Pictured From The Little Theatre in Sullivan. Peninsula Players. Illinois Shakespeare Festival, on the garden grounds of Ewing Manor.
By Jonathan Abarbanel
Summer is the season for gamboling in the woods and otherwise snagging your pantyhose on something in the great outdoors. Say, how about a theater seat? From the Mississippi River to Lake Superior and from the sands of Saugatuck to the blooms of Bloomington, the Midwest abounds with summer stock theaters within one day's drive of Chicago, most of them in spots perfect for a long weekend getaway—and with GLBT-friendly B&Bs and inns nearby.
Wisconsin
For its 71st season, the dean of all summer stock operations, the Peninsula Players of Fish Creek in Door County, unveils a new theater. The cramped, original wooden stage house has been replaced by a modern stage of steel and concrete that won't burn down in three minutes flat. For the audience, the familiar rows of director's chairs set in gravel have been replaced by comfortable fixed seats on stepped concrete tiers providing much better sightlines and wheelchair access. Some things will not change: the beautiful wooded grounds, sunsets on the Green Bay shore, the post-show bonfire and the cast of familiar performers. The June 20-Oct. 15 season offers Terrence McNally's portrait of opera diva Maria Callas, Master Class, starring Chicago favorite Carmen Roman; the backstage comedy Noises Off; the musical Cabaret; the drama The Elephant Man; and Agatha Christie's ever-popular The Mousetrap. Details or ( 920 ) 868-3287 or www.peninsulaplayers.com . Tickets for 2006: $27.25-$30.25.
Just down the road in Fish Creek, American Folklore Theatre presents original, family-friendly musicals under the stars, each one 60-90 minutes long and usually based on local history. The June 13-Aug. 26 three-show season, the troupe's 17th year, offers revivals of Belgians in Heaven, described as 'the world's only metaphysical cheese curd musical,' and Loose Lips Sink Ships, set in the Sturgeon Bay shipyards during World War II. A new work, See Jane Vote, uses the 1913 women's suffrage movement as background for a local story. American Folklore Theatre performs in Peninsula State Park. Theater-only patrons are exempt from the park day fee ( for use of beaches, hiking, boat ramp, golf course, etc. ) . For the first time this year, advance sale tickets are offered. Details: see www.folkloretheatre.com . Tickets: $14.50.
In Spring Green on the Wisconsin River, the 26-year-old American Players Theatre may be the Dairy State's best destination company, presenting classics in the woods June 10-Oct. 7. The troupe opens three shows in June in rotating repertory, and adds two more in August. The 2006 season offers Thornton Wilder's The Matchmaker ( the source for Hello, Dolly! ) and Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Measure for Measure and Julius Caesar as well as Shaw's Arms and the Man.
The spacious American Players Theatre ( APT ) grounds offer picnic tables, barbeques, a comfortable 1,100-seat amphitheatre and a native-species prairie garden. Located about 50 scenic miles west of Madison, APT is a stone's throw from Frank Lloyd Wright's Taliesin and from good antiquing in nearby towns. Details: www.playinthewoods.org or ( 608 ) 588-2361; $32-$51.
Michigan
The Barn Theatre, in Augusta, is an old family business run for 58 years by Jack P. Ragotzy, who died at the theater one day before his 82nd birthday. For the last three years, his son Brendan, has been the Big Cheese, literally, since the Barn Theatre was created from an old dairy farm, which happens to be halfway between Kalamazoo ( home of Gibson Guitars ) and Battle Creek ( home of Kellogg's Corn Flakes ) . The May 30-Aug. 20 Barn Theatre season mixes veteran Actors Equity performers along with young up-and-comers in Greater Tuna, Oklahoma!, Gypsy and The Wizard of Oz, among other shows. See www.barntheatre.com or call ( 269 ) 731-4121; $29.
For those visiting Saugatuck-Douglas who've had enough of the nude beach, the hot tub and the antiques, check out some—ahem—high art at the Mason Street Warehouse in downtown Saugatuck. The June 23-Sept. 10 four-show season opens with an Elvis show, Hunka Hunka Burnin' Love, and continues with The Great American Trailer Park Musical, Cabaret and Scenery. Call ( 269 ) 857-4898 or see www.masonstreetwarehouse.org .
Illinois
Now in its 49th year, the Little Theatre on the Square in Sullivan remains one of the few Actors Equity union theaters between Chicago and St. Louis. Housed in a one-time movie house on Sullivan's classic Victorian town square ( complete with courthouse and Civil War monument ) , the Little Theatre was given a gut rehab two years ago and now boasts far better audience and backstage amenities. The June 7-Aug. 13 season offers five musicals, with Thoroughly Modern Millie, Cole Porter's Anything Goes and The Full Monty among them. Details: www.thelittletheatre.org or ( 888 ) 261-9675 ( toll free ) ; $23-$26. Founder Guy Little, Jr., turned over theater operations to others some years ago, and now operates a luxury B&B ( with swimming pool ) in the old Victorian homestead, the Little House on the Prairie. You'll feel at home there, and tell 'em Stage Door Jonny sent you.
The Timber Lake Playhouse at Mt. Carroll also has Thoroughly Modern Millie on its June 1-Aug. 20 slate of six shows, among them The Philadelphia Story, the recent Broadway hit Urinetown and the revue of Fats Waller songs, Ain't Misbehavin'. Now in its 45th season, this indoor, air-conditioned operation lies in the fertile rolling Mississippi River valley due west of Chicago and not far from Savanna and the Mississippi Palisades State Park. Timber Lake Playhouse employs non-union young professionals, frequently guided by Chicago guest directors. Details: www.timberlakeplayhouse.org or ( 815 ) 244-2035; $17.
At 29 years old, the Illinois Shakespeare Festival, on the garden grounds of Ewing Manor, is the Land of Lincoln's best destination theater. The top-rated Actors Equity company offers a June 28-Aug. 13 season of Shakespeare's' rarely seen romantic fantasy Pericles, Prince of Tyre, in rotating repertory with his earliest extant work, The Comedy of Errors, and Julius Caesar. The twin towns of Bloomington and Normal—home to several universities and the Beer Nuts company—are paradise for lovers of B&B inns, antiques and Victorian architecture. ( You can stay in notable examples. ) The Illinois Shakespeare Festival itself offers combo packages of tickets, B&B and dining. Details: www.thefestival.org or ( 309 ) 438-5806; $20-$40. Festival tickets are available in Chicago at Ticketmaster outlets. Tip: come early to enjoy the strolling madrigal singers and the Green's Show.
Closer to home, the First Folio Shakespeare Festival, Oak Brook, presents Shakespeare's magical The Tempest as its outdoor offering, June 21-July 30. On the beautiful, garden grounds of the Mayslake Peabody Estate ( now part of the DuPage County Forest Preserve ) , First Folio makes a lovely night out. Seven box suppers ( dinner salads and gourmet sandwiches ) are on sale for $12.50, or bring your own picnic. Wine drinking officially is illegal, but everyone does it and The Tempest has a low-comedy drunk scene in it. ( 630 ) 986-8067; www.firstfolio.org; $25. FYI: First Folio now has expanded to year-round operations, with fall and winter shows in the newly restored Peabody Estate Mansion.
The Festival Theatre, Oak Park, also operates year-round now, but the summer season in Austin Gardens remains the heart of things. For its 31st season, the Festival Theatre presents Shakespeare's Julius Caesar and William Inge's steamy Picnic as its principal attractions, playing in repertory June 22-Aug. 19. Speaking of picnics, they are encouraged here as you watch the fire flies in the trees, surrounded by the Oak Park Historic District. ( 708 ) 445-4440; www.oakparkfestival.com; $20-$25. FYI: the Festival Theatre is accessible by CTA.
Prices quoted are for adult single tickets. All theaters offer discounts for seniors, students and children, sometimes for preview performances and usually for money-saving subscription packages. Bring a jacket or blanket for evening performances at outdoor venues, especially Up North. And bring insect repellent; mosquitoes like theater, too.
