Peninsula Players

Peninsula Players is a summer theatre program founded in 1935 by Richard and Caroline Fisher located in Fish Creek, Wisconsin. It is known as "America's Oldest Professional Resident Summer Theatre."

History

Peninsula Players, Fish Creek, Wisconsin. The Players was founded in 1935 by the brother and sister team of Caroline and Richard Fisher in a garden located behind the Bonnie Brook motel in Fish Creek, Wisconsin. In 1937 the Fishers moved the newly founded theatre to the newly vacated 22-acre Wildwood Boys Camp, the present site of the theatre located along the shores of Green Bay and built a barn-like proscenium stage house that presented plays for an audience sitting under the stars. Peninsula Players is also know as the theatre-in-a-garden and since 1937 has been located between the towns of Egg Harbor and Fish Creek just west of state Highway 42 in beautiful Door County, Wisconsin.

In 1946 a canvas tent was erected over the audience and the folding chairs to provide some shelter from inclement weather. In 1957 a new audience pavilion with open sides was built as a permanent structure on the site. In 1960, due to financial and personal reasons, the Fishers were forced to put the theater up for sale at public auction. Kenneth Carroad, a lawyer from New York City, purchased the property. Carroad asked long time “Player” James B. McKenzie to take oversee business operations as producer. McKenzie accepted and in 1962 assisted in forming the Peninsula Players Theatre Foundation, Inc. This non-profit organization was created to operate the theatre. In 1978 Carroad sold the property to the McKenzies. The McKenzies maintained ownership until 1993. In 1993 the Peninsula Players Theatre Foundation Inc. purchased the property. McKenzie remained executive producer until his death in 2001. Todd Schmidt held the role of executive producer from 2001 through 2007 and more improvements occurred, such as a brand new theatre and stagehouse, as well as improved actor housing, new public restroom facilities, expanded and upgraded rehearsal and storage areas, a new computerized box office, and thriving new gardens. In the fall of 2005 the Player ended their season early and demolition and construction began on a new stage house. The new stage house, which opened in the summer of 2006, has a full fly tower, a grass roof, cushioned seats, and solid walls that could be raised and lowered based on weather conditions. Designed by the Chicago architecture firm Holabird and Root [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holabird_and_root] , the new theater also has a radiant heated floor which allows performances well into October.

Actors at Peninsula Players are members of Actor’s Equity, the union of professional actors and stage managers.

References

*"Players Pen" June 22, 2006 [http://www.peninsulaplayers.com]
*Theatre Profiles 2006 [http://www.performink.com]
* [http://www.talkinbroadway.com] http://www.peninsulaplayers.com/