Summit Players Theatre
Wisconsin's only traveling, non-profit theatre company, Summit Players Theatre provides free Shakespeare performances and workshops every summer in the Wisconsin State Parks
Summit Players Theatre was founded in 2014 by a group of Marquette University Theatre students with a single goal - eliminate the "Shakespeare is boring" mentality by bringing exciting, unique theatre to people all over Wisconsin, regardless of economic or cultural background. The company has experienced consistent growth over the course of its last six tours, serving more than 9,900 audience members across Wisconsin through its innovative Shakespeare in the State Parks project.
The company’s mission is to share empowering theatre experiences with children and communities throughout Wisconsin, regardless of income or background. The company does this by offering free, 75-minute, six-actor Shakespeare productions and accompanying educational workshops in the Wisconsin state parks. The only program of its kind in the country, Summit Players Theatre’s Shakespeare in the State Parks program uses the plays of William Shakespeare as a learning medium, provides audiences with an enjoyable, communal theatrical experience and introduces children to a passion for language, communicating, and constructive play.
Over the past seven years, Summit Players Theatre has served 9,951 audience members and 1,634 workshop participants in the Wisconsin state parks. Through a partnership with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WI DNR), Summit Players Theatre is able to offer these programs for no charge beyond the price of admission to the parks, furthering the WI DNR’s mission of public land use and bringing community members together for shared cultural experiences. Summit Players Theatre’s productions are fast-paced, accessible and understandable to all participants, regardless of their level of experience with Shakespeare.
Summit Players Theatre, through its partnership with the WI DNR, offers its project to a broad, statewide audience across Wisconsin. The intent is to remove geographic barriers to Shakespeare, theatre and arts access, so the company performs in as many areas of the state as possible each summer. The company seeks to tailor its approach to the different communities it visits, most effectively serving rural, urban and suburban populations with various demographics and respective needs.
Shakespeare in the State Park - Pike Lake Cost - $0
Venue - Kettle Moraine State Forest - Pike Lake Unit, 3544 Kettle Moraine Road, Hartford, WI 53027
Timing - August 19, 2022 @ 05:00 PM to August 19, 2022 @ 08:30 PM
SUMMIT PLAYERS THEATRE PERFORMING 'MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING' - Jun 06, 2022
Summit Players Theatre is bringing Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing to 23 state parks in summer 2022. The company will present a75-minute production of Much Ado About Nothing preceded by a 45-minute educational workshop.
| Name | Title | Phone | Bio |
|---|---|---|---|
| A.J. Magoon | Executive Director | 414-216-3702 | A.J., a graduate of Marquette University and founding member of Summit Players Theatre, serves as the company's Executive Director. Since 2015, he has acted with the company and served, at various points, as the Marketing Director and Managing Director as well as the Executive Director. A.J. is also the Marketing Director of Milwaukee's Next Act Theatre. He previously served as the Social Media Development Director for Theatre Gigante and a Public Relations Assistant at Bottom Line Marketing & Public Relations. During his tenure as Executive Director, A.J. oversaw Summit Players Theatre's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and was responsible for overseeing the transition from the company's in-person Shakespeare in the State Parks program to a virtual program dubbed "No Bummer Summer: A Digital Shakespeareance." He has overseen the 2021 and 2022 Shakespeare in the State Parks programs - the 2021 program served 315 workshop participants and 1,888 audience members at 24 Wisconsin state parks. Under A.J.'s leadership, Summit Players Theatre has seen an annual budget increase from $40,000 to more than $100,000 and has more than tripled artist pay from 2019 rates. A Milwaukee local, he is also an actor, and his regional theatre credits include work with First Stage, Theatre Gigante, Voices Found Repertory, Sunstone Studios, Acacia Theatre Company, Theatre Nervosa, Quasimondo Physical Theatre, Mad Rogues, Windfall Theatre, Cooperative Performance, Renaissance Theaterworks and Milwaukee Chamber Theatre's Young Playwrights Festival. |
| Caroline Norton | Education Director |
