SkyWords 2023: Spring Newsletter

Last year we brought you a two-venue, four-show season with an extension of concert offerings into autumn in the park. We’re upping the ante this year and adding another show indoors and augmenting our fall offering outdoors. Plus, we’re trying something new in the Gould with two shows running in repertory, mirroring our outdoor season where two shows will also be playing in rep. We’ll also be bringing back a 6:00 performance in the park, making a sevenshow performance week. All at the same time! What’s more, we have a reworking of a show for the fall that will feature some Northern Sky “heavy hitters.”

Here’s what’s in store...

SKYWORDS

Speak Softly or Yell Loudly?

The Fish Whisperer

When the fish stop biting in the small Wisconsin town of Shewauga, a mysterious outsider named Hannah Hill offers to get them biting again–but only if the residents pay her $10,000! To the locals, this all sounds a bit fishy. Is she a con artist or a genuine talent? Brimming with hope and romance, The Fish Whisperer is a world premiere musical that will hook you with sweet melodies and laughs! This is now our fifth collaboration with New Musicals, Inc ., out of Los Angeles, headed by artistic director Scott Guy. I first met Scott back in 2008 when he had his writing teams submit proposal ideas and short synopses for possible musicals for Northern Sky. It was then that Windjammers was born, first as an idea of extant folk

songs basically adapted, a la Heritage Ensemble, as a concert show. Over the course of the next four years, Windjammers morphed into a full-fledged musical with an original book and score. Since then, NMI and Northern Sky have continued a productive relationship, notably introducing the writing team Richard Castle and Matthew Levine to us (Oklahoma in Wisconsin and Love Stings). Robin Share, who wrote the bulk of the lyrics for The Fish Whisperer, wrote Windjammers for us and continues to collaborate with Clay Zambo, who wrote the music for that show. Ron Barnett , composer for When Butter Churns to Gold, went on to orchestrate for us and is now taking up the composing reins after Dan Wessels , who wrote the bulk of the music, had to bow out because of a conflicting schedule. Scott,

Northern Sky Theater News Spring 2023

JEFFREY HERBST Artistic Director

by Scott Guy, Ron Barnett, Robin Share, and Dan Wessels

WHISPER AND THEY’LL HEAR YOU

who has shepherded these writing teams, now joins a team himself, exploring the theme of a stranger coming to town and shaking things up before once again mysteriously disappearing. Molly Rhode will direct with design work by Jason Fassl (lights), Karen BrownLarimore (costumes), Lisa Schlenker (set and props), and Ben Werner (sound). Alissa Rhode (music director) and Dennis Keith Johnson (arranger/ musician) will helm the pit for both park shows and be joined for this show by drummer Bill Knipfer, with us for his first season. The Fish Whisperer will

feature Lachrisa Grandberry in the title role, joined by Doc Heide, Kelly Doherty, Doug Clemons , Jamie Mercado and me. Rounding out the cast will be James Carrington, a new-comer to the park stage. Shawn Galligan will

stage manage, joined by newcomer Lindsey Wigand as assistant stage manager. Both Maddy Ballard and Erin Kopit will return for a second year on the intern team. They will be joined by newcomers Jake Aune and Robert Alston.

ARE YOU SURE?! DID WE REALLY?! CAN IT BE?!

Cheeseheads! The Musical

by Paul Libman and Dave Hudson

When we first premiered Cheeseheads back in 2009, the country was still climbing back from the great recession and this tale of pluck and luck fit right into the ongoing national narrative of finding our way back collectively. That theme never tires, really, and now, with a re-imagined version, we hope to reflect the present conditions that factory workers in small towns face. Dave originally wrote the role of the factory foreman for Doug Mancheski, who played Dan. Now, we are switching things up and Lachrisa will take over that role, with Paul

and Dave tailoring the part for her, including writing a new song for the character. Pam Kriger, who directed the original, will return to direct Lachrisa, Molly, Doug Clemons, Jamie Mercado, James Carrington, and Chase Stoeger. Francis Faye will join us as an intern and to play the role of Gizmo, the tech gadget enthusiast. Molly will be the only returnee reprising her original role. Chase was in the original, but will now be playing Doc, the role originally played by Doc Heide! Jack Purves will return as sound mixer and designer, aided by newcomer tech swing Alexis Gunderson and returning master electrician Alejandra Favila. Adam Cain, who drummed for us in Sunflowered, will sit in the pit four nights a week.

Stillframe: The Fish Whisperer workshop at NMI

FEEL THE QUIET EVERYWHERE

Guys on Ice

by Fred Alley and James Kaplan

It seems impossible, but this year is the 25th anniversary of the premiere of this beloved show. First spawned as an “anthropological” idea to hook a grant from the state of Wisconsin, which was then liberally dispensing monies to celebrate the sesquicentennial, Guys on Ice has since become the most successful Northern Sky show in terms of its national reach. It has played from New York to Texas to California and even been presented outdoors on the ice. The Wisconsin Public Television recording, done in 2014, still airs and is often used by WPT during its pledge drive season. Doug Mancheski and Steve Koehler, who will once again anchor this production, have now performed the roles of Marvin and Lloyd thousands of times. They will be

joined by longtime Northern Skyer Dan Klarer, who will embody Ernie the Moocher and also get all the costuming back in order for both indoor shows. Ryan Cappleman will be on the keyboard. With musical numbers like “The Wishing Hole,” “Ode to a Snowmobile Suit,” “Fish Is the Miracle Food” and “The One That Got Away,” Guys on Ice works not only as a serious anthropological study but as a musical comedy as well. Dave Alley will light the show and Jim Maronek ’s set will once again be featured. Heather Sopel returns to stage manage with Abby Simmons taking up the wardrobe charge again this year, sharing those duties with Jordan Wallin-Swanson, who will take over from Abby mid-season.

QUIET OR YOU’LL SCARE THE WHITE BUCK

Guys & Does

by Frederick Heide, Lee Becker, and Paul Libman

We premiered Guys & Does in 2009 to sold out audiences for the entire run. The show has not been seen at Northern Sky for a decade now, and it makes the perfect pairing to play in rep with Guys on Ice. So perfect, in fact, that the three guys on ice, Doug , Steve and Dan, will take on the roles in Guys & Does, too. Doug Mancheski was in the original in the role of Staghart (the white buck), but he will now take on the role of Fritz, originally played by Doc Heide. Steve will be

donning the buckskin this time around, performing the challenging double role of the buck and the swaggering Texas hunter who is pursuing him. And Dan will play the dorky, loveable Duane, first played by Lee Becker. We will be presenting both Guys shows in rep in the Gould throughout the summer. I’ll be directing both shows and am looking forward, particularly, to working on Guys & Does with this newly cast trio. Both of these shows have played on our park stage, but they

were initially designed for indoor productions. But neither has played in the Gould before, giving us the opportunity to use our new toys in that space with these beloved shows. We truly think celebrating the 25th anniversary of Guys on Ice coupled with this delightful companion piece will be a must-see combo for those who either have seen the shows before or will be experiencing them for the first time.

SHHHH—LOOSE LIPS SINK SHIPS

Lipstick Optional Celebrating the women of Northern Sky

We will be extending our outdoor season starting Labor Day weekend with a concert similar to what we did last year. We’ll have four shows a week of Lipstick Optional, Wednesday through Saturday at 4PM, for three weeks. The concert will include the songs, stories, and dance of the fantastic women who have crossed our boards over the years. It’s a way to celebrate the characters themselves–plus the women who have played them, written them, designed their sets and costumes, and

C’MON – IT’S A BACK PORCH JAMBOREE!

When Pigs Fly!

by Frederick Heide and Lee Becker

choreographed and directed them. And we’ll have a stellar line-up featuring Lachrisa Grandberry, Karen Mal, Alissa Rhode, Molly Rhode, and special guests. What’s not to love about that?

Back in 2001, Doc and Lee fashioned a show called Bob Dumkee’s Farm to be presented as a second fall season show in the Gibraltar town hall, while The Bachelors was playing in Ephraim. We had never attempted to do two fall shows at once, so it was a bit of a gamble. Doc and Lee were joined by Northern Sky alum Amy Chaffee in a show celebrating the art of telling tales, cracking jokes and singing good old folk songs on the back porch—hootenanny-style. Some of the rich harmonies were arranged by Dave Peterson, our beloved Heritage Ensemble founder, without whom the whole of Northern Sky would be hard to imagine. Doc and Lee also wrote the show in part as a healing balm after the very unexpected loss of our good friend and colleague Fred Alley that spring. And in the spirit of Fred, the show has both hilarious and touching moments. Now retitled and subtly re-imagined, When Pigs Fly! weaves together hilarious tall tales, toe-tapping folk songs, and the burning question of who will win a Door County custard pie contest. The trio will be joined by barn-burning instrumentalist Eric Lewis , who first appeared with Northern Sky in 1999 and is now a Door County treasure. Lisa Schlenker will design the set and props, Dave Alley the lights, and Shima Orans , new to Northern Sky, the costumes. Stewart Dawson will once again be our indispensable carpenter.

We will be having our post-show “Afterglow” gatherings many nights of the week in the park, hosted by performers and musicians. Stick around to shoot the breeze and sing a song before heading home.

Whether you whisper it in your child’s ear or shout it from the Eagle Tower in Pen Park, we hope you’ll spread the word about our upcoming season.

See you in the Gould and under the stars.

The Fish Whisperer

SCOTT GUY Playwright/Lyricist

As a producer myself (working with New Musicals Inc. in Los Angeles), I have helped workshop and nurture a number of shows for Northern Sky, including Windjammers, Oklahoma in Wisconsin, and When Butter Churns to Gold. As a writer myself, (I’ve written for Disney, Warner Brothers, NBC, PBS, etc), I’ve been champing at the bit for a chance to write for Northern Sky.

I cooked up a lot of ideas, but I kept coming back to a storyline about a conman or conwoman who might or might not be the real deal after all, which eventually formed the basis of The Fish Whisperer.

I began to imagine a tourist town where the fish have stopped biting, and everyone grows so desperate for a solution that they’re ready to fall for the hokum being offered by a “fish whisperer” who claims to be able to get the fish to bite again...for an exorbitant fee. Is she a scientist with the answer to their prayers, or a conwoman?

From the very beginning, I wanted The Fish Whisperer to work on multiple levels... first and foremost as a fun story, but also as an analogy, and an examination of what happens to us when we believe too much in a lie...or we don’t believe enough in a dream. What’s that balance?

Do you remember the TV series Northern Exposure? I loved the way in every episode there was a scientific explanation for some mythological or unexplainable event. I’m hoping The Fish Whisperer does a similar thing. It’s been a wonderfully challenging puzzle to keep multiple explanations all plausible all the way to the end of the show, and beyond!

The early versions concentrated on telling the story of the con itself. But the visionary artistic staff of Northern Sky and the actors who read and sang the early versions challenged me to deepen the character of the townpeople. Who are they? What’s important to them, and what’s at stake for them personally if the town goes

belly-up?

It was pretty clear from the onset that we wanted the title character to be in fierce conflict with the town’s Mayor...but then what? In early drafts, they fell in love, but as the time-period of the story started getting shorter and shorter, that became less and less plausible...so now–spoiler alert–something else entirely happens between the two of them. Likewise with the other characters...I think there were originally four couples; now there’s only one, with another pair of characters trying to work things out or give up entirely on each other. (Cue the dramatic music–will the town and their relationship be saved before the fish start biting, or is it... too late?)

You might notice there are four writers on The Fish Whisperer team. The wunderkind composer Dan Wessels got snarfed up by Netflix to write for a children’s TV series and sadly couldn’t continue actively enough with The Fish Whisperer when it

Writing a new musical for Northern Sky has been on my bucket list for nearly two decades. With this summer’s premiere of TheFishWhisperer– it’s finally happening!

suddenly got fast-tracked for opening this summer. So I reached out to my prolific and versatile collaborator Ron Barnett to write some new songs and help rewrite some of Dan’s. (Versatile, did I say? Ron and I have written several shows together, including a mythicfantastical Darby O’Gill and the Leprechaun Queen and the scary-but-award-winning Manson’s Girls, about the Manson Family. Ron can write anything.) At that same juncture, it made sense for me to do the final revisions of Robin Share’s wonderful original lyrics, many of which remain intact. You might remember Robin’s powerful work on Windjammers.

The Fish Whisperer began as a paragraph-sized idea way back in 2016, and got very close to consideration circa 2019 until lockdown [blah blah blah], and the whole process moved online. Molly Rhode, Jeff Herbst, and the whole Northern Sky gang did some Zoom workshops, and I hosted some readings at New Musicals Inc. in North Hollywood...but this summer will be the very first time anyone will get to see it live!

One of the most exciting moments between now and opening night is going to be staging the final scene. Director Molly Rhode and I have been shuffling the final sequence around and around, looking for the best way to wrap up four

individual storylines as well as where to reveal the hidden truth behind the mysterious Fish Whisperer character herself. I can’t wait to see it on its feet–literally... it’s a DANCE sequence in which all that plot happens.

FROM SCENE ONE:

HANNAH: My offer’s good only until sunset tonight so you need to come together on this right away. I have an appointment in another town, down river, which already paid their fee.

MYRNA: I say we think about it.

BOBBY: She just might be a fish whisperer!

BENJAMIN: Yeah, that’s not a thing, Bobby.

(Or is it?)

Guys on Ice Celebrates 25 Years

JAMES KAPLAN Composer

Twenty-five years ago was the world premiere of GuysonIceat the Ephraim Village Hall.

The premiere was produced jointly by American Folklore Theatre and Milwaukee Repertory Theater, with support and partial funding from the Wisconsin Sesquicentennial Commission

We got our collective foot in the door at Milwaukee Rep with Goodnight Irene:The Music of the Weavers, in the winter of 19961997. During rehearsals, I got together with

Fred Alley and Fred Heide, and we talked about Wisconsin’s Sesquicentennial in 1998, and how the state had designated funds to encourage artists and performers to create works that celebrated Wisconsin’s heritage. As the state’s largest theater, The Rep had been offered a grant to develop a theatrical work along these lines. At that time The Rep didn’t develop new works, but they knew that

their friends at AFT did. A collaboration was discussed. Both of the Freds had separately been contemplating the colorful world of icefishermen. It was agreed that the two Freds would write the words, and I would write the music. The show would premiere in Ephraim in the fall of 1998, and then move down to Milwaukee Rep.

It quickly became apparent that Fred Heide needed to devote his writing energies to Packer Fans from Outer Space, which he had been working on with Lee Becker. Heide had conducted delightful interviews with local ice fishermen, and he turned over his research to Fred Alley so Fred could get down to writing. Fred placed an ad in the paper looking for ice-fishing jokes, and he also spent a great deal of time in the Laurie History Room at the Sturgeon Bay Library, looking for items that might be helpful or interesting.

Early in the summer of 1998, there was a first reading of the script. Hearing the lyrics in the voices of Doug Mancheski and Fred inspired me to write a few tunes. Besides the two friends who are out on the ice, a third character named Ernie the Moocher developed for a couple quick scenes and songs, accompanying himself on a uke. Chris Irwin played this role, and also played piano (and guitar) for the show. We rehearsed for a couple weeks in August, and by the end of the summer, it was time for audiences to see this thing called Guys on Ice.

Up until then AFT’s fall season had been a series of simple concert shows, with little in the way of a set or lights. Guys on Ice was different, as it would eventually play at the Rep. The amazingly talented Jim Maronek designed a set that would fit perfectly on the Rep’s Stackner stage, but also would fit in the Ephraim Village Hall, with some modifications. Dave Alley built a series of platforms to allow the set to live in Ephraim, and Neen Rock did a wonderful job collecting

props and set dressing from various sources, all to create the comfortable and unique world that serves as Marvin and Lloyd’s getaway on the ice.

Audiences loved the show right from the start, and AFT scrambled to add performances wherever they could. The first run at the Rep sold out quickly, and the show was brought back for a run at the larger Stiemke Theatre later that season. The show has returned to both Milwaukee and Door County numerous times for hundreds of performances. Chris Irwin and James Valcq were the first two folks to play Ernie the Moocher. Lee Becker was the first Ernie to play the trombone, and Paul Helm and Dan Klarer have also played the charmingly annoying Moocher.

Doug Mancheski has been Marvin for all these years, whenever the show has played in Milwaukee, Madison and Door County. Steve Koehler has played a large number of these performances, along with other Lloyds - Jeff Herbst, Michael Flanigan, Scott Wakefield and of course, Fred.

I never would have imagined back in 1998 how many times the show would be back out on the ice. It is gratifying to have been a part of creating a show that people want to see again and again. It was so exciting when we heard from folks at the Oregon Cabaret Theatre in Ashland and Purple Rose in Chelsea, Michigan – the first two theaters outside of Wisconsin to produce the show. Since then, it’s been produced a few dozen times, including productions across the country from California to Maine.

Guys on Ice 1998, Ephraim Village Hall

For the past year, the word “Legacy” has been bouncing off the walls at Northern Sky. For purposes here, an elusive concept meaning something that is passed on, usually something impactful. Something good, kind, and well-intentioned in the best sense, i.e., honorable character and values, enduring lessons, a safer world, hearts touched, shared treasure, good teeth, etc. A good legacy offers those that come next in line a head start, of sorts. Ensuring that the batonpass permits a little less trial and error, a little more confidence and direction and, in turn, continued generosity. Who wouldn’t want to leave things welltended and a little better than they found them? Forward, onward, and upward!

Northern Sky is now very focused on our nextgen goals and plans for succession, support, and mission – all synonyms for legacy in the broadest sense.

A Good Legacy

DAVE MAIER Managing Director

Who wouldn’t want to leave things well-tended and a little better than they found them? Forward, onward, and upward!

This is my 14th and final year as Northern Sky’s managing director – my 16th with the company.

A week after the Board honored me with the opportunity, I recall a breakfast with Doc Heide wherein he informed me that I was, at least for the moment, the luckiest person in Door County. No argument. I felt like I had won the lottery. Still do.

Producing theatre is a quirky juggling act. Back in my formative theatre years at American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco I had the good fortune to encounter James McKenzie, ACT’s then managing director. Jim was also the principal producer or general manager of the Westport Playhouse in CT, and the beloved Peninsula Players here in Door County. I was very curious about the vocation even then, pressing him once on what it took to do the job. “Well Dave, think 25% PT Barnum, 25% Dale Carnegie, 25% carnival barker, 25% politician, 25%

therapist, 25% (fill in another half-dozen descriptors), but most importantly…25% accountant!” Still makes me smile. He was only half joking. But I digress.

The primary responsibility of a theater’s management team is to provide the resources that enable the vision of the artistic leadership – securing financial support, getting “butts in seats,” and managing the corporate structure and assets that support the mission.

In business, legacy is often ultimately gaged by the success of whoever’s next at bat. In that regard, the Northern Sky Board will be remembered as dang geniuses. What could be more reassuring to all those that love Northern Sky than Holly “Wonder Woman” Feldman assuming the managing director mantle, beginning 2024? Holly’s brilliance and promise know no bounds.

Soon she’ll be the lucky one. And so will all of us for her next-level leadership.

Dave Alley, Norther Sky’s forever technical guru will also be stepping down at the end of this season. Dave’s technical leadership and designs have shaped the sound and lighting magic that our patrons have been lucky enough to take for granted whenever they see a show in the park or at the Gould. That void is a tough, tough fill, and the transition will be finessed somehow by our extraordinary production manager and resident designer, Lisa Schlenker.

Northern Sky has grown into a mature performing

arts institution. Fourteen years back, I recall trading emails with Northern Sky’s artistic director Jeff Herbst about our hopes for Northern Sky’s future. The list of goals that dreaming inspired has long since been fulfilled several times over. How? Northern Sky’s greatest accomplishment by any metric is the talent the company has assembled over the years. The Board and company (and volunteers!) are full of selfmotivated, kind, candid and hyper-creative artists and art-empowerers. Each has shaped the experience our

patrons love for the better. And each is very protective of this gem that we all (meaning YOU!) have honed together.

Other ongoing or upcoming initiatives that support strategic legacy planning - those furthering fiscal sustainability, or how the company broadens how we will implement our mission –are way better celebrated by Holly, Jeff, and Molly in pages to my right and left here. Here’s to a new season of sharing theater wonder together under the stars at the park, and inside the cozy Gould. Aren’t we lucky?!

With gratitude to Dave Maier to the perfect segue: Speaking of legacy… Northern Sky’s One Act of Kindness Society, launched in 2021, celebrates those who have chosen to create a lasting legacy by including Northern Sky in their will, trust, or estate plan. The phrase “one act of kindness” comes from the lyrics of a song in the musical, Boxcar. The song insists that one act of kindness often ripples out into many others by reminding us “there is good in the world.”

Members of Northern Sky’s One Act of Kindness Society

notify us of your plans, or to learn more about what including Northern Sky in your estate plans might look like, please contact Holly Feldman at holly@northernskytheater.com or 920-633-3228.

Cheeseheads Returns!

As a playwright, I’m always looking for new stories. I’ll read a book and wonder if it would be good to adapt to the stage. Since I write musicals, the question is also whether the story ‘sings’. Will there be a place for music? Will the music help tell the story better?

Much of the time, the answer is actually “no”. Either I’ll bash up a rough draft, or I’ll just sit with the story for a bit and realize I just don’t connect with the story in the way I need to. A musical generally takes 2 years to create (give or take), so you need to be really sure it is something you want to commit to.

Cheeseheads! The Musical, was one that took two years to make, but it did take a chunk of time to have the story coalesce in my head enough to commit to sitting down to write it.

It all started with reading a headline in 2006 that 100 workers at the Sargento Factory had won the $206 million PowerBall. That idea really stayed with me and maybe a year later I felt ready to dive in.

The first decision was to switch the cheese brand from Sargento to Schnaybel’s. First, there was the idea of trademarks and permissions, which are always best to avoid if you can because a show can get tied up waiting for people to sign off on letting you do the story. Second, nothing really rhymes with Sargento. Third, it was just more interesting to talk about a small, locallyowned regional brand than a big company with a national presence.

I suppose it is a theme in my work. Naked

Radio deals with a small-town radio station owned by a corporate monolith network. Bing, the Cherry Musical dealt with a small cherry farm hoping not to be sold to real estate developers, and Cheeseheads tells the tale of little old Schnaybel’s Famous Cheese being bought out by Conglomerated Cheese. I guess having been raised in small towns, I naturally have a bit more of an affinity for the underdog. I also love local, and when I travel I’ll always check the shelves for the local potato chips. So, for me, going with a smaller local cheese company really resonated.

People often ask what my favorite songs or moments are in a show. I generally don’t have any, but I can tell you several of my favorite moments in Cheeseheads.

1 - A Dollar for Daring to Dream. This song came from a conversation I remember having with my father a couple of years before writing the show. He pointed out to me that the magic of the lottery is not necessarily the winning, but how it gives you the chance to think about what you would do if you won the lotto. This song, with its driving music by Paul Libman, encapsulates that idea wonderfully.

2 - I Am A Cheesehead. This song, where they urge the outsider to embrace her inner cheesehead, while also encouraging the audience to proclaim their cheesy allegiance, is a song and scene I’ve always been so proud of.

3 - The Boys from Sheboygan. This song is just… wonderful. Paul Libman set the lyric

Truth is, everybody loves Wisconsin, and the story itself is one that everybody should connect to.

DAVE HUDSON

Playwright

so well and I always love seeing the actress in the role sing it.

4 - Speaking of Sheboygan, one of my favorite jokes I’ve ever written centers around that word. I don’t want to give a spoiler, but I’ll just say that the character Bobby has a wonderful, funny line centered around the word itself.

aren’t interested in taking a look at the show. Truth is, everybody loves Wisconsin, and the story itself is one that everybody should connect to.

One thing Paul Libman and I were excited to hear was when Molly Rhode called and asked what we thought about having Lachrisa Grandberry stepping into the role of the supervisor which was originated by Doug Mancheski (Doug will be busy with the Guys plays on the indoor stage this summer). Paul Libman and I were thrilled to think about Lachrisa bringing her wonderful energy to the role. In terms of tailoring the script for Lachrisa, we really didn’t need to make too many changes… but we did replace a song, so keep an eye out for that change when you go and see the show this summer.

Along with Muskie Love, Cheeseheads is the show that has been produced the most by other theaters. It has done well at community theaters around Wisconsin and even had a college production. I’ve always found it odd that theaters beyond Wisconsin

Above all, we are thrilled to see Cheesheads returning to the stage where it first came to life. Cheesheads speaks to so many things Paul Libman and I believe in. It talks about good people fighting to keep their way of life. It also is a tale of people who we are rooting for… and who get what they deserve through a stroke of luck, but also belief in themselves.

Three Wisconsin Shows

DOC HEIDE

Three shows I’ve had a hand in creating will be onstage in a single season. I get to be in one of them with dear friends. Performing a role you’ve helped to write is dazzling.

For those lucky enough to be Northern Sky Theater company members, one of the best things the theater provides is the rare opportunity to both create shows and appear in them.

The experience of performing a role you’ve helped to write is dazzling. You’re part of a team of professionals working day and night to make sure the show soars. You explore the strength of your writing in

the most immediate way possible: by whether the audience laughs when you deliver it. And if it doesn’t work, you get to rewrite whatever you want.

The only thing that approximates this wondrous

Cheeseheads! The Musical 2010

Co-founder of Northern Sky, Playwright, Artistic Advisor

experience is sitting in a comfy dark theater watching another actor offer their unique stamp to that role, often revealing nuances you didn’t even know were there.

This year I’ll be privileged to do both. Three shows I’ve had a hand in creating will be onstage in a single season. I get to be in one of them with dear friends. And on top of that, I’ll watch three brilliant actors bring the other two shows to life.

First up is Guys on Ice, opening in our indoor Gould Theater on July 5. Although Fred Alley and Jimmy Kaplan wrote a bunch of shows together, this is my personal favorite.

Guys on Ice has played somewhere in the US every year since its debut at the Milwaukee Rep in 1998. It’s not uncommon for the same theater to produce it multiple times. It’s one of those rare shows that audiences want to luxuriate in repeatedly.

Fred and I originally planned to write Guys on Ice together. Neither of us were

ice fishermen, but both were intrigued by what was going on inside those cozy little shanties that dot our frozen winter lakes.

When you write a musical, you usually start by doing research. So, in the summer of 1997 I asked my friend Ben Larsen if he knew any ice fishermen in the Sturgeon Bay area. Before long I’d interviewed a dozen gentlemen kind enough to invite me into their homes to discuss their passion for this quirky sport.

I still recall Fred’s response when I sent him the transcripts. His interest in the topic had swerved elsewhere, but now it leapt forth like a muskie breaching a Wisconsin lake. Many details in the show emerged directly from these interviews, including the character of Ernie the Moocher and his antics.

Because my attention was fully engaged in writing Packer Fans from Outer Space, we decided Fred would write the book and lyrics for Guys on Ice by himself. The result

is a compact masterpiece.

This summer, in celebration of its 25th anniversary, we’re producing the show with Doug Mancheski, Steve Koehler, and Dan Klarer. And in a twist that exhilarates everyone at Northern Sky, these fine actors will also present our deer-hunting musical, Guys & Does.

Guys & Does (book and lyrics by Lee Becker and me, music by Paul Libman) premiered in 2009 (and sold out its entire maiden run at the Ephraim Village Hall). The original cast featured Lee and me, along with the great Doug Mancheski doing a double role as an unethical hunter and the white stag he is hunting.

This time around, Doug takes over my role as kindhearted Fritz Dingleheimer. Dan will do Lee’s role as dweebish Duane Puddles. And golden-voiced Steve Koehler takes on the demanding double role Doug originated. We’re getting chills just anticipating it.

Finally, our indoor fall show will be When Pigs Fly! This musical began life as Bob Dumkee’s Farm, a hilarious showcase of American humor and folk song that Lee and I co-created in 2001. It premiered at the Gibraltar Town Hall a few days before the September 11 attacks stunned the nation and dramatically restricted

tourism. So, despite rave reviews, the show never reached a wide audience.

Lee and I performed in the 2001 show with our close friend Amy Chaffee, featured on lots of TV shows including Desperate Housewives and AMC’s new Interview with the Vampire There’s a fourth nonspeaking role in the show that offers musical support.

Lee and I have long dreamed of filling that role with our friend Eric Lewis, the awardwinning Memphis multiinstrumentalist. And after years of work, the stars have finally aligned to add him to the returning original cast.

This spring Lee and I are rewriting the show to make it even funnier and more poignant. When Pigs Fly! opens at the Gould on September 15.

We hope you’ll be able to join us for these three original shows that celebrate Wisconsin culture.

World Premiere Wisconsin

MOLLY RHODE Associate Artistic Director

In March of 2019, I had a phone call from Artistic Director Jen Gray of Forward Theater Company in Madison. She had a vision for a theater festival that would celebrate new work. She hoped that Northern Sky would join with Forward and Milwaukee Rep to be lead producers on the venture. The premise was that theaters of all levels from across the state would commit to producing new work within a set date range in a particular calendar year. Well, it was an easy and resounding “YES!” from me and Northern Sky. New work is what we live and breathe! Our commitment to new works is perpetual! So I joined the festival leadership team, and in just 4 years, we launched! World Premiere Wisconsin, running March 1-June 30, 2023, is a first of its kind statewide festival of new plays and musicals. No other state has ever attempted what we’re doing.

But Northern Sky audiences know a secret. Great theater and the development of new work is not new to Wisconsin. We have contributed to the field of American Theater for a long time, and we love celebrating that. World Premiere Wisconsin was dreamt up with three major goals: 1) to build relationships between theatermakers across our great state, 2) to raise national awareness about Wisconsin’s thriving theater ecosystem, and 3) to encourage the production of new plays. Later, as theaters worked through this pandemic, we added a fourth goal: 4) to communicate a positive story about theatermaking in Wisconsin during a critical phase of recovery and rebuilding.

If each of our companies’ survival post-pandemic is a testament to anything, it’s that what we do is vital to those who work and play in Wisconsin, from the tip of Door County to the state line. This inaugural festival features a diverse assortment of stories being told across our collective stages. It reveals the wide breadth of what Wisconsin theater already is and can become.

Northern Sky’s offering to the festival is, of course,

The Fish Whisperer. We can’t wait to share it with you, and our show is in amazing company. There are a staggering 324 performances occurring under the World Premiere Wisconsin banner. Nearly 50 theaters are participating, including our friends at Peninsula Players Theater and Third Avenue Playworks. I have always been a lover of collaboration. It’s what makes theater work. It’s a group activity; no one can do it alone. And creating plays from scratch is collaboration at its most dynamic, most vulnerable, and most generous. I feel incredibly grateful that Northern Sky is my home theater, and that I am immersed in new work year in and year out. This festival itself, is also a new work. World Premiere Wisconsin is collaboration on a grand scale. A big, bold idea. Together, Wisconsin theaters have embarked on something exceptional. And as a Wisconsin artist, I could not be prouder.

Lachrisa Grandberry Named NOVA Program Director

Learn more at: worldpremierewisconsin.com

Over her past five seasons, Lachrisa has been a performer, playwright, and composer. Starting this year, she will add ‘program director’ to her list of roles as she will lead our newly-formed NOVA Initiative.

What is NOVA? NOVA stands for Nurturing Original Voices and Artists. It's our next-generation new works development and incubation initiative. The goal of NOVA is to foster, nurture, and expand creative opportunities for alumni, BIPOC, and emerging writers in Northern Sky’s development process.

Elements of NOVA include: Writing Circle, explorative writing workshops; The Nesting Place, a writer to writer mentorship program; and Pot of Luck, a writer’s retreat festival. In addition to advancing these elements, Lachrisa will also serve on Northern Sky’s IDEAS Task Force (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access Solutions) and will continue to reach out to old and new fans on our social media networks.

When Lachrisa joined us in the summer of 2018, she didn’t just embrace Northern Sky, she embraced Door County. Lachrisa’s commitment to storytelling here in the peninsula has enriched the creative fabric of our company. We are overjoyed that she’ll be lending her leadership skills to our team as we look to Northern Sky’s future.

In Lachrisa’s words:

The NOVA Initiative is a reflection of what Northern Sky has always been. In my time working on SUNFLOWERED, I learned so much in the writing process and could not have done it without the hands-on support of the leadership staff. I am in no way, shape, or form an expert, but I do have knowledge and resources to further this part of Northern Sky’s Mission. I’m excited to pay it forward and be more intimately involved with my theater home. Even more, I’m excited about the infinite possibilities that’ll come as we continue to make space for next generation storytellers.

Oh, and, by the way...Lachrisa was recently named one of Wisconsin’s 52 Most Influential Black Leaders! Anyone who’s met Lachrisa knows that her influence is palpable. We feel extremely lucky that she’s chosen to spend so much of her time in Door County, benefiting from her influence right here. Congratulations to this most deserving human!

To learn more about NOVA, please reach out to Lachrisa at lachrisa@northernskytheater.com.

WANT TO SHARE IN THE APPLAUSE? BECOME A VOLUNTEER!

Do you love theatre? Do you enjoy sharing that experience with others? If your answers are “yes!” then we have the perfect opportunity for you!

Northern Sky relies on, and is always looking for, fans ready to step up and lend a hand! No experience is necessary – just a willingness to help and a desire to be part of something original in Door County. Please call Kathleen at the Northern Sky office (920) 854-6117 or e-mail volunteer@ northernskytheater.com.

Huge THANK YOU To Our 2023 Sponsors

THEIR SUPPORT ENSURES THE FUTURE OF NORTHERN SKY WHILE KEEPING OUR TICKET PRICES AFFORDABLE. The Fish Whisperer On Deck Clothing Company Main Street Market

Wisconsin

Door County Medical Center

Cordon Family Foundation

Tony & Judy Licata

Post Show After Glow

Nicolet Bank

Out of the Woods

Wondering what Northern Sky company members were up to in the off-season? In no particular order, here’s what some of us have reported:

After swashbuckling as Porthos in Door Shakespeare’s Three Musketeers, DAN KLARER spent the holiday season at Third Avenue PlayWorks in A Christmas Carol: A Live Radio Play (along with RAY JIVOFF ). He’ll be spending all summer performing in the Gould Theater at his Northern Sky home. DOUG CLEMONS continued his venture into directing with Birds of North America at TAP (Assistant Director), The Golden Girls Drag Parody at Purse String Productions (Director & Choreographer), and Airness at Forward Theater (Choreographer & Assistant Director to MOLLY RHODE with

SHAWN GALLIGAN as Stage Manager and starring NADJA SIMMONDS ). As a performer he was a regular with Bosom Buddies Cabaret and played Squidward in Spongebob the Musical at First Stage (a show with several Northern Sky folks involved including

LACHRISA GRANDBERRY, ZACH WOODS , PAUL

HELM and JASON FASSL) .

Our lovely Cordy in Dad’s Season Tickets, JAMIE

MERCADO was tearing it up

in the Milwaukee Repertory Theater production of BEEHIVE: The 60s Musical ! KELLY DOHERTY starred in Misery at Milwaukee Chamber Theater (scenic design by our very own LISA SCHLENKER ). KAREN MAL has been working at the Austin Scottish Rite theater in Texas, where she gets to direct/compose music and also portray a guitar-playing pirate and a Swedish tea party lady in a fake fur and zany grey wig. Also, she’s releasing a new record of original songs with David Stoddard. KATIE DAHL writes that she “has been working on finishing up her new album Seven Stones and writing four new musicals (by the way, that’s too many).”

DAVE HUDSON stayed busy with his cocktail endeavors, including the publication of two additional books, one featuring distilleries in and around the Chicago area, and the illustrated The Alcohol ABC’s, Libational Education for Grownups featuring everything from an Aardvark drinking Absinthe to a Zebra drinking Zima.

On the theatrical front, he is currently developing a new

Wisconsin-set piece at The Actors Garden in Oak Park and his shows are starting to get produced again around the country after the lull caused by the virus which shall not be named. ROBIN SHARE tells us that “in my non-writing life, I worked on the campaign to elect Los Angeles’ terrific new mayor, Karen Bass; did hundreds of phone calls and postcards to get out the vote in Georgia, and am currently working to help folks get IDs so they can vote in Wisconsin and Arizona. On the writing front, CLAY ZAMBO and I are continuing to develop The Thing with Feathers, and I am working on a contemporary musical adaptation of Lysistrata set in the US capitol.” Meanwhile, Clay did music direction for the fifth annual production of A Christmas Carol Experience (an immersive production staged in an Edwardian mansion), middle school productions of All Shook Up and The Lightning Thief, and is working on the regional premiere of the musical

Groundhog Day. He writes that “as the days get longer, I’m gearing up for my 24th summer as a composerlyricist for a youth musical theater workshop in NYC. In our spare time, my wife Lissa and I look longingly and dreamily at Door County real estate sites.”

JON HEGGE appeared in Runestone (a rock musical) at History Theatre and as Monsieur D’Arque in Beauty and the Beast at the Ordway in St. Paul, and channeling our beloved Neen Rock, took over in a pinch as Production Stage Manager for Chanhassen Dinner Theatre’s production of Footloose. LAURIE

FLANIGAN-HEGGE returned to History Theatre this fall in Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story. She’s currently writing Prick, a new play about the Scottish witch trials, for the 2023 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, directed and performed by students at Edinburgh Napier University. Daughter

Celia (in her senior year!) continues her aerial training at Circus Juventas in St. Paul. Between October and December 2022, ERIC LEWIS helped coordinate and perform on Gail Bliss’ new Christmas CD which includes heavy hitters from Nashville and Memphis such as Aubrey Haynie (Time Jumpers), Dennis Crouch, (Allison Krauss, Robert Plant), Steve

Potts (Allman Brothers, Al Green), Leroy and Charles Hodges (Al Green, Ann Peebles, Robert Cray). He’s also been creating artwork in multimedia collage and preparing for a new CD release with the Griffon Quartet in the fall of 2023.

AMY CHAFFEE appeared as an actress in AMC’s Interview with The Vampire and a feature film, Red Right Hand. She also dialect coached Mayfair Witches for AMC and is prepping a new film based on Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole. After working on the live original cast recording of Love Stings, RICHARD CASTLE is excited to be writing his third musical for Northern Sky Theater. Richard’s writing partner MATTHEW LEVINE tells us, “My off season has been full of drama but not the kind most of you are involved in. A new friend that I stayed with in Cuenca for a week passed away a week later. He was so popular that there have been four memorial services in 3 cities and on Zoom. I also have hosted an Amazonian woman and her 3-year-old daughter for the last month helping her promote the 2nd Vilcabamba Wellness Festival where she coordinated 13+ tribes from different parts of the Amazon to make their way to our small village. Much

more but that’s the gist of it. Hope everyone is well and happy.” CLAUDIA RUSSELL writes, “Last year I joined a friend on his UK tour, singing and playing together. I was the primary driver (yikes!) and the Queen passed away while we were in York, and I finally got Covid when I got home. Last spring, I played with my husband Bruce through the northwest, and with KATIE DAHL and RICH HIGDON in our pop-up band, Paper Birds, in the fall. I was delighted to be part of the Home for the Holidays show this past December. Can I just give Rugulah a shout out?! (It was my bake-off winner!) All in all, music continues to fill my life and my heart!” ANN BIRNSCHEIN put her musical talent to use by music directing the local Sevastopol School District musical, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella. Finally, LEE BECKER sang the National Anthem at a Milwaukee Brewers game and performed with DOC HEIDE, HOLLY FELDMAN, DAN KLARER , and MATT ZEMBROWSKI at Northern Sky’s Fall Concert Series. In March, Lee and Doc drove almost 600 miles together on Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park and the Blue Ridge Parkway, working on When Pigs Fly! and their forthcoming Belgians prequel musical.

FW

NORTHERN SKY

THEATER

Door County, Wisconsin Door County, Wisconsin

2023 SUMMER SCHEDULE

World Premiere!

Begins Wednesday, June 14, at 7:30 pm Shows on Mondays at 8:30 pm, Wednesdays & Fridays at 7:30 pm

JULY

Begins Thursday, June 15, at 7:30 pm Shows on Mondays at 6 pm, Tuesdays, Thursdays & Saturdays at 7:30 pm

Begins Wednesday, July 5, at 8 pm Shows on Wednesdays, Thursdays &

at

Begins Saturday, July 15, at 8 pm

Shows on Mondays, Tuesdays & Saturdays at 8:00 pm

Begins Wednesday, August 30, at 4 pm

OUTDOOR PARK AMPHITHEATER

Adults: $25-$33 • Students: $15-$23 • Children (Ages 3-12): $10-$18 • Children Under 3: Free on lap

INDOOR GOULD THEATER

Adults: $37 • Students: $23 • Children (Ages 12 & under): $18

Ticket office hours are 1 - 8 pm, Monday through Friday and Saturday 4-8 pm during the season.

2023 FALL SHOW – WHEN PIGS FLY!

by Frederick Heide & Lee Becker

September 15 - October 21

Monday - Friday at 7 pm and Saturday at 2 pm & 7 pm

Indoors at the Gould Theater

With your help… We make amazing things happen!

Name

Donation Levels

❑ $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

❑ $25 to $74 - Cheesehead

Designated Funds

Northern Sky General Operating Fund

❑ Please accept my gift of $ for the General Operating Fund.

Fred Alley New Musical Fund

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

Northern Sky Endowment Fund

❑ Please accept my gift of $ for the Endowment Fund.

We are a 501(c)(3) organization. Tax ID 39-1666391. Your donation is tax deductible as allowed by law.

❑ My employer will match my gift Employer Name: Paperwork: ❑ is enclosed ❑ will be sent

❑ My check number _______________________ payable to Northern Sky Theater is enclosed.

❑ Please charge $ _______________________ to my ❑ MasterCard ❑ Visa (Please provide info below)

Please clip & mail to: Northern Sky Theater - 9058 County Rd A, Fish Creek,WI 54212 Thank You!

A heart-warming celebration of traditional American humor and harmony, featuring Doc Heide, Amy Chaffee, Lee Becker, and the instrumental fireworks of Door County favorite, Eric Lewis. Northern Sky shows are supported in part by a grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Your gift of $25 or more from 4/1/2023 through 3/31/2024 will be recognized in our 2024 playbill.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

HEIDI LING Chairperson

Northern Sky Theater, Inc.

9058 County Road A Fish Creek, WI 54212

SUSAN CALDWELL Vice-Chairperson

THOMAS A. MOORE Treasurer

ERIC DEJARDINE Secretary

MICHAEL J. MCCOY

MARK BRESEMAN

CHRISTINE SALDANHA

JOHN SAWYER

KATIE DAHL

FREDERICK J. HEIDE

Our Mission

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.

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.