursdays. Those leaving the first show can intermingle with those arriving for the second and enjoy some stories and songs around a beautiful fire, all hosted by company members.

2010s: The multi-media age; digital life proliferates; dozen eggs = $2.09. Naked Radio, our fall world premiere by Dave Hudson and Paul Libman, is set in 2017. This is Dave and Paul’s seventh musical written exclusively for Northern Sky. When a small radio station gets swallowed up by a corporate parent, the local DJs are relegated to obscurity. But when a snowstorm knocks the power out and the station loses its tie to the pre-programmed feed, the guys have to punt, and a rejuvenated station brings back spontaneity and joy to the community it serves. The cast of three will be Scott Wakefield, Molly Rhode, and Chase Stoeger, all Northern Sky veterans, but who have never appeared together in a show for us. The trio will also provide all musical accompaniment for the show, arranged by Alissa Rhode. Scott returns after being featured in a number of Northern Sky concert shows. He first joined us in Milwaukee in 2000 to play Muskrat in Lumberjacks in Love. We are very glad to have him back in the fold. A celebration of over a century is represented by the various decades in which our shows take place this season. It’s a remarkable testament to the creativeness of our writing teams, who continually mine our rich history and culture to bring original productions to the Northern Sky stage. We look forward to seeing you under the Northern Sky. 3

Tuesday On My Mind and retrofitting benches, painting, landscaping, numbering, etc. The new audience seating will seat approximately 650 patrons and include 188 reserved seats. The central “orchestra” section, the prime seating section, will be bigger and primer than ever. Also the back left quadrant of the seating area has been elevated by about 18”, vastly improving the show experience for our entire audience. AND, we’ve invested in 200 brand new high-quality Sunbrella extra-thick seat cushions for the reserved seating section. We originally intended to implement these improvements with the upcoming campaign, but determined that two years was too long to wait. By the time you’re reading this, our esteemed Tuesday Crew will be hurrying to complete the final touches on the new seating design. Then on to a wish list that never seems to end, yet quietly and tirelessly offering up good deeds that always come with a smile, bring a smile and cure a nagging need. Bravo, Tuesday Crew, from your Northern Sky Family!

Dave Maier, Managing Director We had so much going on behind the scenes this past year. In fact, we’re just about to explode with exciting news about the new Creative Campus project later this spring. Yep, just going to leave that hang for about 3 more weeks… But one of the most important developments to take root last season was the growth of our new amphitheater volunteer “Tuesday Crew” – a team of multi-talented folks that meet as they can each Tuesday morning to take on a whole assortment of projects, big and small, at the park theater. Last year, their work transformed the grounds perceptively. The cast and crew were beside themselves with gratitude, and we received numerous compliments from patrons praising their work. But The Crew saved the best for last… After the summer season ended, we began our grand seating strategy redesign and upgrade project. Someone once said, “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone – with the exception of theater seating.” I added the last bit. Our summer shows run 90 minutes without intermission. While we do provide cushions in the reserved section, and have cushions available for general admission seating should you feel the need for a little extra TLC, we’re always looking for ways to improve the audience experience. We’ve also long been aware that the amphitheater has loads of quirky sight-line issues. Tuesday Crew to the rescue! Last fall The Crew completely redesigned the amphitheater seating section. This involved a tremendous amount of labor, still being completed actually: rebuilding

Room Enough to Grow… Beneath the Northern Sky In addition to the strides we’ve been making to improve your experience at the park, we can let you in on a little bit of news regarding our new Creative Campus before our big announcement in May. First of all, you may have heard that last spring we were able to secure a 15-year agreement with Peninsula State Park. This is the longest agreement the DNR has offered to one of its partners, allowing us to be there for the next generation of theater goers. Peninsula State Park will continue to be our performance home for the summer seasons. The park is our Heart & Soul, and what happens there will always be our “Main Event!” In fact, as we’ll soon reveal, 4

Tuesday On My Mind, continued

generation of theatergoing audience than we do. We’ve been told as much by reviewers that see shows throughout Wisconsin and the Midwest. Who will do that if not us? Through our mission, our pricing, our branding, our programming and our outreach – we’re not aware of any arts organization that fosters a more inviting, cross-generational, family-friendly cultural experience. Where else can a person get what we can only describe as the “Northern Sky Experience” – that extraordinary blend of relaxed and festive fellowship celebrating sublime, honest human joy and purpose in such a magnificent, natural cathedral? Most importantly, the Park and Creative Center will support, sustain and strengthen each other, our mission, and the future of theater you love. We can’t wait to share more with you in the days ahead!

we’ve got plans to make your experience at the park even more memorable in the years to come. In addition, we were also able to increase our County A & F property parcel in Fish Creek, the site of our planned new Creative Center campus, to almost 40 acres. Our new Creative Center will house everything we do to get ready for the park as well as a new fall performance space designed to blend intimacy, professionalism and patron comfort. We’ll be able to do more new works development and freely host workshops and public readings – all of which translates into more programming. Ultimately, our new space is all about ensuring our future for generations to come. Few organizations take more responsibility for promoting and building the next

Want to Share in the Applause?

who camp at Peninsula State Park for a week and want to volunteer at every show during their stay, and volunteers who help at just one or two shows. In other words, we’re looking for you!

Become a

What qualifications do we require? The main requirement is enthusiasm about Northern Sky! As a show volunteer, you’re almost always the first representative of Northern Sky that a patron sees. We need you to be a friendly face for our guests and to be able to stand for about an hour and a half – those are about the only tools you need. We’ll train you on any task we give you.

Northern Sky Volunteer! Northern Sky relies on, and is always looking for, fans ready to step up and lend a hand! To make a show go, we need volunteers to usher, sell merchandise and concessions, assist with traffic flow in the parking lot, assist patrons to our handicapped seating area, and to drive the golf cart shuttle. All told, there are more than 80 opportunities to volunteer at our shows each week – that means you have about 1000 chances to volunteer over the course of the summer!

If you’d like to volunteer or just to get more information, we want to hear from you! Just tell us, “I want to volunteer at Northern Sky!” in person at the office, over the phone at (920) 854-6117 x104, or email ann@northernskytheater.com.

What type of commitment are we looking for? We love to have volunteers who can commit to helping out once a week through the summer season, volunteers whom we can call at the last minute in case someone else cancels, volunteers 5

Seeing Stars: Oklahoma in Wisconsin surprised me by taking me on a backstage tour. I still cherish a Polaroid picture of actress Madeline Kahn signing my Playbill. And I still have the Playbill. To this day, I get goosebumps when I’m in a theater as the lights dim, an overture begins and the curtain rises. My love affair with musicals began that night inside Boston’s Colonial Theater; it led me to a theater degree at USC in Los Angeles, and now it has taken me to Door County and Oklahoma in Wisconsin. Oklahoma in Wisconsin takes place in 1954, the same year the movie version of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! went into production. Hollywood wanted to film this classic musical on location, so it could capture the widescreen Technicolor beauty of the waving wheat as the wind came sweepin’ down the plain. But there was one problem: the state of Oklahoma had too many oil wells dotting the landscape, making it an unsuitable location to film the movie. Hollywood would need to find a stand-in for Oklahoma. State Representative Victor Wickersham was not doing fine when Hollywood refused to say “OK” to Oklahoma, and he denounced the production in Washington, D.C. on the floor of the House of Representatives! But despite his protests, location scouts fanned out across the country to find a brand new state to treat them great; where honey lambs could sit and talk and watch a hawk makin’ lazy circles in the sky. Oklahoma in Wisconsin imagines that one of those scouts made

Richard Castle, Playwrite

I was told I would see stars. Jeff Herbst invited composer Matthew Levine and me out to visit Northern Sky for the first time in the summer of 2014. We had written a few songs for what would eventually become Oklahoma in Wisconsin, and Jeff wanted us to soak up the Door County atmosphere before we wrote any more material. As I followed the signs through Peninsula State Park toward the theater, I didn’t quite know what to expect. I had spent most of my life in Boston and Los Angeles, where theaters are brick-and-mortar buildings wedged into an urban concrete jungle. But as I walked up the wooded path and came to the clearing, I was amazed to find a beautiful outdoor amphitheater carved out of the forest. That night, as I sat in the audience and delighted in the wonderful entertainment on the stage, I glanced up to marvel at the endless northern sky. I knew right then I had to incorporate this gorgeous setting into the show I was writing. As my gaze wandered back down to earth, I saw children with their faces lit up with wonder as they watched their very first live musical. Yes, I saw stars. My mom took me to see my first musical as a gift for my tenth birthday. From the minute the overture began, I was hooked. After the show, my mom

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Seeing Stars…, continued door amphitheater in a state park, or right in your own backyard. Matthew and I couldn’t have achieved our dream of seeing Oklahoma in Wisconsin onstage without the help of the superbly talented and supportive folks at New Musicals Inc. and Northern Sky Theater, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to premiere our show in the very place that helped inspire it. I hope that part of the fun of seeing Oklahoma in Wisconsin is catching the references to Oklahoma!, Carousel, The King & I and even The Sound of Music. But most of all, I hope that audiences will enjoy watching the show, as the magic of musical theater fills the night with song beneath the stars.

his way from Hollywood up to Door County and fell in love. Set at a Fish Creek family-run inn, Oklahoma in Wisconsin explores the theme of how to preserve the past while keeping up with the times, especially in a period when America’s tastes were changing. In 1954, TV threatened to steal audiences away from movie theaters, “old-fashioned” pop music was about to be supplanted by “modern” rock & roll, and classic country inns were going out of fashion as vacationers began to prefer more state-of-the-art accommodations. With its 1950s-inspired score, our show is meant to be a valentine to musical theater, celebrating the fact that musicals can happen anywhere; in an indoor theater in a big city, in a beautiful out-

Creative Kids Day Friday, July 14 9:30 am - 12:00 pm or 1:00 pm - 3:30 pm 2017 Creative Kids theater workshop sessions take place on and around the Northern Sky stage in Peninsula State Park and are led by Northern Sky company members. For children ages 6-16. Register early! Limited number of children accepted. Fee is $25 per child or a maximum of $60 for 3 siblings or more. 7

“… to get by with a little less cheese.” Doc Heide, Co-founder of Northern Sky, Playwright, Artistic Advisor

This summer I will celebrate my 65th birthday. That’s a lot of years. Somehow I’ve survived into an era where seniors are reading books on how to use the Internet while children have to Google “how to read a book.” When I was a kid, 65 seemed impossibly old, the age of Methuselah or Gandalf or maybe George Burns. I didn’t realize you could be 65 and generally still feel as vital as a college student, albeit with a weaker lower back. So it’s easy to ignore my age unless I glance in the mirror and see that my hairline is starting to retreat faster than the Union Army at Bull Run. In the early days of what we now call Northern Sky Theater, age only figured into casting on the rare occasions when Fred Alley wrote a show that needed a child. Although I had a decade on Fred, all of us were still in our youngish middle-ish years, able to leap over tall buildings–or at least on top of a lumberjack bunk bed. But gradually age has asserted itself. Last summer was the first time I was cast in a role that required me to play somebody old–Doc Olson in Doctor! Doctor! And though I was asked to grow a beard because I didn’t look old enough to be retiring, I actually am old enough to be retiring and that’s where I’m headed next. Although age inevitably affects what you can do in theater, it doesn’t necessarily

constrict you in academia. The California School of Professional Psychology where I teach has no mandatory retirement age; one of our professors was so old that when he went to an antique auction, three people bid on him. Nonetheless, after much deliberation, I’ve decided to pull the plug on that job. This year I’ve been on sabbatical, and need to return to San Francisco to “pay back” that year. But in Spring 2018 I’ll be pointing my car east over the Sierras to come back to the loving arms of my wife, family and friends here in the Door. Just to clarify: I’m not retiring from Northern Sky. I plan to continue as long as I can, serving as board member and artistic advisor. If there’s a suitable role I’ll gladly perform. Lee Becker and I are working on the prequel to Belgians in Heaven (known as Hell’s Belgians) and have other ideas bouncing around our brains. My wife Jody and I want to explore the national parks. It would be delightful to have time to write a book, and lecture in support of it. Now, I realize retirement isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be. Some retirees claim they rise in the morning with nothing to do and by the time they go to bed, they’ve only gotten half of it done. But I’m willing to take the risk. To paraphrase the comedy writer Gene Perret, I’m ready to get out of the rat race–we’ll just have to learn to get by with a little less cheese. 8

Out of the Woods directed I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change at the Skylight. CORRIE BEULAH and her husband performed at Hawks Cay Resort over the holidays and are part of a new theatre company called “Know How Theatre!” In fact, she accompanied the cast as they performed Guys on Ice, so she has now interned, directed, produced, and played pit for that show. She writes that “MAUREEN MILBACH was kind enough to join me in the pit, and we had a mini-AFT reunion with our AFT sweatshirts.” JAMES VALCQ continues as coArtistic Director at Third Avenue Playhouse, where he directed Patio/Porch and his own adaptation of the vintage musical Madame Sherry. His collaboration with FRED ALLEY, The Spitfire Grill, received a 15-year Anniversary concert staging in Philadelphia featuring members of the original off-Broadway cast directed by James. In May he premieres the one-man show Velvet Gentleman in which he plays the role (and music) of composer Erik Satie. JON HEGGE is performing through May in the world premiere of Sweet Land, The Musical at the History Theatre in St. Paul, with book & lyrics by his wife LAURIE FLANIGAN HEGGE. Jon will be back this summer to direct Victory Farm before heading out on tour with Sweet Land in outstate Minnesota. Laurie is currently appearing as Mrs. Frank in The Diary of Anne Frank at Park Square Theatre, a long-running production that performs for over 12,000 students every year. EMILY COULSON has been expanding Daughter's Granola, her mailorder breakfast business, and writing about food and education in Southern California. COLIN WELFORD is currently

What did the folks at Northern Sky do during the off-season? ALEX CAMPEA tells us that he finally made the move to Milwaukee in February! Since then he has been busy acting in his new community and is excited about being back at Northern Sky this summer. Stage Manager LISA MION writes, “the “off” season was pretty on for me! I was on tour overseas for six weeks and worked in France, Belgium, Germany and India.” DOUG MANCHESKI performed Guys on Ice with h i s p r o d u c t i o n c o m p a ny, G o F i s h P r o ductions, in various cities across Wiscoinsin including his yearly stop in Madison. He also performed in the wellreceived True West at Third Avenue Playhouse during the spring. After helping with Guys and Does last fall, DAN KLARER played Ernie all winter in Guys on Ice. Now a Chicago resident, Dan is performing for Chicago Kids Company and Artists Ensemble before returning to the Door to play with the folks at Pen Players. RHONDA RAE BUSCH and her husband celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary by going to Greece for 2 weeks. Following that she was Jacqueline in Skylight Music Theatre’s La Cage Aux Folles and was in Beauty and the Beast at The Fireside. BILL THEISEN returned to the University of Iowa, where he serves as the Director of Opera, to celebrate the opening of the new Voxman School of Music Building with A Celebration of Opera Concert in the fall and then directed and choreographed The Pirates of Penzance this spring to open the new Hancher Performing Arts Center. He also traveled to the University of Kansas as guest director for a production of Berlin to Broadway with Kurt Weill. PAM KRIGER

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Out of the Woods, continued

just scaring our cat Mo!” KELLY DOHERTY was in A Lovely Sunday for Creve Coeur at Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, The Mikado with Milwaukee Opera Theater, and Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play with Luminous Theatre. MOLLY RHODE also performed in Milwaukee Chamber Theatre’s A Lovely Sunday for Creve Coeur and directed Great Expectations for them. CHASE STOEGER performed in the world premiere of First Stage’s Lovabye Dragon as the Troubadour. Chase tells us that their daughter Silvia has been perfecting her role as Darth Vader during her first visit to Disney World, and practicing the roles of Zazu and Scar for her future work in Lion King Jr. Chronic loafer MATT ZEMBROWSKI got married in July, bought a house, directed three shows at St. Thomas More High School, directed The Drowsy Chaperone at Waukesha Civic, put the finishing touches on the Doctor! Doctor! cast album, and finished the first draft of “a new show about football and family for Northern Sky”. DOC HEIDE, HOLLY FELDMAN, and ERIC LEWIS performed in the sold-out Home for the Holidays in Fish Creek during December. Eric will have a release party for his new CD Before the Last Time at the Door Community Auditorium in June. Meanwhile, Doc and LEE BECKER conducted improvisational theater training sessions for the psychiatric faculty of the Medical College of Wisconsin and retreated to the mountains of Arkansas to continue writing Hell’s Belgians. The trip included a stop at Devil’s Den State Park. Finally, STEWART DAWSON tells us that he wanted to go to Mongolia and join the U.B. Circus there. But he didn't. Better luck next year, Stewart.

music director in Chicago for a little musical you may have heard of – Hamilton – and will be taking a little break to conduct a giant production of Jesus Christ Superstar in June at the largest open-air theatre in the country, the 11,000-seat MUNY in St. Louis. When Butter Churns to Gold, by PETER WELKIN, RON BARNETT, and RANDI WOLFE, ran during March and April at The Great American Melodrama and Vaudeville in Oceano, California. DEB FETT writes, “Last August, I had the privilege of recording David Peterson’s Oral History for the Robert Gard Foundation along with my old Heritage Ensemble mate TIM McNURLEN and others.” AMY CHAFFEE did a 5-city Australian tour of her play, Your Mother’s Vagina. She’s also teaching at UCLA, coached on the new series for HBO, Barry, written by and starring Bill Hader, and is coaching a new pilot starring Reba McEntire and for a new X-Men series. DAVE HUDSON has left his ‘day job’ in IT at Blue Cross Blue Shield and has been focusing on his playwriting endeavors. This past year he has written a new musical based on the German folktale, The 12 Dancing Princesses, written a new book for his Carl Sandburg-inspired Dust and Dreams, is writing a play inspired by Durer’s Rhinoceros, and is having a great time getting Naked Radio ready for Northern Sky’s fall season. CLAUDIA RUSSELL is looking forward to coming back to Door County in August to do some shows with KATIE DAHL and RICH HIGDON, under the name “Paper Birds”. Claudia and her husband Bruce Kaplan are currently recording their 4th studio CD in Berkeley, and Claudia reports, “I’m taking a harmonica class, but so far, I’m 10

How An Idea Makes Its Way To The Stage Molly Rhode, Associate Artistic Director

play read aloud by actors. The actors’ job in the process is to focus specifically on their character and that character’s arc (or journey). It’s impossible for a writer (or director) to be attuned to all the characters simultaneously. But good actors see the weak spots in a character’s development almost immediately and their feedback will often fast track the author toward more detailed authentic characters. When a script and score really start to come into focus, we schedule a workshop. That is where the alchemy begins. When a group of gifted artists focus their creative energies on a new work, it really begins to take flight. We schedule workshops over a five-day period and we approach the material as if we were rehearsing for a full production. Actors, stage managers, a director, a music director and the writing team all participate. We have music rehearsals to learn the score, and then we have a read-through of the show. We often spend hours talking on the first day, asking: What is successful in the draft? What needs work? Are the stakes high enough? Is anything too predictable? Does the play’s structure provide the story enough momentum? Is the ending satisfying? Brainstorming begins. An actor will pose a critical question (perhaps it’s a loose end in the plot), and a fire of fresh ideas is suddenly lit. The words “what if” start to begin everyone’s sentences, and the writer becomes awash in new possibilities and directions that will influence the story and its outcome. Writers during this process are a truly impressive bunch. They are like sponges. They soak in all the feedback, good and bad alike, and then stay up into the wee

The new musical process feels a bit like alchemy. We find our way each season to opening night of a world premiere, but the path to get there is winding and mysterious. The success of a new work hinges on the collaborative process. No two shows have the same journey, but I’ll try to describe how we get there as best I can. Most often when a playwright has an idea she thinks is perfect for Northern Sky, she sends Jeff Herbst a treatment. A treatment is a short document that describes the idea in a few sentences, includes a detailed synopsis, and sometimes an outline or scene breakdown. Some playwrights and composers include writing samples and song segments. A treatment is the best way to communicate a new play idea. After reading a promising treatment, Jeff will contact the writer (or writing team) to discuss the idea further and often encourage the team to complete a first draft. This next step varies greatly among playwrights and composers. A first draft can take a brisk few months, several years, or any time in between. Once complete, the team receives feedback from Jeff or me and then launches into the second draft. We continue a dialogue with writers as they continue their process and work on new drafts, sometimes a dozen or more. Sometimes writers work largely independently; sometimes we plan out weekly meetings and set goals for a team. Along the way we will hold an informal reading of a draft to hear the 11

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One person’s comment can create such a dynamic ripple of ideas. When a truly exciting solution is hit upon, you can feel the energy shift in the room. It becomes celebratory, triumphant. This happens too when a song lands with the exact right emotional intention. The first time I heard “Gods of Smoke” in the No Bones About It workshop, I jumped up to kiss Paul Libman. It was so beautiful. When something really works, we can all feel it. We try and try again until we are delighted, amused, moved, and entertained. We trust that if we are invested in the characters and their journeys that you will be too. This spring, summer, and fall we will be workshopping four new musicals and will have readings of three additional scripts in process. We have some very exciting work “in the pipeline” as Jeff calls it. We are creating all these musicals especially for you. Stay tuned!

How an Idea…, continued hours rewriting, incorporating the ideas that they deem most useful. They are also a tremendously resilient bunch, because on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th days we do it all again. We keep reading the play, reading the rewrites, offering feedback, brainstorming solutions, and all through the workshop writers continue incorporating ideas born out of group discussions. Sometimes as much as eighty percent of a script will be rewritten during the workshop process. Sometimes songs get cut and whole new songs are created overnight. Sometimes the new song is a hit, other times it, too, gets cut. It is a fluid process, everyone working toward bringing a new story to the stage in the most effective way possible. Workshops are without a doubt my favorite part of the new works process.

Local Flavor Dave Hudson, Playwrite

disappearing everywhere and being replaced by McDonald’s, TGI Fridays, and big box stores. The same is true for radio. We lose something when we give up local flavor for the savings that we get from quantities of scale. We lose that individual, unique flavor. I think that unique flavor is something we all crave. Whether it is a sandwich unlike anything you can get under the golden arches, or a one-of-a-kind piece of clothing, or a radio station that plays something other than the top-40 playlist that is played in an endless loop, we need something unique. I think that is a big part of the charm of Door County. No chains, unique restaurants, original musicals. We hope that Naked Radio adds another unique ‘flavor’ to the County.

When I think about Naked Radio, I realize that Paul Libman and I are returning to something that is very dear to us; local flavor. In Cheeseheads, we told the tale of a big cheese factory that turns into a smaller place that produces local flavor. In Bing! we talked about a family owned cherry farm. Local flavor is something both of us value. We’re always on the lookout for unique, non-chain restaurants. Part of our tradition of going to Door County is stopping at a little gas station near Denmark (Wisconsin) and buying beef jerky made by a local company. Our world is becoming more and more consolidated, mom and pop shops are 12

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Tickets on Sale Now! Tickets for all shows are now on sale now. Reserved seats sell for an additional $7 per seat. And of course, there will always be 350 general admission tickets for sale at the park box office one hour prior to each performance.

How to buy advance tickets: To buy advance tickets visit our web site at www.NorthernSkyTheater.com Or stop at our office in the Green Gables Shops 1.5 miles north of Wilson’s Ice Cream. Office hours are 10am-4pm Monday thru Friday and 10am-3pm Saturday, June thru October.

Order via the phone, 920-854-6117: Visa and MasterCard accepted. Gift cards are available for any occasion!

Please review us on TripAdvisor.com for those unfamilar with the Northern Sky experience!

You can also follow us on:

Thank You to Our Sponsors! A huge thank you to our sponsors of this year’s shows. Their support ensures the future of Northern Sky while keeping our ticket prices affordable.

Season Sponor: Door County Medical Center

Oklahoma in Wisconsin Sponsored by Associated

Bank and Liberty Lodge at Sister Bay

Doctor! Doctor! Sponsored by

Parkwood Lodge and Wilson’s Restaurant and Ice Cream Parlor

Victory Farm Sponsored by Main

Street Market, On Deck Clothing Company and White Gull Inn

Lumberjacks in Love Sponsored by Julie’s

Park Café & Motel and Oneida Nation

Post Show After Glow sponsored by The

Cordon Family Foundation

Naked Radio Sponsored by

The Cookery Restaurant and Wine Bar and Edgewood Orchard Galleries 13

2017 Summer Schedule

SUN

MON

TUE

JUNE

OK/WI

18 NO SHOW

25 NO SHOW

World Premiere! Begins Wednesday, June 14 at 8:00 pm Mondays at 6 pm; Wednesdays at 8 pm Fridays at 8 pm (Fri, July 7 at 6 pm)

OK/WI - 6:00 DD - 8:30

NO SHOW

16 NO SHOW

(Not showing Thurs, June 15)

23 NO SHOW

LIL

30 NO SHOW

OK/WI - 6:00 DD - 8:30

17 OK/WI - 6:00 DD - 8:30

OK/WI - 6:00 DD - 8:30

27 VF - 8:00

21 OK/WI - 8:00

28 OK/WI - 8:00

16 OK/WI - 8:00

DD - 6:00 LIL - 8:30

OK/WI - 8:00

4 VF - 6:00

11 VF - 8:00

18 VF - 8:00

25 VF - 8:00

13 NO SHOW

20 NO SHOW

LIL - 6:00

VF - 8:00

OK/WI - 8:00

5 OK/WI - 8:00

12 OK/WI - 8:00

19 OK/WI - 8:00

26 OK/WI - 8:00

DD - 6:00 LIL - 8:30

13 DD - 6:00 LIL - 8:30

20 DD - 6:00 LIL - 8:30

27 DD - 6:00 LIL - 8:30

8 VF - 8:00

OK/WI - 6:00

OK/WI - 8:00

VF - 8:00

OK/WI - 8:00

28 OK/WI - 8:00

VF - 8:00

29 VF - 8:00

OK/WI - 6:00 DD - 8:30

1 VF - 8:00

NO SHOW

AUGUST 6

Begins Tuesday, June 20 at 8 pm Tuesdays & Saturdays at 8 pm

VF - 8:00

LIL - 6:00

SAT

VF - 8:00

(Thurs, June 15 at 6 pm & Sat, June 17 at 6 pm)

FRI

Begins Thursday, June 15 at 6 pm Thursdays at 8:30 pm

3 NO SHOW

Begins Monday, June 19 at 8:30 pm Mondays at 8:30 pm; Thursdays at 6 pm

OK/WI - 8:00

THU

JULY 2

Celebrating its

WED

OK/WI - 6:00 DD - 8:30

VF - 8:00

15 VF - 8:00

22 VF - 8:00

2 OK/WI - 8:00

9 OK/WI - 8:00

16 OK/WI - 8:00

OK/WI - 8:00

3 DD - 6:00 LIL - 8:30

DD - 6:00 LIL - 8:30

4 OK/WI - 8:00

11 OK/WI - 8:00

18 OK/WI - 8:00

25 OK/WI - 8:00

5 VF - 8:00

12 VF - 8:00

19 VF - 8:00

26 VF - 8:00

(Not showing Saturday, June 17; Showing Tues, July 4 at 6 pm)

Adult - $22 Student - $11 Child - $6 Reserved Seating - $7 additional

• Limited handicapped parking is available backstage – Please reserve in advance. • Advanced tickets for both summer & fall seasons may be purchased • Rain policy – Northern Sky never cancels a show until show online, over the phone, or at our office. time. If the show is less than half over when interrupted due • Box office opens at summer and fall venues 1 hour prior to bad weather, we give out refund applications or rain to each performance. checks. If the show is more than half over, we issue rain • Will Call tickets can be picked up at Merchandise Stand one checks, good for any future summer show without expiration. hour before the show. 14

2017 FALL SHOW SCHEDULE Worldre ie Prem

September 1 - October 21 at Door Community Auditorium Two DJs. One Blizzard. No Records. Sponsored by The Cookery Restaurant and Wine Bar

ALL SEATS RESERVED Adult: $29 Student: $18 Children (12 & under): $14 book & lyrics by Dave Hudson

See our website for complete schedule.

music by Paul Libman

With your help… We make amazing things happen! Name ________________________________________________________________________________________ Address ______________________________________________________________________________________ City ____________________________________________________ St ________ Zip ________________________ Phone _______________________________________ E-Mail __________________________________________

BENEFACTOR CATERGORIES (For General Operating):

❑ $25,000 & up - Belgian Angel ❑ $10,000 to $24,999 - Victory Farmer ❑ $5,000 to $9,999 - Spitfire Griller ❑ $2,500 to $4,999 - Windjammer ❑ $1,000 to $2,499 - Ice Fisher ❑ $500 to $999 - Happy Lumberjack ❑ $300 to $499 - Music Lover ❑ $125 to $299 - Galactic Packer ❑ $75 to $124 - Bone Dancer ❑ $1 to $74 - Cheesehead

❑ My employer will match my gift Paperwork: ❑ is enclosed

The Fred Alley New Musical Fund is the creative engine behind all of Northern Sky’s new play development.

❑ Please accept my gift of $ ________________ for the Fred Alley New Musical Fund.

The Northern Sky Endowment Fund, managed by the Door County Community Fund, helps to ensure Northern Sky’s long-term financial health and stability.

❑ Please accept my gift of

$ ________________ for the Endowment Fund.

Employer Name: _______________________________________

❑ will be sent

❑ My check for $ _______________________ payable to Northern Sky Theater is enclosed. ❑ Please charge $ _______________________ to my ❑ MasterCard ❑ Visa (Please provide info below) ____________________________________________ ____________ _________________________________ ACCOUNT NUMBER

EXP DATE

Please clip & mail to: Northern Sky Theater - PO Box 273, Fish Creek,WI 54212

SIGNATURE

Thank You!

Your donation from May 1, 2017, through April 30, 2018, will be recognized in our 2018 playbill.

Northern Sky Theater is dedicated to maintaining standards of artistic excellence; celebrating and illuminating the human condition; reaching a large audience of all ages, including families; and fostering a humanistic work environment with adequate and appropriate emotional, financial and creative support for all those associated with us.

The mission of Northern Sky Theater is to create, develop, and present professional musical and dramatic productions which will further the knowledge and appreciation of the culture and heritage of the United States.

Our Mission

Mark Breseman Michael J. McCoy Katie Dahl Carla Peterson Frederick J. Heide John Sawyer Paula Wright-Keller

Thomas A. Moore Treasurer

Cynthia Stiehl Vice-Chairperson

Mary Seeberg Chairperson

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Northern Sky Theater, Inc. PO Box 273 Fish Creek, WI 54212-0273